Stone Age (30,000 B.C.-2500 B.C.

Definition
 The stone age was the earliest known period of human culture. There are three periods within
this period of history known as the Paleolithic, Mesolithic and the Neolithic. Stone age art was
art that was created during any of these 3 periods. This type of art is often referred to as
prehistoric art.

Characteristics of Stone Age

 All tools are made of stone, wood, clay, or animal parts like bone, skins and sinew. Other
characteristics is a mostly hunter gatherer based society, with little, or no agriculture.

Oldest Art during Stone Age Period

 The oldest known form of art was found on every continent expect Antarctica dating from at
least 290,000 BCE.
 This art was named "Cupules". This was invented by archeologist Robert G. Bednarikto to
describe simple, round hemispheric cavities, used to be known as "pits", "hollows", "cups",
"cupels", "cup stones", "pitmarks", "cup marks" and "pot-holes.

Cave Painting
 Certain caves were reserved as prehistoric art galleries, where artists began to create a series of
extraordinary paintings of animals, hunting scenes and other graphic illustrations of prehistoric
life, as well as symbolic pictographs and patterns of abstract art.

 The cave, or rock art can generally be divided into either Petroglyphs (carvings into stone
surfaces), Pictographs (rock and cave paintings) and Petroforms (art made by aligning or piling
natural stones).

Fertility Goddesses
 Fertility Goddesses represent one of the main aspects of the Mother Archetype. Archaeological
finds of the earliest Goddesses, from around the world, show her as the Great Mother Goddess
and creator.
 The fertility Goddesses embody the fertile nature of the earth itself, these female archetypes are
also usually mothers of other
deities and so seen as patrons of motherhood.

Megalithic Structures

 Megalith is a large, often undressed stone, that has been used in the construction of various
types of Neolithic, Chalcolithic or Bronze Age monuments, during the period 4500-1000 BCE.
 Megalithic monuments were typically decorated with a variety of Stone Age art, including
petroglyphs, various abstract signs and symbols, pictographs, motifs, cupules, cup and ring
marks, and other incised imagery.
 Chief Artists and Major Works

Lascaux Cave Painting

 Is a Palaeolithic cave situated in southwestern France which houses some of the most famous
examples of prehistoric cave paintings. Horses are the most numerous, but deer, aurochs, ibex,
bison, and even some felines can also be found.
Women of Willendorf
 Venus of Willendorf, also called Woman of Willendorf or Nude Woman, Upper Paleolithic
female figurine found in 1908 at Willendorf, Austria. It has been suggested that she is a fertility
figure, a good-luck totem, a mother goddess symbol, or an aphrodisiac made by men for the
appreciation of men.

Stonehenge
 Stonehenge is one of the world’s most famous monuments. It stands on Salisbury Plain, in
Wiltshire, and its giant stones can be seen from miles around.
 The name of the monument probably derives from the Saxon stan-hengen, meaning “stone
hanging” or “gallows.”
 English antiquarian John Aubrey in the 17th century and his compatriot archaeologist William
Stukeley in the 18th century both believed the structure to be a Druid temple.

Historical Events

Ice Age Ends

10,000 B.C-8,000 B.C
 The Earth was in an Ice Age—a period of colder global temperatures and glacial expansion.
 About 14,000 years ago, Earth entered a warming period. Many of the large Ice Age animals
went extinct and rising sea levels and climate change that eventually caused man to migrate.

New Stone Age

 Neo is a root we use in the English language, it comes from the Greek word neos, which means
new or recent. So, Neolithic means "New Stone.“
 The New Stone Age was a time when the Earth's climate was warmer than the climate in the
Old Stone Age.
 The people of the New Stone Age also learned how to train animals to be useful to humans. The
training of crops and animals is called domestication.

First Permanent Settlements

8,000 B.C-2,500 B.C
 By adopting a sedentary way of life, the Neolithic groups increased their awareness of
territoriality.
 Living in permanent settlements brought new ways of social organization. As the subsistence
strategies of Neolithic communities became more efficient, the population of the different
settlements increased.
Mesopotamian (3,500 B.C-539 B.C)

Definition
 The word “mesopotamia” is formed from the ancient words “meso,” meaning between or in the
middle of, and “potamos,” meaning river.
 Mesopotamia was a collection of varied cultures whose only real bonds were their script,
their gods, and their attitude toward women.

Characteristics of Mesopotamian
 The artwork to come out of this civilization is reflective of its rich history, whose subject matter
was heavily influenced by its sociopolitical structure, military conquests, organized religion,
and natural environment.

Warrior Art and Narration in Stone Relief

 The art consisted of warrior art and stone relief work. These are slabs of clay that were used as
architectural elements like wall facings.
 On these sculptures, there were names of rulers, sort of like hieroglyphic inscriptions. Many
rulers that were carved into these slabs are on different monuments.

Chief artist and major works

Standard of Ur
 The Standard of Ur is a box, the two large sides of which show aspects of life in early
Mesopotamia.
 One side shows scenes of peace and the other scenes of war
 At the top there is a royal banquet. The ruler, wearing a woollen fleece skirt, is seated before his
guests who are also dressed similarly, though less extravagantly.
 The peace side of the Standard shows how the city, and in particular the ruler, draws upon the
agricultural and natural resources of its territory.

Gate of Ishtar
 The Ishtar Gate was constructed by the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar II circa 575 BCE. It
was the eighth gate of the city of Babylon (in present day Iraq) and was the main entrance into
the city.
 The Ishtar Gate is named so, because it was dedicated to the Babylonian goddess Ishtar.
 The animals represented on the gate are young bulls (aurochs), lions, and dragons (sirrush).

