ART HISTORY 1
(Introduction to Prehistoric Age)
PREHISTORY AND PREHISTORIC ART IN EUROPE
 4,500,000,000 (4 billion, 500 million) = the age of
the earth
 3,900,000,000 (3 billion, 900 million) = single-cell
life of green algae began
 600,000,000 (600 million) = birds and animals began
to fill the earth
 100,000,000 (100 million) = lands and oceans full
 65,000,000 (65 million) = extinction of the dinosaur
 4,400,000 (4 million, 400 thousand) = earliest
upright human
 30,000 (30 thousand) = first art created
TERMS TO KNOW
 PREHISTORY - refers to the time before people
developed a writing system.
 TECTIFORM - geometric shapes on cave walls,
meaning unknown
 PALEOLITHIC - (Paleo = old; lithic = stone), 42,000-
8,000 BCE
 MESOLITHIC - (Meso = middle; lithic = stone)
 NEOLITHIC - (Neo = new; lithic = stone), 8,000 BCE
 IN THE ROUND - sculptural object that can be
viewed form all sides
 CORBELING CONSTRUCTION - arch-
like construction method that uses the architectural
technique of corbeling to span a space or void in a
structure, such as an entranceway in a wall or as the
span of a bridge.
 POST-AND-LINTEL CONSTRUCTION - is a building
system where strong horizontal elements are held
up by strong vertical elements with large spaces
between them.
STONE AGE
 man's dependence on tools and weapons made of
stone
 "Homo sapiens sapiens" ("wise, wise man") evolved
around 120,000-100,000 years ago
 nomadic hunters and gathers who moved from
place to place
 we know nothing of their religion
 Their homes were made of mud or mammoth bones
and covered with animal skins
 Archeologists have found fossilized corpses with red
ochre (dirt) on them and their bodies had been
buried in a fetal position and facing east towards
the rising sun
ART HISTORY
PALEOLITHIC AGE (450,000 B.C.-11,000 B.C.)
- the period when the first men and women roamed
the earth or what we call the “OLD STONE AGE”.
- For the purposes of Art History, though, when we
refer to Paleolithic Art, we're talking about the Late
Upper Paleolithic period.
- This began roughly around 40,000 years ago and
lasted through the Pleistocene ice age, the end of
which is commonly thought to have occurred near
8,000 B.C.
What kinds of art were created during this time?
 Portable art during the Upper Paleolithic period
was necessarily small (in order to be portable) and
mainly consisted of either figurines or decorated
objects.
o Lion sculpture from Vogelherd-cave
near Heidenheim
o WOMAN FROM WILLENDORF - c.
22,000-21,000 BC. Limestone
Height 4 3/8"
 These things were carved (from stone, bone or
antler) or modeled with clay.
 We refer to most of the portable art from this time
as figurative, meaning it actually depicted
something recognizable, whether animal or human
in form.
o The figurines are often referred to by
the collective name of "Venus,"
(relatively life-like drawing or sculpture
of a human being) as they are
unmistakably females of child-bearing
build.
 Stationary art Cave paintings contain far more non-
figurative art, meaning many elements are symbolic
rather than realistic.
o (humans, on the other hand, are either
completely absent or stick figures).
 o Lascaux II - Image from the
Reconstruction of Lascaux Cave
 Petroglyphs are images created by removing part of
a rock surface by incising, picking, carving,
or abrading, as a form of rock art.
 Altamira Cave is known as the Sistine Chapel of
Paleolithic Art, because of its huge, numerous wall
paintings. The cave is located in northern Spain,
near the village of Antillana del Mar in Cantabria
 The Great Hall of the Bulls
What are the key characteristics of Paleolithic art?
 Concerned itself with either food (hunting scenes,
animal carvings) or fertility (Venus figurines). Its
predominant theme was animals.
 Is considered to be an attempt, by Stone Age
peoples, to gain some sort of control over their
environment, whether by magic or ritual.
 Represents a giant leap in human cognition:
abstract thinking.
MESOLITHIC AGE (11,000 BC - 7,000 BC)
- derives from the Greek “Mesos” means middle and
“lithos” (stone) otherwise known as "Middle Stone
Age. Ancient cultural stage that existed between
Paleolithic period
- Since humans didn't have to live in caves or follow
herds any longer, this era saw the beginnings of
both settled communities and farming. Apparently,
people also had a few spare minutes on their hands,
because the Mesolithic Age saw the invention of the
bow and arrow, pottery for food storage and the
domestication of a few animals -- either for food or,
in the case of dogs, for help in the hunting of food.
What kind of art were created during this time?
 There was pottery, though it was mostly utilitarian
in design.
 Since the invention of the arrow had occurred,
much of this period's "carving" time seems to have
been spent knapping flint, obsidian and other
minerals which lent themselves to sharp, pointy
tips.
 The most interesting Mesolithic Age art that we
know of consists of rock paintings. Similar in nature
to the Paleolithic cave paintings
 the paintings' locations weren't chosen at random.
The spots may have held sacred, magical or religious
significance.
 This period was marked by the rise of Homo
sapiens and their ever-developing ability to create
tools and weapons.
 Microliths
o A very small blade made of flaked stone and
usedas a tool, especially in the European M
esolithic Period.
 Grotte du Renne (Reindeer Cave) in the Burgundy
region of France, has important Chatelperronian
deposits, including a wide range of bone and ivory
tools and personal ornaments, associated with 29
Neanderthal teeth.
