ART 101 Guide 1
GUIDE # 1 Unit 1
Your Name:
Date:
Time you begin this guide:
“Who we are? Where do we come from? Where are we going?
These are three of the most universal questions.
They are about time - past, present, and future - as well as about the nature of the human condition.
The more we know about our past, the better we understand our present.
We will begin by going back in time to early periods of the human race…”
- Laurie Schneider Adams
PREFACE
Before you open your book, let us talk about the way we will be working together – about my method of teaching and your way of learning.
I have created for you the Reading Guides of a special type. Through them, I will be leading you along the Text. I will be with you at each step of your reading assignment. By asking the questions, I will direct your attention to the key issues. I will elaborate on certain notions that are not well explained in the book. I will be also giving you more information and telling some interesting facts.
In this class, you will be studying not only Art but also History, Geography, and even some Foreign Languages. In addition – and this is very important- you will have a chance to improve your studying skills.
As soon as you begin working on the first guide, you will see how my guides work and in what way they are different from regular guides.
Please bear with me in the first two weeks and then it will be an easy sail. Promise!
How to Work on Guides
- Put your Book next to Computer and have Guide 1 open on your screen.
- Read my first question and directions (in the guide) and begin reading the text.
- As soon as you come across the ‘answer’ (pertinent Info in the text), type your brief
summed-up answer next to my question (next to asterisk - *…)
- Move on to my next Question (in Guide) – resume reading and typing your answers.
- Most often, you will know when you come across the answer (I have my way to let you know
and make it easier for you to see the key information).
More recommendations:
Make your imagination work and feel like we are reading your book together, while discussing it through my questions and your answers. Since it is a conversation, I want you to feel free and informal in talking.
Your answers can be simple and short.
Do not worry if you cannot find the exact answer in the text. It could mean that current edition omitted this part (and I missed to take it out of the guide). Most likely those are not critical issues and will not be asked on the tests.
Please keep in mind that the main purpose of these guides is helping you in studying (and not for me to check and grade them).
I will be grading the guides (or reading notes) mostly on their completion, although I will be looking how they are done. Regardless how neatly or how long the answers are, I will give you the max amount of points, provided I see that you have worked diligently through the text and answered most of the questions.
Feel free to do the guides in the way that better suits your learning style. The format is free and of your choice. Thus, they can be short or long, depending on how much information you would like to retain. Your goal is to create a good logical outline that would assist you in reading, understanding, absorbing the material, summing it up and, thus, in preparing for the tests.
Finally, you have an option to make your own reading notes instead of the guides. You are welcome to use my questions as the guiding lines or just focus on the major issues as you see them.
So, to sum up in what way the guides make your reading effective
They show you what the main issues are
They allow you to practice in taking study notes (which is the most effective studying technique!)
They help you to keep your attention focused through reading
They provide you with a framework (built of my questions) for your own outline that will be very helpful in preparation for the tests. In the outcome paper, you will have all the major information in a very condensed form.
Good news - there will be nothing on the TESTS that is not in the GUIDES since they cover all the key issues, facts, and terms.
Tech Tips
Create folder “ART-101” for the guides and other papers.
Save each Guide under its name (the one it has now)
(No need to put your name or date in the file’s title; I can see this info in Bb)
Do not ZIP files
Always save guides at least twice – first time when you open it and then at the end. Although your computer is supposed to save your work every few minutes, it would not hurt to click once in a while on “Save” (or “Ctrl +S”) –and certainly od it at the end, before closing the document.
Go ahead and save this guide right now.
* * *
Here is an example of how my dialogue method works in the guides.
I am going to asks two questions and answer them myself. The questions below also address two important notions (not sufficiently elaborated on in your text).
Prehistory
Question: To what historical period does this term prehistory refer?
Answer: * Prehistory refers to the time before writing systems were developed.
(Remember, the History started with invention of writing!)
Stone Age
Why the earliest period in the history of human race is called Stone Age?
* The archaeologists called it so because, during this time, people used
stone tools – e.g., stone arrows’ tips and knifes.
As you see, the answers can be short. You can use some textbook’s wording but sum up info in short sentences and down to point. Try to keep one sentence - one line (when possible). Bulleted statements are also recommended – very helpful for reviewing purposes. Let us get down to work now.
