the evolution of art through the ages- from stone age to cubism
TRANSCRIPT
The evolution of Art through the Ages
Maria Rachele Cesarano V AL a.s. 2015/2016
Art is Beauty!
"Beauty is truth, truth beauty" – that is all
Ye know on earth, and all ye need to
know.Ode on a Grecian Urn by John Keats
What is Art?
• In the perspective of the history of art, artistic works have existed for almost as long as humankind: from early pre-historic art to contemporary art; however, some theories restrict the concept of "artistic works" to modern Western societies. One early sense of the definition of art is closely related to the older Latin meaning, which roughly translates to "skill" or "craft," as associated with words such as "artisan."
When was Art born?
“All art is immortal. For emotion for the sake of
emotion is the aim of art, and emotion for the sake
of action is the aim of life.” Oscar Wilde
• The period of prehistory known as the Stone Age, is divided into three separate periods:
- Paleolithic (2,500,000-10,000 BCE);
- Mesolithic (Europe, 10,000-4,000);
- Neolithic (Europe, 4,000-2,000 BCE).
Of these, the Paleolithic is by far the longer period, accounting for about 98 percent of the entire prehistoric era.
The term "Stone Age art" refers loosely to any works created during these three periods. It is also commonly referred to as "prehistoric art".
Stone Age (30,000 BC – 2500 BC)
• The Stone Age was the era of cave paintings
and the era of sculptures. The most famous
pieces of Art are:
During the Paleolithic era, man sculpts and paints with a
magical purpose: to promote hunting activities, to
transmit rites and legends.
• .
Scenes of Life- Stone Age
• The early art of Mesopotamia spans the Sumerian, Assyrian, Akkadian, and Babylonian cultures, all thriving empires that existed in a large region that is known modern day Iraq, Kuwait, and parts of Syria and Turkey.
• This era included many stone sculptures and narrative reliefs, including the stele upon which Hammurabi’s Code is carved, and the Standard of Ur. Writing was invented around this time period, by the Sumerians.
Mesopotamian (3500 BC –539 BC)
• Ancient Egyptian art is the painting, sculpture, architecture
and other arts produced by the civilization of ancient Egypt in
the lower Nile Valley. Ancient Egyptian art reached a high
level in painting and sculpture, and was both highly stylized
and symbolic.
Much of the surviving art comes from tombs and
monuments and thus there is an emphasis on life after
death and the preservation of knowledge of the past.
Egyptian (3100 BC –30 BC)
• Ancient Egyptian art was created using media ranging from
drawings on papyrus through wood, stone, and paintings.
Ancient Egyptian art displays an extraordinarily vivid
representation of the ancient Egyptian's socioeconomic status
and belief systems. Egyptian styles changed remarkably little
over more than three thousand years.
Greek Art (850 BC –31 BC)
• The period of early, Hellenistic Greek art was one of idealism and perfection, which was reflected greatly in the era’s architecture and sculptures.
The Parthenon was built during this time, a temple dedicated to Athena, the goddess of wisdom and warfare, among other things. Today, the Parthenon exists as a symbol of Athenian democracy.
The famous styles of Greek column were also invented
during this time: Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian.
• In Greece, the
artworks are destined
to be contemplated
and admired, also to
serve religious and
funeral purposes. The
artist is now a
craftsman. His social
dignity depends on his
greater or lesser
participation in
manual labor. In
Greek society, only
dance, music and
poetry are considered
noble activities.
Roman art refers to the visual arts made in Ancient Rome and in the territories of the Roman Empire.
Roman art includes architecture, painting, sculpture and mosaic work. Luxury objects in metal-work, gem engraving, ivory carvings, and glass, are sometimes considered in modern terms to be minor forms of Roman art,although this would not necessarily have been the case for
contemporaries.
Roman Art (500 BC – 476 AD)
• Sculpture was perhaps considered as the highest form of art by Romans, but figure painting was also very highly regarded.
Romans used art for political
propaganda and decoration
• Sculptures were linked to the Roman concept of service to the state and served as propaganda that celebrated the lives of generals and emperors.
• In addition, Romans decorated the interiors of buildings with paintings and a form of art called mosaic.Artists created mosaics by arranging pieces of glass, marble, wood or tile into pictures. They were used on floors, ceilings, arches and walls.
Middle Ages Art (476 – 1400)
• The medieval art of the Western world covers a vast
scope of time and place, over 1000 years of art in
Europe, and at times the Middle East and North Africa.
It includes major art movements and periods, national
and regional art, genres, revivals, the artists crafts, and
the artists themselves.
• Early Medieval Art reflects the differences between the development of the Catholic religion in the west and the Byzantium Empire of the East. So, there were 2 main types of Art and style:
Christian Art Byzantine Art
In addition, there was another type of Art and style which was spread in the same period: Islamic Art.
Christian Art
• 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.
This period saw the birth of
the Islamic religion, and
structures like the Hagia
Sophia and the Alhambra.
