LESSON 11: THE HISTORY OF ART

IN THIS LESSON

• Identify the underlying history, philosophy and the era of

movements;
• Classify the various art movements by citing their
important characteristics such as historical background,
factors, influential person, socio-political issues, and
prevalent artists, art forms, and media;
• Present the history and movements of the arts through a
timeline; and
• cite important characteristics in artwork based on the era
movement (document and annotate works)
ART HISTORY TIMELINE

The history of art is vast, with almost 27,000

years of existence. If you are interested in art
history, look at this table first, which presents
briefly the art periods and the their
characteristics. Let’s to see how art has
progressed from pre-history to the present day!
 Ancient Near
Prehistoric Eastern Art Egyptian Art Greek Art
Art

100, 000
B.C.E. 4000 B.C.E. 5000 B.C.E. 900 and 30
to 500 C.E to 300 C.E B.C.E
 Early
Christian Art Byzantine
Roman Art Islamic Art
Art

509 B.C.E. Late 2nd to 330 C.E to 7th Century

early 4th 1453 C.E CE
centuries
 Early Romanesque
Medieval Art Art Renaissance
Gothic Art
Art

c.500 – 800 Mid 12th

c.1000 –1200 1350 – 1620
century
 Neoclassicis
Mannerism Baroque Art Rococo Art
m

1520s to
1590 1600 to 17th
century 1730 to 1780 1660 to 1788
 Late 19th
Century Art Early 20th
Romanticism
century Art Late 20th
century art

1520s to
1660 to 1788
1590
1600 to 17th 1730 to 1780
century
PREHISTORIC ART

• Cave paintings an portable sculptures

of people and animals are the earliest
surviving works of art.
• Little is recognized about the original
intention or meaning of these works.
• Building such as Stonehenge
demonstrate the potential of ancient
people to build complex architectural
monument using the post and lintel
construction.
ANCIENT NEAR
EASTERN ART
• Art was create at the behest of the
state and religion. Mesopotamian
artifacts provided us with the first
systematic record of human
development.
• Religious building were build, such
as ziggurats or state buildings, as
were the palaces. They made of
mud brick, and were either painted
or tiled or stone faced.
ANCIENT NEAR
EASTERN ART
• Large stelai have been erected
throughout Mesopotamia
commemorating the
achievement of the ancient
rulers.
• The entrances to important sites
were protected by guardians
figures which are typically
combinations of people and
animals.
ZIGGURAT TO MOON GODDESS NANNA UR
(NEO-SUMERIAN), ABOUT 2100 BCE
Sumerian society was not secular
and city-states were “owned” by
the deity that town served. At least
originally these city-states were
theocracies, that is, governed by a
priest-bureaucracy. The towns were
dominated by shrines or temples.
Often the temple is on a man-made
mountain (called a ziggurat) with
stairs leading up to the temple area
on the top.
ZIGGURAT TO MOON GODDESS NANNA UR
(NEO-SUMERIAN), ABOUT 2100 BCE
The geographical conditions of Mesopotamia
did not favor the development of architecture
since it lacked stone and timber, which are
essential building materials for monumental
architecture. Most buildings were probably
made of tall marsh reeds -- highly perishable
materials. The ziggurats and temples,
however, were made of mud brick (oblong
bricks dried in the sun). The temple was at the
top of the ziggurat; its name means literally
"the waiting room" for the god. These
structures were an early attempt to bridge the
gap between human beings and divinity. The
mountain is an important symbol in
Mesopotamian religion, representing the
mysterious forces of life which bring rain and
STELE WITH LAW CODE OF HAMMURABI
BABYLONIAN, ABOUT 1780 BCEBASALT, 7' 4" HIGH
Another important development in Mesopotamian art is the
stele, a carved stone slab which commemorates historical
events -- such as the winning of a military victory or the
building of a ziggurat. Although a number of these survive,
perhaps the most famous is this example from Babylonian
art. It depicts the ruler Hammurabi (on the left) receiving
the law code from the god Shamash. It predates Moses’
receiving of the tablets at Sinai by about 500 years.
Shamash, the sun god, has flames at his shoulders, wears a
horned crown (the bull is a symbol of power in
Mesopotamian religion), and holds a ring and staff, which
were also symbols of his divinity. Hammurabi stand with his
hand raised in obedience or prayer. The scene takes place
on a mountain top, represented by the triangles under the
god's feet.
VOTIVE STATUES FROM ABU TEMPLE
MARBLE WITH SHELL AND BLACK LIMESTONE INLAY
SUMERIAN, ABOUT 2700-2600 BCE, TALLEST FIGURE ABOUT
30” TALL Many of the artifacts that survive from early
Mesopotamian cultures are religious in nature;
a number of carved stone vases, for example,
have been excavated which probably had a
ritual function. The statues from the Abu
Temple, unlike early Egyptian works which
memorialized important pharoahs, were ritual
furniture for the temple. The two largest
figures are a god and goddess (designs on the
base have symbols relating to their divinity).
The large eyes also identify them as divine; the
eye in many cultures has a mysterious force
("the evil eye," for example). The other figures
in the grouping are thought to be worshippers
-- or stand-ins for worshippers, believed to be
offering prayers on behalf of human beings
EGYPTIAN ART