THE ART OF THE ANCIENTS
(Open Chapter 2 and read Preface)
Describe in brief the way of life in the Stone Age. What are the archeological findings from that era? What type of art did the ancient humans produce? What was the probable reason for creating art works? (Type a few lines; one statement – one line)
*______________
*______________
*______________
PREHISTORIC ART
Three phases of Prehistoric Art (corresponding to three periods of Stone Age)
* Paleolithic (namely, its last period – Upper Paleolithic)
* …
* …
Together these three periods span the last 15,000 years of the B.C. era (about, to keep it simple) 
Note: Today the scholars date back the birth of the art even to the earlier age, before the 15,000 B.C. You should also keep in mind that the dating is extremely approximate when we study ancient history and prehistoric times in particular.
LESSON IN GREEK
In this class, you are going to learn some foreign languages - some Greek, Latin and French words that entered our language, mostly as terms. Here is your first lesson in Greek - the classical language that used to be in school is still taught today at the prestigious schools and commonly used by the scholars, along with Latin.
To better understand these terms – Paleolithic, Mesolithic and Neolithic, you should refresh a few Greek words in your memory.
Paleo = ancient or old
Meso = middle
Neo = new
Lithic = stone (made of stone)
Now please translate the following terms from English to Greek.
Below you see the common names for the three periods of the Stone Age. Give their scientific names by writing each Greek word under its English meaning.
| Old | Stone | Age | | Middle | Stone | Age | | New | Stone | Age |
| | Period | | | Period | | | Period | |||
Paleolithic Art
Paragraph # 1
| “Paleolithic art is the art of the last Ice Age...” | Read the first paragraph and address the following questions (below). Place a cursor next to the asterisk (*) and type your answer. You can delete this text now. |
| * … | What was the climate during the Old Stone Age in Europe and Northern America? |
| * … |
|
| Ice Age Extra Material (for Reading) | |
| Directions: You are welcome to read my texts with additional info if you have an extra minute and desire to learn more. It will not be asked on exams. Since your goal is to keep your guide (your text entries) clean and well-structured for later use – delete these directions (or the entire box if you wish) “Scientists have recorded five significant ice ages throughout the Earth’s history.The most recent glaciation period, often known simply as the “Ice Age,” reached peak conditions some 18,000 years.” http://www.history.com/topics/ice-age |
Ice Age (map) |
Paragraph #2
| “The great cave paintings of the Stone Age were discovered...” * … * … * … | /My Guiding Questions (below) /Tell the story how the cave paintings were discovered in 1940 (by pure accident) |
Paragraph # 3
| Halls of Bulls, cave at Lascaux The name of place is pronounced as [lah-SKOH]
| “One of the most splendid examples of Stone Age paintings…” | |
| Dated: *… | When painted? (range) | |
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| Upper Paleolithic, Mesolithic or Neolithic? | |
| Animals: *… | What animals were rendered? | |
| First thought to be forgeries |
| |
| Extra space (for your comment, interesting fact or any other remark) | ||
Paragraph # 4
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Halls of Bulls, Lascaux (France) | “In their attempt at naturalism…” | |
| Naturalism -… | Define this notion | |
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| Ocher (or Ochre) - a golden-yellow or light yellow-brown color ; | One more term you should notice if you are doing close reading (check yourself and make sure you do!). I will give its definition to you. | |
| There were various techniques that the Old Stone Age artists used in their painting. Pick the one that seems most amazing to you and selected it in Red. a) Outlining the contours and filling in with colors /pigments/ b) Drawing with chunks of chalk or raw pigments c) Spray technique - blowing the dried, ground pigments through the hollowed-out bone | ||
Paragraph # 5
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Bison from the cave of Altamira (Spain). The earliest paintings dated back to 35,000 B.C. (This picture is not in your book; I want you to see more examples of prehistoric art) | “Why did prehistoric people sketch these forms?” | |
| Purpose of cave paintings: | What was the most likely purpose of cave paintings? | |
| To give yourself a sense of how long ago it was, think about the fact that the Roman empire had existed two thousand years ago (only!). Now envision this – the Old Stone people painted these beautiful animals on the walls of the cave more than 15 thousand years ago (and very likely much earlier!). It is hard to believe, is not it? | ||
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Paragraph # 6
| Venus of Willendorf (Austria).
| “The prehistoric artist also created sculptures, called Venuses…” | |
| Willendorf - *… | Where was this tiny figurine found? [Type in the name of the place in Austria] | |
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Would you find the name a bit | Why do you think the archaeologists gave such a name (Venus) to this type of prehistoric figurines? | |
*… (material it is carved of?) *… (size) * *… (which body parts are emphasized?) *… (what about the head and face?) | ||
| Here we probably witness again the same kind of the early religious believes in magic – as a method of survival - as we saw in case of the hunters trying to guarantee success in hunt for animals by capturing them in art on the walls of the caves. | ||
Paragraph # 7
| Duck. 33,000-30,000 B.C.
| “Discoveries of small figurines…” |
| What does impress you most about this figurine? *… *… |
| Upper Paleolithic Extra Material |
| You must have noticed the term Upper Paleolithic (next to the picture of cave painting 2-1.)
