History Of Art

Week 1: Art in Prehistoric Period and Ancient Egypt

Prehistoric Period:
 Civilization continuing past the Pathological age – Divided into 3 sections:
Upper, Middle and lower into the Mesolithic age
 Neolithic [Late Stone age]
 After the Final Ice age – Settlements began – Learnt utensil making and
painting
 Terra Amata – Open air house located on the western slopes of mount
Boron, South eastern France – Currently on an altitude of 30 meters
Art in Prehistoric Period:
 Stone Tools – Made from pebbles, e.g Hand axes
 Few tools by sharp flakes – Scraping 0, e.g Denticulates
 Product Ceremony – Animal figures on cave walls – hunted the animals
which were painted
Mound:
 A tumulus/raised work of earth – dating from a long time
 Elevation formed from earth/stones/sand etc. Especially over graves
or ruins.
 The Criel Mound – Burial Mound – West Virginia, USA
Building Materials in the first ages:
 Straw
 Clay
 Water
Catal Hoyuk:
 Settlement began around 6500BC – 5500BC = About 10,000 people
 Basic Livelihood – Farming, Important Trade Route
 No Street Concept – Houses Together
 Outer wall – No space – Helps defend from enemies
 Holes on roofs to enter – using stairs
 Materials = Wooden Carrier and Adobe
 Walls = No right angle – Carry load by thickening = Tapered Walls
 Corners not Perpendicular – Shaped by hand
 People buried under houses
 Decorative paintings
 Shrines = Worship places

Week 2: Ancient Egypt

About Egypt:
 Country of North Africa – One of the oldest civilizations on earth
 Principal Cities – Memphis and Thebes
 Memphis = 1st Capital, Religious and Trade Center
 Egypt = 1st known as Black land/Kemet – due to dark soil along river
Nile – Later known as Misr/Country
 Thrived for 1000’s of years – Great cultural advances in every way
 Great Monuments inspired many civilizations e.g Greece and Rome
 Monuments reminds what humans are capable of and celebrates life
 Often in popular culture it’s associated with deaths and mortuary rites
 Field of Reeds
 Paradise
 Stories of Gods and Monuments
 Sahara Desert
 Arid Land – Nomads craved the cool of Nile
 Hierakonpolis – Mummification practice
 Xois
 Upper Egypt = Southern Region – Lower Egypt = Northern Region
 Pyramids = Focused on the dead king’s cult
Mastaba:
  Egyptian Tomb Made from Mud Bricks – Rectangular plan, sloping
sides, flat roof
 Old Kingdom – Famous Monuments e.g Great Sphinx, Pyramids
 King Djoser – 1st Step Pyramid – By Imhotep – 1st Pyramid the
Egyptians built – Started off as Mastaba Tomb – Evolved 60 meters
and 6 layers – 330,400 cubic meters of stone – 5.5 km long
Great Pyramids at Giza:
 One of the 7 wonders of the world
 Constructed with pyramids of Khafre and Menkauve
 Made using white limestone – Shows wealth and power
Hypostyle Hall:
 Hall who’s roof rest on pillars or columns
 Columns carved with religious or heroic motifs
 E.g Temple of Amon at Karnak
Pylon:
 Monumental Gateway to Temple – Made by 2 truncated pyramidal towers
Columns used in Egypt:
 Lotus Style
 Papyrus