Stele of Hammurabi’s Code

 Stele is a term that archaeologists use to describe large wooden or stone slabs that were carved
with images and information about a particular society. Usually, a stele was taller than it was
wide and was placed in a public location.
 A stele is a vertical stone monument or marker often inscribed with text or with relief carving.
Historical Events

Sumerians invent writing (3,400 B.C)

• The Sumerian invention of cuneiform—a Latin term literally meaning “wedge-shaped”— dates
to sometime around 3400 B.C. In its most sophisticated form, it consisted of several hundred
characters that ancient scribes used to write words or syllables on wet clay tablets with a reed
stylus.
Hammurabi Writes his Law Code (1,780 B.C)
• The Code of Hammurabi was one of the earliest and most complete written legal codes and was
proclaimed by the Babylonian king Hammurabi.
• The Hammurabi code of laws, a collection of 282 rules, established standards for commercial
interactions and set fines and punishments to meet the requirements of justice.

Abraham founds Monotheism

• Abraham was the first person to teach the idea that there was only one God; before then, people
believed in many gods.
• Abraham is an extraordinary figure in that almost alone of the Biblical characters he unites, or
has the potential to unite, the three great monotheistic religions: Christianity, Judaism and
Islam.

Egyptian (3100 BCE - 30BC)

Characteristics
Art with after Life Forms Pyramid and Tomb Painting
- Egyptian believe of the afterlife, the soul would leave on the body (on death) and enter into the form
of bird called "ba". Then joined the path of the son God "ra".
- It's stretches from 300BC to today's as remnants left for us. And have made to this age because of its
strong durability that is made by clay and stone.

Chief Artist
Imhotep step
(pyramid, bust of nefertiti)
Imhotep
is a vizier, sage, architect, and chief minister to Djoser. He is considered to have been the architect
of the
Step Pyramid
build at the necropolis of saqqara in the city of Memphis. *The nefertiti bust is a painted stucco-
coated limestone bust of Nerfetiti, the great royal wife of Egyptian Pharoah akhenaten. The work is
believed to have been crafted in 1345 BC by thutmose because it is found in his work In Amarna
Egypt.
 Historical beliefs
Namer
• was the ruler of ancient Egypt at the end of the predynastic period and the beginning of the
early dynastic period. He is often credited with uniting Egypt and becoming first king of upper
and lower Egypt.

Ramesses 2nd Battle Against Hittites.

• or the battle of Kadesh, it took place between the forces of the new Kingdom of Egypt under
Ramesses II and the Hittite Empire under Muwatalli at the city of Kadesh on the orontes River.
- it consider as the world largest chariot battles.
Cleopatra dies
• the death of CLEOPATRA VII the last ruler of Ptolematic Egypt occurred on either 10 or 12
August 30 BC in Alexanderia when she was 39 years old. According to popular belief cleopatra
committed suicide by allowing Egyptian cobra to bite her.

Greek and Hellenistic(850 BC –31 BC)

Hellinistic art
• the art of the Hellenistic period generally taken to begin with the death of Alexander the Great
in 323 BC and end with the conquest of the Greek world by the Romans, a process well
underway by 146 BCE, when the Greek mainland was taken, and essentially ending in 31 BCE
with the conquest of Ptolemaic Egypt following the Battle of Actium.
• 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.

DORIC
 is most easily recognized by the simple circular capitals at the top of columns.
 It was the earliest and, in its essence, the simplest of the orders, though still with complex
details in the entablature above.

Ionic
 The Ionic order forms one of the three classical orders of classical architecture, the other two
canonic orders being the Doric and the Corinthian.
 Of the three canonic orders, the Ionic order has the narrowest columns.
 The Ionic capital is characterized by the use of volutes. The Ionic columns normally stand on a
base which separates the shaft of the column from the stylobate or platform; the cap is usually
enriched with egg-and-dart.
Corinthian
 This architectural style is characterized by slender fluted columns leaves and scrolls.
CHIEF ARTIST AND MAJOR WORKS

Parthenon
• is a former temple on the Athenian Acropolis, Greece, dedicated to the goddess Athena, whom
the people of Athens considered their patron.
• To the Athenians who built it, the Parthenon and other Periclean monuments of the Acropolis
were seen fundamentally as a celebration of Hellenic victory over the Persian invaders and as a
thanksgiving to the gods for that victory.The origin of the Parthenon's name is from the Greek
word παρθενών (parthenon), which referred to the "unmarried women's apartments" in a house
and in the Parthenon's case seems to have been used at first only for a particular room of the
temple;

Myron
• Myron, (flourished c. 480–440 BCE), Greek sculptor, an older contemporary of the sculptors
Phidias and Polyclitus, considered by the ancients as one of the most versatile and innovative of
all Attic sculptors. He was the first Greek sculptor to combine a master of movement with a gift
for harmonious composition.

