ANCIENT ART
➔ Art- the expression or application of human creative skills and imaginations.
➔ Prehistoric = “before history” or to be specific “before written history
➔ Archeologists = studying the different artworks that are left behind.
Prehistoric
Cave drawings
➔ made as early as 30,000 years ago (Paleolithic Period)
➔ stone tools
➔ popular subject were animals
➔ geometric figures and some were realistic
Theories
➔ ritual ceremonies
➔ commemorate successful
Megaliths
➔ Huge stone structures
➔ found all over the world
➔ Stonehenge
Stonehenge
➔ Burial ground
➔ Observatory to keep track the season
Prehistoric
➔ Philippines – Angono Petroglyphs
➔ Late Neolithic Age or New Stone Age
Mesopotamia Ancient
➔ located where Syria and Iraq are today
➔ made up of different nations and civilizations
➔ Sumerian were the most dominant of the groups found in this region
➔ cuneiform writing system- used a series of shapes and lines to represent
an object and written on clay tablets
➔ megaliths called “ziggurats” - Look like pyramids but their sides are
zigzagged making them appear like steps or stairs
➔ Were used as temples to honor their different gods
Egyptian Art
Communities were made up of:
➔ Hunters and fishermen
➔ Soldiers
➔ Slaves
➔ Priests
➔ Scribes
➔ Artists and craftsmen
➔ Farmers and herdsmen
➔ Artists, craftsmen and scribes were honored and admired.
➔ scribe is a scholar who could read and write.
➔ Papyrus is a reed pounded to make a heavy type of paper.
➔ The leader was called a pharaoh. It was believed to be half man, half god.
➔ The afterlife of the pharaoh is an important theme in ancient Egyptian art.
Contributions
The ancient Egyptians:
➔ Made bricks
➔ Used sails on the water
➔ Used wheels on land
➔ Harnessed animals for work
➔ Trained donkeys to carry people
➔ Combined copper and tin to make bronze
➔ Forged tools from copper.
➔ Hieroglyphics are an early form of picture writing.
Architecture
➔ The greatest architectural achievements of the Ancient Egyptians were the
pyramids.
➔ Pyramids were built as tombs for the pharaohs.
➔ They contained the items that the Egyptians believed that the Pharaoh
would be needed in the afterlife.
➔ Much of the art that remains was preserved in the pyramids.
➔ The first pyramid was built for King Zoser. It was a “step pyramid”. It was
designed and built by an artist and architect named Imhotep.
➔ Imhotep is the first artist whose name is recorded in history.
➔ also built beautiful temples.
➔ The post and lintel system was used to build this temple.
Mummies
➔ The pyramids and tombs contained the mummified remains of the pharaohs.
➔ The ancient Egyptians even mummified animals.
Sculpture
➔ Painted relief sculpture lined the walls of pyramids.
➔ Stele is a carved upright stone slab used as a monument.
➔ Notice that the sculptures are stiff, formal, and stylized.
➔ Faces face forward, and the left foot is slightly ahead of the right.
➔ There are no open spaces in the stone that the figures are carved from.
Artists used materials found in
the Nile river valley. They were:
➔ Gold
➔ Red coral
➔ Glass
Crafts
➔ Craftsmen made furniture, jewelry, pottery, and other useful items.
Painting
➔ One of these rules was to show the human body from the most familiar or
visible angle.
➔ the figures appear to be rigid and stylized.
➔ Paintings tell us about the daily lives of the Ancient Egyptians.
➔ The gods are often depicted in the tomb paintings.
