ARTS 9

What I Need to Know

This module was designed and written with you in mind. It will help you to analyze art
elements and principles in the production of work following a specific art style from the various
art movement. The scope of this subject permits it to be used in many different learning
situations. The language used recognizes the diverse vocabulary level of students. The lessons
are arranged to follow the standard sequence of the course. But the order in which you read
them can be changed to correspond with the textbook you are now using. It will also help you
analyzes art elements and principles in the production of work following the style of a western
classical art.

QUARTER 1 WEEK 1- Module 1: “Characteristics, Elements and Principles of Arts during the
Different Periods”

INTRODUCTION:
The western classical tradition is the reception of classical Greco-Roman antiquity by the
later cultures, especially to the post- classical west, involving texts, imagery, objects, ideas,
institutions, monuments, architectural, cultural artifacts, rituals, practices, and sayings.

PRE-HISTORIC ERA

Paintings - were found inside the caves and believed to be their way of communicating to each
other. It may also be for the religious or for ceremonial purposes and more of an artifact of the
archeological evidence than a true picture of human’s first created art.

Sculptures- were believed to be product or result of natural erosion and not for human artistry
according to archeologists. Materials used in sculptures vary according to region and locality
while carving may have mythological or religious significance.

Architectures – from the early age developed a form based on Megaliths ( a big rock) from the
Greek word Lithos (stone) and Megas (big). Although these structures that survived from
prehistory might not be what we would do normally think of as architecture, but these buildings
still inspire awe today. Through the mysteries of their meaning, the intricacy or scale of their
design, or the ingenuity of their construction.

ANCIENT EGYPT

Paintings – The purpose of Egyptian painting is to make the deceased afterlife place pleasant.
It emphasizes the importance of life after death and the preservation of the knowledge of the
past. Most paintings were highly stylized symbolic, and shows profile view of an animal or a
person. The main colors used were red, black, blue, gold, and green derived from mineral
pigments that can withstand strong sunlight without fading.

Sculptures – were believed to have symbolic elements such as form, hieroglyphics, relative
size, location, materials, color, actions and gestures were widely used. Their tombs required the
most extensive use of sculpture.

Sculptures – were believed to have symbolic elements such as form, hieroglyphics, relative
size, location, materials, color, actions and gestures were widely used. Their tombs required the
most extensive use of sculpture.
 Characteristics Includes;
 Symbolism – to represent the Gods where composite creature with animal heads on
human body
 Relief Composition – were arranged in horizontal lines to record an event or represent
an action

Architecture – were developed during the pre-dynamic period of 4,000 BC.

Characteristics Include:
 Thick sloping walls with few openings to obtain stability,
 exterior and interior walls along with the column and pierce were covered with
hieroglyphics and pictorial frescoes with carvings painted I brilliant colors.
 Ornamentation were symbolic like scarab (sacred beetle), solar disk vulture and
common motifs such as palm leaves, buds, lotus flower and papyrus plants and temples
were aligned with astronomically significant events with precise measurements like
solstices (sun appears to stand still on the first day of winter) and equinox (a time or date
when day and night are of equal length).

PAINTINGS FROM CLASSICAL GREEK ERA

Paintings- during the classical era were most commonly found in vases, paels, and tomb. They
depict natural figures with dynamic compositions. Most of the subjects were battle scenes,
mythological figures, and everyday scenes. They reveal a grasp of linear perspective and
naturalist representation.

Sculptures – were made of monumental terra- cotta. They did not attempt to compete with the
free- standing Greek works of history and mythology but rather produced reliefs in the Great
Roman triumphal columns with continuous narrative relief around.

Architectures – from this era were sturdy stone structures both for the use and to perpetuals
their glory. The emperors erected huge halls and arenas for public games, bats and procession
with gigantic arches of stones, bricks and concrete or with barrel vaults.

Most Common Methods of Greek Painting:

1. Fresco – method of painting water-based pigments on a freshly applied plaster usually
on a wall surface. Colors are made of ground powder pigments mixed in pure water,
dried, and set with plaster to become a permanent part of the wall. Ideal for murals,
durable, and has a matter style.
2. Encaustic – developed by Greek ship builders, who used hot wax to fill the cracks of the
ship. Pigments (colors) were added to paint a wax hull.

Vase Painting
Kerch Style – also referred to as Kerch Vases are red, figured pottery named after the
place where it was found.
Shapes Commonly found are:
1. Pelike – (Wine container)
2. Lekanis - (a low bowl with two horizontal handles and a low broad foot)
3. Lebis gamikos - (with high handles and lid use to carry bridal bath)
 4. Krater – (bowl use for mixing wine and water)

Panel Painting – they are painting from flat panels of wood. It can be either a small, single –
pieced or several panels joined together. Most of the panel paintings no longer exist because of
their organic composition.

Tomb/ Wall Painting – was very poplar during the classical period. It uses the method frescos
in either Tempera (water-based) or encaustic (wax). It has a sharp, flatly outlined style of
painting and because it uses water-based materials, very few samples survived. The image was
painted using a true fresco technique with a limestone mortar. It depicts a symposium scene on
the wall.

 PAINTINGS FROM THE ROMAN ERA

Paintings – most of the painting on this era were copied or imitated from Hellenic Greek
Paintings. Fresco technique was used in brightly colored backgrounds; division of the wall into a
multiple rectangular ares (tic-tac-toe design); multi- point perspective; and a tropme – l’ – oeil
effect. It has a wide variety of subjects, animals, everyday life, still life, mythological subjects,
portraits, and landscapes.
 The development of landscape painting is the main innovation of Roman painting from
Greek painting.