 The various types of arrows used by the
Maglemosian hunters.
o The club-shaped arrow in the middle was
very efficient in bird hunting
What are the key characteristics of mesolithic art?
 Where cave paintings overwhelmingly depicted
animals, rock paintings were usually of human
groupings.
 The painted humans typically seem to be engaged
in either hunting or rituals whose purposes have
been lost to time.
 Far from being realistic, the humans shown in rock
painting are highly stylized, rather like glorified stick
figures.
NEOLITHIC AGE (7,250 B.C. - 5,400 B.C.)
- otherwise known as “New Stone Age.”
- also called Chalcolithic in some places, copper and
gold was mined, smelted, hammered and cast.
- Wide trade networks were developed, and obsidian,
shell and amber were traded. Urban cities began to
develop, modeled on Near Eastern communities
beginning about 3500 BC. In the fertile
crescent, Mesopotamia rose and innovations such
as wheeled vehicles, metal pots, plows and wool-
bearing sheep were imported into Europe.
Settlement planning began in some areas; elaborate
 burials, gallery graves, passage tombs and dolmen
groups were built.
What kinds of art were created during this time?
 The "new" arts to emerge from this era
were weaving, architecture, the construction
of megaliths and increasingly stylized
pictographs that were well on their way to
becoming writing.
 Megaliths means 'large stone' and in general, the
word is used to refer to any huge, human-built or
assembled structure or collection of stones or
boulders.
o Stonehenge Stone Circle (2,600 BCE)
One of the world's most famous
examples of Neolithic art.
 The earlier arts
of statuary, painting and pottery stuck (and still
remain) with us. The Neolithic era saw many
refinements to each.
o Linear pottery was the Stroke-
ornamented ware culture (4600-4400
BC). The design has incised zig-zag
patterns with punctures in the line
segment junctions.
 Additionally, sculpture was no longer created
strictly by carving. In the Near East, in particular,
figurines were now fashioned out of clay and baked.
o The Sleeping Lady of Ħal-Saflieni which
is a figurine found in a subterranean
temple in Malta.
o It dates from 3700-2400 BC and was
found in a hidden room that was
probably used by priests.
 Neolithic architecture went beyond caves, tents,
huts, pit-houses in that for the first time people
built quite elaborate structures that can still be seen
today. Take Skara Brae, Europe’s most complete
Neolithic village. It is a stone-built settlement of
eight clustered houses on the Bay of Skaill in Orkney
archipelago. It was occupied between 3180 to 2500
BC, and thus makes it older than Stonehenge or the
great Pyramids.
 Catal Huyuk [9400-8200 years ago] was an early
Neolithic town in Anatolia (Turkey). A large
settlement, said to have 3000-8000 inhabitants at
its peak, it lasted some 1200 years, in equality,
peace, and surprising levels of prosperity and
comfort. The Catal Huyukers were so inspired with
house building that they settled in the middle of a
marsh (and suffered from malaria as a
consequence).
What are the key characteristics of Neolithic art?
 It was still, almost without exception, created for
some functional purpose.
 There were more images of humans than animals,
and the humans looked more, well, human.
 It began to be used for ornamentation.
 In the cases of architecture and megalithic
constructions, art was now created in fixed
locations.
SUMERIANS – first people to feel that religion, art,
astronomy, the cult of the dead, & life after death were
all necessary to life.
“Uncivilized is the man who does not
bend the knee to the Gods, who eat raw meat,
who in life has no house & after death no
tomb”.
MESOPOTAMIA is the “land between rivers” or
the Tigris-Euphrates river system, corresponding to
modern-day Iraq, north-east Syria, south-east Turkey,
and south-west Iran.
 civilization is more or less defined as starting in
ancient Mesopotamia and with the settlements and
cities of Ubaid (ca. 6500-3800 BC).
 The Ubaid culture actually takes its name from this
site, and more particularly the pottery found there.
It is a well-made buff pottery, frequently fired to
high temperature giving it a greenish colour, and
decorated with geometric and sometimes floral and
animal designs in dark brown or black paint.
What kinds of art were created during this time?
 evidence of this society's trade in obsidian and
production and development of copper processing,
as well as the existence of a social elite that used
stone seals to mark ownership of goods and
culturally significant items.
o One of the most remarkable finds was a
stone stamp seal depicting a deer. The seal
is about two inches by two-and-a-half
 inches and was carved from a red stone not
native to the area.
 “Standard of Ur” (ca. 2600 BC), a small trapezoidal
box whose two sides and end panels are covered
with figurative and geometric mosaics made of
pieces of shell, lapis lazuli, and red limestone set
into bitumen.
o The Standard shows the two most
important roles of an early Mesopotamian
ruler: the warrior who protected the people
and secured access to water and natural
resources and the leader who served as an
intermediary between the people and the
gods.
 Bull-headed Lyre found in the “King’s Grave” royal
tomb and constructed with gold, silver, lapis lazuli,
shell, bitumen and wood. It dates from ca. 2550 BC.
The lyre’s panel depicts a hero grasping animals and
animals acting like humans, serving at a banquet
and playing music typically associated with
banquets (experts think this might represent a
banquet in the underworld).
 The bottom panel shows a scorpion-man and a
gazelle with human features. The scorpion-man is a
creature associated with the mountains of sunrise
and sunset, distant lands of wild animals and
demons, a place passed by the dead on their way to
the Netherworld.
 Silver head of a lion (inset with shell and lapis lazuli)
dated ca. 2650-2550 BC and found in the Royal
Cemetery.
