Primitive art, despite its apparent simplicity and unpretentiousness, is of great importance in the history of mankind as a whole. The development of its various types continued for millennia, and in some regions of the planet - for example, in Australia, Oceania, some states of Africa and America - it existed in the twentieth century, changing its name to "traditional art".
Fine arts
The most ancient monuments of art of the primitive world belong to the ancient stone age - the Paleolithic (approximately 40 thousand years BC). Basically, these were rock paintings on the ceilings and walls of caves, in underground grottoes and galleries in Europe, North Africa and South Asia. Early drawings were extremely primitive and displayed only what a person saw in his daily life: animals, prints of human hands smeared in paint, etc. Earth colors, ocher, black manganese, white lime were used for painting. As the art of the primitive period developed, the drawings became multicolored, and the plots became more complicated.
Carving
In addition, stone, wood and bone carving developed intensively, people learned to make full-fledged figurines. Most often depicted againanimals: bears, lions, mammoths, snakes and birds. When making such figurines, people tried to recreate the silhouette, texture of wool, etc. as accurately as possible. It is believed that figurines served our ancestors as amulets, protecting them from evil spirits.
Architecture
After the Ice Age, the so-called Neolithic Revolution took place. An increasing number of tribes chose a settled way of life and needed a permanent, reliable home. Depending on the habitat of a particular people, many new types of houses appeared - on stilts, from dried bricks, etc.
Ceramics
The most important place in the history of art of the primitive world is occupied by ceramic products. For the first time they also began to be made in the Neolithic era. People learned to use an accessible and easy-to-process material - clay - long before, in the Paleolithic, but they began to make really beautiful dishes and other products from it a little later. Gradually, more and more new forms appeared (jugs, bowls, bowls and others), almost every item was decorated with painted or carved ornaments. A striking example of the art of primitive society can be considered Trypilska ceramics. The painting on various products of this people reflected reality in all its diversity.
Bronze Age
Considering the forms of primitive art, one should also pay attention to bronze casting, which marked the beginning of a completely new era in the history of human development. It was during this periodmegalithic structures appear (menhirs, dolmens, cromlechs), which, according to historians, carried a religious connotation. As a rule, megaliths were located near the burial places.
Jewelry
Throughout all stages, primitive people sought to decorate themselves and their clothes. Jewelry was made from all available materials: shells, prey bones, stone, clay. Over time, having learned to process bronze, iron and other metals, including precious ones, people acquired skillfully made jewelry, which still amaze us with its beauty and elegance.
The art of the primitive era is of paramount importance, because it is with its appearance that the strongest leap in evolution is often compared, which forever separated man from the beast.