• Elaborate funerary rites

contributed to the construction
of mastabas, pyramids, and
rock-cut graves in sacred
imperial precincts.
• In general, the figures have
broad frontal shoulders and
profiled eyes, torsos, and legs.
EGYPTIAN ART

• The figures of the Old Kingdom

have an unyielding posture and
aggressive expression; the
works of the Middle Kingdom
have more relaxed figures and
expressive faces; the New
Kingdom is characterized by
rounded and elongated figures
that display a previously
unknown intimacy
NARMER PALETTE (3000 – 2920 BCE) OLD
KINGDOM

Symbolizes the
unification of Egypt
under King Narmer in
predynastic times.
Relief sculpture
Figures stand on a
ledge
• Hierarchy of scale
CHARACTERISTICS OF EGYPTIAN SCULPTURES

Huge portraits of pharaohs were meant to impress

and overwhelm
Stone of choice was limestone
• Relief sculptures followed the same figural formula
as paintings
STEPPED PYRAMID OF KING DJOSER (2630-
2611 BCE)

By Imohotep, first known

artist in history
First of complex buildings
constructed entirely of stone
6 uneven steps
Appears like a stack of
matsabas, one on top of the
other
• Part of a complex called a
necropolis
GREAT PYRAMIDS (2500 BCE)

Giant monument to
dead pharaohs
• Each pyramid had an
enjoining mortuary
temple.
SENUSRET III-1860 BCE

Moody look in the eyes and

mouth: depressed, rather than
the heroic figures seen in the
Old Kingdom
Reflects a period of civil unrest
• Carefully delineated lines and
folds of flesh between the
brows and at the corners of
nose & mouth
ROCK CUT TOMBS OF BENI HASAN 1950-1900
BCE
Cliff walls hollowed out to
reveal small burial chambers
Reserve columns cut away
from the interior chamber to
create the look of
conventional columns
Columns ARE NOT round but
fluted
• Façade shows columned
porch
NEFERTITI 1353-1335 BCE

Armana style
Realistic face, soft,
delicate, new kingdom
features
• Long elegant neck
TEMPLE OF RAMSES II 1290-1224 BCE

Rock cut tomb resembles

a pylon
Huge seated quartet of
Ramses on the façade
carved in situ.
• Royal family located
between the Ramses
legs
GREEK ART

• The concept of classical art is introduced.

• The idealization of human shape, the
elegance of the body and the capacity of
figures to convey a great range of
emotions characterize the sculpture.
• Temples utilize three types of columns or
pillars: doric, ionic and Corinthian
columns
• Pottery reflects the history of Greek art
and influences almost all of our
understanding of Greek painting
GREEK ART POTTERY

- Proto Geometric
- Geometric Pottery Pottery

- Red Figure Pottery

ROMAN ART

• The ideals of a powerful empire are expressed

through monumental buildings and sculptures
which represent the glory of the gods and the
State.
• Architecture is innovative in the interpretation
of arch, vault and concrete elements.
• On the walls of Pompeian villas survives a
tradition of Roman painting.
• Display interest in the use of basic
perspectives and foreshortening.
• Sculpture is heavily influenced by Greek art.
EARLY CHRISTIAN
ART
Christianity begins as a forbidden religion,
and thus underground. It appears the
earliest work in the catacombs and on the
sarcophagi.

