Prehistoric Art

Significance: Cave art is significant because it was what people in prehistoric times did in
order to record history and culture. But, prehistoric cave art was also significant because it
also served as a warning to people who were to come later. For example, they could show the
way to kill a beast or warn them of a beast.

Contribution: Breuil developed the hypothesis that prehistoric art was functioned as a “hunting
magic”, a way for ensuring fruitful hunts and profiting the animal victims. ... Breuil reasoned that
Upper Paleolithic people may have made paintings to ensure the increase of totemic and prey
animals.

Characteristics: The characteristics of prehistoric art would vary acccouding to culture,

beliefs, and the individual artist. The characteristics would be in the materials used, it being
charcoal, ash, pigment, or carvings in stone or wood. How the ancient artists applied the
materials to create the art.

Example: Archeologists have identified 4 basic types of Stone Age art, as follows: petroglyphs
(cupules, rock carvings and engravings); pictographs (pictorial imagery, ideomorphs,
ideograms or symbols), a category that includes cave painting and drawing; and prehistoric
sculpture (including small totemic statuettes known as Venus Figurines, various forms of
zoomorphic and therianthropic ivory carving, and relief sculptures); and megalithic art
(petroforms or any other works associated with arrangements of stones). Artworks that are
applied to an immoveable rock surface are classified as parietal art; works that are portable are
classified as mobiliary art.

Egyptian Art

Significance: All Egyptian art is based on perfect balance because it reflects the ideal world of
the gods. The same way these gods provided all good gifts for humanity, so the artwork was
imagined and created to provide a use. Egyptian art was always first and foremost functional.

Contribution: Tomb paintings, statuary, temple reliefs, pectorals, headdresses, and other jewelry
of high quality continued to be produced and the Hyksos, though often vilified by later Egyptian
writers, contributed to cultural development. They copied and preserved many of the written
works of earlier history which are still extant and also copied statuary and other artworks.

Characteristics: Besides pyramids and sphinxes, the Egyptians are known for hieroglyphics, or
a form of picture writing. Hieroglyphics use small pictures which represent different words,
actions, or ideas. Many ancient Egyptian paintings have survived due to Egypt's extremely dry
climate.

Example: As far as we know, the ancient Egyptians had no word that corresponded exactly to
our abstract use of the word 'art'. They had words for individual types of monuments that we
today regard as examples of Egyptian art - 'statue', 'stela', 'tomb' -but there is no reason to
believe that these words necessarily included an aesthetic dimension in their meaning.

Greek and Roman Art or The Classical Art

Significance: Written record shows that the Greeks enjoyed painting and that it was one of
their most important types of art. However, very few of their paintings have survived as they
were painted on wood panels or walls which have since been destroyed. One place where
Greek painting did survive was on pottery and ceramics.

Contribution: Rome's greatest contribution to the history of art is undoubtedly to be found in

the field of architectural design. ... The Romans didn't invent the arch - it was known but not
much used in Greek architecture - but they were the first to master the use of multiple arches, or
vaults.

Characteristics: Although it varies from genre to genre, classical art is renowned for its
harmony, balance and sense of proportion. In its painting and sculpture, it employs idealized
figures and shapes, and treats its subjects in a non-anecdotal and emotionally neutral manner.

Example: example, is seen as a classicist idiom owing to its emphasis on structure and form, its
basis in geometry; and its sought-after effect, which is typically harmonious and contemplative.

Famous Examples of Classicist Art

PAINTING

Oath of the Horatii (1784) by Jacques-Louis David.

Louvre, Paris.

Death of Marat (1793) by Jacques-Louis David.

Louvre, Paris.

The Valpincon Bather (1808) by J.A.D. Ingres.

Louvre, Paris.

La Grande Odalisque (1814) by J.A.D. Ingres.

Louvre, Paris.

Medieval Art

Significance: The medieval period of art history spans from the fall of the Roman Empire in 300
AD to the beginning of the Renaissance in 1400 AD. In the Middle Ages, art evolves as humans
continue addressing the traditional and the new, including Biblical subjects, Christian dogma,
and Classical mythology.
Contribution: Its focus was on religion and Christianity. It included architectural details like
stained glass art, large murals on walls and domed ceilings, and carvings on buildings and
columns. It also included illuminated manuscript art and sculpture. Gothic art grew out of
Romanesque art.

Characteristics: Early medieval art shared some defining characteristics including

iconography, Christian subject matter, elaborate patterns and decoration, bright colors, the use
of precious metals, gems, and other luxurious materials, stylized figures, and social status.

Example: One of the finest examples of early Christian painting were the Irish and Anglo-Saxon
illuminated manuscripts dating from the mid-sixth century CE. These beautifully illustrated books
(eg. Book of Kells, Book of Durrow), combining Celtic art with Anglo-Saxon and Celtic
metalwork art, were produced by scribes and artist-monks in the scriptoriums of abbeys and
monasteries across Ireland and Northern England. They were succeeded by Carolingan,
Ottonian and Byzantine illuminated texts, as well as a host of Persian Islamic illuminations.

