Begining of Art

Stone Age Art

The first known period of prehistoric human culture, during which work was done with stone tools. The period began with the earliest human development, about two million years ago. It is divided into three periods.

The Paleolithic period or Old Stone Age

The longest phase of human history. Its most outstanding feature was the development of the human species – Homo sapiens. Paleolithic peoples were generally nomadic hunters and gatherers who sheltered in caves, used fire and fashioned stone tools. Their cultures are identified by distinctive stone tool industries. By the Upper Paleolithic there is evidence of communal hunting, constructed shelters and belief systems centering on magic and the supernatural. Rock Carving and Paintings reached their peak in the Magdalenian culture of Cro-Magnon man.

The Mesolithic period or Middle Stone Age

It began at the end of the glacial era over 10,000 years ago. Cultures included gradual domestication of plants and animals, formation of settles communities, use of the bow and development of delicate stone microliths and pottery

Neolithic period or New Stone Age

The time periods and cultural content of this age vary with geographic location. The earliest known Neolithic culture developed from the Natufian in southwestern Asia between 9000 and 7000 BCE. People lived in settled villages, cultivated grains and domesticated animals, developed pottery, spinning and weaving and evolved into the urban civilizations of the Bronze Age. In Southeast Asia a distinct type of Neolithic culture cultivated rice before 2000 BCE. New world peoples independently domesticated plants and animals and by 1500 BCE Neolithic cultures existed in Mesoamerica that led to the Aztec and Inca civilizations.

Facial Painting

It is said that this special art derived from the Chinese opera has different origins. But no matter what its origin is, the facial painting is worth appreciating and full of artistic value. The colours of the makeup are heavy and follow specified designs for meaning. The paintings are presentations of character’s role. For examples

• Red Face – It usually depicts the role’s bravery, uprightness and loyalty

• White Face – It explains the role’s sinisterness, treachery and guile

• Green Face – It describes surly stubbornness, impetuosity and lack of self restraint

In addition, the pattern of the facial painting reveals the role’s information too. In a word, the unique makeup in the opera monologues on the stage voicelessly.

Changing Faces

Peking opera performers mainly have two types of facial decorations, masks and facial painting. The frequent on stage changing of masks or facial makeup is a special technique known as changing faces.

Changing faces is a difficult technique in operatic performance. It is considered to be a stunt that can only be mastered after extensive training. Face changing is also a special technique used to exaggerate inner feelings of characters, portray their dispositions, set off the atmosphere and improve effects. Facial changes expressing sudden changes in a character’s feelings are done in four ways.

• Blowing dust – The actor blows black dust hidden in his palm or close to his eyes, nose or bears so that it blows back into his face.

• Manipulating Beard – Beard colours can be changed while the beard is being manipulated from black to gray and finally to white expressing anger or excitement.

• Pulling-down Masks – The actor can pull down a mask that has previously been hidden on top of his head, leaving his face red, green, blue or black to communicate happiness, hate, anger or sadness respectively.

• Mop – The actor mops out the grease paint hidden in his sideburns or eyebrows around his eyes and nose to change his facial appearance.

Body Painting

History of Tattoos

Tattoos have an ancient history stretching back over thousands of years. Egyptians were tattooing themselves for decorative reasons back in the days of the pyramids. The Chinese adopted the form around 2000 BC. The body of a primitive man found frozen in the Swiss mountains dated to 2000 years ago had multiple tattoos on him. The practice of making permanent marks into the skin with pigment has been found at some point in nearly every major culture in history.

In some societies it helped identify bands of people as when family crests or tribal symbols were used. During the Victorian era, the modern tattoo machine was first invented and patented, a design that has changed very little in style to this day. When explorers of that era came across primitive cultures that practiced tattooing, individuals were often returned to Europe foe audiences and exhibitions. When religious missionaries encounter tattooing, they often do their best to discourage and end the practices. Sadly the twentieth century saw many native tattooing practices disappear, especially in the South Pacific island cultures.

In other societies, criminals or outcasts were marked in order that others would know clearly who they were. One of the most notorious uses of tattooing was in ancient china where the offender was marked with three lines on the forehead, forming the character for “dog” after the third offense. The Yakuza, a Japanese organized crime syndicate, historically has used full-body tattooing as a way of identifying members and proving commitment. Street gangs in contemporary America frequently utilize tattooing, often on the neck or hands to prove commitment, as the marks can’t be hidden casually and your group identity is always on view.

The modern wave of tattoo interest has its roots in the late 1960s. For the first time, people with fine art training began to work in the field of skin art, bringing with them all their art history knowledge. The modern body art renaissance has been the saving grace for many tribal tattoo styles, now being worn by people with no attachment to the symbolic histories of many of these patterns. Nonetheless, this fascination with mixed cultural tattoo styles has saved certain styles of skin art from extinction.