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Before the first grunts were exchanged between early man I am sure humans were already scratching pictures in the dirt around their campfires and decorating the walls of the caves they used as shelters.
Virtually all these dirt and wall scratchings that might have existed have disappeared. Only when objects are somehow preserved, found, and recognized as being of human origin are they capable of being called 'art'. The first generally accepted art objects are crude stone sculptures found in Europe and cave wall paintings preserved for thousands of years in the cave system at Pech-Merle, France.
30,000 Years of Art: The story of human creativity across time and space explores the growth and diversity of human art over the last thirty millennium.
The representative art objects are displayed chronologically. The first object featured is a stone carving, the 'Lion Man', found in the Altmuhl Valley in Germany, dated c. 28000 BC. The last 'object' is a work in progress, a building being constructed by the artist James Turrell at Roden Crater in modern-day Arizona.
Over the 1000-plus(!!) pages in between are a thousand representative art objects from around the world demonstrating the diversity, power, and enduring beauty of the human imagination.
Each object is displayed on a single page, regardless of size. Country of origin; artist, if known; type of object; dimensions of the art piece; and its current location are listed for each object. A few paragraphs about the significance, cultural setting, production method, its relation to other art objects, and its contemporary use are given for each object.
The first 28000 years are covered in the first 300-plus pages. While the much more copious and accessible art from the last 2000 years fills the remaining nearly 800 pages.
Every art form imaginable is included. Stone sculptures; iron, bronze, copper, gold, silver objects; masks; statues; burial crypts and sarcophagi; buildings; paintings; cloth/fabric; buildings and probably other mediums that I missed as I read.
Artwork from around the world is featured. Perhaps the only continent not included might be Antarctica. Sizes of the objects range from as small as 1&1/2 inches small to many feet large.
Representative works of art include:
Cave paintings of Lascauz, France
Mask of Tutankhamen, Egypt
Venus di Milo, Greece
Buddha Preaching the Law, India
Moai Figures, Easter Island, Chile
Third of May 1808, Goya, Spain
Ball at the Moulin de la Galette, Renoir, France
The Scream, Munch, Norway
American Gothic, Wood, USA
The list above is understandably very Eurocentric, noting a few works of art deemed important in Western civilization.
But the real richness of the book is the intimate glimpses into the art and culture of peoples around the globe and across the millennium. Some of the little-known objects featured here are stunning in design and impact. Some are sparsely shaped yet beautifully crafted while others are highly complicated yet evocative works of art.
In particular I was struck by the raw, subdued beauty of many of the Japanese and Chinese art objects included here. Simply stunning.
Many of the gold and silver objects also seem to possess a lustre and a value far beyond the gleaming metal from which they are shaped.
Comprehensive
Timelines at the end of the book sequence the various 'art periods' referenced earlier in the book as well as representative historical and cultural events across the 30000 years. A comprehensive
Glossary of art terms and an
Index complete the book.
The Bottom Line The human imagination is a powerful and creative tool. Whether worshiping the Gods, memorializing the dead, decorating the objects of everyday life, or creating grand monuments to the glory of man and nation . . .any desired result often creates a lasting tribute of value and beauty.
30,000 Years of Art: The story of human creativity across time and space is your passport to a rich visual and visceral history of the growth of mankind and the celebration of his passage on this world.
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