Recently in Art History Category

Spinning is one of the earliest crafts developed by Man.  Archaeologists have discovered the remains of  string skirts that are some 20,000 years old!

In ancient times, people began spinning without tools. They collected bundles of  long grass or animal hair and twisted the fibers between the palm of the hand and thigh of the leg to make  thread.  The  spun or twisted fibers were wound onto a stone or a short, straight stick. 

With the passing of time, in the Neolithic era, the stick was notched to hold the thread, and a weight called a "whorl" was added to hold the stick steady and give it momentum  as it whirled. The whorl was made of discs of clay, metal, wood, or a flat stone. The stick had a cleft or split in the top where the thread was fixed; later,  a hook of bone was added to the upper end. This was the hand spindle or drop spindle.

The distaff was short stick on which  the raw material was wound. The end of the distaff was held in the hand, under the arm or thrust in the girdle of the spinner.  One hand was left free for drawing out the fibers.

For thousands of years, fiber was spun by hand using only these simple tools, the spindle and distaff. Much later, the spinning wheel was introduced, and mass-production  arose only with the beginnings of the Industrial Revolution.

Hand-spinning remains a popular handicraft today.

Angkor Wat is the magnificent temple city Angkor, Cambodia, built for king Suryavarman II in the early 12th century.

The temple, a significant religious centre—first Hindu, then Buddhist, is the epitome of the high classical style of Khmer architecture, now known as the Angkor Wat style. It combines two basic plans of Khmer temple architecture: the temple mountain and the later galleried temples.

Within a moat and an outer wall are three rectangular galleries, each raised above the next. At the centre of the temple stands a quincunx of towers. Unlike most Angkorian temples, Angkor Wat is oriented to the west. The temple is admired for its extensive bas-reliefs and for the numerous devatas adorning its walls.

The complex showcases the Khmer architects skill and confidence in the use of sandstone as the main building material. The elements characteristic of the style include: the ogival, redented towers shaped like lotus buds; half-galleries to broaden passageways; axial galleries connecting enclosures; and the cruciform terraces which appear along the main axis of the temple. Most of the visible areas are of sandstone blocks, while laterite was used for the outer wall and for hidden structural parts. The binding agent used to join the blocks are thought to be natural resins or slaked lime. Typical decorative elements are devatas (or apsaras), bas-reliefs, and on pediments extensive garlands and narrative scenes. Statuary is conservative, being more static and less graceful than earlier work.

Tablet weaving is one of the oldest European textile techniques, dating back to the early Iron Age. It was mainly used for making narrow fabrics for girdles, leg bindings, borders, and decorative braids.
The tablets are small flat squares, usually of bone or wood, with a hole in each corner through which a warp thread is passed. The tablets are held in the hand like a pack of cards, parallel to the warp, and turned back or forward by half or quarter turns. This action twists the four warp threads (controlled by each tablet) into a cord that can be locked into position by a weft thread inserted between the turns. By varying the colors of the warp yarn and the direction of the turn of the tablets, intricate warp patterns can be created.
Tablet weaving could be further enhanced by brocading, which was achieved by using a second weft thread, which ran over some of the warp threads, creating a pattern on the surface of the thread. Brocaded tablet-weaves were usually of silk, using gold or silver thread for the brocaded pattern. This type of braid was a very high status item, and was usually used to decorate expensive garments.
Tablet weaving was a very skilled craft. The bands, as they are known in most countries, were often woven with the finest of wools - sometimes referred to as cobweb fine. The result was a very fine piece of work, with woven bands less than 1/2” wide common and demonstrating fantastic detail.
Other original examples have woven names or messages in the work or rows of animals. The number of patterns possible is almost limitless, with certain patterns probably typical of particular localities. Tablet weaving was one of the few occasions that almost anyone could afford at least some expensively dyed threads that could be included in the work, in an effort to dress up plainer clothing.

The civilization of the Mayas was one of the most magnificent in all of Central America. Its history can be divided in three successive periods: the preMayan era (before 320), the Ancient Empire (320-987), and the New Empire (987-1697).

The Mayan empire covered a wide region including the southeast of México, Yucatan and Guatemala. The civilization grew from the hub in the Peten region to the Tikal and Uaxactun agglomerations. The cities of Chichen Itzá, Uxmal, Palenque, Bonampak, and Copan developed.

Mayan Art is considered the richest in the New World because of the great complexity of patterns and variety of media expressions. Limestone structures, faced with lime stucco, were the hallmark of ancient Mayan architecture. Mayan buildings were adorned with carved friezes and roof combs in stone and stucco. Another distinctive feature of the Mayans was the use of colorful murals

With large quantities of limestone and flint available, plaster and cement were easily produced. This allowed the Mayans to build impressive temples, with stepped pyramids. On the summits were thatched- roof temples. The early Mayan architects used extensively the corbel vault principle, where arch-like structures extend inward until they meet at the pinnacle.

Tombs were often encased within or beneath Mayan structures. Frequently new temples were built over existing structures.

Most of the Mayan cities were built by being divided into quarters by two avenues which cross-cut each other at right angles. Roofs were flat and made with cedar beams overlaid with mortar. The walls were plastered and painted with great gods and other mythological features.

The Mayans also expressed themselves artistically. Their ceramics were made in a large variety of forms and decorated with complex scenes.

