Art 9

WESTERN CLASSICAL ART TRADITION

Throughout the history, artists find creative ways to express their ideas. These artists often bring
stories that encourage, inspire, and understand the depth of culture. This unit teaches you the past and
struggles of these artists to express their thoughts and emotions.

Elements of art

1. Line - is a mark with greater length than width. Lines can be horizontal, vertical, or diagonal;
straight or curved; thick or thin.

2. Shape - is a closed line. Shapes can be geometric, like squares and circles; or organic, like free-
form or natural shapes. Shapes are flat and can express length and width.

3. Forms - are three-dimensional shapes expressing length, width, and depth. Balls, cylinders,
boxes, and pyramids are forms.

4. Space - is the area between and around objects. The space around objects is often called
negative space; negative space has shape. Space can also refer to the feeling of depth. Real space is
three-dimensional; in visual art, when we create the feeling or illusion of depth, we call it space.

5. Colour - is light reflected off of objects. Color has two main characteristics: hue (the name of
the color, such as red, green, blue, etc.), value and intensity (how light or dark it is)

6. Texture - is the surface quality that can be seen and felt. Textures can be rough or smooth,
soft or hard. Textures do not always feel the way they look; for example, a drawing of a porcupine may
look prickly, but if you touch the drawing, the paper is still smooth.

Principles of Art

“What we use to organize the elements of art”

1. Balance refers to the visual weight of the elements of the composition. It is a sense that the
painting feels stable and "feels right." Imbalance causes a feeling of discomfort in the viewer.

2. Contrast is the difference between elements of art in a composition, such that each element
is made stronger in relation to the other. When placed next to each other, contrasting elements
command the viewer's attention. Areas of contrast are among the first places that a viewer's eye is
drawn.

3. Emphasis is when the artist creates an area of the composition that is visually dominant and
commands the viewer's attention. This is often achieved by contrast.

4. Movement is the result of using the elements of art such that they move the viewer's eye
around and within the image. A sense of movement can be created by diagonal or curvy lines, either real
or implied, by edges, by the illusion of space, by repetition, by energetic mark-making.
 5. Rhythm or Pattern is created by movement implied through the repetition of elements of art
such as lines, colors, shapes or forms, which create a feeling of visual motion in an artwork. It is related
to rhythm in music.

6. Unity/Variety You want your painting to feel unified such that all the elements fit together
comfortably. Too much unity creates monotony; too much variety creates chaos. You need both. Ideally,
you want areas of interest in your composition along with places for your eye to rest.

Can you remember the very first artwork that you made? What was it all about? How does it
compare to the ones that you make today?

It is understandable that the more recent ones are more technically advanced, since you have
had art lessons and you have better control of your motor skills. But if you were asked, which one is
more beautiful, then that is debatable. This comparison is the same with art history. Many prehistoric
artworks may look crude compared to the artworks of today. But it does not lessen their importance or
value to humanity.

Art existed as long as humans have existed. Humans early artworks or artifacts are essential for
archaeologists to learn more about human history. Although there are many artworks that have been
lost through time, the ones that have survived still offer insights on the creative process that our
ancestors had.

“What did you learn to do first, write or draw? In the beginning, people used pictures to
represent something. Thus, it was said that people learned to draw first. When you were young, you
used crayon and doodles simple objects and stick figures. Later on, with the help of the people around
you that you learned to write the letters of the alphabet. These logical progression is the same with the
pre-historic art.

PREHISTORIC ART

Some of the earliest examples of surviving artworks are cave drawings. These ancient drawings
were made as early as 30,000 years ago or during the Paleolithic Period (40,000-10,000 BCE). It was also
around this time that humans started learning to use stone tools, which they used to create the cave
drawings. The most popular subject of cave drawings was animals. The way they were depicted varied.
Some were composed of simple geometric periods, while others like those found in Europe were so
realistic that many archeologists initially doubted their authenticity.