Sculptures – were pieces of reliquaries, altar frontals, crucifixes and devotional images. Small
individual works of art were generally made of costly materials for royal and aristocratic patrons.
Light weight devotional images were usually carried during procession both insid and outside
the churches.

Architectures – from this period showed doorways of Romanesque churches that were often
grand sculptured portals or door openings. Wood or metal doors were surrounded by elaborate
stone sculptures arranged in zones to fit architectural elements. Many castles were built during
this period but were greatly outnumbered by the churches. Romanesque style in England was
traditionally referred to us Norman Architecture.

BYZANTINE PAINTINGS
ROMANESQUE PAINTING
PAINTING FROM THE GOTHIC ERA

OUTPUT: from the different forms of ancient paintings being discussed, make your own
painting or mosaic

QUIZ: individual Activity page 152

LESSON 2: SCULPTURES FROM THE EARLY AGE

PRE- HISTORIC SCULPTURES

-Material used in sculptures vary according to region and locality. Archeologist believed that
their sculpture is a result of natural erosion and not of human artistry.
Frequently carving may have mythological or religious significance.

 Venus of Willendorf – 28,000 B.C.E. – 25,000 B.C.E.

It is carved from limestones with excessively heavy breast and abdomen used as charm to
ensure fertility.

 Venus of Brassempouy – Musee d’Archeologie Nationale at saint- Germain- enlaye

- 25 years old
- A sculpture of a lady with the hood. It is fragmentary ivory figurine
from the upper Paleolithic era that realistically represents the human
face and hairstyle.

SCULPTURES FROM THE EGYPTIAN ERA

-Symbolic elements such as forms, hieroglyphics, relative size, location, materials, color action,
and gestures were widely used. Their tombs required the most extensive use of sculpture.
- the most common materials used for sculptures are wood, ivory, and stones.

Characteristics of Sculpture:
1. Symbolism were heavily used to represent the Gods. They were represented as
composite creature with animal heads on human bodies.
2. Relief compositions were arranged in horizontal lines to record n event or to represent
an action.
3. Most of the time the gods were shown larger than human, the kings larger than their
followers, the dead larger than the living.
4. Empty spaces were filled with figures or hieroglyphics.
5. All individual components were all brought to the plane of representation and laid out like
writing.

 Queen Nefertiti,painted limestone – 18th Dynasty, 1375- 1357 BC

-Realistic with heavy lided ayes, slender neck, determined chin, amd pure profile under
her heavy crown.
-Queen, refers to the Great Royal wife of the Egyptian pharaoh.

 The Pharoah Menkaure and his Qeen, stone – 4th dynasty, 2548- 2530 B.C.E.
- An example of portraits presented in rigid postures, and were simple
and powerful with very little show of private emotion.

SCULPTURE FROM THE CLASSICAL PERIOD

Greek Sculptures – early Greek sculptures were tensed and stiff, their bodies were hidden
within enfolding robes. After three centuries of experiments, Greek sculptures had finally
evolved and showed all the points of human anatomy and proportion.
-One of the most popular styles of the Greek sculptures was the Hellenistic style. Hellenestic
denotes a preference in sculpture for more elaborated patterns, mannered arrangement of
figures and groups, and an emphasis on the representation of movement for dramatic effects.

 Myron; The Discobulus – 450 BC image from treasures of the world, 1961 CPP Library
- Shows an attitude of maximum tension, full of compressed energy,
and about to explode an action.

ROMAN SCULPTURES – Most Roman sculptures are made of monumental terra- cotta. They
did not attempt to compete with the free-standing Greek words of History or methodology but
rather they produced reliefs in the Great Roman triumphal columns with continuous narrative
reliefs sound.

 The Portonacio Sarcophagus – b/n 180- 190 BCE

- Used for the burial of Roman General involved in the campaign of
Marcus Aurellius
- The best known and most elaborate of all sarcaphagus ( it is a box-
like funeral receptacle for a dead body. Comes from Greek word sax
meaning “flesh” and phagein meaning “to eat”)
- It depicts battle scenes between Romans and Germans
- Carved in marble
 Sarcopagus, from cerverti, C. – 520 BCE, Museo Nazionale de Villa Giulia, Rome
- Made of Terra Cotta
- Length 6’7” (2.06 m)
- A husband and a wife are shown reclining comfortably, as if they were
on a couch

BYZANTINE SCULPTURES – The dominant themes in Byzantines sculptures are religious,

everyday life scenes, and motifs from nature.
- Animals were used as symbols (dove, deer, peafowl) while some had
acrostic signs (form of writing in which a message is formed by taking
the first letter, syllable, or word of different lines and putting them
together) that contained a great theological significance.

ROMANESQUE SCULPTURES – Some of the famous sculpture pieces are reliquaries, altar
frontals, crucifixes, and devotional images. Small individual works of art were generally made of
costly materials for royal and aristocratic patrons. These lightweight devotional images were
usually carried during processions both inside and outside the churches.

 Last Judgement – Tymapnum (an architectural element within the arch or pediment) of
the west portal, Cathedral of Saint- Lazare, Autun Burgundy France,

GOTHIC SCULPTURES – Gothic sculptures have a greater freedom of style. They no longer
lay closely against the wall, but begun to project outward. Figures were given their particular
attitudes instead of being set into particular patterns and are livelier realistic.

 Resurrection of the Virgin – end of the 12th century Cathedral Amiens Image from
treasures of the World, 1961 CCP Library