The Mayans also designed works of art from flint, bone and shell, along with making decorated cotton textiles. Even metal was used for ceremonial purposes. Items made with metal include necklaces, bracelets and headresses.

With the decipherment of the Maya script it was discovered that the Maya were one of the few civilizations where artists attached their name to their work.

The American Navajo Indians are famous for their evocative, timeless weavings which accurately mirror the social and economic history of the Navajo people.

According to legend, the Navajo people were taught to weave by Spider Woman, and the first loom was of sky and earth cords, with weaving tools of sunlight, lightning, white shell, and crystal.

The Navajos learnt their weaving skills from the Pueblo people by the mid 1600s, who in turn had been influenced by the Spanish. The Spanish influence includes the substitution of wool for cotton, the use of indigo dye, and simple stripe patterning.

Besides the "manta" (a wider-than-long wearing blanket), Navajo weavers also made a tunic-like dress, belts, garters, hair ties, men's shirts, breechcloths, and a "serape-style" wearing blanket. These blankets were longer-than-wide and were patterned in brown, blue and white stripes and terraced lines.

By the end of the 1700s Navajo weaving began its divergence. Navajo weavers learned that wefts did not need to be passed through all the warps each time, but rather, by stopping at whatever point they wished they could create patterning other than horizontal bands. These "pauses" in Navajo weaving are often seen as "lazy-lines" (diagonal lines across the horizontal wefts) in finished pieces. By 1800, weavers were using this technique to create terraced lines and discrete design elements. Navajo weavers also demonstrated more willingness to use color than their Pueblo teachers.

The history of Navajo weaving continues; over the past century, Navajo weaving has flourished, maintaining its importance as a vital native art to the present day. Virtually all the nineteenth and twentieth-century styles of blankets and rugs are still woven, and new styles continue to appear.

Have a look at the early Singer sewing machines.

The Nile Valley of Egypt is a cradle of civilization more than 5000 years old. And as with other river valley peoples, the salubrious climes and seasons of plenty led to a flourishing of the arts and culture.

The Art of Ancient Egypt found expression in painting and sculptures which were characterized by strict adherence to realism, detail and presentation. Artistic license to achieve visual and compositional ideals was frowned upon. It reflected the highly religious nature of Ancient Egyptian civilization, and many of the great works depicted gods, goddesses, and Pharaohs.

The idea of order was developed with clear and simple lines combined with simple shapes and flat areas of color. Correct proportions were specified, in which political and religious, as well as artistic order, was maintained. Social hierarchy was clearly defined, with figures were drawn to sizes based not on their distance from the painter's point of view but on relative importance. For instance, the Pharaoh would be drawn as the largest figure in a painting no matter where he was situated, and a greater God would be drawn larger than a lesser god.

Symbolism also played an important role in establishing a sense of order. Symbols, ranging from the Pharaoh's accoutrements of power, to the individual symbols of Egyptian gods and goddesses, were extensively used. Animals were usually also highly symbolic figures. The ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic script consisting of a variety of pictures and symbols also constituted a remarkable part of the works.

Color had special significance. Blue and green represented the Nile and life; yellow stood for the sun god; and red represented power and vitality. These original colors have endured the passage of time because of Egypt's dry climate.

The extended time-span and prolific output of this influence has resulted in its division into several distinct periods, starting with the Predynastic, through the Old Kingdom (2680 BC–2258 BC), the Middle Kingdom (2134 BC–1786 BC), the New Kingdom (1570 BC–1085 BC), the Amarna Period (1350 BC–1320 BC), and the Late Period.

Quilts have been part of the American way since the days of the pioneers. What started off as an exercise in necessity and enforced frugality has grown to a complex and extensive art.

Early Quilts were merely scraps of material from discarded clothing or blankets, sewn together to offer protection against the biting cold of the uncharted Midwest. With settlement and prosperity, this grew to a community activity, where women shared their loves, lives, and hopes in Quilting Bees.

The availability of cotton and cheap power loom fabrics after Industrialization gave a fillip to the Art, inspiring creativity.

Today Quilting is a popular hobby and Art enjoyed by many. It retains the early charm of utilizing scraps and now offers more, including historically and culturally significant patterns and specialized tools.

Early civilizations saw the use of more sophisticated materials and tools. Stone, metal, and wood were crafted into everyday functional articles, decorated and embellished. The Indus Valley Civilization and the Sumerians of Mesopotamia were two of these.

Dating back to the fourth and third millennium B.C., both the Indus Valley and the Sumerian cultures caused great astonishment and wonder when they were first uncovered in Modern times.

A variety of media were used, including those that required specific tools and skilled craftsmanship. Intricate objects of bronze, terracotta, stone, and gold characterised the art of Mohenjo-daro and Harappa. Examples of early Sumerian painted pottery showed the gradual transition from hand-made to the potter’s wheel.

The art reflected the traditions of the river valley civilizations, indicating agricultural lifestyles with extensive trading practices, architecturally planned cities, developed language structures and skilled tools and weaponry. Cultural activities such as dance and music, and religious mores were also depicted.

The technical mastery, anatomical proficiency, and artistic diversity of these early peoples are astounding and awe-inspiring.

Beautifully illustrated Fourth of July Postcards!

Print them out and frame them, or save them as wallpaper or screensavers.