AUTHOR: Adela Kovács
PAGES: 9-34
LANGUAGE: Romanian with English abstract and figures captions.
ABSTRACT: In this study we aim to take a short glimpse at the wall decorations from Neolithic and Eneolithic sanctuaries and temples. Starting from the idea that the artistic act is a mean for transmitting ideas, we seek the religious meanings of prehistoric people who represent their own world through a specific filter of realistic or abstract concepts.
Art is closely linked to decor, defined as the set of objects that serve to create ornament, adornment; ornamentation inside or outside of a building, or an object. Decorative art forms are used in many cases to decorate buildings or elements of worship. From the architectural point of view, the construction of a communitarian cultic building depends on the volume of available materials, technical
ability, and building standards of the community. The ornament of a sacred place is directly related to the wellfare and the desire for ostentation of the sponsors or of the community. Ornaments are also linked to the image of the community gods. One of the main particularities of a temple is the specific decoration placed on the floor or walls. We do not exclude the possibility that religious buildings might have had, along with features preserved until today (recessed niches, reliefs, carved boxes, tables or benches for displaying idols, cultic hearths, monumental shrines, columns), perishable materials such as mats, fabrics or wooden objects. In this study we analyze painting as a wall decoration technique, its’ association with other techniques, patterns, the colours used, signs and symbols.
Pereţii sanctuarelor şi templelor neolitice din sud-estul Europei: pictură, culoare, motive şi simboluri/Neolithic Temple Walls from South-East Europe: Paintings, Colours, Patterns, Symbols