Phidias
GREEK SCULPTOR
 Phidias, also spelled Pheidias, (flourished c. 490–430 BCE)
 Athenian sculptor of the artistic director of the construction of the Parthenon
 He established forever general conceptions of Zeus and Athena
Polyclitus
GREEK SCULPTOR
 Polyclitus, also spelled Polycleitus or Polykleitos, (flourished c. 450–415 BCE)
 Greek sculptor from the school of Árgos,
 one of the most significant aestheticians in the history of art.
Praxiteles (flourished 370–330 BCE)
 He was the first to sculpt the nude female form in a life-size statue.
 He was one of the most original of Greek artists.
 By transforming the detached and majestic style of his immediate predecessors into one of
gentle grace and sensuous charm, he profoundly influenced the subsequent course of Greek
sculpture
 Roman 500B.C. – A.D. 476)
Characteristics
Roman Realism
• Roman portraiture is characterized by unusual realism and the desire to convey images of
nature in the high quality style often seen in ancient Roman art.
Chief Artist

Augustus Of Primaporta
• Is a full-length portrait statue of Augustus Caesar the first emperor of the Roman empire. The
marble statue stands 2.08 meters tall and weighs 1,000 kg. It is owned by Augustus third wife
Livia Drusilla in prima Porta near Rome.
Historical Beliefs
Julius Caesar
• Gaius Julius Caesar better known by his nomen gentilicium and cognomen, Julius Caesar was a
Roman dictator, politician and military general who played a critical role in the events that lead
to the demise of the Roman Republic and the rise of Roman empire.
Diocletian
• Was a Rome emperor from 284 to 305BC. Born to a family of low status in Dalmatia Diocletian
rose through the rank of military to become a Cavalry commander of the emperor carius's army.
After the deaths of Caurus and his son Nemerian on campaign in Persia Diocletian was
proclaimed emperor.
Rome Downfall
• The fall of the Western Roman Empire was the process of decline in the Western Roman empire
in which the Empire failed to enforce its rule and it vast territory was decided into several
successors polities.

Indian, Chinese and Japanese (653 B.C.- A.D. 1900)

Characteristics
Serene,
 marked by or suggestive of utter calm and unruffled repose or quietude
 clear and free of storms or unpleasant change
 shining bright and steady
 used as part of a title

Meditative Art
• Art is a vehicle for meditation and self-connection One of the reasons it is so powerful is that it
fosters acceptance. Creating art is a type of meditation, an active training of the mind that
increase awareness and emphasizes acceptance of feelings and thoughts without judgment and
relaxation of body and mind.
Art of the Floating World
• The term ukiyo ("floating world") came to describe this hedonistic lifestyle. Printed or painted
ukiyo-e images of this environment emerged in the late 17th century and were popular with the
merchant class, who had become wealthy enough to afford to decorate their homes with them.
• The art of the Indian, Chinese and Japanese are all heavily influenced by the culture and the
way of life of the people. These influences changed the art for the time period to something that
told us of the everyday people, rather than the ones that were high in power. Indian, Chinese
and Japanese have the characteristics of showing the culture and history of the country where it
is from. The spiritual and natural are also high characteristics. Hiroshige displays this in much
of his art work.

Chief Artists and Major Works

Gu Kaizhi
• a Chinese painter and politician. He was a celebrated painter of ancient China. He was born in
Wuxi and first painted at Nanjing in 364. In 366, he became an officer. Later he was promoted
to royal officer. He was also a talented poet and calligrapher.
Major Artwork : The Ode to the Goddess of the Luo River

• It portrays a ritualistic ceremony in reverence to the Goddess of the River and the Healing
Spirit of Water.
Li Cheng

• Style name Xianxi, was a Chinese landscape painter during the Five Dynasties period and early
Song Dynasty.

Major Artwork: Travellers in a Wintry Forest

• The scene is a microcosm of the natural cycle of growth and decay, with the great pine,
symbolizing the virtuous gentleman, surrounded by trees ranging from youthful saplings to a
shattered ancient hulk. The stoic silence of the wintry forest is matched by the unyielding spirit
of the scholar on his donkey—the noble recluse who has entered the mountains to rediscover in
nature the moral order that is lost in the human world.
Guo Xi
(Chinese painter)
• A Chinese landscape painter from Henan Province who lived during the Northern Song
dynasty. One text entitled "The Lofty Message of Forest and Streams" is attributed to him. The
work covers a variety of themes centered on the appropriate way of painting a landscape.

Major Artwork :Early Spring

• A hanging scroll painting by Guo Xi. Completed in 1072, it is one of the most famous works of
Chinese art from the Song dynasty. The work demonstrates his innovative techniques for
producing multiple perspectives which he called "the angle of totality."

Katusushika Hokusai
• A Japanese artist, ukiyo-e painter and printmaker of the Edo period. He was Japan’s leading
expert on Chinese painting. Born in Edo (now Tokyo), Hokusai is best-known as author of the
woodblock print series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji (c. 1831) which includes the iconic and
'internationally recognized print, The Great wave off Kanagawa, created during the 1820s. The
“Thirty-Six Views” was created as a response to a domestic travel boom and as part of a
personal obsession with Mount Fuji.
Major Artwork: The Great Wave off Kanagawa

• It’s a print series, not a painting. Though Hokusai was also a painter, the Artist was best known
for his woodblock prints. The Great Wave off Kangawa has become the most of his series
Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji. Full of vibrant color and compelling use of space, each of these
prints depicts the towering peak from a different angle and environment.

Utagawa Hiroshige

• A Japanese ukiyo-e artist, considered the last great master of that tradition. Hiroshige is best
known for his horizontal-format landscape series. The fifty-three stations of the Tokaido and for
his vertical-format landscape series One Hundred Famous Views of Edo.

