Summary Art Periods & Movements

From Prehistoric to Byzantine Empire.

ART PERIODS

CHARACTERISTICS

MAJOR WORKS

HISTORICAL EVENTS

–      Fertility goddesses.

–      Megalithic structures

–      Woman of Willendorf.

–      Stonehenge.

–        New Stone Age & first permanent   settlements 8000–2500 B.C.

Click in blue links for

more information.

–        Human figure is completely   absent in painting or represented with simple stroke form like a stick .

–       Use of rituals and dances to promote excellent climate.

–      Human figures in caves painting highly stylized.

–      Cave painting in Europe, South Africa and east of Spain.

–      Domestication of animals.

 – Construction of megaliths

 – Stylized pictographs.

The female fertility takes a role starring as well as the goddess mother.

The figurines are now clay and baked.

–      Humans were settling in agrarian societies.

Prehistoric Art. Cooper, Bronze   & Iron Ages.

–      Was one of the first metal using by mans in its natural   state due to not know how to melted.

Bronze Ages. 2500-800 B.C.

–      Intensification of trades.

–      Labor specialization.

–      Social differentiation.

Iron   Ages 2000-1500 B.C.

–  The last period of prehistory prior to the beginning of the story with the invention of writing.

–   Development of the artistic skills due to better use of time when the man have improve tools elaborated with iron.

–    Developing of the military technology and strong weapons.

– Elaboration of cuneiform glass and ceramic rope   pottery.

– Spirals of gold.

–  Abundant so-called “Palmela” arrows.

–  Triangular daggers in copper.

–   Perforated plates.

                                                         Bronze Age mayor work:

–        The petro glyphs, paint on smaller objects,   sculptures and steles, make frequent use of ornament and artistic images for   decoration of tools and household goods.

Iron Ages

–  Iron is a good material for the manufacture   of saws, axes, adzes and nails.

–  Nordic petro glyphs.

–        The man perfected the techniques of pottery   allowing to experiment with metallurgical processes.

–      Most manufactured items were tools.

 Bronze   Age:

–        Spread of agriculture and animal husbandry.

–        Mastery of metal developing new alloys.

Iron Ages:

–  Assyria originate and impressive military technology.

–  The iron replaced bronze as the material of manufacture of instruments and weapons.

– Celtic and Nordic people star using iron for tools & weapons.

–      Decoration with nature motive.

–      Proportional human body representation.

–   Politeist religion. Matriarcal sociaty.

–    Found for Physical activities.

–   Important trades activities.

–      Goddess of serpents.

–      Ostentatious jewelry. Skilled goldsmith.

 – Dancing woman widely represented in art.

– Dolphins fresco at the Quing chamber’s.

–      Sudden disappearance due to conquests and natural disasters.

Sumerian Culture:

Babylonian Culture:

Assyrian Culture:

–      The most ancient civilization in this region with clay figurine representation, cuneiform tablets and seals.

Babylonian Culture:

–   Glazed brick decoration.

–   cuneiform writing tables and  seals.

–  Hammurabi’s code of laws.

– Gilgamesh Epic representation in Art pieces.

Assyrian Culture:

–      Warrior people with art and narration in stone relief   predominant Lion representation and winged Sphinxes.

Sumerian:

–      Ubaid Art.

–      Clay feminine figurines,

–      Standard of Ur.

Babylon:

–      Gate of Ishtar.

–      Diorite Stele of Hammurabi’s Code.

–      Gilgamesh’s Epic flood tablet story.

Assyria:

Nimrud or Jursabad doors with winged Sphinxes

The construction of Ziggurats.

Sumerians:

–      Invention of writing around 3400 B.C.

–      The dynasty of Sargon between (2300 – 2223 BC) build   ziggurats and clay seals.

–      Rule of Naramsin 2230 BC.

Babylon:

–      Hammurabi writes his code of laws  1780 B.C.

–      Abraham founds monotheism.

–      King Nebuchadnezzar palace is builder in Babylon.

Assyria:

About   884 BC Assyria gets at the head of the power in a vast region under Ashur-Nassir-Pal   reign.

Persian   Culture

–     Metalwork representation evading the ambiguous, obscure or clumsy. Same principal of simplicity apply to painting.

–     Use of low reliefs glazed brick from Babylon;s technique.

– Simplicity of the messages avoiding complications, the dark or confuse.

Sassanid  Period

–       Architectural decorations in carved stone, walls covered   with stucco decorated with vivid and contrasting colors.

–       Attractive and deeply expressive with refined decoration, emotional & imaginative.

–       Representation of abstract ideas without violating the terms of the visual aspects.

Islamic   Period

–  Stoning   architecture.

–  Calligraphy & decoration of manuscripts.

–   Decoration of the  walls with stucco and covered with figurative colored and detailed paints.

–  Glazed brick are use to decorated in Darius palace.

–  Palace of Persepolis.

–  Relief on the palace walls representing the power of rulers.

–  Important metalwork in weapons decorations.

Sassanid  Period.

