WESTERN CLASSICAL ART TRADITIONS

1st Quarter

PAINTINGS
I. ANCIENT ERA
A.Paintings from the Pre-historic Era
- Found inside the caves which may have been their way of communicating with each other.
- It may also be for religious or ceremonial purposes.
- More of an artifact of the archeological evidence than a true picture of humans’ first created art
* Cave of Lascaux
B. Paintings from Ancient Egypt
- The purpose of Egyptian paintings is to make the deceased afterlife place pleasant.
- It emphasizes the importance of life after death and the preservation of the knowledge of the past.
- The main colors used were red, black, blue , gold and green.
*Paintings from Sarcophagus Tutankhamen XVIII dynasty
II. CLASSICAL ERA
A.Greek Era
- Most commonly found in vases, panels and tomb.
- Most of the subjects were battle scenes, mythological figures, and everyday scenes.
- It reveals a grasp of linear perspective and naturalist representation.
Most common methods of Greek painting:
1. Fresco- method of painting water-based pigments on a freshly applied plaster usually on a wall surfaces.
2. Encaustic– developed to use by Greek ship builders, who used the hot wax to fill the cracks of the ship.
*Judgement of Paris *Pitsa Panel *Tomb of the Diver
B. Paintings from the Romantic Era
- Most of the paintings were copied or imitated from Hellenic Greek paintings.
- Fresco technique was used in brightly colored backgrounds.
- Roman paintings have a wide variety of subjects, animals, everyday life, still life, mythological subjects,
portraits and landscapes.
Mosaic
It is an art process where an image is created using an assemblage of small pieces of colored glass, stones, or
other materials.
*Head of Alexander *Fresco from Villa of Mysteries
III. MEDIEVAL ERA
A. Byzantine Painting
- The lively styles of paintings with Christian subjects.
- By the 11th century, the Greek and Oriental styles seem to blend together in magnificent, imposing images,
which adorned the churches in large and small forms.
*The court of Empress Theodora
B. Romanesque Painting
- These are largely placed mosaics on the walls of the churches that follows a strict frontal pose.
*Christ in Majesty
C. Paintings from the Gothic Era
- Paintings have been confined in the illumination of manuscript pages and the painting of frescoes on the
walls of churches in cosmopolitan style, elegant, mannered and sophisticated.
Stained glass
windows were created to transform the vast stone interiors with warm and glowing color and at the same time to
instruct Christians in their faith.
*Lady and the Unicorn Tapestry * Rose Window from the North Transcept

SCULPTURES
I. ANCIENT ERA
A .Pre-Historic Era
Materials used in sculptures vary according to region and locality. Archeologists believed that their sculpture is a result of
natural erosion and not of human artistry. Frequently carving may have mythological or religious significance.
Venus of Willendorf Venus of Brassempouy
It is carved from limestone with excessively heavy A sculpture of a lady with the hood. It is a
breast and abdomen used as charm to ensure fertility. fragmentary ivory figurine from the Upper Paleolithic
era that realistically represents the human face and
hairstyle

B. Egyptian Era
- Their tombs required the most extensive used of sculpture.
 - The most common materials used for sculptures are wood, ivory and stones.
Sarcophagus - A stone coffin, often inscribed or decorated with sculpture
Characteristics of the sculptures:
1. Symbolisms were heavily used to represent the gods. They were represented as composite creature with animal heads
on human bodies
2. Empty space were filled with figures or hieroglyphics
* Queen Nefertiti, painted limestone * The Pharoah Menkaure and his Queen, stone
II. CLASSICAL ERA
A.Greek Sculptures
- Greek sculptures had finally evolved and showed all the points of human anatomy and proportion.
*Myron; The Discobulus
B.Roman Sculptures
- Most Roman sculptures are made of monumental terra-cotta.
* The Portonacio Sarcohagus