 Mesopotamians (beginning with the Sumerians) are
also credited with developing the first organised
religion.
 Early gods looked human and had human traits
and desires, and each city-state would have its
particular deity. Poetry, myths and stories help
develop and maintain a hierarchy between
different gods.
o Seated man praying found in the city-state
of Ur, ca. 2600 BC.
 These stories and myths were so strong that they
essentially make up the first 11 chapters of Genesis.
The Tower of Babel was in Babylon, and the
Hanging Gardens may well have inspired the story
of the Garden of Eden.
 The Babylonians also had myths about the creation
of Eve from Adam’s rib, and the story of Noah’s Ark.
 The first ruler Sargon I (ca. 2334-2279 BC) started
by usurping the royal throne of the Kish, before
conquering the Sumerian city-states, and finished
by dominating large parts of Mesopotamia, as well
as parts of modern-day Iran, Asia Minor and Syria
(some treaties claim that 65 cities and lands were
part of the empire).
 He built (or restored) his capital Akkad and
established a dynasty that lasted 142 years.
 This theme was popular throughout Mesopotamian
history, but in the neo-Assyrian period it acquired a
pair of wings and became the guardian of the royal
palace.
 NEO-SUMERIAN PERIOD (also called the Third
Dynasty of Ur) ca. 2100-2000 BC where Sumerian
writings and culture were resurrected (some
experts consider this period a true
Sumerian renaissance).
o clay seal (ca. 2100 BC) from Narem-ili,
prefect of the potters, which would have
been used to close packets or bundles of
goods to ensure that they were delivered
unopened (thus also proving that trade was
active at that time)
 The statues are of men and women with large
staring eyes, upturned faces, and clasped hands,
dressed in the sheepskin or woolen skirts of the
early dynastic period of Mesopotamia. The men
have long hair and heavy beards, often trimmed in
corrugations and painted black. The hair of the
women would have heavy coils with a chignon
behind, and they may have a headdress of folded
linen. Only priests would be ritually naked. It is
thought that at some of the figure represent gods
and goddesses, whilst the other would be
worshipers.
What are the key characteristics of Sumerian art?
 The statues were to represent the ruler in temples,
to offer a constant prayer in his stead; offerings
were made to these. Most of the statues bear an
inscribed dedication explaining to which god it was
dedicated.
  Sumerian sculpture was composed of a cone and
cylinders, rather than the Egyptian cubic style
 The art use as a representation or documentation
and highlight scenes or events happen from the
past.

THE ART OF ANCIENT EGYPT

Big Idea: Art reflects religion and their belief in the afterlife. KING TUTANKHAMEN
 Tomb found in Valley of the Kings.
WHERE? WHEN?  Dated back to 1327 B.C.E.
 Located in the Nile river valley, Africa  The inner coffin is made from hundreds of pounds of
 Old Kingdom (2680 BC–c. 2200 BC) gold, and decorated with colored enamel, and
 Middle Kingdom (2055 BC–1650 BC) gemstones.
 New Kingdom (1550 BC–1069 BC),
Do you think ancient Egyptian culture has had an impact
Communities were made up of: on our life today?
1. Soldiers  Some of our buildings are based on Egyptian
2. Slaves architecture.
3. Priests  Some of our language comes from the Egyptian written
4. Scribes language of hieroglyphs.
5. Artists and craftsmen  People dress up with make up as well as wear jewelry
6. Farmers and herdsmen with Egyptian designs.
7. Pharaohs & Queens
8. Gods/Godesses “Walk Like an Egyptian”
 The face is from a side or profile view.
 The leader was called a PHARAOH.  The eye is from a front view.
 The pharaoh was believed to be half man, half god.  The arms and feet are from a profile view.
 The afterlife of the pharaoh is an important theme in  The shoulders and chest are from a front view.
ancient Egyptian art.
 The greatest architectural achievements of the Ancient Look for the characteristics of Frontalism in this work of art.
Egyptians were the pyramids. 1. The face is from a side or profile view.
o Pyramids were built as tombs for the 2. The eye is from a front view.
pharaohs. The pyramids contained the items 3. The arms and feet are from a profile view.
that the Egyptians believed that the Pharaoh 4. The shoulders and chest are from a front view.
would need in the afterlife.
o Much of the ancient Egyptian art that remains Written Language of the ancient Egyptian people
today was preserved in the pyramids.  HIEROGLYPHICS is the written language of the ancient
Other Art created by Ancient Egyptians Egyptian people.
 Egyptian people had a rich culture and loved to make  Hieroglyphs appear on tomb and temple walls, statues,
art. papyrus (paper) and even jewelry.
 The Egyptian people also made statues, relief carvings,  Text could be read from left to right, right to left, or up
paintings, pottery, jewelry, sculptures and even and down depending on which way the symbols faced.
coffins.  Hieroglyphic writing is one of the most beautiful
 Most ancient Egyptian art is found buried in the ground systems of writing ever created.
or found in ancient Egyptian pyramids.
 Ancient Egyptians would attend a special school to
learn to write and read hieroglyphics.
 Egyptians who learned how to write the language were
called Scribes.
What Did They Use?
 First, they cut a plant called papyrus into thin layers.
Then they the papyrus strips flat and pounded them
with a mallet. Finally, they used a smoothing stone to
smooth it out.
 They wrote on the papyrus paper with reed pens which
they dipped into ink.
 They also carved and painted hieroglyphics on tombs
and temple walls.