Christian Art

Significance: Christian art is sacred art which uses themes and imagery from Christianity. Most
Christian groups use or have used art to some extent, although some have had strong
objections to some forms of religious image, and there have been major periods of iconoclasm
within Christianity.

Contribution: During the development of Christian art in the Byzantine Empire (see Byzantine
art), a more abstract aesthetic replaced the naturalism previously established in Hellenistic art.
This new style was hieratic, meaning its primary purpose was to convey religious meaning
rather than accurately render objects and people.

Characteristics: In the process it developed its own Christian iconography, relying heavily on
architecture (cathedrals, churches, monasteries), sculpture (statues of the Holy Family, as well
as prophets, apostles, saints), painting (altarpieces, church murals), decorative art (stained
glass, mosaics) and illuminated manuscripts (Gospels, psalters). In fact, during the early 16th
century, the Church commissioned so much Biblical art - using money raised through higher
taxes, and the 'sale' of benefices and indulgences - that it led to widespread protests: protests
that coalesced into the Reformation, and the division of the Church into Roman Catholic and
Protestant. Even so, one can say that, in the West at least, the history of art is the history of
Christian art.

Example: Nasa characteristics na rin hehe

Gothic Art

Significance: Architecture. Architecture was the most important and original art form during
the Gothic period. The principal structural characteristics of Gothic architecture arose out of
medieval masons' efforts to solve the problems associated with supporting heavy masonry
ceiling vaults over wide spans.

Contribution: Gothic architecture was generally tall and inspiring and was a significant structural
improvement upon the Romanesque buildings that preceded it. Even though the Gothic era
roughly lasted two hundred years (12th-14th century), it was long enough to voyage deep into
the beautiful and complex world of architecture.

Characteristics: The buildings were very high, so they swept upwards with height and grace.
One of the fundamental characteristics of Gothic architecture was its height. New building
techniques allowed architects to extend the walls to make them taller as with towers.

Example: Notre-Dame de Paris, or simply Notre-Dame, is widely thought of as the finest

example of French Gothic Architecture. It is, nonetheless, one of the largest and best-known
churches in France, let alone Europe.

Renaissance Art

Significance: Renaissance art, painting, sculpture, architecture, music, and literature produced
during the 14th, 15th, and 16th centuries in Europe under the combined influences of an
increased awareness of nature, a revival of classical learning, and a more individualistic view of
man.

Contribution: Renaissance art, painting, sculpture, architecture, music, and literature produced
during the 14th, 15th, and 16th centuries in Europe under the combined influences of an
increased awareness of nature, a revival of classical learning, and a more individualistic view of
man.

Characteristics: Naturalism. Individualism. Focus on perspective. Complex formal

arrangements. Realism and a sense of emotional expression. Rendering of light and shadow to
create illusion of depth.

Example:

 The Virgin of the Rocks. Leonardo da Vinci.

 Bacchus and Ariadne. Titian.
 Saint Catherine of Alexandria. Raphael.
 The Entombment (or Christ being carried to his Tomb) Michelangelo.
 The Arnolfini Portrait. Jan van Eyck.

Neoclassical Art

Significance: Neoclassicism was also an important movement in America. The United States
modeled itself on the ancient civilizations of Rome and Greece, both architecturally and
politically. Neoclassical ideals flowed freely in the newly formed republic, and classically
inspired buildings and monuments were erected

Contribution: Neoclassicism is the term for movements in the arts that draw inspiration from
the classical art and culture of ancient Greece and Rome. ... The French Neoclassical style
would greatly contribute to the monumentalism of the French Revolution, with the emphasis of
both lying in virtue and patriotism.

Characteristics: The characteristics of Neoclassical art include a concentration on Greek and

Roman mythology and history for subjects, a priortization of the heroic male nude, somewhat
dramatic lighting, and a rather clean style, with hard edges and bright primary colors in painting
and smooth, highly polished marble in sculpture.

Example: Examples of his Neoclassical work include the paintings Virgil Reading to Augustus
(1812), and Oedipus and the Sphinx (1864). Both David and Ingres made use of the highly
organized imagery, straight lines, and clearly defined forms that were typical of Neoclassical
painting during the 18th century.

Romanticism

Significance: Romanticism was a major international movement that was influential in shaping
modern views of art, literature, and music. It was at its height between 1798 and 1830. But it
came later in some countries, such as Italy, Spain, and the United States. It occurred first in art
and literature and later in music.

Contribution: Romanticism assigned a high value to the achievements of "heroic" individualists

and artists, whose examples, it maintained, would raise the quality of society. It also promoted
the individual imagination as a critical authority allowed of freedom from classical notions of
form in art.

Characteristics: Some of the main characteristics of Romantic literature include a focus on

the writer or narrator's emotions and inner world; celebration of nature, beauty, and imagination;
rejection of industrialization, organized religion, rationalism, and social convention; idealization
of women, children, and rural life

Example: Understanding Romanticism. The primary concepts explored during the Romantic
Period included nature, myth, emotion, symbols, and ideas about the self and individualism.
Some examples of romanticism include: The publication "Lyrical Ballads" by Wordsworth and
Coleridge.