III. MEDIEVAL ERA

A. ByzantineSculptures
- The dominant themes in Byzantine sculptures are religious, everyday life scenes, and motifs from nature.
- Animals were used as symbols (dove, deer, peafowl)
* The Barberini Diptych
B. Romanesque Sculptures
- Some of the famous sculptural pieces are reliquaries, altar frontals, crucifixes, and devotional images. Small
individual works of art were generally made of costly materials for royal and aristocratic patrons.
* The Last Judgment
C. Gothic Sculptures
- Gothic sculptures have a greater freedom of style.
- Figures were given their own particular attitudes instead of being set into particular patterns and are more
lively and realistic.
*The Ressurection of the Virgin
ARCHITECTURE
I. ANCIENT ERA
A. Pre-Historic Architecture
- Man has developed a form of architecture based on megaliths (a big rock) from the Greek word lithos (stone)
and megas (big). This architecture is made of huge stone blocks which were probably intended for burial.
Three main types of megalith stones:
1. Menhir: a huge stone standing vertically on the ground, usually standing in the middle of the field or arranged in
rows.
2. Dolmens: the word dolmen originated from the expression taolmaen, which means “stone table”. These
structures are in a form of table consisting of two huge standing stones supporting a horizontal giant stone.
- It is believed that it served as grave or as an altar.
3. Cromlech: a Brythonic word where “crom” means bent or curved and “llech” which means slab or flagstones.
Literary it is a circle of standing stones.
B. Egyptian Architecture
Characteristics of Egyptian Architecture:
1. The structure has thick sloping walls with few openings to obtain stability.
2. The exterior and interior walls along with columns and piers were covered with hieroglyphics and pictorial frescoes
and carvings painted in brilliant colors.
Pyramids of Giza It is the most substantial ancient structure of the world. The three pyramids are the funerary
structures of the three kings of the fourth dynasty (2575 to 2465 BC)
Mastaba It is a type of Egyptian tomb in the form of a flat-roofed, rectangular structure with outward sloping
sides. It was made of mud-bricks or stone.
II. CLASSICAL ERA
A.Greek Architecture
Temples consisted of a central shrine or room in an aisle surrounded by rows of columns. These buildings were designed
in one of three architectural style or orders:
DORIC IONIC CORINTHIAN

*The Parthenon
B. Roman Architecture
 - They built sturdy stone structures both for use and to perpetuate their glory.
- The emperors erected huge halls and arenas for public games, baths and procession.
* The Colosseum
III. MEDIEVAL ERA
A. Byzantine Architecture
- It has a lot in common with the early Christian architecture. Mosaic decoration was perfected by the
Byzantines, as was the use of clerestory to bring light in from high windows.Byzantine's advancement.
B. Romanesque Architecture
- The doorways of Romanesque’s churches are often grand sculptured portals. Wood or metal doors are
surrounded by elaborate stone sculpture arranged in zones to fit architectural elements.
C. Gothic Architecture
- . Their architectural design in this era depicts pointed arch, high ceiling vaults and stone vaulting borne.
- This design included two new devices:
 pointed arch which enabled builders to construct much higher ceiling vault
 stone vaulting borne on a network of stone ribs supported by piers and clustered pillars.
*Cathedral of Chartres

ELEMENTS OF ART
The building blocks or ingredients of art.
 LINE – a point/mark with length and direction.
A continuous mark made on a surface by a moving point.
 COLOR – Is an element of art with three properties
Consists of Hue (another word for color/name of the color), Intensity (brightness) and Value (lightness or
darkness).
 SHAPE - An enclosed area defined and determined by other art elements; 2-dimensional.
 FORM - A 3-dimensional object; or something in a 2-dimensional artwork that appears to be 3-dimensional.
Ex . a triangle, which is 2-dimensional, is a shape, but a pyramid, which is 3-dimensional, is a form
 VALUE – Refers to the light and dark areas of a picture.
- The lightness or darkness of a color.
 SPACE - The distance or area between, around, above, below, or within things.
 TEXTURE - The surface quality or "feel" of an object, its smoothness, roughness, softness, etc. Textures may be
actual or implied.

