The progression of Greek art does not simply begin with the Olympics in 776 BCE, but finds its origins in all of the civilizations that gave rise to the Greeks – the remnants of the besieged Mycenaeans, and all who conquered (and traded) with them. The loss of great civilizations often leads to dark periods, but from the ashes of Greece’s dark age emerged a civilization that revered humanity and went to great lengths to incorporate the idea of philosophy into all aspects of their empire – including art. City states joined forces, democracy was established, and skills lost during times of turmoil (reading, writing, painting, sculpting, architecture) were not only rediscovered, but reinvented. From the eastern inspired geometrics of earliest Greece, to stylize humanism in the Archaic, the mathematical perfection of the Classical periods, and the flowery realism of the Hellenistic - Greek art remains the standard by which all future art will be judged. This article will mainly focus on changes in Greek sculpture as an analogy for the changes in all of Greek art, simply because an attempt to chronicle all of the changes in the historical period would require much more than a short essay, and it’s my belief that sculpture most thoroughly reflected how art reflected the greater changes in the society. Regardless of historical argument about whether or not Greek culture and society were as great or as evil as either extreme proclaims, the fact remains that incredible works of art were spawned by great thinkers. Sure, maybe there was slavery, and maybe women were treated poorly, but that doesn’t negate the artistic value of the truly innovative art forms, starting with the very earliest pieces attributed to the Greeks, those in the period of the first Olympics, which also marks the point when the Greeks themselves considered their various city states united as one people, citizens of “Hellas” – distinct in that they spoke a…
The first work of art I found was earliest art which was from 120,000 BCE-100 CE. IT had the most depicting animals including large and powerful creatures that suggested the artists desire to imitate the actual appearance of the animals represented. Giving the animals a sense of volume by using gradation of color. It also created sculptural objects small and carved figures of people mostly of women and animals. It reflected a more abstract and less naturalistic approach to representation.…
In this essay I will be discussing how the Romans high regard for the arts, learning, and law as…
The Roman rulers from ancient times are well-known for their ability to coax their people into thinking a certain way through the use of convincing pieces of art. The Roman Empire was very troubled and its emperors are infamous for such things as lavish spending, unnecessary war, and even the killing of family members, and this begs the question: how were there so few large scale revolts of the Roman populous? The answer is the use of propaganda in popular Roman culture. The Roman Empire used propaganda for political purposes by incorporating Roman family values, victorious war scenes, and general Roman successes into their artworks.…
Travelers among Mountains and Streams is comprised of several design elements. Form, leading lines, and shape. These design elements move the eye throughout the painting in a continuous interaction between the elements. Each section is well balanced and rich in content. The large mountain in the foreground sets the foundation for the painting by serving as a barrier, keeping the viewers eyes from leaving the page. The area showing the travelers moving in the stream sets a sense of motion, engaging the eye to travel through the painting. The grand scale of all the elements inspire the viewer to be transported into the realm of fantasy promoted by Northern Song painters. The painting takes on a naturalistic feel that is derived from the combination of paint, ink, and silk. The people and mules moving through the stream bring a sense of scale to the painting. They are an important element in that they are in direct comparison to the large Mountain. The helps promote the idea that there is something bigger than all of of us and that humans are somehow spiritually connected to the earth. An important idea that Northern Song Artist aspired to communicate through ere work. The painting is done in a realistic approach yet is not set in a specific place further enhancing the dream like quality meant to promote spiritual communication and enlightenment. This interpretation is about the balance between the countryside and mans attempt to conquer it brought to life in the form of a painting by Fan Kuan. In the painting the small humans are engulfed by the enormous mountains giving the effect of unattainability, yet the human spirit to conquering the elements arises out of the need explore. The human and animals traveling through the stream give the…
During the Early to High Empire period, the Roman Empire was at the peak of wealth, power and status. In light of maintaining this reputation, emperors and artists used art and architecture to display their times of achievement and hierarchy. Two constant themes that I saw within Roman art is both imperial and social propaganda.…