Major Artwork: The Fifty-Three Stations of the Tokaido

• The Fifty-Three Stations of the Tokaido (1834), is comprised of 55 prints, one of each of the
stations plus two for the beginning and end points. The scenes are a blend of the grandeur of a
noble feudal Lord’s (daimyo’s) lifestyle, realistic images of daily life and ordinary people like
merchants or workers, and a refined depiction of nature, which was very important to the
Japanese.
 Historical Beliefs

The Birth of Buddha

• The Buddha who is the founder of the Buddhist religion is called Buddha Shakyamuni. When
she is giving birth to the child, instead of pain the queen experienced a special, pure vision in
which she stood holding the branch a tree with her right hand while the gods Brahma and Indra
took the child painlessly from her side. When King Shuddhodana saw his child, he felt as if all
his wishes had been fulfilled and named the young prince “Siddhartha” and is certain that he
will become a Buddha, and his influence will pervade the thousand million worlds like the rays
of the sun.

Silk Road
 The Silk Road was a network of trade routes connecting China and the Far East with the Middle
East and Europe. Established when the Han Dynasty in China officially opened trade with West
in 130 B.C., and remained in use until 1453 A.D., when the Ottoman Empire boycotted trade
with China and closed them.
 Even though the Road derives from the popularity of Chinese silk among tradesmen in
the Roman Empire and elsewhere in Europe, the material was not the only important export
from the East to the West.
 The Silk Road economic belt included fruits and vegetables, livestock, grain, leather and
hides, tools, religious objects, artwork, precious stones and metals and-perhaps more
importantly- language, culture, religious beliefs, philosophy and science.

The Beginning of Buddhism in China

 Buddhism first reached China from India roughly 2,000 years ago during the Han
Dynasty. It was probably introduced to China by Silk Road traders from the west in about the 1st
century CE. Still, Buddhism slowly spread in the 2nd century, a few Buddhist monks—notably
Lakaksema, a monk from Gandara, and Parthian monks An Shih-kao and An-hsuan—began
translating Buddhist sutras and commentaries from Sanskrit into Chinese.

Buddhism in Ancient Japan

 The religion was introduced to ancient Japan via Korea in the 6th century CE with
various sects following in subsequent centuries via China. It was accepted by both elite and
ordinary populace because it confirmed the political and economic status quo, offering
reassurance to the mystery of the afterlife, and complemented existing Shinto beliefs.
 Buddhist monasteries were established across the country, and they became powerful
political players in their own right. Buddhism was also a key driver in fostering literacy,
education in general, and the arts in ancient Japan.
 Art Periods/Movements

Byzantine and Islamic (A.D. 176-A.D. 1453)

• The term "Byzantine" derives from Byzantium, an ancient Greek colony founded by a man
named Byzas. Located on European side of the Bosporus (the strait linking the Black sea to
the Mediterranean), the Site of Byzantium was ideally located to serve as a transit and trade
point between Europe and Asia.
• Byzantine Empire was the longest-lasting medieval power, and its influence continues today
especially in the religion, art, architecture and law of many Western States, Eastern and Central
Europe and Russia

Characteristics
• heavenly byzantine mosaic, Islamic Architecture and amazing maze like design=
• the main characteristics of Byzantine art include a departure from classical art forms that were
highly realistic in nature. Byzantine artist were less concerned with mimicking reality and more
tune with symbolism in particular
• one of the most profound Byzantine art characteristics was the translation of church theology
into artistic forms such as sculpture,mosaics and painting.
• important genres of Byzantine art was the icon,an image of Christ,the virgin or a saint,used as
an object of veneration in Orthodox churches and private homes alike.
• Byzantine mosaic were one of the most popular forms of art in Byzantine Empire. They were
extensively used to depict religious subject on the interior of churches within The Empire.

Chief artist and Major work

Hagia Sophia
• is a doomed monument built as a cathedral and is now a museum in Istanbul, Turkey. The Higia
Sophia, whose name means "holy wisdom". -finished in less than 6 years under Justinian reign.

Andrei Rublev
• born in 1360's, he died between 1427 and 1430 in moscow and is considered to be one of the
greatest medieval russian painters of Orthodox icons and frescos

Mosque of Cordova
• Mosque-Cathedral of Córdoba,islamic mosquein Córdoba Spain which was converted into a
Christian cathedral in the 13th century The Mosque-Cathedral of Córdoba whose ecclessiastical
name is the Cathedral of Our Lady of Assumption of the Virgin Mary and located in the Spanish
region of Andalusia.
The Alhambra
• The Alhambra is an ancient palace, fortress and citadel located in Granada Spain. The eighth-
century-old site was names for the reddism walls and towers that surrounded the citadel. Al -
qal'a al - hamra in Arabic means red fort or castle. It is the the only surviving palatine city (a
royal territorial center) of the Islamic golden age and a remnant of Nasrid Dynasty, the last
Islamic Kingdom in western Europe
 Historical Events
• Justinian partly restores Western Roman Empire
(A.D. 533-A.D. 562) namely Italy andthe city of Rome
• -Iconoclasm Controversy (A.D.726-A.D. 843)
Iconoclasm literally means " image breaking"
• Birth of Islam (A.D.610)and Muslim conquests (A.D. 632-A.D. 732)

Characteristics
Celtric Art
• The art of the Celts is generally associated with ornamental artistry that is comprised of
repetitive patterns, spirals, knots, foliage, and animal forms.
Celtic art is essentially easy to identify because of these recognizable features, but the
Celts themselves are more difficult to define. broadly speaking, the earliest Celtic arts and
crafts appeared in Iron Age Europe with the first migrations of Celts coming from the
steppes of Southern Russia, from about 1000 BCE onwards. Any European art, craftwork
or architecture before this date derives from earlier Bronze Age societies of the Urnfield
culture (1200-750 BCE), or the Tumulus (1600-1200 BCE), Unetice (2300-1600 BCE) or Beaker
(2800–1900 BCE) cultures

The Carolingian Renaissance

• was the first of three medieval renaissances, a period of cultural activity
in the Carolingian Empire. It occurred from the late 8th century to the 9th
century, which took inspiration from the Christian Roman Empire of the fourth
century. During this period, there was an increase of literature, writing, the arts,
architecture, jurisprudence, liturgical reforms, and scriptural studies. The
Carolingian Renaissance occurred mostly during the reigns of Carolingian rulers
Charlemagne and Louis the Pious. It was supported by the scholars of the
Carolingian court, notably Alcuin of York .[1] Charlemagne's Admonitio
generalis (789) and Epistola de litteris colendis served as manifestos.

