UC Irvine

Open a survey art history book; for example, a recent edition of Gardner’s Art Through the Ages or Janson’s History of Art. More often than not, the first chapter will discuss prehistoric art as the beginning of art history. It will mention small sculptures, the beginnings of architecture, cave paintings from France and Spain, as well as the first practice of pottery and making ceramic vessels. The next chapters will discuss art from ancient Mediterranean civilizations, Byzantine cultures, and early Asian societies before circling back to medieval Europe and time beyond. The author will discuss relationships between the past and the present, as well as between different countries, thereby explaining how art plays off of culture and history. The previous discussion of prehistoric art, though, is forgotten. Instead of explaining how art has been influenced by its prehistoric beginnings, the concepts and theories discussed in the first chapter are neglected. However, the disciplines of art history and anthropology are more connected than ever before, and this thesis aims to prove that connection by comparing theoretical prehistoric art behaviors with the contemporary, analyzing work by Modern and Contemporary artists influenced by prehistoric art, and evaluating the flawed history of Western art historical theory and practice.