 They wore a CARTOUCHE
The Rosetta Stone
 The Rosetta Stone was found by French soldiers who
were rebuilding a fort in Egypt in 1799. The Rosetta
Stone is believed to have been made in 196 B.C.
 The Rosetta Stone was inscribed with three different
texts Greek, Demotic, Hieratic. Each text says the same
thing.
 The Rosetta Stone text was written by the priests in
ancient Egypt to honor the Pharaohs. It lists all the
good things the Pharaohs have done for the people and
priests.
EGYPTIAN PYRAMIDS
 A pyramid was built to be the tomb of a king called a
pharaoh.
 Secret chambers in the pyramid held the king’s
mummy, coffins and special items from the king’s
afterlife.
 Ancient Egyptian people believed the pyramid
connected the sky and the earth.
 The first pyramid was built for King Zoser. It was a
“step pyramid”. It was designed and built by an artist
and architect named Imhotep.
 Imhotep is the first architect whose name is recorded
in history.
 This pyramid was built about 2600 BC.
 The pyramids were built using blocks of stone.
 Originally the exterior of the pyramids had a smooth
quality. However, due to time, wind, weather, etc. this
smooth façade has worn away. You can see a small
remainder of the facade on the photo to the top left.
 Egypt, El Giza, Great Pyramid also known as "Pyramid
of Cheops" or "Khufu's Pyramid" 2600-2480 BCE, The
base of the pyramid covers about 13 acres. To build the
Great Pyramid it took an about 2,300,000 dressed
stone blocks (averaging 2.5 tons each) -- more than any
other structure ever built. The blocks were moved on
log rollers and sledges, and then ramped into place.
 The Great Pyramid was originally 481 feet high and
each side was 756 feet long.
Other Egyptian Architectural Structures
 The ancient Egyptians also built beautiful temples like
Temple of Ra
 The Sphinx is another example of a Pharaoh (Khafre)
demonstrating his power.
 The massive size and the head of Pharaoh Khafre on
the body of a lion was intended to demonstrate the
power of the pharaoh.
 Carved from stone at the site and stands at 65 feet tall.
MUMMIFICATION
 The Egyptian people created mummies by packing the
dead with salt and then wrapping the body with linen
cloth.
 The process of mummification took about 70 days.
 The mummified body would be placed in a wooden
coffin. That coffin would be placed in a stone
sarcophagus.
Ancient Egyptian Sculpture
Sculpture in the Round
 Statues in the round usually depicted the gods,
Pharaohs, or civic officials, and were composed with
special reference to the maintenance of straight lines
 Of the materials used by the Egyptian, stone was the
most plentiful and permanent
 Sculpture was often painted in vivid hues as well
 Cubic and frontal- echoes in its form the shape of the
stone cube or block from which it was fashioned,
 The front of almost every statue is the most important
part and the figure sits or stands facing strictly to the
front
Relief Sculpture
 Virtually all the wall-sculptures of the Ancient Egyptian
Empire are in the form of bas-relief (low-relief)
 Relief-composition merely meant arranging the figures
in horizontal lines so as to record an event or represent
an action.
THE ART OF ANCIENT GREECE & ROMAN ART
KEY WORKS
GREEK
 Geometric Krater Vase (Geometric)1000-700 BC
 Parthenon (Classical) 480 – 300 BC
 Nike of Samothrace (Hellenistic) 300 – 100 BC
ROMAN
 Augustus Prima Porta
 Arch of Titus
 Pantheon
 GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE - Life of Buddha frieze from
Gandhara
MAJOR POINTS
 Depictions of the human figure are emphasized and
change throughout the various stylistic time periods
as a reflection of the philosophies of the time.
 As the Greeks lean towards the philosophy of
humanism, particularly in the Classical Period, the
Greek desire for perfection is reflected in the art
and architecture.
 Although the architecture of the Roman temples
was strongly influenced by Greek temples, there are
some distinct differences. The Romans will also use
the arch and invent concrete, and that will further
differentiate their architecture from that of the
Greeks.
 There will also be differences in the function and
purpose of Roman architecture from that of Greek
architecture. Roman architecture, and even Roman
sculpture, often promoted a political agenda.
 Realistic depictions dominate in Roman sculpture
and even Hellenistic Greek sculpture, whereas
idealism is dominate in Classical Greek works
THEOLOGY
 The principal figures were distinguished from others by
their size - gods were shown larger than men, kings
larger than their followers, and the dead larger than
the living.
 Some gods were specifically associated with a
certain city. Athena was associated with the city of
Athens, Apollo with Delphi, Zeus with Olympia and
Aphrodite with Corinth.
 Other deities were
o associated with nations
o outside of Greece;
o Poseidon was
o associated with Ethiopia and Troy.
 Theology: The ancient Greeks believed there were
many gods and goddesses.
 There was a hierarchy of deities, with Zeus, the king
of the gods
 Some deities had dominion over certain aspects of
nature. For instance, Zeus was the sky-god, sending
thunder and lightning, Poseidon ruled over the sea
and earthquakes, Hades projected his remarkable
power throughout the realms of death and the
Underworld, and Helios controlled the sun. Other
deities ruled over an abstract concept; for instance
Aphrodite controlled love.
 Greek religion had an extensive mythology. It
consisted largely of stories of the gods and of how
they affected humans on Earth.
 Myths often revolved around heroes and their
actions, such as Heracles, and his twelve labors,
Odysseus and his voyage home, Jason and the quest
for the Golden Fleece.