Romanesque Art

• is the art of Europe from approximately 1000 AD to the rise of the Gothic style in the 12th
century, or later, depending on region. The preceding period is known as the Pre-Romanesque
period. The term was invented by 19th-century art historians, especially for Romanesque
architecture, which retained many basic features of Roman architectural style most notably
round-headed arches, but also barrel vaults, apses, and acanthus-leaf decoration – but had also
developed many very different characteristics.

• In Southern France, Spain and Italy there was an architectural continuity with the Late Antique,
but the Romanesque style was the first style to spread across the whole of Catholic Europe,
from Sicily to Scandinavia. Romanesque art was also greatly influenced by Byzantine art,
especially in painting, and by the anti-classical energy of the decoration of the Insular art of the
British Isles. From these elements was forged a highly innovative and coherent style.
 Chief Artist and Major Works

The BASILIKA OF SAINT SERNIN (Occitan: Basilica de Sant Sarnin)

• is a church in Toulouse, France, the former abbey church of the Abbey of Saint-Sernin or St
Saturnin. Apart from the church, none of the abbey buildings remain. The current church is
located on the site of a previous basilica of the 4th century which contained the body of Saint
Saturnin or Sernin, the first bishop of Toulouse in c. 250. Constructed in the Romanesque style
between about 1080 and 1120, with construction continuing thereafter, Saint-Sernin is the
largest remaining Romanesque building in Europe, if not the world. The church is particularly
noted for the quality and quantity of its Romanesque sculpture. In 1998 the basilica was added
to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites under the description: World Heritage Sites of the Routes
of Santiago de Compostela in France.

The Cathedral Church of Christ, Blessed Mary the Virgin and St Cuthbert of
Durham
• commonly known as Durham Cathedral and home of the Shrine of St Cuthbert is a cathedral in
the city of Durham, England. It is the seat of the Bishop of Durham, the fourth-ranked bishop in
the Church of England hierarchy.

• The present cathedral begun in 1093, replacing the Saxon 'White Church', and is regarded as
one of the finest examples of Norman architecture in Europe.
• In 1986 the cathedral and Durham Castle were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Durham Cathedral holds the relics of SaintCuthbert, transported to Durham by Lindisfarne
monks in the ninth century, the head of SaintOswald of Northumbria, and the remains of the
Venerable Bede.
• In addition, its library contains one of the most complete sets of early printed books in England,
the pre-Dissolution monastic accounts, and three copies of Magna Carta. From 1080 until 1836
the Bishop of Durham held the powers of an Earl Palatine, exercising military and civil
leadership as well as religious leadership, in order to protect the English Border with Scotland.
• The cathedral walls formed part of Durham Castle, the chief seat of the Bishop of Durham.

Notre Dame De Paris ("Our Lady of Paris")

• referred to simply as Notre-Dame,[a] is a medieval Catholic cathedral on the Île de la Cité in the
4th arrondissement of Paris. The cathedral was consecrated to the Virgin Mary and considered
to be one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture.
• Its pioneering use of he rib vault and flying buttress, its enormous and colorful rose windows, as
well as the
• naturalism and abundance of its sculptural decoration set it apart from the earlier Romanesque
• style.
• Major components that make Notre Dame stand out include one of the world's largest organs
and its immense church bells.The cathedral has been progressively stripped of its original
decoration and works of art. Several noteworthy examples of Gothic, Baroque, and 19th-
century sculptures and a group of 17th- and early 18th-century altarpieces remain in the
cathedral's collection.
• Some of the most important relics in Christendom, including the Crown of Thorns, a sliver of
the true cross and a nail from the true cross, are preserved at Notre-Dame.
Notre-Dame de Chartres Cathedral
• located in the Centre-Val-de-Loire region is one of the most authentic and complete works of
religious architecture of the early 13th century
• It was the destination of a pilgrimage dedicated to the Virgin Mary, among the most popular in
all medieval Western Christianity. Because of the unity of its architecture and decoration, the
result of research of the first Gothic era, its immense influence on the art of Middle Age
Christianity, Chartres Cathedral appears as an essential landmark in the history of medieval
architecture.
• The outstanding stained-glass ensemble, monumental statuary of the 2th and 13th centuries
and the painted decorations miraculously preserved from the ravages of humankind and time,
make Chartres one of the most admirable and the best-preserved examples of Gothic art. Partly
built starting in 1145, and then reconstructed over a 26-year period after the fire of 1194,
Chartres Cathedral marks the high point of French Gothic art. The vast nave, in pure ogival
style, the porches adorned with fine sculptures from the middle of the 12th century, and the
magnificent 12th- and 13th-century stained-glass windows, all in remarkable condition,
combine to make it a masterpiece.