CLASSICAL ART
- Starter 3,000 years ago
- Start of the Classical period produced artworks that have been a source of
inspiration for generations of artists
- Greece- most influential cultures in the development of Western Civilization
Ancient Greek Art
a. Geometric
- Started around 1000 BCE
- Also known as Dark Ages of Ancient Greek art
- Few surviving artifacts
b. Archaic
- vast changes in Greek language, society, art, architecture, and politics
c. Classical
- Start of the Persian Wars
- Many of the recognizable ancient Greek artworks
d. Hellenistic
- Set during the reign of Alexander the Great
Golden ratio- blueprint/basehan sa paggawa
- Greeks love color
- Artworks were brightly painted
- Exposure to the sun and other elements has made the colors fade - pure
white marble
- More idelistic
Architectures
1. Doric
- Simplest
- Broad and rectangular capitals that tops the column
- First of the different orders
2. Ionic
- looks like scrolls
- developed in Iona – coastal of Anatolia (Turkey)
- Not simple, not complicated
3. corinthian
- More complicated
- Curved w/ stylized leaves (acanthus plant)
- Used in greek and roman structures
Parthenon
- One of the most recognizable architecture of ancient Greeks
- Built in honor of Athena – Greek God of wisdom and patroness of the city
- built between 447-432 BCE, situated on top of the acropolis
- most decorative Greek temple – 92 high relief carvings
- largest Doric Greek temple
- Designed by Iktinos and Kallikrates under sculptor Phidias
Sculptures
- marbles and limestone were used
- portrayed gods and human the same – no distinctions were made to size or body
type
- made during the Archaic period
Archaic period
– stiff and rigid similar to ancient Egyptians
Classical period
– became more refined and portrayed human figures idealistically
- used youthful form of the bodies of men and women as their model
- nude sculptures were the norm
- male sculpted with protruding eyes, angular chin, and mouth curled up
Hellenistic Period
▪ very similar to classical period
▪ Romans were heavily influenced by this period in Greek art history
Pottery
- Valued for their functionality and artistry
- Top and base- geometric patterns
- Middle- drawings
- the designs gave an insight to the life of the ancient Greeks
- Painted with black and combined with either red or orange
Roman Art
- More realistic
- Most of the art was copied from the Greeks
- It can be said that the Romans became the heirs of Greek art although they also
made important contributions of their own, especially in the development of
architecture.
- Large amounts of Greek art was brought to Rome, including some Greek artists.
- Romans considered heirs of Greek art, though they made their own contributions,
especially in architecture.
-
Sculptures and Paintings
- Portrait sculptures
- Roman artwork heavily reflects earlier influence of Greek artists.
- - wax masks were used during funerals and to honor the dead.
- marble and stone became widely used, and artists who worked with these became
highly valued.
- Lifelike portrait sculptures can be traced back to the earliest period of Rome’s
history
- Wax masks of deceased family members were made to be carried in funeral
processions
- Vases
- Mostly utilitarian
- Important part of their daily lives
- Influenced by Etruscans and the Greeks
- decorations were engraved
- types: coarse ware (everyday use) and fine ware (formal occasions)
- glazed to give shiny appearance
Differences Between Greek and Roman Sculpture
▪ Many Roman sculptors came from Greece.
▪ These artists worked in the altered traditional Greek style to fit Roman standards.
▪ Greeks preferred idealistic portraits, where Romans preferred realistic portraits.
▪ Romans wanted realism because most of their portraits were intended for private display.
Mural Paintings
- painted within homes were of landscapes and pictures of buildings that suggested a
world that lay beyond the walls of the room.
- Mural- A large painted directly on the wall
- Paintings of outdoor areas recreated onto the wall as if it was really there
landscapes - a painting, photograph, or other works of art that shows natural
scenery)
- Pictures of buildings
Architecture
- Many examples of Roman architecture still survive today, unlike their paintings and
sculptures.
- Romans wanted to become the first great builders of the world.
Temples
- Were used by to satisfy their own needs and tastes
Portico - a structure consisting of a roof supported by columns or piers, usually
attached to a building as a porch
Innovations Architecture
- Aqueduct- a system that carried water from mountain streams into the cities by
gravitational flow.
Innovations in Structure
- The round arch improved on the structurally weaker post and lintel system.
- The lintel, if made of stone and expanded over a large space would break.
- An arch is made of cut bricks or stones held together by a keystone.
- op stone of an arch.
Keystone- T
- However, a large arch would tend to collapse on itself, so smaller series of arches
were instead.
Roman Buildings and Monuments
▪ Roman Emperors constantly built and rebuilt the cities of their empire.
Emperor Augustus- Claimed he found Rome a city of brick and stone and left it a city
of marble.
▪ As often as possible, baths, amphitheaters, and other monuments were built for the
enjoyment of the public (to maintain popularity).
The Colosseum
- Large arena, Covers 6 acres and forms a complete oval 615 feet by 510 feet.
- 80 arches
- Over the centuries people carried off large masses of the stone to create new
buildings until Pope Benedict XIV put a stop to it
- The “Door of Life” was reserved for victorious gladiators and the slain gladiators were
carried through the “Door of Death”
Public Buildings and Structures
- The Pantheon- designed as a template to all the roman gods
- Oculus- Latin for “eye”/ opening on the ceiling of the pantheon
- Niches- recesses in the wall
- Coffers- Indented panels
Basilicas
- Spacious rectangular building
- Designed as a court of law and public meeting hall
- Served as models for generation of Christian church builders
Arches
- Triumphal Arches: heavily decorated arch
- After an important victory the general and his troops would pass under the arch
- The Arch of Constantine was the largest and most elaborate of the arches
