Rule Creations

Essays: Neolithic Structures, Part 1, Spain

The past is so amazing. Sometimes, the mysteries enshrined in the works of art, in the monuments and buildings of times past hold deep secrets that scholars are still working to uncover. In this category of posts, I will compile information from scholarly and popular sources to learn and then report information about these great works of the past.

Findings

The Neolithic Age is also known as a New Stone Age, and it spans the time between 10,000 BCE and 2000 BCE. It’s pretty amazing that our ancestors were walking and making art like this so long ago because of its size and complexity. With only simple tools and great skill and determination, neolithic people built these structures.

These early people lived in areas around the Fertile Crescent, the Yangtzi River, the New Guinea Highlands, Central Mexico, Northern South America, sub-Saharan Africa, and Eastern North America. They were involved in what is known as a Neolithic revolution because it was a time of revolutionary changes to ways that people lived. Instead of mainly hunting and gathering, people started building settlements, raising livestock and farming the land.

This time around, I will focus on an enigmatic and interesting activity that Neolithic people engaged in relating to art. They built gigantic structures made of stones called megaliths. One particular site is of interest for the size and weight of its stones. It is called Menga, and it is located in what is now Spain.

Aside from being interesting for their age, megaliths are significant because of their size and weight. Menga was built between 3,800 and 3,600 BCE and is the earliest of all four megaliths in Spain. It was first explored in the 1840s. Its large size is impressive. It is approximately 27 yards long and between two to almost four yards high. There’s a difference because its different stones are angled to a greater height at the back.

Studies indicate that these stones were dug into the ground and then covered with another stone called a capstone. Menga was also covered with soil after the capstone was in place. Scholars have been working to uncover the secrets of Menga for many years and there is debate as to how the structure was built because of the weight and size of the stones. UNESCO has named this a World Heritage Site and protects it.

The stones that make up Menga are 32 in number and collectively weigh about 1,140 tons. That’s like 91 school buses. Its capstone number C5 with a weight of almost 150 tons is the largest stone ever moved. According to research scientists like those in José Antonio Lozano Rodriguez’s team, these stones were brought from far away by the community and placed together in this shape with human effort and skill.

The Menga site is also amazing because of its orientation in relation to the sun and other landmarks in the area. It was built so that part of it is brightly lit by the sun while the other part is always in the shade. Also, its opening points to a sacred mountain nearby. It was used as a burial tomb according to numerous sources.

These types of structures took an immense amount of effort to build. The entire community had to be involved. They weren’t just crypts. According to researcher Leonardo Garcia SanJuán, it would be an error to accept the site as a “simple depository of objects.” They made sure that the structure was visible so that it could have a place in their lives. It was within the community’s geographical zone of influence so that it could be easily accessed, and it was in a place that was at a crossroads for travelers. This meant that people could get out of there to communicate from different parts of the world. Also, travelers could know that they were approaching the borders of this village’s land.

Families were strengthened as the connection to their ancestors and a social order was honored communally the structure at Menga. Today, we have public art. It is not about death but usually quite beautiful and reflects the character of the artist and their vision for the community. Aside from large structures in mausoleums and crypts, this type of stone work is no longer employed in creating new works.

Thanks for reading! Email if interested in bibliography. ☺️

Reactions: New York, NY (1953)

This is the first report on this small journey of exploration. I call it small because at this time, my husband and I are traveling through the history of Art, learning and sharing what we have learned with each other and you.
I am starting with Abstract Expressionism because it is the beginning of a truly American Art group. The shift occurred with this New York School. Suddenly, Western Art moved its lens of concern to the USA. From this group, I chose to respond to “New York, New York “(1953) by Franz Kline. It now hangs at the Albright-Knox Gallery in Buffalo. It was created in New York and is oil on canvas. There is another painting by Kline with the same name that one made in 1958. The reaction to this painting went through different stages: initial questioning, subsequent appreciation and final understanding.

