The foundation of art history goes all the way back centuries ago when ancient civilizations utilized available techniques to display culturally significant subjects. Since these early depictions, a number of art movements have followed, from portraying their own distinct styles to reflecting social influences. Each period from which art has emerged bears a definite history, which is why many art collectors and artists study its major foundations to be more appreciative of art.
To start, we will tackle Prehistoric Art, Ancient Art, and Medieval Art in this article. Get to know more about the art movements’ timeline and their various degree of characteristics below:
Prehistoric Art (~40,000–4,000 B.C.)
The Prehistoric era is best described as the period before written records were kept, where the origins of art history are traced back to this age. The Old Stone Age, or the Paleolithic era, is credited for its earliest artifacts in the form of engravings, pictorial imagery, rock carvings, and stone arrangements.
From this period, art only relied on natural resources, stone carvings, and natural pigments to create representations of rituals, objects, and animals that dominated a civilization’s existence. A famous example of this type of art is found in the caves of Lascaux in France, which were discovered in 1940. Depicting vegetation and large animals from the area, these paintings are estimated to be up to 20,000 years old.
Prehistoric art reportedly covers the Mediterranean, Europe, and Western Asia from the Paleolithic era (Old Stone Age) about 40,000 years ago to approximately 4,000 B.C.
Ancient Art (4,000 B.C.–A.D. 400)
The succeeding foundation of art is called Ancient art, which was produced by advanced civilizations. In this era, there was already an established written language. These civilizations were known to be found in Greece, Mesopotamia, Egypt, and a part of the Americas.
From this period, the medium of art varies depending on the civilization that created it. Most arts in this era served the same purposes, which were designed to decorate objects like weapons, roofing, and bowls, to tell stories, to demonstrate social status, and to display symbolic imagery. Many works depict stories of gods, goddesses, and rulers.
You may have probably heard of the Code of Hammurabi, as it is one of the most popular works from ancient Mesopotamia. It was said to be created around 1792 B.C., bearing a Babylonian set of laws that are all carved in stone. Of course, they had no lawyers at the time, so the piece of art served as a form of their statutes. It was also adorned by an image of the sixth King of Babylonia, King Hammurabi, and the Mesopotamian god named Shabash.
Medieval Art (500–1400)
The Middle Ages are also viewed as the Dark Ages. It was during this period that the fall of the Roman Empire in 476 A.D. was recognized. It was also the time when the economic and cultural deterioration happened. Much of the artwork produced at the beginning of this era portrayed darkness, characterized by brutal scenery and a vast degree of grotesque imagery. Medieval art also centered around the Church. As the era transitioned after the first millennium, there was an emergence of elaborately decorated churches. Windows, roofing, and silhouettes were starting to become a platform of art, as biblical and classical mythology subjects are adorned all over them.
From this period also emerged the Gothic architecture style and illuminated manuscripts. Examples of influential art from this era include Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, the catacombs in Rome, the Lindisfarne Gospels, and Notre Dame. Notre Dame, a Parisian cathedral, is also a prominent example of Gothic architecture.
Medieval art covers Europe and, at certain periods, Northern Africa and Western Asia.
sources:
Cover- https://pixabay.com/photos/indian-art-petroglyph-467709/
Body:
#1 – https://pixabay.com/photos/newspaper-rock-art-petroglyph-rock-4003121/
#2- https://pixabay.com/photos/art-gods-hunting-scene-mythology-558483/
#3- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duccio#/media/File:Maesta_021.jpg
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