Week 3: Ancient Greek Art

 Incorporated a fundamental principal of their culture = Arete
 Arete = Excellence/Reaching full potential
 2 major styles = Red figure on black background or black figure
on red background
 Pictures on Pottery = portrayed heroic/tragic stories of
Gods/Humans
Antiquity:
  Aim of Greek Art – Express true ideals
 Balance, Harmony and Symmetry in their art
Greek Vessels:
 Vessel form – Used as storage jar – principal vessel shape
 Alabastron – Narrow neck flask – used as perfume/unguent container
 Kylix – Primarily for wine drinking
 Lekanis – Small shallow bowls for jewelry/trinkets
 Lekythos – Vessel for storing oil
 Stamnos – Used to store liquids
 Pysix – Small round box for trinkets/ointments/cosmetics etc.
Sculptures:
 Not Realistic, portrayed what Greeks thought of as ideal beauty
 Typically made from stone or wood
 Free standing man forms/nudes
 Saw beauty in the naked human body
 Venus de Milo {Famous}
Greek Thinkers:
 Hippocrates: Applied logic to the field of medicine and collected
information
 Pythagoras: Deduced multiplication, Pythagorean theorem
 Euclid: Revolutionized field of geometry
 Archimedes: Worked with force of gravity
 Herodotus: First modern historian
Athenian Democracy: Encouraged countless innovative thoughts among
citizens.
Competition-Olympic Games:
 Greeks loved competition of all sorts
 Each year various city states sent athletes to honor Gods
 Most prestigious = Olympia to honor Zeus happened once every four years
 Earlies recorded Olympics = 776BC
  The last ancient games = 394CE
 Modern Olympic games started = 1896
Athens: ACROPOLIS = Important part of the city state, reserved for
temples/palaces
Polis:
 Centered on one town
 Town contained a Citadel, Acropolis and Agora
 Government was centered in the town, rest of the citizens lived throughout
 Ideally was a corporation of citizens that participated in the government
Properties of Polis:
 Was a Nucleus
 Polis of Athens: Birthplace of Democracy
 Police family community = Common Ancestors Connected
 Others can’t move to a city or join = was inherited
 Others = Foreign nationals
 No single power
 Polytheistic Religions
 Every Polis had its own unique symbol
Types of Columns:
 3 different types
 Doric = Earliest
 Ionic = Mid-6th Century
 Corinthian = Latest
Cella:
 Cella/Naos = Inner chamber of a temple in classical architecture
 Sits in the center of the temple, enclosed by walls that holds a statue of the
God
 Statues can be as tall as 40 feet
Design Layout {Greek Temple}:
  Around the Cella = Colonnade/Peristyle – Rows and Columns
 Front and Back porches
 Front = Pronaos, Back = Opisthadomos
 2 columns {Front and Back} = Antis
 2 styles of temple architecture = Doric and Ionic Order
Architecture of Greek Temples:
 Rectangular stone platform, Rows and Columns
 Temple = Just built to honor, not to worship inside, worshippers gathered
outside
 All temples shared general form {some decorative moldings and triangular
roof}
Parthenon:
 Finest example of Greek architecture
 Tribute to Athena
 A marvel of design
 Contributes to overall beauty and balance
 Each column gets thinner from bottom to top
 Steps curve = Lower from the sides, highest in the middle
Agora:
 Modern Greek name = Market place
 Agora of Athens = Location – In the heart of the city
 Today = Northwest slope of Acropolis
Stoa:
 Long narrow building, Offices and Shops
 Promenades sheltered from the heat of summer, cold winds of winter,
Judicial and shopping centers and as boundary marks
 2 rows of columns supporting the roof and there is a wall on one side
Bouleuterion:
 Kind of a meeting place for the members of the city council
  Rectilinear building, stepped seating
Greek Theatres:
 Plays and Rituals
 Prototypical Greek Theatre = Polygonal
 3 main parts = Skene{Sahne}, Theatron{Oturma Yeri}, Orchestra
Ancient Greek Houses:
 Interior colonnaded peristyle
 Symmetrically placed sleeping chambers
 Mostly built around an open-air courtyard
 Stone wood and clay bricks
 Andron – Men’s room = Raised platform
 Gynaeceum – Women’s rooms = 2nd floor or at back side of the house
 Built in rows along the street
 One or two stories high
 Interior courtyard
 Kitchens, storerooms, bedrooms and workrooms
 Several rooms surrounding a central courtyard
Megaron:
 Architectural form = open form, vestibule, large hall with a central hall
 Large rectangular room, often 4 columns supporting the ceiling
 Center, large hearth vented through a hole in the ceiling
Week 4: Roman Art {Antiquity}
Idea of Citizenship:
 Full Citizen = Vote, Marry freeborn person, practice commerce
 Some Citizens = Not allowed to vote, hold public office
 3rd type of citizen = Vote and practice commerce, can’t hold public office or
marry freeborn women
 Male slaves who were granted freedom = full citizens
  Aristocracy {Wealthy Class} = dominated early roman republic
{Aristocrats/Patricians}
 Patricians elected councils
 Lower class citizens = No say in Government
 Only men could vote
Contributions and Infrastructure:
 Extensive system of roads = movements of troops and communication
 Aqueducts = To carry water, aqua + ducre {to lead water}
 Roads = Layering soil, cement and stones
 Discovery of concrete
 Huge rounded arches and domes
 Pax Romana = Roman Peace
 Roman Clothing = showed social status
Vitruvius:
 Roman Architect, Author
 10 books on Architecture
 3 central themes = Firmitas{Strength}, Utilitas{Functionality},
Venustas{Beauty}
Important Edifice of Roman Era
The Colosseum:
 Amphitheatre
 Elliptical Form
 Theatre shows, Gladiator fights
 Each story contains columns of different order
 More than 50,000 people accommodation
 2/3 colosseum destroyed due to natural causes
Forum:
 Main center of the Roman city
 Public area for various activities
  Forum Romanum{Roman Forum} = Religious, Administrative, Legal and
Commercial heart of the city
 Symbol of Roman Power
 Stone and Marble
Pantheon:
 Temple until 7th Century, later became a Christian Church
 One of the most important historical buildings of Rome
Pilaster:
 Element in Classical architecture, used to give appearance of a supporting
column
 Became more and more decorative than structural
Oculus = Opening in a dome
Roman Baths:
 All towns had their own public baths
 Center of social life
 Hot baths, warm steam rooms, cold baths
Types of Roman houses
Insula:
 Multistory building, surrounded by streets
 Lower floors = Shopping and entertainment
 Upper floors = Accommodation
Domus:
 Name to private residence in old Rome
 Various sizes
 Family home only
Villa:
 Simplest of Roman domestic buildings to understand
 Wealthy romans lived there
Atrium:
 Main room in public part of the house
 Center of Social life
Week 5: Byzantine Art
Most techniques are similar to the ones used all over the Mediterranean
Basilica:
 Rectangular walled structures
 Open hall extending from end to end
 Raised platform at one or both ends
Transept
 Part of the cruciform church
 Crosses at right angles
 Appears infrequently in early Christian churches
Apse:
 A recess, mostly semicircular, sometimes rectangular
 Roman Baslica = Frequently had an image of emperors
The Hagia Sophia:
 Biggest church located in Istanbul
 By east roman empire
 Constructed 3 times in the same location
 First named = Megale Ekklesia
 5th Century = Named Hagia Sophia {Holy Wisdom}
 Biggest operational cathedral in the city throughout the byzantine period
 1st Church = Emperor Konstantios
 2nd Church = Emperor Theodosios
 3rd Church = Emperor Justinianos
Buttress:
  Projecting structure of masonry or wood
 Supports or gives stability to a wall or building
Buttress of Hagia Sophia:
 External Buttresses
 To prevent pressure of the dome
 Architect Sinan
 24 Buttresses = 7 east, 4 south, 4 north, 5 west, 4 supporting structure as
weight towers
Properties of Hagia Sophia:
 Height of dome from the ground = 55.6m, Radius = 31.87m from north to
south, 30.86m from east to west
 Columns and marbles taken from ancient cities
Parts of Hagia Sophia
Omphalion:
 Coronation of every emperor took place
 Special sections with groups of circular marble slabs
 Walls = covered with marbles, decorated with mosaics
Pendentive:
 Triangular segment of spherical surface
 Filling in upper corners of the room
 Forms circular support for the dome
Maksure:
 Private sitting sections in the mosque
 A step high from the ground
 Surrounded by fences
 11 Maksure in Hagia Sophia

Week 6: Seljuk Art

Art Typologies developed during this period:
  Carpet Weaving
 Calligraphy
 Wood Carving
Art of Kunde Kari {Wood Carving}:
 Developed in Anatolia
 Very fine craftsmanship
Properties of Kunde Kari:
 Doors made with monolithic pieces cracked, long lasting life due to their
solid past
 Sedef{Ivory} and different colors of wooden table
Art of Calligraphy: Decorative Handwriting
Art of Stone Carving
Madrassah:
 General name of educational institutions
 Muslim countries
 Secondary or Higher education
 Madrassah derived from an Arabic word meaning “Lesson”
Madrassahs in Seljuk period:
Iwan {Eyvan}:
 Mostly covered with a vault
 3 sides closed, 1 side completely open
 Room where doors of the house are opened
Caravanserai:
 Edifice located on the trade route of caravans
 Originally developed for military defense
 Expanded to meet trading and religious needs
Seljuk Caravanserais:
  Small masjid built in the middle of the courtyard of large caravanserais
 Larger khans had private apartments
 Baths opening into the courtyard
 Entrance part of the inn = Rooms where inn keepers stayed
Cupola:
 Kind of a Mausoleum
 Made of Cut stone
 Form of an eight cornered tent
Motifs in Seljuk period:
 Most used motif = Dragon
 Came from the Chinese culture
 Also used in the whole Islamic world