 Many of the myths revolved around the Trojan War
between Greece and Troy. For instance, the epic
poem, The Iliad, by Homer, is based on the war.
RELIGION - CEREMONIES
 Greek ceremonies and rituals were mainly
performed at altars. These typically were devoted
to one, or a few gods, and contained a statue of the
particular deity upon it.
 Votive deposits would be left at the altar, such as
food, drinks, as well as precious objects. Sometimes
animal sacrifices would be performed here
TIME PERIODS WITHIN GREEK ART
 Geometric 1000 – 700 BC
o Krater Vase
 Archaic 700 – 480 BC
o (no examples of artwork)
 Classical 480 – 300 BC
o Parthenon
 Hellenistic 300 BC – 100 CE
o Nike of Samothrace or Winged Victory
GEOMETRIC – 1,000 – 700 BC
Krater vase
 Pottery ornamented with geometric banding and
friezes of simplified animals or humans
 Vase paintings told stories about gods and heroes of
Greek myths.
 Kraters were placed in the center of the room. They
were quite large, so they were not easily portable
when filled.
CLASSICAL 480 – 300 BC
Parthenon temple & sculptures
 A perfect example of the desire for perfection and
incorporation of the mathematical principles of
Classical Architecture.
 Sculptures represented the perfection of the human
form
 Bodies were not stiff, they looked fully alive and
movable
 Parthenon – symbol of Ancient Greece and of
Athenian democracy and one of the world’s
greatest cultural monuments.
HELLENISTIC 300 BC – 100 AD
Nike of Samothrace
 Marble sculpture of the Greek goddess, Nike
 The Nike of Samothrace, discovered in 1863, is
estimated to have been created around 190 BC. It
was created to not only honor the goddess, Nike,
but to honor a sea battle. It conveys a sense of
action and triumph as well as portraying artful
flowing drapery through its features which the
Greeks considered ideal beauty
ROMAN ART
 Augustus Prima Porta
 Arch of Titus
 Pantheon
Roman Art vs. Greek Art
 Often borrowed and copied from Greek precedents.
It also encompassed Etruscan and Egyptian art.
 Owing in part to the fact that the Roman cities were
far larger than the Greek city-states in power and
population, art in Ancient Rome took on a wider,
and sometimes more utilitarian purpose.
 Roman art was commissioned, displayed, and
owned in far greater quantities, and adapted to
more uses than in Greek times. Wealthy Romans
were more materialistic.
 Roman temples were distinctly different from Greek
Temples. The Romans used the arch and invented
concrete. This will further differentiate their
architecture from that of the Greeks.
 There is also a different function and purpose of
Roman architecture from that of Greek
architecture.
 Roman architecture and sculpture often promoted a
political agenda.
AUGUSTUS PRIMA PORTA
 This marble statue of Augustus Caesar was
discovered on April 20, 1863, in the Villa of Livia at
Prima Porta, near Rome.
 Augustus is shown in this role of "Imperator", the
commander of the army, or commander-in-chief of
the Roman army.
 During his lifetime, Augustus did not wish to be
depicted as a god (unlike the later emperors who
embraced divinity), but this statue has many thinly-
veiled references to the emperor's "divine nature",
ARCH OF TITUS
 The Arch of Titus is a 1st-century honorific arch
located on the Via Sacra, Rome, just to the south-
east of the Roman Forum. It was constructed in c.82
 AD by the Roman Emperor Domitian shortly after
the death of his older brother Titus to
commemorate Titus' victories, including the Siege of
Jerusalem in 70 AD.
 Based on the style of sculptural details, Domitian's
favored architect Rabirius, sometimes credited with
the Colosseum, may have executed the arch.
Without contemporary documentation, however,
attributions of Roman buildings on basis of style are
considered shaky.
 The Pantheon was originally built in 27-25 BC in
Rome, Italy to all the gods of Ancient Rome.
 It is one of the best-preserved of all Roman
buildings. It has been in continuous use throughout
its history.
 Since the Renaissance the Pantheon has been used
as a tomb.
 It took 732 construction workers over 3 years to
construct the Pantheon because of its many
features

THE PANTHEON
RENAISSANCE ART
5. Geometrical Arrangement of Figures
Art and Patronage o The Dreyfus Madonna with the Pomegranate
 Italians were willing to spend a lot of money on art. Leonardo da Vinci
o Art communicated social, political, and spiritual 1469
values. o The figure as architecture!
o Italian banking & international trade interests 6. Artists as Personalities/Celebrities
had the money. o Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors,
 Public art in Florence was organized and supported by and Architects
guilds. Giorgio Vasari
 Therefore, the consumption of art was used as a form 1550
of competition for social & political status! EARLY RENAISSANCE

CHARACTERISTICS OF RENAISSANCE ART MASACCIO

1. REALISM & EXPRESSION 1401-1428
o Expulsion from the Garden  Founder of early Renaissance Painting
o Masaccio  Painted human figure as a real human being (3D)
o 1427  Used perspective
o First nudes since classical times.  Consistent source of light (accurate shadows)
2. Perspective  THE TRIBUTE MONEY
o First use of linear perspective!
o The Trinity DONATELLO
o Masaccio 1386-1466
o 1427  The sculptor’s Masaccio
3. Classicism  David (1430-32)
o Greco-Roman influence. o First free standing, life-size nude since Classical
o Secularism. period
o Humanism. o Contrapposto
o Individualism  free standing figures. o Sense of Underlying skeletal structure
o Symmetry/Balance  The Penitent Magdalen (Donatello)
4. Emphasis on Individualism o Real gaunt
o Batista Sforza & Federico de Montefeltre: The o “Speak, speak or the plague take you!”