Impressionism

Significance: Impressionism was a radical art movement that began in the late 1800s,
centered primarily around Parisian painters. Impressionists rebelled against classical subject
matter and embraced modernity, desiring to create works that reflected the world in which they
lived.

Contribution: Painters such as Dega, Mane, Mone and others wanted to depict the 'universal
moment' the 'passing of time' and the beauty of their impressions. They wanted to frieze the
moment in time and the human experience. Often motives of these paintings are dusk, dawn,
gatherings, streets etc.

Characteristics: Impressionist art is a style in which the artist captures the image of an object
as someone would see it if they just caught a glimpse of it. They paint the pictures with a lot of
color and most of their pictures are outdoor scenes. Their pictures are very bright and vibrant.

Example: The Absinthe Drinker

French Title: L’Absinthe

Artist: Edgar Degas

Year: 1876

The Absinthe Drinker by Edgar Degas

This famous painting by Degas is a representation of the increasing social isolation in Paris
during its stage of rapid growth. The painting depicts a woman staring dully before her with a
glass of Absinthe in front of her. A man who looks like an alcoholic sits beside her. Degas asked
the famous actress Ellen Andrée and Bohemian artist Marcellin Desboutin to pose as two
absinthe addicts in his favourite Parisian cafe, the Café de la Nouvelle-Athènes in Paris. The
people in the painting were considered by English critics to be shockingly degraded and clumsy
and the woman was even derided as a whore. Some viewed the painting as a warning lesson
against absinthe and the French in general. Later, L’Absinthe gained popularity and influenced
works of many artists. It is now known for its uniqueness and considered a masterpiece.

Post-Impressionism

Significance: Post-Impressionism is an art movement that developed in the 1890s. It is

characterized by a subjective approach to painting, as artists opted to evoke emotion rather
than realism in their work.

Contribution: Georges-Pierre Seurat was a French painter who gave rise to the Post- and Neo-
Impressionist artistic styles of the late nineteenth century. Seurat's greatest contribution to
modern art was his development of Pointillism, a style of painting in which small dots of paint
were applied to create a cohesive image.

Characteristics: Post-Impressionists extended Impressionism while rejecting its limitations:

they continued using vivid colours, often thick application of paint, and real-life subject matter,
but were more inclined to emphasize geometric forms, distort form for expressive effect, and
use unnatural or arbitrary colour.

Example: The Dream by Henri Rousseau. The Yellow Christ by Paul Gauguin. Bathers at
Asnieres by Georges Seurat. Jug, Curtain and Fruit Bowl by Paul Cezanne. At the Moulin
Rouge by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. Where Do We Come From, What Are We, Where Are We
Going By Paul Gauguin.

Realism

Significance: Realism, in the arts, the accurate, detailed, unembellished depiction of nature or
of contemporary life. Realism rejects imaginative idealization in favour of a close observation of
outward appearances. As such, realism in its broad sense has comprised many artistic currents
in different civilizations.

Contribution: Realism is widely regarded as the beginning of the modern art movement due to
the push to incorporate modern life and art together. Classical idealism and Romantic
emotionalism and drama were avoided equally, and often sordid or untidy elements of subjects
were not smoothed over or omitted.

Characteristics: Favourite subject matter for Realist artists included: genre scenes of rural and
urban working class life, scenes of street-life, cafes and night clubs, as well as increasing
frankness in the treatment of the body, nudity and sensual subjects.

Example: A Burial At Ornans

French Title: Un enterrement à Ornans

Artist: Gustave Courbet

Year: 1850

A Burial at Ornans (1850) – Gustave Courbet

This painting depicts the funeral of the great-uncle of Gustave Courbet in the small town of
Ornans in France. Courbet “painted the very people who had been present at the interment, all
the townspeople”. A Burial At Ornans caused a storm on first being displayed at the 1850–51
Paris Salon. Firstly, it is an enormous work, measuring 10 by 22 feet; such an enormous scale
had been traditionally reserved for the heroic or religious scenes of history painting; and
secondly its unflattering realism without any sentimental narrative shocked the art world. Initially
denounced by critics, A Burial At Ornans was one of the major works due to which the public
moved away from Romanticism and became interested in the new Realist approach. It is
regarded as one of the major turning points of 19th-century French art and Courbet said: “The
Burial at Ornans was in reality the burial of Romanticism.”
Contemporary Art or 21st Century Tuna

Significance: In a globally influenced, culturally diverse, and technologically advancing world,

contemporary artists give voice to the varied and changing cultural landscape of identities,
values, and beliefs. Audiences play an active role in the process of constructing meaning about
works of art.

Contribution: Along with personal expression, Contemporary Art allows the artist to make
commentary on the culture around them. ... With imagery, shapes, and other varied media the
artist can create a dialogue or narrative of their views. When the viewer engages with the piece,
they engage with the artist's dialogue.

Characteristics: The most prominent feature of contemporary art is the fact that it has no
distinct feature or a single characteristic. It is defined by the artist's ability to innovate and
bring out a modern masterpiece.

Example: