celtic art.pptx..... Celtics people , it's intro

All about Celtic art and craft

1. CELTIC ART 1000 BC onwards

2. When Did Celtic Art Begin? T he earliest Celtic arts and crafts appeared in  Iron Age  Europe with the first migrations of Celts coming from the steppes of Southern Russia, from about 1000 BCE onwards. Any European art, craftwork or architecture before this date derives from earlier  Bronze Age  societies.

3. What Were the Early Influences on Celtic Art? The first Celts brought their own cultural styles, derived from the Caucasian Bronze Age, as well as a knowledge of Mediterranean and  Etruscan  styles. They also brought with them a knowledge of iron-making,  metalwork  and  jewellery art , possibly developed from the Bronze-making Maikop culture of the Russia Caucasus, or contacts with the Levant.

4. What Was the First Style of Celtic Art? The earliest true Celtic idiom in the area of arts and crafts was the  Hallstatt culture .  Although centred around Austria, the Hallstatt culture spread across central Europe, divided into two zones : an ‘ eastern zone’ encompassing Slovakia, Western Hungary, Croatia, Slovenia, Austria and the Czech Republic ; and a ‘ western zone’ which included Southern Germany, Switzerland, Northern Italy, and Eastern France.  The Hallstatt culture was founded on its lucrative European-wide trade in salt, and iron implements , and its prosperity was fully reflected in the burial sites of its chieftains and wealthy nobility, which contained huge quantities of finely crafted artifacts, jewellery , pottery, tools and other objects.

5. What Were the Main Characteristics of Hallstatt Arts and Crafts? Hallstatt art from Central Europe is noted for its high-quality iron tools and weaponry, along with its bronze-based manufacture of decorative items and ornamentation. F ew silver or Gold objects have been found from this era. Hallstatt was influenced by the militaristic  Mycenean art  and culture c.1650-1200 BCE which the Celts absorbed as they passed through the Black Sea area.

6. Hallstatt Art Although it evolved and was influenced in several ways during its 300-year lifespan, the Hallstatt art style is typically very geometric .  Its advances over the preceding  Urnfield  culture are characterized more by technical rather than aesthetic improvements . Hallstatt artists tended to break up smooth surfaces, and often employed colour contrast for effect.   Motifs include bird shapes, probably from Italy , spirals, animal designs ( zoomorphs ), knotwork and fretwork, but few plant patterns. Figures frequently were set out in pairs , exemplifying a general concern with rigid symmetry.

7. What Style of Celtic Art Came After Hallstatt?  Discovered in 1857, the site was fully excavated by Swiss geologists and archeologists up until 1885. Archeologists call the next type of Celtic art style " La Tene ", after the type-site located near the village of La Tène on the northern shore of Lake Neuchâtel, Switzerland. R eflecting the militaristic nature of the La Tene era, most of the items were weapons, including more than 150 swords (mostly unused), nearly 300 spear-heads, and 22 shield plates . Other objects included nearly 400 brooches, as well as tools and other artifacts .

8. What Were the Main Characteristics of La Tene Arts and Crafts? The La Tene style , as revealed in numerous excavations across Europe - including Britain and Ireland - as well as in Greek and Roman texts, was a more mature type of Celtic art.  La Tene artworks include a wealth of  goldsmithery , including stunning gold artifacts such as torcs and gold collars bands, neck chains, clasps and bracelets, a limited amount of gold sculpture gold and silver cauldrons as well as a range of bronze items including shields trumpets.

9. Are There Any Examples of La Tene Painting or Sculpture? T here are no known examples of  paintings , only a relatively small amount of  sculpture , S ome horned heads, Janus-heads, along with a number of anthropomorphic and therianthropic figures in wood, clay or metal . This lack of sculpture and carving is puzzling.  The only high-quality stonework produced by Irish La Tene sculptors such as the  Turoe Stone , Castlestrange Stone, Killycluggin Stone, Mullaghmast Stone and Derrykeighan Stone.

10. Did the Celts Make Pottery? Ceramic ware was not an especially valued craft or artform - certainly nothing to compare with Greek pottery of the time, although ironically the latter was definitely appreciated by the Celts.

11. What Happened to Celtic Art in Ireland After the Fall of Rome? The coming of Christianity to Ireland led directly to a renaissance in Irish Celtic art. This took three forms: first, a regeneration of Celtic metalwork ; second, the production - in association with Anglo Saxon and German expertise - of a series of glorious illuminated gospel manuscripts; thirdly, the creation of outstanding free-standing sculptures - the so-called High Crosses of Ireland.

12. How Did Illuminated Manuscripts Develop? They had a significant influence on religious scripts in contemporary Europe. The anti-classical styles of texts like the Book of Kells were carried to numerous monasteries and religious centres on the Continent where they influenced the development of Carolingian, Romanesque and Gothic art for the remainder of the Middle Ages . Among the most famous illuminated manuscripts are the  Cathach of St. Columba (early 7th century), the Book of Durrow (c.670).