History of Art Part 1

The history of Art is of course, as old as man.  As long as there was man, there was somebody who wanted to draw and paint.  You are part of a 27,000 year old tradition of expressing your ideas.  It is important to study Art History, even briefly, so that you can get better ideas for your own work.

Like all histories, Art History is written by the victors… where all the money is… so for Art it is rather European centric.  It does not mean that there was not Art being done in other countries; because there was.  We refer to those arts as Folk Art, Regional Art and Native Art.  However, in order to know and understand SOVA this is the Art History that you should understand.

Stone Age (30,000 - 2500 BC)  This includes Cave Painting, fertility goddess sculptures and the creation of megalithic structures such as Stonehenge.  This is a fascinating time as it was the beginning of our known civilization yet we know so little about it. 

Google: Lascaux Cave Paintings, Woman of Willendorf, Stonehenge

Mesopotamian (3500 – 539 BC)  This revolves around the Sumerians civilization (pre-Egyptian) that roamed over most of Europe and the Middle East.  They were obsessed with war and knowledge.  Sumerian’s invented the  basis of writing (3400 BC)and Hammurabi write a law code (1780 BC) that is the base of our civilization. 

Google: Standard of Ur, Gate of Ishtar, Stele of Hammurabi’s Code.

Egyptian (3100 – 30 BC) The Egyptians were super cool, and not just because they covered everything in Gold.  They had a very distinct art style.  They were obsessed with the afterlife, lived in a beautiful oasis along the Nile and (supposedly) created the massive Pyramids. 

Google: Imhotep, Great Pyramids, Bust of Nefertiti, Tutankhamen, Cleopatra and Luxor to know more about their coolness.

Greek ( 850 BC – 31 BC)  The Greek civilization is talked about during this time as it was a strong change from the Egyptian style. It still continues to this day, but at that time Greeks revolutionized art with their style was concerned with ideal balance.  They created sculptures of the ideal bodies.  They had different Gods and Goddesses than the Egyptians starting with Zeus almighty.  They also created great architectural buildings and were the inventors of the Olympics.  Interesting, everyone always thinks that Greek statues as well as their buildings were white – as they are now after being bleached in the bright Mediterranean sun for centuries. They were actually painted in bright colours.

Google: Parthenon, Zeus, Aphrodite, Alexander the Great, Olympics for more.

 

Roman (500 BC- 476 AD)  Romans were basically the most influential society (the victors) and what the civilization we know today is based on.  And the funny thing is… they copied most everything from those that came before.  They copied their laws from the Sumerians and their art from the Greeks.  They even took the Greek gods; just changed their names, so Zeus became Jupiter.  And guess what we did the Roman names?  Jupiter, Mars, Venus….  The one thing that they changed and that they are famous for is that they made their art realistic. 

Google: roman portraits, collosseum, pantheon, Julius Caesar, Augustus,

Asian Of course during that time Indian, Chinese and Japanese artists were working just as hard and making art, but NOW (653 BC – 1900 AD) it enters into our history.  WHY NOW?  Because the Silk Road opens and it becomes an influence.  Huh.

For some fantastic art examples google:  Gu Zaizhi, Li Cheng, Guo Xi, Hokusai, Hiroshige, Art of Buddha

Byzantine and Islamic  (476 AD – 1453 AD)  This is one of my favourite art times, because the work is so cool!  At this time, just after the fall of Rome, the world was so well travelled.  The centre of the world was thought to be in Constantinople (Istanbul) and so Art was influenced by the East(China), the South(Islam) and the West(Roman). This is also a time of great wealth.. so lots of gold!!  Most art that we know today from this period is from the temples and mosques and is made by mosaics.

Google: Hagia Sophia, Mosque of Cordoba, the Alhambra

Middle Ages (500 – 1400) And then Europe withdraws back into itself to establish Christianity.  Art work becomes done only for Christian Churches.  This is usually referred to as the Dark Ages but it is an extraordinary time for Art with the idea of Heaven and Hell.   In the movies, it’s that old time of Monks and Knights. Think the Crusades, Robin Hood and King Arthur.  It is also the time of the original GOTH’s with the Gothic Gargoyles.

Google: Celtic Art, Giotto, Romanesque, Gothic, Notre Dame, Chartes Cathedral.

Renaissance (1400 – 1550)  And then Art and Culture was reborn. Christopher Columbus discovers America.  Leonardo DaVinci paints Realism.  This was truly an exciting time.  Miss A’s favourite artist is from this time. Who is it? 

Google: Leonardo Da Vinci, Donatello, Botticelli, Brunelischi, Michelangelo, Raphael.

You may also want to google Gavin Menzies an English Researcher who thinks that all these new ideas were actually not new.  But came from a Chinese group of ships that docked in Venice during that time lead by Admiral Zhene.  Huh. 

You may also want to follow the path this awesome information followed as it made its way up North influencing some truly awesome artists of the Northern Renaissance 

Google Jan Van Eyck, Durer, Titian, Bruegel.  

Mannerism (1527 -1580)  This is the first time that feelings were explored in Art.  The Renaissance artists created artwork that was realistic, so the Mannerists took the work further, making the people look strange, unreal.  They exaggerated  and distorted features to create feelings of uncertainty, darkness and sadness, playing on the fear of God’s wrath.

Google: Tintoretto, El Greco, Pontoromo, Bronzino

Baroque (1600-1750) And then there was a massive war for 30 years between the Christians (the Catholics and the Protestants over who believed in God more, I guess).  And so artists began to realize that life does not start in Heaven.  That every day is important and God must be worshiped in everything we do.  They started to become interested in seeing God in the details; in humans, in the flesh, in the act of living life, in the light and the shadows.  Everything as this time was massive and rich and sumptuous. 

Google: Ruben, Rembrandt, Caravaggio, Palace of Versailles, Roccoco

NeoClassical (1750-1850)  Revisiting Classical (Greek and Roman Art), Artist felt they needed to get away from the fluffy religious based works of Baroque, and back to reality. This was also the time during the French Revolution. And the American Revolution.  It was all about independent thought and freedom.   This was a giant step in Art because it began to be used to express Political ideas, thoughts, feelings not just Religious ideas. Nature and Humanity became the popular subjects.

Google: David, Ingres, Caspar Friedrich, Turner, Delacroix, Benjamin West, Napoleon