NEOLITHIC ART: CHARACTERISTICS, SCULPTURE, PAINTING, ARCHITECTURE - ART - 2025

Neolithic art is the name by which the artistic expressions made during this period of prehistory are known, which lasted from 7,000 to 3,000 BC. Among them are paintings, sculptures and architectural monuments in which the human figure gained importance, displacing animals as the main theme of the works.

This stage of the Stone Age was characterized by a change in the way of life of human beings, as a consequence of climate change, sedentary lifestyle and the development of agriculture and livestock.

Neolithic art stands out for covering a wide variety of subjects and for having man as a central figure. Source: pixabay.com

All this was reflected in art, where paintings became more stylized, ceramics acquired a more refined style and the construction of statuettes had a significant boom.

In architecture, on the other hand, the uprisings of megaliths stood out, a series of structures made with several large blocks of uncut stone.

It is believed that they had a funerary use and that they also served for religious, commemorative, astronomical purposes or to mark a territory.

In Neolithic art there are elements of nature associated with fertility and the representation of mother earth as a goddess related to agriculture.

Historic context

Prehistory is the period of humanity that goes from the origin of man to the appearance of the first written documents, at which point historical time itself began. This phase is divided into two stages: the Stone Age and the Metal Age.

The first was characterized by the use of tools made from rocks, bones, wood and other simple materials. In turn, it is made up of three periods: the Paleolithic, the Mesolithic and the Neolithic.

Paleolithic

It goes from the origin of man to the year 10,000 BC. C. It was a stage marked by the formation of glaciers in large areas of the earth's crust, which made human beings move from one place to another looking for territories with better climates.

In art it was characterized by the appearance of the first representations in caves, known as cave paintings.

Mesolithic

It goes from the year 10,000 to 7,000 a. With the arrival of a more temperate climate, the first coastal villages appeared, where hunting, fishing and gathering fruits were practiced.

At this stage, rock art evolved into a more abstract one.

Neolithic

It goes from the year 7,000 to 3,000 BC. C. Climate change allowed populations to settle in different spaces, facilitating the development of agriculture and livestock. This produced a true technological revolution and cultivation, grazing and exchange became common.

In this period, weaving and pottery arose and polished stone began to be used.

Characteristics of Neolithic art

Paleolithic and Mesolithic art was characterized by its monotony and by representing only animals. Bison, horses, deer and reindeer appear in his designs, and the human being is practically absent, with the exception of some hand silhouettes.

On the contrary, Neolithic art stood out for covering a wide variety of subjects and for having man as its central figure. At this stage, elements associated with fertility and allegories of the "mother goddess" related to agriculture also appeared.

Another of its salient features was the use of symbols instead of images, where it was no longer sought to represent nature faithfully but to fix abstract ideas and concepts.

On the other hand, in this period ceramics acquired great importance and became more refined with the emergence of pottery.

With it, vessels and containers were created to store water and food, which were decorated with geometric figures based on lines, triangles and circles.

Neolithic sculpture

At this stage there was a boom in the construction of statuettes. The most used techniques were stone carving and clay modeling.

The theme of fertility is very present in the works, where female silhouettes stand out, many of them pregnant or with animal attributes. It is believed that these representations were intended to favor the crops.

Animal figures also appear, although they present less detail and refinement than human figures.

Neolithic painting

In the paintings of this period the human body occupies a prominent place, although animals also appear. The designs are very primitive and the figures are more stylized.

As for color, most of the works are monochromatic, with a preponderance of red and black. The lines are usually thick and schematic forms abound, being more symbolic than naturist.

Neolithic architecture

Stonehenge, located in England, is the most famous architectural construction made during the Neolithic period. Source: pixabay.com

One of the salient features of the Neolithic period was the construction of large stone monuments, known as megaliths.

It is a series of structures made with several blocks, which are believed to have been used for funerary uses, since tombs were found under many of them.

Others, on the other hand, consider that they were used as observatories to carry out astronomical measurements, because their designs coincide with the orientation of the summer and winter solstices.

Historians also conjecture that they served religious, memorial, or territory marking purposes. Many have engraved symbols, such as crooks or axes, that could refer to a political power.

Types of megaliths

These constructions are divided into 3 types: menhirs, dolmens and chromlechs.

Menhirs represent the simplest form of megaliths. They are unique and vertical monoliths, whose base is buried in the ground to prevent it from falling. They can appear solitary or grouped in rows.

The dolmens, meanwhile, are two or more vertical stones covered by a horizontal slab, which gives it a table-like shape.

Finally, the chromlechs are sets of menhirs and dolmens arranged in a circular or elliptical shape. The most famous is in England and is known as Stonehenge, which is believed to have been built around 3,100 BC. C.

References:

1. Thomas, Julian (1991). Understanding the Neolithic. Cambridge University Press.
2. Hilson, Muriel (1991). Neolithic Art and the Art History Class. University of Canberra. Australia.
3. Esaak, Shelley (2018). Neolithic Art. Available at: thoughtco.com
4. Violatti, Cristian (2018). Neolithic Period. Ancient History Encyclopedia. Available at: ancient.eu
5. Neolithic art, Wikipedia. Available at: wikipedia.org