Duke & Dutchess of Urbino
o Piero della Francesca, 1465-1466.
BOTICELLI o Anti-humanist  he saw humanism as too
 1482 secular, hedonistic, and corrupting.
 Rebirth of Classical mythology o The “Bonfire of the Vanities,” 1497.
 Fully Pagan o Burned books, artwork, jewelry, and other
 THE BIRTH OF VENUS luxury goods in public.
o Even Botticelli put some of his paintings on the
THE ITALIAN RENAISSANCE fire!!
o Mannerism (1520-1600)
DA VINCI
THE CHANGING ROLE OF THE ARTIST
 Mona Lisa (1503-06)
o Perspective, Anatomy, Composition  Giorgio Vasari’s Lives of the Artists, 1568.
 Cultural icon  He believed that the artist was no longer just a
member of a crafts guild.
 The Last Supper
o Emotions  The artist was an equal in the courts of Europe with
o Response scholars, poets, and humanists.
 Therefore, the artist should be recognized and
rewarded for his unique artistic technique [maneria].
MICHELANGELO
 David
o Michelangelo BACKGROUND
Buonarotti  Late Renaissance [Pre-Baroque].
o 1504  Art was at an impasse after the perfection and
o Marble harmony of the Renaissance.
 Antithetical to the principles of the High Renaissance.
RAPHAEL  From the Italian de maneria.
 School of Athens 1510  A work of art done in the artist’s characteristic “touch”
o Da Vinci or recognizable “manner.”
o Michelangelo  First used by the German art historian, Heinrich
o Raphael Wölfflin in the early 20c.
o Plato: looks to the heavens [or the IDEAL  Influenced by Michelangelo’s later works.
realm].
o Aristotle: looks to this earth [the here and Michelangelo’s “Last Judgment” (Sistine Chapel)
now].
o Pythagoras FEATURES OF MANNERISM
o Ptolemy 1. REPLACE HARMONY WITH DISSONANCE & DISCORD
o Euclid  “Susanna & the Elders”
 Alessandro Allori
TITIAN  Twisted bodies or “weight shift” [contrapposto]
 Dazzling contrasting colors 2. REPLACE REASON WITH EMOTION
 Ample female forms  “Pietà” by Rosso Fiorentino
 Asymmetric compositions 1530-1540
 Bacchanal of the Adrians 1518  “Pietà” by El Greco
1587-1597
A Portrait of Savonarola 3. REPLACE REALITY WITH IMAGINATION
 By FRA BARTOLOMEO, 1498.  “The Mystic Marriage of St. Catherine”
o Dominican friar who decried money and Parmigianino
power. 1525-1527
 “Charity”
 Andrea del Sarto Titian
1518 1522-1523
An allegory of the French royal family.  “Pastoral Concert”
4. CREATE INSTABILITY INSTEAD OF EQUILIBRIUM Giorgione
 “The Rape of Helene” 1508-1510
Francesco Primaticcio 9. Hanging Figures
1530-1539  “The Annunciation”
5. BODIES ARE DISTORTED Jacopo Tintoretto
 “Christ in Agony on the Cross” 1583-1587
El Greco  “Moses Drawing Water form the Rock”
1600s. Jacopo Tintoretto
An attempt to express the religious tensions of the 1577
times.
 “Adoration of the Name of Jesus” MANNERISTIC ARCHITECTURE
El Greco
1578-1580. CHARACTERISTICS OF MANNERIST ARCHITECTURE
 “Adoration of the Name of Jesus” (details)  Stylishness in design could be applied to a building as
Philip II of Spain well as to a painting.
El Greco  Showed extensive knowledge of Roman architectural
1578-1580 style.
 “The Baptism of Christ”  Complex, out of step style  taking “liberties” with
El Greco classical architecture.
1608-1628.  Architecture, sculpture, and walled gardens were seen
 “Portrait of a Cardinal” as a complex, but not necessary unified whole.
El Greco  Villa Capra [or Villa Rotunda]
1600 By Andrea Palladio
 “St. Jerome” by El Greco 1566-1571
1587-1597 “Palladian” architectural style [popular in England]
6. COLORS ARE LURID  Entrance to the Villa Farnese at Caprarola
 “The Tempest” By Giacomo Vignola
Giorgione 1560
1510
 “The Calling of St. Matthew” GIACOMO DA VIGNOLA
Caravaggio  Wrote The Rule of the Five Orders of Architecture
 “The View from Toledo”  1563
El Greco  Became a key reference work for architects.
1597
7. PICTORAL SPACE IS CROWDED
THE FONTAINEBLEAU SCHOOL
 “Madonna with the Long Neck”
 French Mannerism  flourished from 1531 to the
Parmagianino
early 17c.
1534-1540
 Characteristics:
 “Joseph in Egypt”
o Extensive use of stucco in moldings & picture
Jacomo Pontormo
frames.
 “The Last Supper”
o Frescoes.
Tintoretto
o An elaborate [often mysterious] system of
1594
allegories and mythical iconography.
8. A Void in the Center
 Centered around the Royal Chateau of Fontainebleau.
