Introduction
The term motif is perhaps the most widely used in archaeology art, in both rock art studies and portable art. This is a category of analysis that has dominated the field through all its theoretical and methodological perspectives (Fiore 2009). However, few authors have focused on defining it, often assuming its highly intelligible meaning. Overall, there seems to be an implicit or explicit agreement among specialists that consider the motifs are graphic and conceptual units of visual speech, though many disagree about their formal and semantic definition.
Definition
Motif is an expressive and consistent component of design, characterized by their shape, color, size, position, orientation, texture, etc. (Fiore 2009). Motifs integrate bigger compositions while they articulate spatially and meaningfully with other elements. It is then an expression unit and, as such, expresses a particular view of the world; thus, it is valid to be used as a unit of analysis (Aschero 1988).
Ac...
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Aschero, C. 1988. Cave paintings, activities and natural resources, archaeological framing. Contemporary Archaeology Argentina. News and Perspectives: 109–142.
Criado Boado, F., and J. Penedo Romero. 1993. Hunters and wildlife: A contrast between art and art Paleolithic Levantine postglacial. Prehistory Jobs 50: 39–56.
Fiore, D. 2009. La materialidad del arte. Modelos económicos, tecnológicos y cognitivo-visuales. In Perspectivas actuales en arqueologia Argentina, ed. R. Barberena, K. Borrazzo, and L.A. Borrero, 121–154. Buenos Aires: IMHICIHU, Editorial Dunken.
Gordillo, I. 2009. Domains and image resources. Ceramic iconography Ambato Valley, Atacameños studies, Surandinas archaeology and anthropology, vol. 37, 99–121. San Pedro de Atacama.
Gradin, C. 1978. Some aspects of the analysis of rock art. Journal of Neuquén Provincial Museum 1: 120–133.
Groupe μ. 1993. Visual sign treatment. For a rhetoric of the image. Madrid: Chair Ediciones SA.
Kusch, M.F. 1991. Shape, pattern and figuration in painted pottery and recorded the Aguada. In Rock art in contemporary archeology, ed. M. Podesta, M.I. Llosas Hernandez, and S. Renard of Coquet, 14–24. Buenos Aires: Comprehensive Graphic Lounge.
Leroi-Gourhan, A. 1989. The prehistory. Madrid: Editorial Labor.
Reichel-Dolmatoff, G. 1985. Shamanistic and neurophysiological aspects of indigenous art. In Rock Art Studies, 291–307. Santiago: Chilean Museum of Pre-Columbian Art.
Rice, P. 1987. Pottery analysis. A soucebook. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.
Ross, J., D.R. Valenzuela, M.I. Hernández Llosas, L. Briones, and C.S. Santoro. 2008. More than the motifs: The archaeological analysis of rock art in arid regions of the southern hemisphere. Chungará 40 (Special Issue): 273–287.
Further Reading
Loendorf, L. 2001. Rock art recording. In Handbook of rock art research, ed. D. Whitley, 55–79. Oxford: AltaMira Press.
Panofsky, E. 1972. Studies in iconology. Humanistic themes in the art of the Renaissance. New York: Harper and Row.
Ucko, P., ed. 1977. Form in indigenous art. Schematisation in the art of Aboriginal Australia and prehistoric Europe. Canberra: Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2020 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this entry
Cite this entry
Gordillo, I. (2020). “Motif” in the Archaeology of Art. In: Smith, C. (eds) Encyclopedia of Global Archaeology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-30018-0_1628
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-30018-0_1628
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-30016-6
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-30018-0
eBook Packages: HistoryReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Humanities