FORMS OF ART

LECTURE 2
HISTORY OF ART (PRE-HISTORIC – MODERNISM)
PRE-HISTORIC ART (40,000 – 4,000 B.C.)
Art from this period relied on the use of natural pigments and stone
carvings to create representations of objects, animals, and rituals that
governed a civilization’s existence. One of the most famous
examples is that of the Paleolithic cave paintings found in the
complex caves of Lascaux in France. Though discovered in 1940,
they’re estimated to be up to 20,000 years old and depict large
animals and vegetation from the area.
Scholars narrow down the purposes of early art as a tool for recording
the early cultures, experiences, and local narratives, such that these
images and stories were passed onto the next generation.

Lascaux (luh.skow) cave paintings (1940),

Rock carvings, pictorial imagery, sculptures,
and stone arrangements.

CONTRIBUTION:
Prehistoric cultures that existed before
the advent of a written language
ANCIENT ART (4,000 B.C. – 400 A.D.)
Religious and symbolic imagery, decorations for utilitarian
objects, mythological stories

Ancient art was produced by advanced civilizations, which in this case refers
to those with an established written language. These civilizations included
Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, and those of the Americas.
The medium of a work of art from this period varies depending on the
civilization that produced it, but most art served similar purposes: to tell
stories, decorate utilitarian objects like bowls and weapons, display religious
and symbolic imagery, and demonstrate social status. Many works depict
stories of rulers, gods, and goddesses.

Code of Hammurabi, 1754 B.C

CIRCA 1284 - 1344
THE VIRGIN
ANNUNCIATE
Simone Martini. Sold for $4,114,500
MEDIEVAL ART (500 – 1,400 A.D.)
The Middle Ages, often referred to as the “Dark Ages,” marked
a period of economic and cultural deterioration following the
fall of the Roman Empire in 476 A.D. Much of the artwork
produced in the early years of the period reflects that darkness,
characterized by grotesque imagery and brutal scenery. Art
produced during this time was centered around the Church. As
the first millennium passed, more sophisticated and elaborately
decorated churches emerged; windows and silhouettes were
adorned with biblical subjects and scenes from classical
mythology.

Christ of Mercy between the Prophets David and

Jeremiah (between c. 1495 and c. 1500) by Diego de la
Cruz;
Raffaello Sanzio da Urbin, The School of Athens, 1511.
RENAISSANCE PERIOD (1400 – 1600)
This style of painting, sculpture, and decorative art was characterized by a focus on nature and individualism, the
thought of man as independent and self-reliant. Though these ideals were present in the late Medieval period, they
flourished in the 15th and 16th centuries, paralleling social and economic changes like secularization.
The Renaissance reached its height in Florence, Italy, due to a wealthy merchant family who adamantly supported the
arts and humanism, a variety of beliefs and philosophies that places emphasis on the human realm.

