Prehistoric Art

by T.G.E. Powell

Genres: History

Unknown Binding

Reviews

[Mikey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is quite concise, dry, myopic, and maybe a little fussy. However, it is also interesting and informative. If you come across this obscure book as I did and have an interest in the topic, you'll find it well illustrated. The focus here is specifically on European prehistoric art rather than prehistoric art in general, which I felt could have been more clearly reflected in the title. The level of detail Powell goes into describing each piece and how it might have been made can seem excessive if you're only casually interested in the subject. However, he provides fascinating explanatory notes here and there such as when he notes that certain carvings of deer have strangely pointed tip-toeing hooves because they were probably modelled on dead animals lying on the ground. That said, it's not exactly an introductory text. Powell will casually mention mythological figures such as Amalthea without explanation, or refer to niche historical events throughout the text which could get disorienting if you keep having to look them up and keep pace with this book. The general reader could still pick this up but I would only recommend it to those with a specific or academic interest. Overall I liked it and got a taste of prehistoric art along with some historical and cultural information which was the intention of the book.

[Dark-Draco · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this. The author writes with a passion that you feel coming off the page and you can't help but be just as fascinated by those few artefacts that have survived down the millennium. We tend to think of our ancestors as primitive, but looking at some of this art, you'd be forgiven for thinking it had been produced just yesterday. Whether it's the realism in some of the sketches, where animals seem to leap from the stone walls of caves, or the amazing geometrical or swirly designs on a piece of pottery. Sadly, this book as aged a bit and not all of the photos are that clear - it was sometimes hard to make out what detail was being pointed out. My only little niggle was that the photo captions were direct quotes of the text - sometimes quite long ones, but once I'd realised that I just ignored them and studied the picture itself. Definitely worth reading.