–             Spectacular glaze decorations.

–             Detailed metal work in daily used objects and weapons.

–             Drapery and jewelry mastery.

–   Islamic architecture.

–    Calligraphy and decoration of manuscript.

–    Handmade Persian rugs.

–    Pottery with influence of Chinese ceramic.

–     Metalwork with arabesques.

He and his son used foreign artists to promote and strengthenits  image of power.

Sassanid Period

– Greatest achievements of Persian culture, the last   great Iranian Empire before the Islamic conquest of Persia.

– The conquest of Persia by Alexander the great began the spread of Hellenistic art into Western Asia.

Islamic Period

–  The adoption of the Islam as a religion throughout the territory resulted in important changes in the Persian culture.

–  The Persians became the main instrument of the expansion of Islam in   most of the rest of the Asian territory.

– The image carries a symbolism and a message; it is not with the intention of showing beauty.

– The figures show position of   frontality; is a fixed concept which is repeated.

– Step Pyramid

– The great pyramid of Giza, built by King Cheops about 4,500.-

Bust of Nefertiti,

–  Mask of Tutankhamen.

–  Sculpture of the  scribe.

– The Sphinges.

Greek and Hellenistic 850 –31 B.C.

–  Greek dealism of balance, perfect proportions and mathematical measures applied to  all manifestation of art.

Representation of an idilic art oriented to be decorative an highlighting the beauty of the forms.

–   Architectural orders (Doric, Ionic,   Corinthian)

–    Great  Pottery, red ceramic, black figure ceramic.

–  The Korai and the Kouroi archaic sculpture.

– Masters sculptures artist individually highlight like Myron, Phidias, Polycleitus, Praxiteles,   scopas, Lisipo.

– The Athena Farnese.

– Alexander the Grate’s conquests Greece 336 -323 B.C

– Hellenistic   Period: 4th century (B.C)   from the reign of Alexander the great (336-323 BC) until the conquest of Greece by Rome, in the middle of the second century B.C).

Roman   500 B.C–  476 A.D)

–  It addresses both the idealism and realism in the art.

–  Central themes in Roman sculpture are portraits.

–   Mayor accomplishments in architecture

–  Erotic & sensual content in painting.

–  Anonymous Illusionist or stages painting.

–  Trajan’s Column.

–   The Discobolo of Myron.

–   Caracalla Thermals’.

–   Caracalla Mosaics.

–   Constantine Emperor Sculpture.

–   City of Pompeii & Herculaneum paint’s

Julius Caesar is assassinated 44 B.C.

Augustus proclaimed Emperor 27 B.C.

Diocletian   splits Empire 292 A.D.

Rome falls 476 A.D.

Emperor Constantine adopted Christianisms.

India Culture:

Serene, meditative & solemner art in Buddhism &   Jainism.

–  Erotic & symbolisms in Hinduism sculpture.

– Sensuality, dramatics, movement & symbolisms in Hinduism   painting.

– Splendor in jewelry and textiles.

– Nature & their polytheist religious pantheon are the   main elements of representation in their art.

– Polychrome sculptures.

– Taj Majal.

– Alora Cave.

– Khajuraho Temple.

– Templo Jaina de Vimala Vasahi en el monte Abu.

– Ajanta Budhist Temple. Maharastra.

– The Mahabharata and the Ramayana, two major Sanskrit epics manuscripts of ancient Indiath India region Temples.

–  Dravidians develop advances urbanisms & culture.

–  The Brahmanism prosperous social cast & religious made an important statement in India.

–   The Buddhism & Jainism prosper.

–   The Hinduism modify the ancestor polytheist Brahmanism   pantheon.

–   Persia Invade India been the last conquest by the Mughal very important for the art in India.

–   The England Indian’s Company establishes a colony   beginning from the littorals of India and then extended.

– Represent idealist lanscape with realistic detail.

– Homenage to nature and to the lanscaping in painting.

– After a colourful period in painting this one is reduced to duo tones color representation in furthers periods.

– Important ceramic production using porcelain made with caolin.

– Detailed painting in paper, wood and fabrics.

– Abundant use of caligraphy in paints been as much important as the paint itself.

– Magnificent works in ivory amd jade.

– Architecture addresed to practical use not ornamental and intedrated to the lanscape around the building. Wooden structure with repetitive plant.

– Wide representation of Budda images with particular Asiatic feature and postures.

–             Li Cheng.

–             Guo Xi.

–              Hokusai.

–              Hiroshige.

Buddhism spreads to China 1st–2nd centuries A.D and Japan 5th century A.D

Byzantine and Islamic 476–1453 A.D

– Rich materials in Byzantine.Mosaic’s, with abundance in the use of gold. (Glowing sensation).

–             San Vitale of Ravenna

–             Andrei Rublev.

–             Mosque of Córdoba.

–             Tthe Alhambra in Spain.

–      Iconoclast controversy 726– 843 A.D.

–      Birth of Islam 610 A.D.

–       Muslim Conquests 632–732 A.D.