 “Bacchus & Ariadne”
THE ROYAL CHATEAU AT FONTAINEBLEAU
 Gallery [right] by Rosso Fiorentino & Francesco
Primaticcio
 1528-1537
GERMAIN PILON
 “Caryatids”
 1550s
MODERN ERA MOVEMENT (1900’S – 1920’S)
CUBISM
ART NOUVEAU
 Art Nouveau or Jugendstil considered a "total" art
style, embracing architecture, graphic art, interior
design, and most of the decorative arts including
jewelry, furniture, textiles, household silver and other
utensils and lighting, as well as the fine arts.
Evolution of Art Nouveau
 The origins of Art Nouveau are unclear, although most
art historians agree that its roots lay in the English Arts
and Crafts Movement, championed by the
medievalist William Morris, as well as the flat-
perspective and strong colours of Japanese woodcuts.
 Connections were also forged between practitioners of
Jugendstil and Celtic-style artists, notably in the area of
abstract pattern work. Christopher Dresser's Unity in
Variety (1859)
 a treatise on botany for artists, was also influential.
FAUVISM
 Fauvism developed in France to become the first new
artistic style of the 20th century.
 The best known Fauve artists include Henri Matisse,
André Derain
 HENRI MATISSE is generally considered the principal
founding artist of Fauvism.
 Matisse emerged as the leader of the group, whose
members shared the use of intense color as a vehicle
for describing light and space, and who redefined pure
color and form as means of communicating the artist's
emotional state.
 The contrast to traditional art was so striking it led
critic Louis Vauxcelles to describe the artists as “Les
Fauves” or “wild beasts,” and thus the name was born.
 It originated from critiques based on mass and angle
on Georges Braque’s artwork in 1908.
 He was most well known for being the founder of
Cubism alongside famous artist Pablo Picasso.
 Braque Focused on developing a new style of art, and a
new depth to what fauvism had already brought to the
art world. The two developed new themes, bold lines,
and a series of darker color schemes, and created the
Cubism style.
 DANIAL HENRY KAHNWEILER, a German artist’s
propagated to cubism.
o He was among the first people to recognize the
importance and beauty of Picasso's Les
Demoiselles D'Avignon and immediately
wanted to buy it along with all of Picasso's
works.
 FERDNAND LEGER said, Cubism art movement was
known as ‘art of the machine age’.
 PABLO PICASSO (1881-1973)
o known as the Master Of Diversity.
o He started to make diversion on his painting.
o An example is Les Demoiselles D Avignon.
o His masterpiece had changed to the cube or
known as image breaking.
THE CONCEPTS OF CUBISM
 Light and shadow concept.
 Concept on surface or background and elements of
height or variety of perspective.
 Observation on hiding areas which had hidden
characteristics and definitions.
THE BREAKING PART OF CUBISM INTO FOUR STAGES
1. PROTO-CUBISM (1902-1908)
  In this stage, all Picasso and Braque artworks were
influenced by Cézanne style, Matisse and African
art.
 These drawings and paintings demonstrate the
new approach to handling space and expressing
human emotion. Figures are abstracted into a
geometric planes and classical norms of the human
emotions. Some figures are simultaneously seen
from more than one view point.
2. ANALYTIC CUBISM (1908-11)
 Cubism has a strong relationship with the process
of human vision. The eyes shift and scan a subject;
minds combine these fragments into a whole.
3. COLLAGE (1902-12)
 Still Life is a main subject matter. Through the
pasting of pieces of paper, the artists create
collages.
 Materials used are like newspapers and magazines
on canvas and wood panel.
4. SYNTHETIC CUBISM (1912-1930)
 This stage normally uses an object.
 You can recognize
 it by its bright colours.
FUTURISM
 The Italian poet Filippo Tommaso Marinetti was the
first among them to produce a manifesto of their
artistic philosophy in his Manifesto of Futurism (1909),
first released in Milan and published in the French
paper Le Figaro (February 20).
 Marinetti summed up the major principles of the
Futurists, including a passionate loathing of ideas from
the past, especially political and artistic traditions.
 They assumed that futurism art has to show the fastest
movement in artwork.
THEME THAT FREQUENTLY USED
 To use of theme such as movement like dance party,
parade show, explosive, clouds and others full of
movement.
CHARACTERISTICS OF FUTURISM
 Harmony was rejected as a design quality. Free,
dynamic and torpedo like words.
 A new and painterly typographic design, called ‘parole
in libertā or words in freedom’
 Typographic was so important especially in advertising,
poetry, tapestry design.
DADAISM
 Historically, Dada began in 1916.
 Hugo Ball, a German poet and exile, created the Dada
Manifesto, making a political statement about his views
on the terrible state of society and acknowledging his
dislike for philosophies in the past claiming to possess
the ultimate truth.
 Cabaret Voltaire was an activity centre for the artist.
The club quickly became a free platform for self-
promotion used mainly by artists, musician and writers.
 They neglected the main reason for artistic values. It
was an anti-art movement.
 In 1915, Marcel Duchamp introduced Dada principles
through the New York exhibition. He came up with an
object that he called ready-mades as work of art. He
resurrected the meaningless art to show emptiness of
community life.
 Dadaism came from the feeling of escapism. They
wanted to escape from imagination and
consciousness.
 They also wanted to be free from assumption, cynical,
and action in a chaotic environment.
DEFINITION OF DADAISM
 Tristan Tzara introduced the definition of Dadaism. It
means Hobby Horse. In French words it means
infantile sound or it also can mean as speech of a
newborn baby.
CHARACTERISTICS OF DADAISM
 Usage of new expression form that was anti-art such as
photomontage, assemblage collage etc.
 Inserting rough humour elements.
 Art with satire.