TEXTURE VALUE LINES

PRINCIPLES OF ART
What we use to organize the Elements of Art, or the tools to make art.
 BALANCE - The way the elements are arranged to create a feeling of stability in a work.
 Symmetrical Balance - The parts of an image are organized so that one side mirrors the other.
 Asymmetrical Balance - When one side of a composition does not reflect the design of the other.

 EMPHASIS - The focal point of an image, or when one area or thing stand out the most.
 CONTRAST - A large difference between two things to create interest and tension.
 RHYTHM - Involves multiples of the same element. Repeated elements can vary in size, color, or axis placement
 MOVEMENT -adds excitement to your work by showing action and directing the viewers eye throughout the
picture plane.
- A regular repetition of elements to produce the look and feel of movement.
 UNITY - When all the elements and principles work together to create a pleasing image.
 VARIETY - The use of differences and change to increase the visual interest of the work.
 PROPORTION - The comparative relationship of one part to another with respect to size, quantity, or degree;
scale.
 ARTS
Pre-Test

NAME: _____________________________________________ SCORE: _____________________

GRADE & SECTION: ___________________________________ DATE: ______________________

TEST I (IDENTIFICATION – 10 Items). Identify what is being asked in the statement below. Use the table as your
reference. Write the word/terms in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS. (1 point each)

A. ANCIENT ART D. HEIROGLYPHICS G. MOSAICS J. PIGMENTS M. SYMBOLISM

B. ENCAUSTIC E. LINE H. MOVEMENT K. PILLARS N. TRILITHS
C. FRESCO F. MEDIEVAL ART I. NATURALISM L. PROPORTION O. VARIETY, UNITY & HARMONY

____________________________________1. A period where pre-historic and Egyptian arts where developed.

____________________________________2. It is an element considered as the foundation of all art forms.
____________________________________3. It is a principle that emphasizes the scaling of an artwork.
____________________________________4. A substance used in coloring.
____________________________________5. A design of decoration made up of an assemblage of colored small
pieces.
____________________________________6. It is a painting style that uses wax and commonly used in metal.
____________________________________7. It is a way to use symbols as to represent ideas or qualities.
____________________________________8. A period where byzantine, romanesque and gothic arts were included.
____________________________________9. A painting style that uses water based pigments.
____________________________________10. A system of writing using picture symbols in ancient Egypt.

II. Multiple Choice: Choose the letter of the correct answer.

_________1. It includes all human existence before the emergence of writing.

a. Pre-historic c. Greek
b. Egyptian d. Roman
_________2. It is usually found inside the caves which may have been their way of communicating with each
other. It may also be for religious or ceremonial purposes.
a. Paintings from Ancient Egypt c. Paintings from the Pre-historic Era
b. Paintings from Classical Greek Era d. Paintings from the Roman Era
_________3. The lively styles of painting which had been invented in Greek and Rome lived on but this time for
Christian subjects.
a. Romanesque Painting c. Gothic Painting
b. Byzantine Painting d. Classical Greek Painting
_________4. It is a result of natural erosion and not of human artistry.
a. Pre-historic Sculpture c. Sculptures from the Classical Period
b. Sculptures from the Egyptian Era d. Gothic Sculptures
_________5. These sculptures are made of monumental terra-cotta which did not attempt to compete with the
free standing Greek works of history or mythology.
a. Roman c. Gothic
b. Greek d. Byzantine

_________6. These sculptures have a greater freedom of style. They no longer lay closely against the wall but
begun to project outward.
a. Roman c. Gothic
b. Greek d. Byzantine
_________7. An architecture wherein they built sturdy stone structures both for use and to perpetuate their glory.
a. Roman c. Greek
b. Byzantine d. Gothic
_________8. This design include two new devices: pointed arch which enabled builders to construct much higher
ceiling vaults and stone vaulting borne on a network of stone ribs supported by piers and clustered pillars.
a. Roman c. Greek
b. Byzantine d. Gothic

_________9. The doorways of this architecture are often grand sculptured portals.
a. Romanesque c. Greek
b. Byzantine d. Gothic
_______10. A huge stone standing vertically on the ground, usually standing in the middle of the field or arranged
in rows.
a. Dolmens c. Cromlech
b. Menhir d. Equinox