Week 7: Early Ottoman Period

Muqarnas:
 Type of a geometric decoration
 Seen in Islamic Art
 Both works in Seljuk and Ottoman Period
 Polygonal and polygonal stars – Idea of universal unity and balance
 Expression too in Early 12th Century
 Side by side and overlapping decoration of geometric shapes
Early Ottoman Art Techniques:
 Period of the tulip
 1st edifices built in Iznik
 Capital of state – Bursa 1335 to 1365
 Capital – Edirne 1365 to 1453
 Later Capital – Istanbul 1453
Main buildings constructed in this period:
  Haci Ozbek Mosque (Iznik)
 Green Mosque (Iznik)
 Great Mosque (Bursa)
 Green Mosque and Tomb (Bursa)
 Hudavendigar Building Complex (Bursa)
 Three Serefeli Mosque (Edirne)
Bursa Green Mosque and Tomb:
 Architect = Haci Ivaz Pasa
 Dome structure
 Iwans
 Square layout
 Famous with its ornamental tiles
 Resembles a tent
 Exterior wall covered with green tiles
Edirne Three Serefeli Mosque:
 Built by = Murad II
 Prototype of the greater Sultan Mosques
 Central domes dominate the interior
 One of the first attempts from a multi-domed to a single dome period
 4 minarets = All different sizes

Week 8: Early Islamic Period

Mosque:
 Bigger than a Masjid, includes Minbar
 In Ottoman period = Mosques with domes, semidomes surrounding
Mosque and its architectural elements:
 Minaret = High form of architectural structure, Muezzin reads the call to
prayer
 Fountain = For Ablution
 Altar = Inside the Mosque, Shows Qibla direction
  Qibla = Direction of Kaaba
 Minbar = Imam gives Friday Sermon
Portico: Column sequence surrounding the mosque
First Mosque:
 No Monumentality
 Only for function
 No concern for being impressive
 Masjid of Cuba, Medina
Great Mosque of Cordoba:
 Rich architecture, characterized by unique details
 Built using pophry and marble
 Expanded multiple times
 Properties: Rows of columns, possible enlarge by adding BAYS, horseshoe
arches, striped double arches
Dome of Rock (Jerusalem):
 1st monumental building
 Wall mosaics
 Built on rocks
 Octagonal structure
 Sacred place, Shrine, not a Mosque
 Aluminum, Bronze dome

Week 9: Gothic Period of Art

Monastry:
 One of the structures of Medieval architecture.
 Men and Women to serve Gods, Heavy deeds
 Local feudal lords, donated land for forgiveness
 Sacred and Pagan texts stored
Properties of Gothic Art and Architecture:
 Formation of Gothic Cathedrals, Result of Crusades
 Glory of Hagia Sophia – Impressive to them
 3 distinct characteristics = Pointed arches, Ribbed vault, Flying buttresses
 Most impressive innovation = Almost complete removal of church walls
 Colored glass dice depicting stories from the holy book
 Visual images understood by everyone regardless of class
Basilica of Saint Denis:
 Colorful stained glass
 Bright space
 Ribbed walls
 Pointed arches
 Light walls
Cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris, France:
 Flying Buttress to support load of the wall
 Large stained-glass windows, pointed arches, ribbed vaults
 Epic Arches, to resist outward impact of the nave vaults, concealed under
side roofs
 Placed over the roof of the upper nave wall, side walls of the buttress were
tilted to the vertical extensions, on the outside and in the open
 Resulted into flying buttresses
Saint Chapelle, Paris:
 Architect = Thomas de Cormont
 Built by King Louis – To Accommodate the sacred relics of Jesus’ Thorny
Crown, Crucifixion nail, Iron spears and Relics
 Relics no longer available in today’s time
 Destroyed during the French revolution
 Upper Chapel structure = reduced light walls with stained glass
 Stone vaults painted in dark blue with golden lily stars, symbolizes royal
emblem
Chartres Cathedral, France: UNESCO World Heritage List
Flamboyant Form:
 Towards the end of Gothic Period – Tendency towards excessive decoration
 Decorative elements adorned by wavy folds like flames = French (Flambant)
(Flamboyant)

