Art App Midterms Reviewer

● Prehistoric Art

- cave paintings, Venus Figurines which are considered portable sculptures

- Greek standard of beauty; the birth of Classical Age

- Romans: the competitor of Greece

● Stone Age
is a term used to describe a period of history when stones were used to make tools for
survival.

Stone age arts- arts illustrated by early human creativity through small portable objects,
cave paintings, and early sculpture and architecture.

The unearthing of archeological artifacts and remains provides modern society a

glimpse of the beliefs, practices, and activities of early civilizations.

PREHISTORIC ART

● Paleolithic Art is a product of climate change.

Artworks can be considered ornamental but there is little evidence to fully backup this
notion, that early humans created these cave paintings for that very purpose.

● Neolithic art has developed especially when life for the early humans has
become more stable.

Describes all arts and crafts created by societies who had abandoned the semi nomadic
lifestyle of hunting and gathering foods

● Egyptian Art: The Egyptian civilization can be divided into three periods: Old,
Middle, and New Kingdoms.

Looking at the three periods, it can be noticed that for the Egyptians, art should be
something religious and spiritual.

During the Old Kingdom, it was evident that religion was bound to the afterlife.

One of the key features of the Middle Kingdom is a shift in the political hierarchy. There
is an emergence of powerful groups of landlords that threatened the authority and rule
of the pharaoh
 ● Art of Emerging Europe
● Ancient Greece.

Geometric Period was when geometric shapes and patterns have taken the spotlight in
most of the artworks.

Archaic Period placed importance on human figures. This was primarily a result of
Greece’s trading activities with other civilizations.

Classical Period - The peak of Greek sculpture and architecture

Hellenistic Period - The time of Alexander the Great. During this time, art was primarily
focused on showcasing emotions and depicting reality.

● Ancient Rome

The Romans were fond of the Greeks and their achievements in the arts. The fusion of
Greek and Roman cultures can be seen in most Roman artworks.

● Middle Ages

The “death” of artistic freedom due to canonical standards of visual interpretation

The rise of Gothic art especially in Gothic churches
Popular art: Stained glass windows and illuminated manuscripts
Since the Church was the most important figure, the most important products of the
early Middle Ages would have to be copies of the Christian scriptures.

● Renaissance Art
The Revival of artistic genius

Where the term “Renaissance Man” was derived because of man’s intellectual
achievements in the arts and science

The time of “Masters” examples Donatello, DaVinci, Michaelangelo, and Van Eyck

During the Renaissance Period, artists valued the “individual” as a subject of arts. The
influence of humanism shifted the focus of some artworks during the Renaissance
Period to empower the “individual.” Most artworks emphasized naturalism, which was
also an influence of humanism since there was a great emphasis on the proportionality
of the human body
 ● Mannerism
Mannerism was a period in art history, which was a product of the Renaissance Period.
During the Renaissance, artists would observe nature and try their best to emulate it
based on their observations.

It is named after maniera, an Italian term for “style” or “manner,” and refers to a stylized,
exaggerated approach to painting and sculpture.

● Baroque

Grandiose and ornate art

Artistic innovation; “spotlight effect” called chiaroscuro or in extreme usage, it is called

tenebrism

Artist to note: Caravaggio (Italy), Velascuez (Spain), Poussin (France), Antonio Gaudi (
designer of “Sagrada Familia” chapel in Barcelona

● Baroque and Rococo

The term “baroque” is derived from the Portuguese term barocco which is translated as
“irregularly shaped pearl.” This is a suitable description that Rome was the birthplace of
the Baroque Period, which according to some historians was a response to
Protestantism.

● Neoclassicism

Neoclassicism was a movement in Europe that transpired during the late 18th and early
19th centuries. It was the dominant art movement that time which basically aimed to
revive and rekindle the influences of Greek and Roman into art and architecture.

● Romanticism

A movement in the arts and literature that originated in the late 18th century,
emphasizing inspiration, subjectivity, and the primacy of the individual. Romanticism, as
an art movement, used the central themes of Neoclassicist artworks as a springboard.
Romanticists have highlighted heroic elements into their work.

Characterized by a heightened interest in nature, emphasis on the individual's

expression of emotion and imagination, departure from the attitudes and forms of
classicism, and rebellion against established social rules
 ● Realism

Realism as a style of work focuses on the accuracy of details that depicts and somehow
mirrors reality.Realism as a modern movement in art veered away from traditional forms
of art.

● Impressionism

The Impressionism movement started in France, which led to a break from the tradition
in European painting. Impressionism is a style of painting that emerged in the mid- to
late 1800s. Impressionist artists incorporated scientific principles to achieve a more
distinct representation of color.

● Post-Impressionism

It is an art movement that emerged in France, which is a result of both the influence
and rejection of Impressionism.

● Neo-Impressionism

As an art movement, neo-impressionism is considered as a response to empirical

realism of impressionism.

Most painters who subscribe to such movement rely on a systematic and scientific
techniques that have a predetermined visual effects not only on the artwork itself but
also how the audience perceive the art.

● Art Nouveau

Between 1890 and 1910, countries from Europe and the United States witnessed the
emergence and flourishing of a new art style. This ornamental style of art was a break
from the conservative historicism, which was the prevailing and dominant theme of most
Western artworks.

● Fauvism
This is a style of painting that emerged in France around the turn of the 20th century.
They used pure and vibrant colors by applying straight from the paint tubes directly to
the canvas. which is characterized by strong colors and fierce brushwork.