Throughout Egypt, during the middle empire art evolved as a symbol for power and permanence featuring straight lines and powerful figures; as time passed art evolved again morphing from simply representational images of man to the more idealized and anatomically correct style of Roman art. As art became more and more prevalent through the late 3rd and early 4th century’s artists began to focus more on anatomical perfection and realism borrowing artistic elements from other cultures such as the Greeks. Though the artistic styles of ancient Egypt and early Roman art vary widely, the underlying symbolism remains the same. This is clear in both the Egyptian Sculpture Vizier (Figure 1) and the Roman sculpture Bust of and Unknown Man (Figure 2). Where the ideas and concepts of both sculptures are essentially the same, their vastly different styles are evident of the time periods in which they were made.…
The Dark Age of Greece refers to a period of time where all knowledge of Mycenae construction, painting, sculpture, reading and writing disintegrated due to Dorian invasion. One form of art that continued through the period of the Mycenaean downfall was the art of pottery. Pottery, more specifically vase painting, was the beginning of an illustrative development in Greek art and was considered a durable form of art because it ensured the survival of artifacts for long periods of time unlike other forms of art. The emergence of independent city-states within Greece took place around the 8th century, which in turn led to the formation of colonies to facilitate trade activities between Greece, the near East and Egypt. The integration with different cultures was vital to Greek art and the transformation in art styles and techniques became apparent and noticeable in pottery made throughout the different time periods. In this paper, I will be analyzing the similarities and differences in certain pieces of art from the Geometric, Orientalizing, Archaic, and Classical periods with emphasis on how different styles and techniques used such as black and red figure technique were developed due to cultural interaction with neighboring civilizations.…
CIMABUE: Virgin and Child in Glory surrounded by six angels, c. 1280, wood, Musee de Louvre…
Rome was well known for its rule, is also wildly known for art. This also includes many architecture feats, just for example “The Roman Arch”. Also made famous by the Romans is the Colosseum, which was a monumental accomplishment for the roman people. Before Rome there was ancient Greece, which helped make these thing possible for the Romans. The Greeks had devised pillars, which the Romans took note of. The pillars, known as Greek Orders, these which were divided into three different orders, Doric, iconic and Corinthian orders. These orders differentiated in many different ways whether it be the elaborateness of shaft or the general stance of the entire pillar. Another thing the Greek’s were able to master was the painting of objects and…
The social, cultural and political developments of ancient Rome propelled Rome to wealth, prosperity and a level of scientific, mathematical and literacy development unattained for hundreds of years after its fall(Wilkes). These developments were of such crucial importance to the extent that they are widely regarded as the foundation of many democratic concepts, sciences and mathematical concepts and legal concepts of the modern day. The legacy of the Roman Empire pervades into multiple aspects of everyday life in Western society whilst simultaneously serving as an example of success and failure in a society through its contributions to the western legal systems, science and mathematics and language.…
Demonstrated competency through appropriate assessment or earning a grade of “C” or better in ENG 025 Introduction to College Writing II and ENG 032 Reading Strategies for College II…
Throughout history, art has been used to depict events, traditions, and beliefs. The usage of such principles of art is prevalent during the Gothic age, transitioning to the Renaissance period. Artist across Europe were influenced by the distinct styles of the two time periods, and it is apparent in many sculptures and paintings by famous artists such as Giotto and Michelangelo. The two consecutive art eras, are based around religion and the church; many of the paintings and sculptures that are staple pieces of the Gothic age and Renaissance period are either architecture, paintings, or sculptures used for religious purposes.…
When it comes to ancient art, it is immensely difficult to state that antiquities belong to a certain group of people or the world. In a contemporary example, antiquities have been cheaply smuggled by Westerners from Middle Eastern countries such as Egypt, Iraq, and Syria, and sold in the black market for millions of dollars. Due to the lack of international laws protecting the ancient arts, smugglers can hardly be classified as heroic or villainous people, thus raising several attitudes towards the entitlement of the ancient arts.…
9. According to Johnson, the foreign military bases of two cold war superpowers, the U.S and the Soviet Union became the characteristic institutions of a new form of imperialism T…