Cimabue. (1240 – 1302)

• also known as Cenni di Pepo or Cenni di Pepi, was an Italian painter and designer of mosaics
from Florence. Although heavily influenced by Byzantine models, Cimabue is generally
regarded as one of the first great Italian painters to break from the Italo-Byzantine style. While
medieval art then was scenes and forms that appeared relatively flat and highly stylized,
Cimabue's figures were depicted with more advanced lifelike proportions and shading than
other artists of his time. According to Italian painter and historian Giorgio Vasari, Cimabue was
the teacher of Giotto, the first great artist of the Italian Proto-Renaissance.
• However, many scholars today tend to discount Vasari's claim by citing earlier sources that
suggest otherwise.

Duccio di Buoninsegna c. 1255–1260 – c. 1318–1319)

• was an Italian painter active in Siena, Tuscany, in the late 13th and early 14th century. He was
hired throughout his life to complete many important works in government and religious
buildings around Italy. Duccio is considered one of the greatest Italian painters of the Middle
Ages. and is credited with creating the painting styles of Trecento and the Sienese school. He
also contributed significantly to the Sienese Gothic style.

Giotto di Bondone
• was an Italian painter and architect from Florence during the Late Middle Ages. He worked
during the Gothic/Proto-Renaissance period. Giotto's contemporary, the banker and chronicler
Giovanni Villani, wrote that Giotto was "the most sovereign master of painting in his time, who
drew all his figures and their postures according to nature" and of his publicly recognized
"talent and excellence". In his Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects,
Giorgio Vasari described Giotto as making a decisive break with the prevalent Byzantine style
and as initiating "the great art of painting as we know it today, introducing the technique of
drawing accurately from life, which had been neglected for more than two hundred years".
 Historical Events
The Vikings Raids (793 - 1066)
• You may be imagining the Vikings as gory, blood-thirsty barbarians who invaded places just to
kill. However, that image is exaggerated as most Vikings or Norsemen were not violent
monsters but were traders, travelers and explorers though they were also fearsome warriors. The
Vikings were people from Scandinavia - Norway, Sweden and Denmark. They explored the
world as far as North America. They traded with and conquered places from Ireland to Russia.
They established settlements that influenced the development of such countries Britain, France,
Germany, Iceland, Greenland and Russia. This period of trade, movement and conquest was
significant for the people of the Middle Ages because through trades, the vikings brought many
objects such as religious idols and weaponry from as far away as the middle east.
• These would have been important cultural artifacts for the Vikings at that time and would have
let them expand their knowledge of the world. In addition, the Viking age was a significant time
period that has had many effects on the world we live in today. Many tools and technologies
come from the Vikings such as combs and magnetic compasses. Also, many English words
originated from the old Norse language. Historians suggest that the Viking raids were motivated
by overpopulation, trade inequities, and the lack of viable farmland in their homeland
Henceforth, the Viking Age was born.

The Battle of Hastings

• was fought on 14 October 1066 between the Norman-French army of William, the Duke of
Normandy, and an English army under the Anglo-Saxon King Harold Godwinson, beginning
the Norman conquest of England. It took place approximately 7 miles (11 kilometres) northwest
of Hastings, close to the present-day town of Battle, East Sussex, and was a decisive Norman
victory. The background to the battle was the death of the childless King Edward the Confessor
in January 1066, which set up a succession struggle between several claimants to his throne.
• Harold was crowned king shortly after Edward's death, but faced invasions by William, his own
brother Tostig, and the Norwegian King Harald Hardrada (Harold III of Norway). Hardrada and
Tostig defeated a hastily gathered army of Englishmen at the Battle of Fulford on 20 September
1066, and were in turn defeated by Harold at the Battle of Stamford Bridge five days later. The
deaths of Tostig and Hardrada at Stamford Bridge left William as Harold's only serious
opponent. While Harold and his forces were recovering, William landed his invasion forces in
the south of England at Pevensey on 28 September 1066 and established a beachhead for his
conquest of the kingdom. Harold was forced to march south swiftly, gathering forces as he
went.

Crusades 1-4
• During this crusade the crusaders set out two groups. one group made up of peasents and the
other group were trained knights The first group while passing through germany they killed
non-christians and slaughtered entire jewish communities An additional goal soon became the
principal objective was to reconquest of the sacred city of Jerusalem and the Holy Land(Israel)
and the freeing of the Eastern Christians from Muslim rule. The crusade also ended as a military
expedition by Roman Catholic Europe to regain the Holy Lands(Israel) It was largely
successful, capturing Acre, Jaffa, and reversing most of Saladin's conquests, but failed to
capture Jerusalem. Kings were sent out on this crusade but only King Richard the Lion-hearted.
Between 1347 and 1353 the Black Death
• one of the deadliest pandemics Offsite Link in human history, killed thirty to sixty percent of
Europe's population. For centuries the epidemic continued to strike every 10 years or so, its last
major outbreak being the Great Plague of London from 1665 to 1666. Though the vectors were
not understood at the time, the disease was spread by rats and transmitted to people by fleas or,
in some cases, directly by breathing. "The pandemic is thought to have begun in Central Asia,
and spread to Europe during the 1340s. The total number of deaths worldwide is estimated at
75 million people, approximately 25–50 million of which occurred in Europe. It may have
reduced the world's population from an estimated 450 million to between 350 and 375 million
in 1400.