● Cubism
Between 1907 and 1914, French artists Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque introduced
a new visual arts style called cubism. Cubists highlighted the two- dimensional surface
of the picture plane. The style is characterized by fragmented subject matter
deconstructed in such a way that it can be viewed from multiple angles simultaneously.
 ● Caught in Between: Modern and Contemporary Art

● Contemporary Art

Contemporary art was heavily driven by ideas and theories, and even the blurring of
notions of what is and can be considered as “art”.

Reeling after the war, one of the early movements was abstract expressionism (early
1940s to mid-1960s) which took the basic principles of abstraction and combined with it
with gestural techniques, mark-making, and a rugged spontaneity in its visual
articulation.

Creating energy was at the center of "op art" or optical art (early 1960s onward), which
relied on creating an illusion to inform the experience of the artwork using color, pattern,
and other perspective tricks that artists had on their sleeves.

● 9 Contemporary Art Style and Their Characters.

● Abstract Art
Abstract art originates from unnatural objects, such as geometric patterns, shapes, and
formats. This type of art is based on landscapes and figures and depicts simplicity,
spirituality, and purity. Abstract art is all about colors, lines, textures, patterns,
compositions, and processes.

● Figurative Art
Figurative art describes modern art that genuinely depicts the real-world issue by using
the human figure. This art type's ultimate goal is to provide a realistic representation of
life by using illusionary characteristics. In the contemporary art world, this art style can
also be used with other art types such as minimalist, cubist, and abstract art to create
masterpieces

● Geometric Art
Geometric art represents different shapes, angles, lines, points, and elements, totally
inspired by geometry. This contemporary art style uses a wide array of geometric
shapes, such as circle, square, triangle, and rectangles to make complex shapes and
objects. Geometric art designs come in different types, sizes, and shapes
 ● Minimalist Art
Minimalism is a type of abstract art that uses different geometric shapes, such as
square, rectangle.The main idea behind using this type of art is used to depict reality
without any imitation.
-Minimalism
cropped up in the early 1960s in New York, and saw artists testing the boundaries of
various media. It was seen as an extreme type of abstraction that favored geometric
shapes, color fields, and the use of objects and materials that had an “industrial” sparse.
● Still Life Art
Still-Life art is one of the essential types of Western art that represents still life paintings
and dead sculptures. This type of artwork includes nearly all types of human-made or
natural objects, such as fruits, vegetables, food, games, and other inanimate objects.
● Typography
A contemporary art style that uses existing and modern typefaces to arrange text and
appropriately convey the message—basically, typeface design letters of alphabets that
express specific techniques, feelings, and brand identity.
● Pop Art
Pop art is one of the most famous artistic developments that emerged in reaction to
commercial cultures, mass media, and consumerism. artists use commonplace objects,
newspapers, comic strips, bottle cans, road signs, and other popular commercial world
items to convey their message. Artists are allowed to incorporate names, logo designs,
and images of celebrities into their artwork. Artists have complete freedom to take
inspiration from any source or object. First emerged in the 1950s but found its footing in
the 1960s.
● Surrealist Art
Surrealism is an artistic and philosophical movement that was flourished in Europe
between World War I and II. The principles,ideals or practice of producing fantastic
imagery or effects in an art Surrealist art mainly focuses on exploring irrational and
subconscious notions.
● Sculpture Art
Sculpture art is a three-dimensional art made by four basic processes: carving,
modeling, casting, and constructing.Carving is a sculptural technique that uses different
tools to create a shape by cutting a solid material such as wood or stone.
 ● Photorealism
The resurgence of figurative art, where realistic depictions is a choice, is a proof how
varied and fragmented postmodernism is. In photorealism, a painstaking attention to
detail is aimed, without asserting an artist’s personal style.

● Conceptualism

As opposed to celebrating commodities as references to real life, conceptualism fought

against the idea that art is a commodity.is art in which the concept(s) or idea(s) involved
in the work take precedence over traditional aesthetic, technical, and material concerns.

Methods in Reading Art

● Formalism and Style - basically gives importance to the formal qualities (art
elements, materials, and design principles) as basis for the meaning of art. Roger
Fry is a major purveyor of this thinking. The form is the content per se and does
not take history and context into account.
● Iconography - Focuses on the subject matter primarily over form. When using
this method, you will answer questions like who this his person the artist painted
and what does-i it represent? Why did the artist choose this image and what for?

● Contextual Approaches From the term itself, context becomes an important

factor in criticizing artworks here. We can take many approaches to contexts like
Marxism Orientalism, Colonialism, Racial lconography, Feminism and Gender. As
you can observe, these are mainly schools thought and philosophical movements
which place an artwork within a other certain parameter. example. Marxism
about art in relation to economics. On hand, Feminism is bent toward the societal
context of art wherein gender becomes strong factor in the forces behind an
artistic creation.

● Biography and Autobiography - Considers the life and context of the artist.
This approach is based on the assumption that the artist's life, beliefs, choices.
and personality are directly connected to the works that he or she creates.
● Semiotics From the Greek word 'sema. which means sign. Hence an artwork or
art form is assumed to be composed of a set of signs that may have significant
cultural and contextual meanings beyond itself.
● Psychoanalysis- Freud is probably a familiar name in the field of psychology
and he is one of the basis of this theory. In psychoanalysis, one is concerned
about the unconscious 'mind to in relation the artist. the viewer, and the cultural
context it is involved in.
● Aesthetics and Psychoanalysis Individual notion of what is considered
acceptable factors. This in in beautiful, or attractive works of art are part
influenced by psychological approach then connects psychology to one's
constructed philosophy of art.