Images are influenced by the classical past,

but also by the Late Roman Empire
Constantine artwork; mostly the subjects
are from the Old and New Testaments.
• Buildings use the Roman basilicas with
axially built plans and the central
planned Roman temples
BYZANTINE ART

Empire came into being from the Roman

Empire’s ruins and continued many
features, though within a classical
tradition.
• Christian context, of the Roman
Paintings devoted to mosaics, icons,
and illuminated manuscripts
• Architects invented the pendentive
and squinch for buildings renowned
for their dark and shady interiors
ISLAMIC ART

The main Muslim worship building is the

mosque that guides the worshipper’s devotion
to Mecca through a space called a mihrab.

Calligraphy is the most appreciated art form

that appears on most Islamic art works.

Both figural and non-figural works incorporate

arabesque and tessel calligraphy.
• The Persian manuscripts are fine examples
of the figural Islamic art
EARLY MEDIEVAL ART

Early Medieval art featured animal-

style portable works.

Early Medieval art is distinguished

by horror vacui and interlacing
patterns.
• The first of many Western
European revivals of Ancient
Rome starts at the court of
Charlemagne.
ICE BREAKER!!!
•I have cities, but no houses;
forests, but no trees; and
rivers, but no water. What am
I?
I have keys without locks,
space without rooms, and you
can enter, but you can’t go
outside. What am I?
I speak without a mouth and
hear without ears. I have
nobody, but I come alive with
the wind. What am I?
ROMANESQUE ART

Shows a resurgent architecture and sculptures

in broad proportions.

The flow of people and thoughts throughout

the continent enhances pilgrimages to the
holiest European shrines.

Church apses are designed by architects to

accommodate large crowds of pilgrims.
• Sculptures on the Church portal highlight
the themes and desires for redemption in
the Last Judgement. Painting and tapestry
manuscript flourish as forms of art.
GOTHIC ART

• Architecture focused on Romanesque

development: the rib vault, the arch, and the bay
system of construction. Architecture has reached
new vertical heights by flying buttresses carrying
the weight of the roof to the outside walls.
• Sculpture, particularly on portals, is three-
dimensional, emerging from the wall, stressing
the structural verticality.
• The luminosity and beauty of the stained glass
windows affect manuscript art.
• Forms a bridge between Renaissance and
Medieval art
RENAISSANCE ART

• The revival of classical Greek and Rome ideas

in literature, history, and philosophy has had an
influence on the fine arts.
• The courts have been influenced by humanism
which, alongside religion, emphasizes the
secular. Artists made three-dimensional
realistic paintings. Based on a linear
perspective.
• Sculpture is characterized by a deeper
understanding of human anatomy; large-scale,
nude sculptures are revived. Open light spaces
in a healthy and symmetrical setting are
emphasized in architecture.
RENAISSANCE ART

Open light spaces in a healthy and

symmetrical setting are emphasized in
architecture.

Artists strive to imitate Roman grandeur by

carrying out spectacular works of art.

Compositions are distinguished by balance,

symmetry and ideal proportions, as well as
triangular compositions.
• Portraits reveal the similarities of the
sitters, their character and their
personality.
MANNERISM

Intellectually intentionally challenging the

spectator to respond to the spatial
challenges posed by a painting or sculpture
in a sophisticated way.

Complex compositions distorted designs of

the figure and complex allegorical
meanings characterize painting and
sculpture.
• Architecture often uses new and unusual
classical elements that defy conventional
formulas,
BAROQUE ART

A historical contrast in the Baroque art of Italy,

Flanders, Spain, and France is presented at the
counter- Reformation that symbolized the Catholic
revival.

Art is divided into two schools of thought: classicists,

who draw inspiration from the work of Italian artists
like Raphael; and naturalist painters who draw
inspiration from Venetian artists like Titian’s.