 Using ready-made materials.
o The headline: “Adolf, the Superman: Swallows
gold and talk tin,” is visualized by
photomontage x-ray of Hitler showing an
esophagus of gold coins
BAUHAUS
 It is a school of design, architecture, and applied arts
that existed in Germany from 1919 to 1933.
 It was pioneered as Weiman School of Art and Crafts
in Weimar until 1925, Dessau through 1932, and Berlin
in its final months.
 By training students equally in art and in technically
expert craftsmanship,
BAUHAUS DEVELOPMENT
 Bauhaus was active in all art fields, rejected the
concept of art for art’s that was introduced by the De
Stilj and Constructivism.
 They develop Constructivism and De Stilj ideas in all
visual communication.
 Through that art design education methodology was
founded, where the emphasis was on artisan or skilled
workmen that emphasized free creativity as well as
experimentation.
 Bauhaus artists believed that art was based on
principle of production processes that would achieve a
relationship in life.
 Idea of Functionalism (Constructivism) - form follows
function said that Bauhaus design philosophy was
suitable for international style.
 Bauhaus became the contemporary consultant for
industry and trade.
THE PURPOSE OF BAUHAUS EXISTENCE
 The purpose is to integrate art and craft.
 To interrelate the ideas with creativity in art and
technology.
 To do studies and experiments on material quality and
shapes in designing, to produce better and high quality
product
CHARACTERISTICS OF BAUHAUS
 Bauhaus characteristic are more to geometrical and
technical aspects.
 It’s also more ‘Constructivism’.
 Using more typography and elements of photography
elements.
 Bauhaus also produce more quality and functional
products.
 WASSILY KANDINSKY (1866-1944)
o A Russian painter, whose exploration of the
possibilities of abstraction makes him one of
the most important innovators in modern art.
o As an artist and as a theorist he played a
pivotal role in the development of abstract art.
o As one of the first explorers of the principles of
non-representational or "pure" abstraction,
Kandinsky can be considered as an artist who
paved the way for abstract expressionism, the
dominant school of painting since World War II
(1939-1945).
 LASZLO MAHOLY NAGY (1895-1946)
o Hungarian-American painter, sculptor,
designer, and photographer, born in
Bacsbarsod.
o Originally a law student, he studied art in
Berlin after World War I, where he became an
adherent supporter of the abstract school
known as constructivism.
o From 1923 to 1928 he taught at the Bauhaus
and became a leader in the development of
abstract art.
o He explored the relationship of light and
motion in his rotating Light-Space Requisite
(circa 1930) and in a series of Space
Modulators (after 1953), which were early
examples of kinetic sculpture.
o He also experimented and worked in painting,
typography, photography, and cinema.
o He set forth his artistic tenets in Vision in
Motion (published posthumously, 1947)
CONSTRUCTIVISM
 close relation with supermatism movement.
 In 1917 it was developed in Russia in early 20th
century.
 In 1917 it was founded by two brothers, Antoine
Pevsner and Naum Pevsner (Sculptors).
 In 1920 the Constructivism Realist Manifesto was
introduced and it concerned about sociological
development that opposed Vladimir Tatlin’s principles.
 LAZAR MARKOVITCH LISSITZKY 1890
o He was an engineer and architect.
o In 1911 he visited Italy to draw and study
Italian architectural. In 1917 he produced a
pictorial book (first edition) about Jewish
society.
o In 1919 under the order of Marc Chagall and
the influence of supermatism,
o He produced an artwork based on an
experimental design that was called Prouns.
Artwork: Proun 19D (1922), Proun G7 (1923),
Beat the Whites the
 o Red Wedges (1919), Proun Space (1923).
TO EMPHASIZE CONSTRUCTIVISM
 Tatlin said that art must function for the needs and
benefit of the society aesthetic views; sculpture is a
static volume in space
 In 1920, the movement was separated into a few sub
movements for example abstract, functionalism and
utilitarianism.
 It had important influences in architectural and
industry sculptures
o Artist: Salvador Dali,
o Title: The Burning Giraffe, Medium: Oil on
Canvas,
o Year: 1936-37
CHARACTERISTICS OF SURREALISM
 The masterpieces are characterised as fantastic and
grotesque.
 It uses disgusting and amusing images.
 The use of harmony and contrast colours.
 Also uses images that have incomplete attributes

SURREALISM
 The Surrealism movement tried to achieve super
reality by using dream experience elements and the
cub-consciousness in producing artworks.
 It was more radical and dangerous than Dadaism. Look
down upon human civilization. Surrealist fought with
concept of artistic freethinking.
 A liberal and artistic thinking method, free from
morality and religion.
 Surrealism was formed by Andre Breton, French poet
in 1924.
 The early stages were more focused on poetic
activities.

FAMOUS ARTIST IN THIS ERA

 SALVADOR DALI
o Italian metaphysical artists influenced his
presentation style.
o After studying Freud’s theory, he produced a
new and matured Surrealist style.
o Produced artwork that was based on sub-
consciousness.
o the Persistence of Memory (1931) and Burning
Giraffe (1935). 1940, he escaped from France
to Lisbon, then to the United States.
 MAX ERNST (1891-1976)
o His artwork had the influence of Picasso and
De Chirico’s artwork.
o Donated to book publishing activities.
o The books were for the active Dadaism
movement. Participated in the Dadaism
organization.

THE DEVELOPMENT OF SURREALISM

 Real Phantasm, Sample of Real Phantasm artwork
 Sample of subconscious artwork