ASIAN COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY - INTERNATIONAL EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION

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College of Arts, Sciences and Pedagogy

ART APPRECIATION
Final: Module 8
Topic: Historical Development of Art, Philippine Primitive Art, Classical, and Medieval Art,

Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this chapter, you should be able to:
1. Identify the underlying history, philosophy of the era or movement;
2. Classify the various art movements by citing their important characteristics such as
historical background, factors, influential person, sociopolitical issues and prevalent
artist, art forms and media;
3. Present the history of the arts through the various eras or movements; and
4. Cite the important characteristics in an artwork based on the era or movement.

Discussion:

Prehistoric Art (cave art) talented artists with their creative artworks have served mankind for its
entire existence. Even during the ancient times up to the early civilization and the modern world, art
has served several functions in human life. In the history of art, prehistoric art refers to all artworks
produced by ancient men before any preconceived culture and known methods of writing and record
keeping ever existed, simply meaning art before history. The term cave painting or petrograph refers to
any parietal art, which involves the application of color pigments on the walls, floors, or ceilings of
ancient rock dwelling inhabited by prehistoric man.

Types of Cave Painting:

Monochrome cave paintings are images with only one color.
Polychrome cave painting has two or more colors, as can be seen in the multicolored images of bison on
the ceiling at Altamira cave in Spain.

Most of prehistoric cave paintings were figurative, and 99 percent of these were of animals. Pictures of
humans were rarely shown and were usually highly stylized and far less naturalistic than the animal
figures. Abstract images, like signs, symbols, and geometric markings, were also common and actually
comprised the oldest type of Paleolithic art found in caves of the Late Stone Age.

Paleolithic Period in arts was the time when primitive cave artworks were created with the use of
primitive stone tools by primitive men. This period was commonly represented by the naturalistic
images of prey animals and the men that hunted them.
Neolithic Period or the shift from Old Stone Age Paleolithic to New Stone Age or Neolithic happened
when man began to develop culture and change his lifestyle.

Philippine Primitive Art as colony of Spain, U.S., and Japan saw the decline and destruction of its
ancient customs and traditions because of the strong influence of the conquering nations. The ancient
antiquities simply concluded our true identity as a people who were already civilized with own writing
system and intelligent enough to make sophisticated tools and weapons long before the arrival of the
first invaders.
Cave Paintings in the municipality of Binangonan, province of Rizal, The Angono Petroglyphs
Site Museum is located. It was accidentally discovered by National Artist Carlos “Botong”
Francisco with a troop of boy scouts during a field trip in 1965. He immediately notified
 National Museum of the Existence of the cave with primitive drawings. The National Museum
in 1998 established a museum showing the culture and artistic heritage in the province of
Rizal, thus, establishing the cultural value of the site. The Angono Petroglyphs were dated
back to circa late Neolithic and declared the National Cultural Treasure. Some other sites of
Petroglyphs were those found in Alab, Mountain province carved on boulders on top of cliffs.

Burial Jars was found in Manunggul Cave, LIpuun Point, Palawan in the early 1960’s and now
considered one of the Philippine’ national cultural treasures. Another earthenware pots were
found in Ayub cave in Pinol, Maitum, Saranggani Province, resembling human figures. The jars
were used as secondary burial jars and were dated to the Metal Age about 5 B.C. – 225 A.D.
The creation of these earthenware portraying human figures and faces indicates a high level
of craftsmanship.

Classical Period refers to the art form from Greece and Rome.

Greek Arts has always been known for thousands of years that the art of the ancient Greeks
has been held as the standard or measure by which all later art will be judged. Classical Greek
art itself was a product of previous influences. Stone figures called kouroi were common. The
heavy stylized and rigid stature of human anatomy displayed the influence of the ancient
Egyptians. Over the course of the next centuries, Greek artists would develop their own style.
Greek’s Golden Age or the classical period of ancient Greece was the time when the Greeks
achieve new heights in art, architecture, theater, and philosophy.

 Pheidias created a new statue of Athena, sculpted in ivory and gold, on the Acropolis. The
famous mathematician
 Pythagoras The famous mathematician lived into this period.
 Socrates, known as the father of philosophy, met with his followers on the streets of
Athens during this period.

Roman Art for over a millennium ancient Rome was the most powerful nation on earth, defeating all
others at military organization and warfare, engineering, and architecture. The Romans were practical
people and wanted their art and architecture to be useful. They planned their cities and built bridges,
aqueducts, public baths, and marketplaces, apartment houses, and harbors. The Romans put into
practical use what they had learned from the Etruscans. The baths and arenas were proofs to the ability
of Rome’s great builders. By the 1st century B.C. the Romans improved the use of concrete. The material
could be made into any shape for arches, vaults, or domes.
Medieval Period are covered almost ten centuries between the Sack of Rome and the Early Italian
Renaissance. Only one institution survived: The Christian Church. The church became the main sponsor
of architecture and the other types of art during the medieval era. Medieval Architecture refers to
architectural styles in medieval Europe during the middle ages. The architecture of structures in
medieval Europe was predominantly related to the building of sacred building, such as churches, which
was the primary structure signifying the Christian faith. Churches used large amounts of money for
beautification and the creation of these buildings. The Roman basilica was the primary model of
medieval religious architecture, and Latin cross plan was the most common among these religious
buildings. Castles and walls were the most notable nonreligious examples of medieval architecture
throughout Europe.
Romanesque and Gothic architecture styles flourished across the western part of Europe with France at
the heart of both production and innovation.

1. Romanesque Architecture the earlier period of Romanesque architecture could be

classified as Carolingian architecture or Pre-Romanesque. Romanesque Architecture was
the name given to the style of architecture used in very early Middles Ages when much of
these developments were pioneered by the Normans. The later period of Romanesque
architecture was called Ottonian architecture developed under the reign of Emperor Otto
the Great (936-975). The Romanesque period was defined by important churches and
monastic buildings.
2. Gothic Architecture started in the 12th century in France. It was the new style in
architecture and design referred to as the French style. It was later on called the Gothic
style. Gothic architecture was light, graceful, and mostly spacious in nature.
3. Byzantine Architecture also called Eastern Roman, the empire started with the
establishment of Constantinople in A.D. 324 and ended with its captured by the Ottoman
Turk in 1453. The Byzantine style began in the reign of Emperor Justinian (527-65) and
continued long after the fall of Constantinople, when the Greek Orthodox Church was
dominant.

Reference

Wilson K. Panisan, Mary Cris Lasquite Ipan-Bongabong,Corie Chuza G. Boongaling,

Mark Adrian B. Trinidad; Art Appreciation – Mutya Publishing House, Inc. pp. 63-72