The Hundred Years' War

• was a series of conflicts from 1337 to 1453, waged between the House of Plantagenet, rulers of
England and the French House of Valois, over the right to rule the Kingdom of France. Each
side drew many allies into the war. It was one of the most notable conflicts of the Middle Ages,
in which five generations of kings from two rival dynasties fought for the throne of the largest
kingdom in Western Europe. The war marked both the height of chivalry and its subsequent
decline, and the development of strong national identities in both countries. Tensions between
the French and English crowns had gone back centuries to the origins of the English royal
family, which was French (Norman, and later, Angevin) in origin. English monarchs had
therefore historically held titles and lands within France, which made them vassals to the kings
of France. The status of the English king's French fiefs was a major source of conflic t between
the two monarchies throughout the Middle Ages. French monarchs systematically sought to
check the growth of English power, stripping away lands as the opportunity arose, particularly
whenever England was at war with Scotland, an ally of France. English holdings in France had
varied in size, at some points dwarfing even the French royal domain; by 1337, however, only
Gascony was English.

High Renaissance

• High Renaissance art was the dominant style in Italy during the 16th century. Mannerism also
developed during this period. The High Renaissance period is traditionally taken to begin in the
• 1490s, with Leonardo‘s fresco of The Last Supper in Milan, and to end in 1527, with the Sack
of Rome by the troops of Charles V. This term was first used in German (―Hochrenaissance‖)
in the early 19th century. Over the last 20 years, use of the term has been frequently criticized
by academic art historians for oversimplifying artistic developments, ignoring historical
context, and focusing only on a few iconic works. High Renaissance art is deemed as ―High‖
because it is seen as the period in which the artistic aims and goals of the Renaissance reached
their greatest application. High Renaissance art is characterized by references to classical art
and delicate application of developments from the Early Renaissance (such as on-point
perspective). Overall, works from the High Renaissance display restrained beauty where all of
the parts are subordinate to the cohesive composition of the whole.
 • The word ̳renaissance‘ is a French word which means ̳rebirth‘. The people credited with
beginning the Renaissance were trying to recreate the classical models of Ancient Greek and
Rome. In 1450, Johannes Gutenberg‘s invention of movable printing press revolutionized
communication and publication in Europe. As a result, publications of humanist thinkers like
Francesco Petrarch and Giovanni Boccaccio were printed and distributed to elite and common
people. In addition, the growth in trade and commerce between the East and West set the stage
for the Renaissance.

Art works and artists of high renaissance Virgin of the rocks (c. 1483-1485) by: Leonardo da
Vinci description & analysis:
• This painting focuses on four figures: the Virgin Mary, John the Baptist and Christ as young
children, and an angel. The Virgin is the central figure at the top of a pyramidal composition
that emphasizes her importance, framed by rocks. Gazing downward, she reaches out her arm in
blessing toward Christ but also outward to invite the viewer into this intimate scene. In the
foreground, a pool is visible, with plants such as an iris and an aquilegia growing along its
edges. The background is a dramatic vista of boulder formations, pinnacles rising up from earth,
the shadowy depths of caverns, and an overarching roof of stone and fallen trees.Through the
gaps, a sinuous river of blue green water moves toward the misty horizon on the
upper left.
•
Tempietto (1502) Artist: Donato Bramante Artwork Description & Analysis:
• This image depicts the innovative Tempietto in the courtyard of the Church of San Pietro, cross-
aligned with the spot where St. Peter was crucified. The round temple consists of a single
chamber, inspired by Bramante's knowledge of classical buildings such as the Pantheon (113-
• 125) and the Temple of Vesta (3rd century). It smoothly incorporates references from both
Greekand Roman architecture into one unified effect. The sixteen columns that ring the building
are a variation of the Doric column, which came to be called the Tuscanic column as it used a
simpler round base and in its proportions followed the ratios of the Ionic column. The
entablature above the columns depicts the keys of St. Peter and elements of the Catholic Mass.
Above the columns a balustrade encircles the hemispheric dome, meant to symbolize the
heavenly vault and the universe.

The Alba Madonna (c. 1510) Artist: Raphael Artwork Description & Analysis:
• This painting shows the Virgin Mary with child versions of Christ and John the Baptist in an
Italian landscape. The facial expressions and body language, conveyed with a fluid and precise
naturalism, are both remarkably human and spiritually expressive. The Virgin's gaze, as her
right arm reaches out to touch John comfortingly on the shoulder, is portent with awareness
of future events. He returns her look with understanding while his left hand grips the base of the
wooden cross. The Christ Child reaches out to hold the cross, as he too gazes intently at John.
The faces of the three figures become one cohesive glance of spiritual knowledge as visually a
subtle diagonal is created from John at the left up to Jesus and the pinnacle of the pyramid at
Mary's head. The idealized landscape creates a sense of serenity with its lake, green hills with
several buildings, and a mountain range in the distance against a calm blue sky, where a drift of
clouds, rising above Jesus's head are both naturalistic and allusive to the holy spirit.
MANNERISM
• Is a style that emerged in 1530 and lasted until the end of the century. It is named after maniera,
an Italian term for ―style‖ or ―manner,‖ and refers to a stylized, exaggerated approach to
painting and sculpture. Also known as the Late Renaissance. Mannerism is regarded as a bridge
between the High Renaissance and the Baroque period, which adopted the subset‘s ornate
aesthetic and adapted it as extravagance.

HISTORY OF MANNERISM
• In the late 15th century, artists in Florence began to forego the ethereal iconography of the Dark
Ages in favor of classicism. This aesthetic approach lasted until the 17th century and
culminated in three subsets: precise use of perspective. The High Renaissance lasted from 1490
until the 1530s, when the Late Renaissance, or Mannerism, emerged.

Exaggerated Figures
• A primary way that Mannerist artists took High Renaissance techniques ―a step further is
through exaggeration. Pioneered by Parmigianino, an Italian artist, Mannerists rejected realistic
proportions and instead rendered figures with impossibly elongated limbs and oddly positioned
bodies. These stretched and twisted forms were likely employed to suggest movement and
heighten drama.