My initial reaction to New York city was quizzical. I was puzzled. At the same time, I felt hopeful and energized by the piece. Why did I come up with such a jumble of emotions? I think that I was perplexed because the painting was not obvious. I tried to find skyscrapers or something in the painting. The title was New York and that meant that it was supposed to be about New York. Was this painting what the artist saw when he looked at New York? I don’t think so. Maybe he looked at New York, had a reaction to it and then painted this work. Freed from the captivating threads of representation, Kline explored and rendered inner worlds and truths about the outer realm of New York. When the lines in “New York” moved upwards and horizontally, I felt surprise and excitement. My eyes moved up and down, left and right and then down to up on the page that showed the canvas. My eyes followed the thick black lines. So, I was really captivated by the upward slope of the two lines moving horizontally on a slight diagonal on the painting. When there was an intersection the sudden stop surprised me. There was no yield in the lines. What I mean is that when one line intersected another, neither bled nor smudged, nothing cracked or splintered, but all lines continued. Because of the way that the paint was laid on, it seemed to add to the drama of the painting. The tiny splatters made me visualize the artist’s brushes streaking across the canvas, leaving lines of thick paint, leading us in his frenetic exploration of New York. Interesting.

This painting is part of a style called motion painting I learned while writing this article. Looking at this painting without visualizing the artist at work was really impossible for me. It is supposed to be a large painting and the lines are thick width wise and the paint is laid on thick. For these reasons, I imagined the artist working strenuously. Because of the way that the lines in the painting interacted and became all of the painting, my eyes moved all the time. There was no resting point. If there had been any color, that would have given me a place to land, but Kline wanted me to soar among the heights of New York. Kline passed away at 62 from heart trouble quite suddenly. There is more of his work to appreciate though. I can’t wait.

The Art of Two Kingdoms

Persepolis and Jerusalem in History and Now

In this time, I want to think about history so that maybe by recalling a time of peace, peaceful feeling can regrow. I know that our friends, family and descendants will think of us as peacemakers if we take this chance to remember the good moments in the history of two great peoples.

There are many people in the world at odds right now. Can art heal those rifts? Persia and Israel have long shared a love for art. Jewish and Persian artists shaped stone, building temples that will always astound the eye with majesty and brilliance. This love of precision stone craft and attention to the delicate nature of building took shape at different times. In Persia, the Darius Empire created Persepolis, while at the same time, in Israel, temples and monuments were erected and new care was given to the artisan crafts.

It was Darius’s predecessor, Cyrus, who conceived the principles that would find their expression in the great palace and temple of Persepolis. Cyrus the Great was a Persian ruler that was loved by the Israelites because of his faithfulness to his promise that he would liberate them from Babylonian slavery if he won his war. This leader built relationships and ended a time of exile and disconnection. He began a time called the Persian Period in Jewish history.

Jerusalem’s Second Temple was rebuilt during this period. It was the chief place of worship for the Jewish people. Sacrifices were made at the temple by the people to atone for sin per the law. It was also a place of community, a place where people would gather to enjoy each other’s company. It was made of Jerusalem limestone with large Greek columns. It was on Mount Moriah which was the site of the temple originally built by King Solomon. The temple was large and beautiful using the principles of harmony and proportion. The same king, Darius of Persia helped build this temple while he finished construction on Persepolis.

My favorite part of Persepolis is its Gate of All Nations. It’s a gigantic gate that stands taller than seven men standing on top of each other’s shoulders. On each side of the gate there are two bulls frozen in an attitude of warning. These bulls are symbols of the power of the king and no doubt meant to awe visitors. This gate still stands and is an UNESCO site.

As this shows, artisans, architects and artists built the nations of Israel and Persia up rather than destroy them. In war, the only winners are the arms-dealers and those thirsty for the temporary glory of elusive control over people. The people left behind treasure their sons and daughters in life rather than in battle. We honor those who fight but don’t seek out war when peace is achievable.

So many years ago, Darius blended the art of the people in the Persian empire in order to show how each group was important and integral to the greater whole. Israeli leaders of that time sought to create works of art that called to mind the serenity and glory of deity. In so doing, they prevented a “cult of personality” to form in their nation. Leaders are remembered for how they stabilize their nations and bring prosperity, not by their battles. Can art remind each of us how beauty is fragile as the heart is fragile?

Happy Fourth of July!

Make something beautiful out of today!