Their paintings were found inside the caves which may have been their way of communicating
with each other. It may also be for religious or ceremonial purposes. These paintings may be more an
artifact of the archeological evidence than a true picture of humans’ first created art. Prehistoric
drawings of animals were usually correct in proportion. Cave of Lascaux, 15000-10000 B.C. – Stone Age

The dominant features in the painting were large animals native in the region. It was discovered
on 12 September 1940 and given statutory historic monument protection. The painting has nearly 2,000
figures composed mainly of animals, human figures and abstract design.
 As time passed, humans moved away from their nomadic lifestyle and learned to toil the land.
They developed permanent communities and refined their stone tools that ushered in the New Stone
Age.

An interesting and mysterious artifact made during this age was huge stone structures called
Megaliths. Megaliths are found all over the world. One of the most famous examples is the Stonehenge.
Found in England, this ancient monument is composed of stone slabs that weigh as much as 50 metric
tons

In 1986, it was declared as United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
(UNESCO) World Heritage Site.

In the Philippines, one of the oldest known artifacts was discovered in 1965 in a cave in Angono,
Rizal. This is the Angono Petroglyphs. It was made during the late Neolithic age or New Stone Age
around 10,200-2000 BCE. This stone carvings feature 127 stylized depictions of humans and animals
such as frogs and lizards. Out of the 127, only 51 are clear and well-defined.

ART OF THE ANCIENT EGYPT

Ancient Egyptian life centered on their gods. They were led by Pharaohs, which were believed to
be gods themselves and were treated like such. A sign of the great respect, the ancient Egyptians had for
their god-kings were the pyramids

Egyptian Architecture.

The pyramids were used as tombs for the Pharaohs. Inside the pyramid, one would fine food, jewelries,
and other luxuries the Pharaoh would need in the afterlife. Servants were believed to be buried alive
with the Pharaoh to serve him in the life after death.

The pyramids were monumental. The largest of which was the Great Pyramid of Giza. It was
originally designed with the base of 230.4 m and the height of about 145-146m. The Egyptians believed
that when the Pharaoh dies, his soul would return to his body, that is why bodies were preserved
through mummification. The Egyptians had to make sure the body is protected in every possible way, or
else they should of the Pharaoh will wander aimlessly for eternity

Paintings and drawings

 The purpose of Egyptian paintings is to make the deceased afterlife place pleasant. With this in mind,
themes include journey to the underworld introducing the deceased to the gods of the underworld by
their protective deities.

 It emphasizes the importance of life after death and the preservation of the knowledge of the past.

 Most paintings were highly stylize, symbolic, and shows profile view of an animal or a person. The
main colors used were red, black, blue, gold and green taken derived from mineral pigments that can
withstand strong sunlight without fading.
 The paintings of the walls on the tomb shows events of the life of the king while he was still on earth
and the scenes he expects to encounter in the underworld after his death.

Often found along with ancient Egyptian paintings and carvings were Hieroglyphs. Hieroglyphs
were the writing system of the Ancient Egyptians. It is a combination of

logograph, which is a writing system that uses characters that represent words or phrases and
alphabetic, that is a writing system composed of a set of letters.

ART OF ANCIENT GREECE

Greek art, be it sculptures, paintings, architecture, and even music, shows ideas that the ancient
Greeks value such as courage, valor and independence. Another characteristic of ancient Greek art is the
need to achieve perfect proportion. Greeks used a mathematical equation called the golden ration,
which is supposed to represent the divine proportion

Greek Architecture

Ancient Greek architecture is often characterized by the capitals that topped the Greek columns.
These three decorative styles or orders are Doric, Ionic and Corinthian. The Doric order is the simplest
with broad and rectangular capital that tops the column; it was also the first of the different orders.

The second style developed by the Greeks was the Ionic. The Ionic order is distinguished with its
capital that looks like scrolls.

The latest and most elaborate order is the Corinthian. The Corinthian has a capital that is carved
with the stylized leaves of the acanthus plant. It was used in both Greek and Roman structures.

Parthenon

It is one of the most recognizable examples of architecture of the ancient Greeks. The Parthenon was
built in honor of Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom and patroness of the city. It was the most
decorative temple at the time.

Art of ancient Rome

Rome started as a village in the eight century BCE

Roman Sculptures

The fascination of the Romans with portraits started when wax molds of the faces of the
deceased, which were called sculpted portraits, were used as reminders of their loved ones. Stone and
marble were later used for their durability and permanence. Skilled artists were in demand and were
commissioned to create these artworks.