Elaborate Decoration
• Lavish adornment is another way Mannerists pushed Renaissance sensibilities to their limits.
While High Renaissance figures did not typically incorporate patterns into their work, Early
Renaissance artists like Sandro Botticelli did. Inspired by millefleur (from the French mille-
fleurs, or ―thousand flowers‖) tapestries of the Middle Ages, Botticelli incorporated floral
designs into his large-scale mythological paintings like Primavera.

Artificial Color
• Finally, Mannerists abandoned the naturalistic colors used by High Renaissance painters and
instead employed artificial—and often garish—tones. These unrealistic hues are particularly
apparent in the work of Jacopo da Pontormo, an Italian artist whose saturated palette took the
rich colors of the Renaissance to new heights. Legacy Though a subset of the Renaissance—
arguably art history‘s most impactful art movement—Mannerism is not held in the same esteem
as the Golden Age‘s earlier work. Nevertheless, its distinctive aesthetic continues to enchant
those who are aware of it, making it one of art history‘s most fascinating hidden gems.

Venetian Painting in the Early Renaissance.

• In the mid-1400s, Venice was the most powerful city in Italy, made rich by nearly a thousand
years of commerce, mostly in goods from the East. Its navy ruled the Mediterranean as if it
were a Venetian lake. The Northern Renaissance is a period in which artists north of the Alps—
namely, in the Low Countries (the Netherlands and Belgium), Germany, France, and England—
adopted and adapted the ideas of the Italian Renaissance. It is characterized by a realistic
approach to painting, improved techniques, and the proliferation of printmaking.
 CHARACTERISTICS
• In fine art, the term "Northern Renaissance" refers to the rapid developments in fine art (c.1430-
1580) which occurred in two main areas the Netherlandish Low Countries of Flanders and
Holland Germany. Up to the mid-16th century, the Netherlandish areas were ruled by the Dukes
of Burgundy: thereafter by the Hapsburgs, who also ruled much of Germany. The Northern
Renaissance was famous for its advanced oil painting techniques, realistic, expressive altarpiece
art, portraiture on wooden panel paintings, as well as woodcuts and other forms of printmaking.
Stone sculpture was not popular, but wood-carving was a German specialty.
• The Venetian Renaissance had a distinct character compared to the general Italian Renaissance
elsewhere. The Republic of Venice was topographically distinct from the rest of the city-states
of Renaissance Italy as a result of their geographic location which isolated the city politically,
economically and culturally allowing the city the leisure to pursue the pleasures of art.

CHIEF ARTIST AND MAJOR ARTWORKS

• The first three decades of the sixteenth century represent, visually and intellectually, the most
exciting phase of the Renaissance in Venice when Giorgione and the young Titian, together with
Sebastiano del Piombo, Palma Vecchio, and others, were working alongside the older master
Giovanni Bellini. This beautiful book presents an innovative survey of sixty Venetian
Renaissance paintings of the caliber of Bellini and Titian‘s Feast of the Gods in Washington and
Giorgione‘s Laura and Three Philosophers in Vienna.

Peter Bruegel
• is best known for his prints and landscapes, notice his use of perspective and his obvious
standing of human anatomy. He also has a great sense of lighting. Peter bruegel meant for this
to resemble a catholic church, the right wall has collapsed because the architectures (peasants)
made the pillars wrong, and forgot to finish the bottom before they built the top.

Albrecht Durer
• was German painter who like Bruegel, specialized in landscapes but Durer also revolutionized
the potential of woodcuts as a medium. Just by skimming through a gallery of his works one
can see a large number of melancholy pieces.

Hieronymus Bosch
• was a Dutch/Netherlandish painter from Brabant. He is one of the most notable representatives
of the Early Netherlandish painting school. His work contains fantastic illustrations of religious
concepts and narratives.

Jan van Eyck

• was a painter from the County of Loon active in Bruges. He is one of the early innovators of
what became known as Early Netherlandish painting, and one of the most significant
representatives of Early Northern Renaissance art.
 Historical events
Counter-Reformation
• also called catholic reformation or catholic revival, in the history of christianity, the roman
catholic efforts directed in the 16th and early 17th centuries both against the protestant
reformation and toward internal renewal. The counter-reformation took place during roughly
the same period as the protestant reformation, actually (according to some sources) beginning
shortly before martin Luther‘s act of nailing the ninety-five theses to the door of castle church
in 1517.

Copernican Heliocentrism
• is the name given to the astronomical model developed by Nicolaus Copernicus and published
in 1543. This model positioned the sun near the center of the universe, motionless, with earth
and the other planets orbiting around it in circular paths, modified by epicycles, and at uniform
speeds. The Copernican model displaced the geocentric model of ptolemy that had prevailed for
centuries, which had placed earth at the center of the universe. Copernican Heliocentrism is
often regarded as the launching point to modern astronomy and the scientific revolution.

1441 death Of the Painter Jan Van Eyck

• Jan Van Eyck died young, on 9 July 1441, in Bruges. He was buried in the graveyard of the
church of St Donatian. As a mark of respect, Philip made a one-off payment to Jan's widow
Margaret, to a value equal to the artist's annual salary. He left behind many unfinished works to
• be completed by his workshop journeymen. After his death, lambert van Eyck ran the
workshop, as Jan's reputation and stature steadily grew. Early in 1442 lambert had the body
exhumed and placed inside St. Donatian's cathedral.