Artists try different ways and take them artistically

• to the same degree than transitional subjects,
such as genre paintings, landscapes and still life.
The magnificent royal courts of Europe are
synonymous with Baroque architecture
ROCOCO ART

• The shift in taste from the Baroque to the

Rococo parallels the shift of power from
the royal court to the aristocrats.
• In 18th Century Paris, the French Royal
Academy determined artistic taste.
• Architecture seeks to bring the arts
together through a cohesive artistic
experience.
• The “fete galante” is a quintessential
Rococo painting that depicts the
aristocracy in its luxurious pursuits.
NEOCLASSICISM

Rejection of royal and aristocratic authority was

brought about by the Enlightenment. The Rococo
style was replaced by the more conservative
neoclassicism.

The unraveling of Pompéi ruins and Johann

Winckelmann’s books inspired neoclassicism.

There are numerous classical allusions even

when works of art portray contemporary events
or portraits.

• The late 18th century marked the Industrial

Revolution: new technologies such as cast iron
were incorporated into the architecture and for
the first time, bronze carvings were made
more affordable than marble carvings.
ROMANTICISM

Heavily inspired by a spirit of individuality and

freedom of expression.
• Appreciates the sublime in nature and the
rebellious in politics.
• Painters explore the world of dreams and
fantasies.
• The emergence of a new art form called
photography; its immediacy that makes it a
phenomenon of overnight.
• Architecture revives historical styles,
particularly from the Middle Ages.
LATE 19TH CENTURY
ART
Philosophically speaking, the realist art movement was
based on positivist theory.

The influence of Japanese art on realistic painting is

strong.
• A lot of Impressionist art is characterized by Plein-air
painting.
• Symbolist artists are trying to depict mysterious
personal visions.
• New technological breakthroughs, the invention of a lift
and the trip of land values gave rise to the skyscrapers.
• Art Nouveau aims at creating a cohesive artistical
experience, coupled with the synthesis of painting,
sculpture, and architecture.
EARLY 20TH CENTURY
ART
Blossomed in a time of great political upheaval.

In creating their works, artists and architects quickly

embraced new technologies.

Avant-garde clients have cultivated and flourished

cutting-edge artists.

Modern art was introduced to America on the Armory

Show, and besides sculptures, Gallery 291 included
photographs as works of art.

Takes an international flavor more than ever-great

movements occur in places such as Mexico and Russia.
• The period is marked by artists who also were
theorists and have been publishing manifestos on
their artisti convictions.
ICE BREAKER!!!
What can be cracked, made,
told, and played?
What has one eye but can’t
see?
I can fly without wings. I can
cry without eyes. Wherever I
go, darkness flies. What am I?
LATE 20TH CENTURY
ART
An age of ambitious innovation, starting from the New
York School’s achievements.

Characterized by intensive short-lived movements.

Technological developments have given rise to a flood of
new products which artists can use to express
themselves. Many artists are active in a variety of media.

The computer was introduced to dramatically alter

Architecture, which facilitates efficiently the drawing of
floor plans and sections and checks for structural errors
automatically.
• In the late modern era, a considerable number of
important women artists, gallery owners, employers,
and clients have gone up and have brought closer
gender equality.
THE SCHOOL OF MODERN ART

Until the 20th Century, the artist was considered his own person and presented his art as he saw it. However, this was
closer to photography than creative art, at the same time, capturing the life of the same era. With the invention of the
camera, the artist was forced to become more creative and look into himself and his imagination thus producing new
horizons in art. In their search for new types of art, the artists turned to African, Chinese and tribal arts and were obviously
influenced by them.

Modern art turned to the use of parts of machinery, equipment, computers, etc. in order to create compositions of color and
shape which would touch all the senses at the same time. Modern art has no rules. It uses the artists’ imaginative skills to
capture the soul and heart of the viewer. It’s both interesting and confusing at the same time. Although everything created
today is modern art, there are differing conceptions of what this modern art is. There are those who zealously guard the
absolute realism they feel truly represents the school of modern art. The following styles are some examples of modern art:
abstract art, abstract expressionism, action painting, art nouveau, constructivism, cubism, dadaism, de stilj, expressionism,
fauvism, futurism, impressionism, minimalism, neo-impressionism, op art, pointillism, post-impressionism, pop art,
precisionism, primitivism, realism, street art, surrealism, suprematism, symbolism, and vorticism.
 GROUP 1 REPORTERS

Clares May Lebeth Christian

Fritzie Ibarra Shaica Laranjo
Palang Tuñacao Surigao