The term Upper Paleolithic refers to the last period of the Old Stone Age (also called Paleolithic period, as you know it now). Imagine you are an archaeologist carrying out an excavation. Where would you think the pieces from the latest, most recent period are to be found - 6 feet deep or 2 feet deep? If your answer is 2 feet, you are right. Indeed, the pieces that were buried later would be found in the upper ground layer.
Even though this is a brief survey of art history but I still want you to study at the university level. Maybe not at the same level of details but you are going to form the same Big Picture. Now let us specify and rephrase the first paragraph opening the PREHISTORIC ART section. Another very important thing to remember is this: It was Upper Paleolithic (Late Old Stone Age) when ART first emerged. |
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Mesolithic Art
Paragraphs 8-9
| Ritual dance. Rock engraving
| “The Middle Stone Age began with the final retreat of the glaciers.” | |
| *… | Sum up two paragraphs paying attention to the following: | |
| *… | Changes in climate and people’s life; | |
| Whereas Paleolithic artists emphasized animal forms, Mesolithic artists concentrate on the *… | Dramatic change in the forms of art; | |
| Don’t you find it amazing – how modern these cut in the rock engravings of prehistoric dancers look? Just compare them with this drawing of the 20th-century artist Henry Matisse. … | ||
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Neolithic Art (8,000 – 2,000 B.C.)
Describe the changes in the people’s life style during the New Stone Age.
*…
*…
First Architecture
About 4,000 B.C., the most impressive creations of the Neolithic were erected - the huge monuments made out of large stones.
Paragraph 11
| Stonehenge. Salisbury Plain, England (c. 1800 -1400 B.C.)
| “The most famous of these monuments is….” | |
| *… | Describe its construction | |
| M…… - gigantic stones used in Neolithic constructions. | Here is one more word for your Greek vocabulary. Mega means big, gigantic and you already know what Lith means (Stone, right?) Type in the term. | |
| “The purpose of Stonehenge remains a mystery” *… *… *… | There are many theories (and even fantasies) trying to explain this mystery. Which ones are listed in your textbook? | |
| This New Stone Age monument is sometimes called “Prehistoric cathedral.” Its mostly likely purpose of megalithic constructions, commonly accepted by the scholars, is being a part of some religious ritual unknown to us - e.g., cult of the ancestors or deified natural forces. The latter may explain the Stonehenge’s orientation to mark the sun movement and eclipse. | ||
| Upper Paleolithic Elaboration on important notion |
| By the way, the theory about Druidical temple is presently considered false. All what we know about the druids we learned from the writings of the classical writers like Julius Caesar (Roman emperor Caesar was also a prominent writer). This was of course, 2,000 years ago. When the Romans extended their empire far to the North and came to Britain, they met the druids - a flourishing Celtic priesthood. By then the Stonehenge had existed for two thousand year, and was probably already in ruins. Moreover, these writings make it clear that the Druids held their ceremonies in the forest and did not build the temples. |
Let us wrap up the section on Prehistoric art with this important information.
“The Neolithic period began about 8,000 B.C. and spread throughout the world’s major river valleys between 6,000- 2,000 B.C.:
the Nile valley in Egypt
the Tigris and Euphrates valley in Mesopotamia (modern Middle East)
the Indus valley in India
the Yellow River valley in China
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The first guide is done. Together we have created a concise outline of all the major issues. If you know this minimum, there won’t be any surprises on the exams. Another benefit – you have just had a good training session in close reading and note-making. Both are the most needed skills in any studying.
A few more advices, if I could.
Make sure the guide is saved (in the new Art 101 folder)
Feel free to work with the text in any way you want – highlight what you consider important or just interesting and worthy to remember. Make sure to delete all my directions (in brown font) on how to work on guides, etc.). Remember, your goal is to keep your Guides as brief and well-structured as possible.
Printing of the guides is not required. Yet, if you decide to print the guides, you might want to delete the pictures and certainly all my directions and probably questions too (to save on paper and ink). Do not forget to staple the printed pages.
If you are not too tired I would recommend you to take the first QUIZ now. Review the guide and take the quiz to see how much you have learned in this first section. Quiz dwells on the key issues and will help you to prepare for the exam at the next level of summarization.
I do commend you for your diligence and patience about all the directions and lessons in study techniques. Soon, you will not need them and working on the guides will become easy and natural.
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