Week 10: Renaissance

Renaissance Period of Art and Architecture:
 Rich families were collectors
 Supported Artists
 Florence and Venice
 Humanism: Philosophical view emphasizing human values and
achievements apart from religious birth
 Vitruvius: 10 Books on Architecture
Elements that provide beauty during the Renaissance:
 Classical architectural elements e.g., Columns
 Proportional Relations
 Geometry
Basic principles of Renaissance:
 Regularity
 Harmony, Proportion
 Perfection
 Beauty
Foundling Hospital, Italy:
 Passageway of arches
 Columns
 Elegant arches
 Exposed openings
  Decorative elements: round arches of the bays at each end with fluted
pilasters, Medallions colored in terra cotta
Church of Santa Sipirito: Architect = Brunelleschi, Mathematical
proportions
Palazzo Medici, Italy: Architect = Michelozzo, Details = Classical
Roman, proportional and gravitational

Palladio Villas:
 Architect = Palladio
 Simple layout
 Proportional composition
 Functional, practical plan
 Facades of houses, emulation of Roman Temples
Rustication:
 Decorative Masonary Technique
 Cutting back edges of stone, rough in the center
 Provides rich and bold surface for the exterior masonary walls
 Often used to give visual weight to the ground floor in contrast to the upper
floors.

Week 11: Baroque Period

Baroque Art and Architecture:
 Clearness replaced by ambiguity
 Varied elements = opposed regularity
 Emphasized plasticity and spatial depth
 Highlighted reflection of the mystical feeling
 Effort to create an emotional effect in the Baroque style
The Church of Gesu, Rome:
 Late renaissance influences due to its openness
  Pilasters on the exterior facade of the building and a plastic image
Saint Vincent and the Anastasius Church, Rome:
 “Sculptural plasticity”
 Fine example of Baroque Art and Architecture
 Architect = Martino Lunghi
 Pilasters having completely free-standing columns now
 Open spaces filled with ripples and carved figures
The Cartuja Sacristy, Spain:
 Architect = Fancisko Hurtado
 Intricate light and shadow pattern, endless interior decoration
Lorenzo Bernini: Sculpture Artist and Architect
Cornaro Chapel:
 Angels and way clouds around the window
 Surfaces of the wall and vault = covered with formed clouds, physical
boundaries of the space blurred
 Almost a mini theatre
Church of Saint Ignatius, Rome: Complete concealed intersection of the
cross vaults

Week 12: Rococo Art Style

Rococo:
 Light weight and curved line decorative concept
 Rococo derived from the word “Rocaille” = used to describe
artificial caves in gardens
Rococo Art Style: Rococo Ornaments, S-arc produce ornaments inspired
by natural forms e.g., seaweed
Interior style:
  Aristocrats hired skilled designers and craftspeople
 Most cases = Interiors of existing buildings redesigned
 Walls, ceilings and moldings decorated with delicate interlacing of curves
 Shapes of ‘C’ and ‘S’
 Rule = Asymmetrical design
 Light pastels, Gold and white colors
Solitude Palace
 Hunting lodge and summer residence
 Interior radiates splendor
 Designed in the late rococo and early neoclassical period
The Chinese Palace, Oranienbaum:
 Outside = Relatively simple building, painted in a mellow combo of ochre
and yellow
 17 rooms inside = Feature pink, blue and green / scagliola, painted skills
and intricate stucco work
 Architect = Antonio Rinaldi
 Palace interiors are the glass beaded salon
Pilgrimage Church of Wies:
 Architect = Dominikus Zimmerman
 Oval in plan, semicircular in the narthex in West
 Inside, twin columns placed in front of the walls
 Long deep choir surrounded by an upper and a lower gallery, East
 YOU’VE FINALLY FINISHED
HISTORY GOODLUCK FOR THE
EXAMS