Commemoration and Decoration — Unit test Answers

This is a mosaic, entitled, The Transfiguration of Christ with Sant’Apollinare from 549 BCE. Its is a Christian composition. In the center is a cross, surrounded by sheep (God’s people) and a shepherd (Christ). It tells the story of Christ transfiguration from man into messiah, as told by the gospels. The colors are vibrant and glorifying.

Early Byzantine art presented Christian stories and the Gospels through multi-leveled symbolism. Many church murals and mosaics were created. Most works of art were painted on sheets of vellum, which is a thick papyrus material. Artist most often use bright colors, although many have faded through the years.

The Stele of Hammurabi was carved in Diorite, a very hard rock, and stands approximately seven feet tall. On the rock is engraved the image of Hammurabi who stands next to the seated sun god, Shamash. Legend says that the sun god told Hammurabi of the laws that should be shared. The laws are engraved at the bottom in cuneiform, and flow horizontally. It is significant because it is the first known written code of law.

This relief sculpture is entitled Athena Attacking the Giants. It was created during the Hellenistic period. This sculpture shows an unhappy Athena, who is holding the men at either side, almost in a hostage manner. This sculpture is characteristic of the Hellenistic time period because it exhibits emotion, anger, and violence, which were all common in Hellenistic art due to the circumstances at the time Greece.

This is the Wall of Torah Niche. It depicts a story form the Jewish Torah (sacred scripture). The wall depicts common stories to the Jewish people. The artist has used strong outlines and flat colors.

This is called, Spotted Horses and Human Hands. It was made between 25,000 and 24,000 BCE, and was found in Pech-Merle Cave, which is located in Dordogne, France. There is a hand-print as a type of signature created by the artist. The artist created this by chewing-up charcoal in his/her mouth. Then he/she would place a hand on the wall, and blow the chewed-up charcoal over the hand. This would create a negative hand-print on the stone.

In the Paleolithic example (left), there images are simply painted, with a bit of color. In the Neolithic example (right), the style is abstract with sharp, clean lines and no color besides black showing. It shows humans and animals interacting together.

This is the Mosque of Isfahan. Throughout the mosque, Notice the beautiful, bright colors, geometric designs. On top of the dome, you can see examples of arabesques. Below the dome, on the cylinder piece, there is Islamic writing, probably religious. The facade (image on the right) also includes examples of arabesques and Islamic writing, or calligraphy. It is made of brilliant blue glazed tiles that wrap around the entire courtyard.

Answers may vary, but should be similar to the following: The age of metals made its appearance in Europe and in the Aegean region around 2300BCE, copper, gold, and tin had been mined, worked and traded even earlier. The metals mined thus far could be worked, however they were too soft to be functional. The introduction of Bronze, an alloy, or mixture of tin and copper, changed the peoples of Europe. Strong weapons could be fashioned and exquisite objects made of bronze were fashioned.

These figures are votives, which traditionally hold religious significance and were most likely dedicated to the gods. They are limestone statues. They are an examples of the traditional way Sumerians represented forms, with simplified faces and bodies, and with clothing that emphasized the cylindrical shape and the styles of the time. The bulging eyes indicate the openness they had when approaching a god.

In 313, Constantine issued the Edict of Milan granting all people in the Roman Empire freedom to worship whatever god they wished. Because Christians could worship freely, Christian art could now also be shown publicly.