• In Byzantium, Art
accompanies the theocratic
power to present its
religious-political and
flamboyant character
a
Byzantine ArtIslamic Art
The Medieval period of the late Middle Ages saw the
emergence of Gothic Art and great advances in art
techniques in Medieval Times.
During this period artists broke away from the
influences of the Byzantine Art and Romanesque art
styles.
Gothic Art
Cathedral and Metropolitical Church of Christ at
Canterbury.
• The word “Renaissance” is a French term meaning rebirth, which is exactly what the Renaissance movement was. It was a cultural rebirth of art, literature, and intellect after a vast period of darkness, disease, and war. Music, art, science, philosophy, and other schools thrived during this era, which gave birth to such greats as Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Donatello, and more.
Leonardo da Vinci
Michelangelo Buonarroti
Venetian and Northern Renaissance (1430 – 1550)
• During this era, the Renaissance movement spread
from Italy to France, Germany, Poland and other
northern European countries. Bellini, Jan van Eyck,
Bosch, and other artists reigned during this time.
Jan van Eyck
The Baroque was a highly religious era that overlapped the Thirty Years War between
the Protestants and the Catholics. Baroque artists like
Rembrandt and Caravaggio were well known during this
time for the tense, moody, and extremely dramatic style of
their work, reflected in lighting techniques and subject matter.
Baroque architecture like that of the Palace of Versailles was
known for its ornate intensity. Many of these art periods were
reflected in the music of the time as well.
Baroque (1600 – 1750)
Neoclassical Art (1750 – 1850)
• The Neoclassical era toned down the extremity of Baroque while still capturing the grace and aesthetic perfection of Greco-Roman art periods. It was likely the overlapping Age of Enlightenment, which saw another turn towards the scientific over the religious, that set the tone for this era, as well as the concurrent Industrial Revolution.
Jacques-Louis David, and Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres were well known painters during this time.
Jacques-Louis David
Antonio Canova
• While past art eras had embraced the religious and the scientific, Romanticism saw an emphasis on the self, as well as a rejection of the kind of order that the Enlightenment had imposed in favor of a more chaotic approach to life.
This took place during the American Revolution and the French Revolution, and saw its crowning artists across a host of different counties. Delacroix, Turner, and Gericault, among others, defined the landscape with their dark and moody works.
Romanticism (1780 – 1850)
Caspar David Friedrich
“To select, combine and concentrate that which is
beautiful in nature and admirable in art is as much
the business of the landscape painter in his line as
in the other departments of art.”
J. M. W. Turner
Realism (1848 – 1900)
• Realism was the first movement to finally reject all the drama, intensely exaggerated emotion, and grandeur of other art styles for a more grounded approach to human nature.
The working class ruled the era of Realism, at least as far as art went. Common folks’ lives were pictured there, and all the mundane experiences and struggles that characterize life. Famous artists include Courbet and Millet.
Gustave Courbet
• Impressionism might have been one of the first
purely aesthetic art periods, a style focused on
capturing a visual phenomenon rather than an
intensely political or religious one.
• Impressionism rejected dated techniques that
dictated form and order, and painted freely.
Their works were like impressions of scenes and
people, hence the name. Painters like Monet,
Manet, and Cassatt were known during this
time.
Impressionism (1865 – 1885)
Édouard Manet
• Post-impressionism was the logical follow-up to impressionism, an art style that maintained its philosophy – a rejection of traditional art rules and its focus on perfection – but also rejected its supposed limitations.
Post-impressionism carried on impressionism’s free style and unrestricted brush techniques, but applied it to more common scenes, and also painted forms rather than just impressions.
Notable post-impressionists include Rousseau, Toulouse-Lautrec, and Van Gogh.
Post-Impressionism (1885 – 1910)
Starry Night
Vincent Van Gogh
Expressionism and Fauvism were partially products of wartime.
They flourished during and after the first World War with their harsh colors, bold shapes, and often its disturbing emotional content.
Fauvism and Expressionism (1900 – 1935)
La Dance
Henri Matisse
• Cubism is one of the most
influential visual art styles of
the early twentieth century. It
is created by Pablo Picasso
(Spanish, 1881–1973) and
Georges Braque (French,
1882–1963) in Paris between
1907 and 1914.
The essence of cubism is that
instead of viewing subjects from a
single, fixed angle, the artist
breaks them up into a multiplicity
of facets, so that several different
aspects/faces of the subject can
be seen simultaneously.
Cubism and Pablo Picasso
- Abstract
- Broken Mirror Effect
- Rearranged
- Geometric
- More than one view
- Simplified Shapes
• There are two phases of Cubism:
Analytic Cubism Synthetic Cubism
“ When I was a child, my mother said to me,
'If you become a soldier, you'll be a general. If you
become a monk, you'll end up as the Pope.'
Instead, I became a painter and wound up as
Picasso.”
Blue Period
Rose Period
Les demoiselles d'Avignon
Guernica
The end