The High Renaissance, which lasted from 1490 to 1527, produced influential artists such as da Vinci,
Michelangelo, and Raphael, each of whom brought creative power and spearheaded ideals of emotional
expression. Artwork throughout the Renaissance was characterized by realism, attention to detail, and precise
study of human anatomy. Artists used linear perspective and created depth through intense lighting and shading.
Giorgio Vasari, The Holy Family, 17th century.
MANNERISM (1527 – 1580)
• Mannerist artists emerged from the ideals of Michelangelo, Raphael, and other Late Renaissance
artists, but their focus on style and technique outweighed the meaning of the subject matter. Often,
figures had graceful, elongated limbs, small heads, stylized features and exaggerated details. This
yielded more complex, stylized compositions rather than relying on the classical ideals of
harmonious composition and linear perspective used by their Renaissance predecessors.
• Mannerism exaggerates such qualities, often resulting in compositions that are asymmetrical or
unnaturally elegant. Notable for its artificial (as opposed to naturalistic) qualities, this artistic style
privileges compositional tension and instability rather than the balance and clarity of earlier
Renaissance painting.
Caravaggio, The Calling of Saint Matthew, circa 1599-1600
BAROQUE (1600 – 1750)
• It was characterized by grandeur and richness, punctuated by an interest in broadening human
intellect and global discovery. Baroque artists were stylistically complex.
• Baroque paintings were characterized by drama, as seen in the iconic works of Italian painter
Caravaggio. Painters used an intense contrast between light and dark and had energetic
compositions matched by rich color palettes.
Antoine Watteau, The Embarkation for Cythera 1717
ROCOCO (1699 – 1780)
• Rococo originated in Paris, encompassing decorative art, painting, architecture, and sculpture. The
aesthetic offered a softer style of decorative art compared to Baroque’s exuberance. Rococo is
characterized by lightness and elegance, focusing on the use of natural forms, asymmetrical design,
and subtle colors.
• Painters like Antoine Watteau and Francois Boucher used lighthearted treatments, rich brushwork,
and fresh colors. The Rococo style also easily translated to silver, porcelain, and French furniture.
Many chairs and armoires featured curving forms, floral designs, and an expressive use of gilt.
Jacques-Louis David, Napoleon Crossing the Alps, 1801.
NEOCLASSICISM (1750 – 1850)
• the Neoclassical period drew upon elements from classical antiquity. Archaeological ruins of
ancient civilizations in Athens and Naples that were discovered at the time reignited a passion for
all things past, and artists strove to recreate the great works of ancient art. This translated to a
renewed interest in classical ideals of harmony, simplicity, and proportion.
• Neoclassical artists were influenced by classical elements; in particular, a focus on idealism.
Inevitably, they also included modern, historically relevant depictions in their works. For example,
Italian sculptor Antonio Canova drew upon classical elements in his marble sculptures, but avoided
the cold artificiality that was represented in many of these early creations.
The Death of Sardanapalus (La Mort de Sardanapale)
EUGENE DELACROIX (1827)
ROMANTICISM (1780 – 1850)
The Death of Sardanapalus is based on the tale of Sardanapalus, a king of Assyria, from the historical
library of Diodorus Siculus, the ancient Greek historian, and is a work of the era of Romanticism. This
painting uses rich, vivid and warm colours, and broad brushstrokes.
The main focus of Death of Sardanapalus is a large bed draped in rich red fabric. On it lies a man with
a disinterested eye overseeing a scene of chaos. He is dressed in flowing white fabrics and sumptuous
gold around his neck and head. A woman lies dead at his feet, prone across the lower half of the large
bed. She is one of six in the scene, all in various shades of undress, and all in assorted throes of death
by the hands of the half dozen men in the scene. There are several people being stabbed with knives
and one man is dying from a self-inflicted wound from a sword, and a man in the left foreground is
attempting to kill an intricately adorned horse. A young man by the king's right elbow is standing behind
a side table which has an elaborate golden decanter and a cup. There are golden elephant heads at the
base of the bed, as well as various valuable trinkets scattered amongst the carnage. In the background,
several architectural elements are visible but difficult to discern.
a king willing to destroy all of his possessions, including people and luxurious goods, in a funerary
pyre of gore and excess.
Jean-François Millet, The Gleaners, 1857.
REALISM (1900)
• Arguably the first modern art movement, Realism, began in France in the 1840s. Realism was a
result of multiple events: the anti-Romantic movement in Germany, the rise of journalism, and the
advent of photography. Each inspired new interest in accurately capturing everyday life. This
attention to accuracy is evident in art produced during the movement, which featured detailed, life-
like depictions of subject matter.
• One of the most influential leaders of the Realist movement is Gustave Courbet, a French artist
committed to painting only what he could physically see.
Alphonse Mucha, Princess Hyazinthe, 1911.
NEW ART (ART NOUVEAU – 1910)
Attempted to create an entirely authentic movement free from any imitation of styles that preceded it.
This movement heavily influenced applied arts, graphics, and illustration. It focused on the natural
world, characterized by long, sinuous lines and curves.
• Mucha created the famous poster for the ballet named Princess Hyacinth (Princezna Hyacinta). The
person on the poster is the famous actress, Sedlackova, who was the main star in the ballet. The
story behind it is a village blacksmith has a vision that his daughter becomes the Princess Hyacinth
and is kidnapped by a sorcerer. The ambience combines parts from the plot of the ballet: the
blacksmith's tools, a crown, hearts, and instruments of sorcery. A hyacinth motif is used all through
the decorative details. He continued to create outstanding paintings, which gained fame and remains
today as one of the most famous artists that existed.
Claude Monet, Impression, Sunrise, 1872
IMPRESSIONISM (1885)
Impressionist painters sought to capture the immediate impression of a particular moment. This was
characterized by short, quick brushstrokes and an unfinished, sketch-like feel. Impressionist artists
used modern life as their subject matter, painting situations like dance halls and sailboat regattas
rather than historical and mythological events.
Henri Matisse, Woman With a Hat, 1905
FAUVISM (1935)
• Fauvism built upon examples from Vincent van Gogh and George Seurat. As the first avant-garde,
20th-century movement, this style was characterized by expressive use of intense color, line, and
brushwork, a bold sense of surface design, and flat composition.
• As seen in many of the works of Matisse himself, the separation of color from its descriptive,
representational purpose was one of the core elements that shaped this movement. Fauvism was an
important precursor of Cubism and Expressionism.
• VIVID COLORS
Edvard Munch, The Dance of Life, 1899
EXPRESSIONISM (1920)
Expressionism emerged as a response to increasingly conflicted world views and the loss of
spirituality. Expressionist art sought to draw from within the artist, using a distortion of form and
strong colors to display anxieties and raw emotions. Expressionist painters, in a quest for authenticity,
looked for inspiration beyond that of Western art and frequented ethnographic museums to revisit
native folk traditions and tribal art.
Lot 16: Andy Warhol. Sold for $17,327,500
POP ART (20TH)
• Pop art is one of the most recognizable artistic developments of the 20th century. The movement
transitioned away from methods used in Abstract Expressionism, and instead used everyday,
mundane objects to create innovative works of art that challenged consumerism and mass media.
This introduction to identifiable imagery was a shift from the direction of modernism.
CONTEMPORARY ART (20TH TO PRESENT)

• Postmodernism: In reaction against modernism, artists created works

that reflected skepticism, irony, and philosophical critiques.
• Feminist art: This movement arose in an attempt to transform
stereotypes and break the model of a male-dominated art history.
• Neo Expressionism: Artists sought to revive original aspects of
Expressionism and create highly textural, expressive, large works.
• Street art: Artists such as Keith Haring, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Barry
McGee, Banksy, and more created graffiti-like art on surfaces in public
places like sidewalks, buildings, and overpasses
ACTIVITY / ASSIGNMENT:

RESEARCH ABOUT FILIPINO ARTISTS AND ONE OF

THEIR WORKS.
WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE FORM OF ART THAT IS
BEING USED IN THE ART AND WHY?