Art encompasses human history from the pre-historic to the contemporary times. Learning how it has evolved and developed through the years provides a greater understanding of who we are as a civilization today. Through art, we get to see glimpses of the past. It provides an array of evidences about countless cultures and their economy, sociology, psychology, philosophy, religion and literature.
By studying art history, we are able to define our existence as we discover and realize how greatly influenced we are by the works of the past. We, who are present here today, continue this journey with the production of contemporary works that will provide volumes of information for the generations of the future.
The earliest known art was seen as paintings and sculptures on rocks and caves. This prehistoric art happened during the Upper Paleolithic period. Using stone tools, a rich heritage of rock art and cave paintings were left behind by people during this period. They were able to produce drawings, sculptures, paintings, jewellery and even early vestiges of music and dance. Artists from the Paleolithic period produced a number of female figure sculptures. Otherwise known as Venus Figurines, they include the Venus of Kostenky, a mammoth bone carving and the Venus of Willendorf, a limestone sculpture.
Ancient art commenced when ancient societies developed their own form of written language. The foundation of ancient art was based on the six great ancient civilizations. These included Ancient Egypt, Iran (Persia), Mesopotamia, Greece, Rome, India and China who developed their own distinctive form of art. Ancient Egypt was known for their religious works that depicted of gods, goddesses and Pharaohs. Ancient Greek included much pottery and sculptures while Ancient China’s most famous relics were their life-size terracotta figures.
Western art flourished and this can be categorized into two – the Medieval and the Renaissance. Medieval Western art focused on religious aspects due to the dominance of the church. This included Byzantine, Romanesque and Gothic arts. Renaissance, on the hand, focused back on the arts of Ancient Greek and Rome with artists enhancing the realism of their works.
Eastern art had influences from a variety of religions and cultures. They were similar to Western Medieval art. Eastern art largely came from African, Indian, Korean, Chinese, Japanese and Islamic art. It concentrated heavily on local colour and surface patterns.
Modern art were artistic works produced from1860 to 1970. Artists during this period worked largely on experimentation. In the 19th century, the pioneering movements of modern art were Romantics, Realists and Impressionists. By early 20th century, new movements flowered like Fauvism, Cubism, Expressionism and Futurism. Contemporary art, on the other hand, are those produced since World War II up to present. It saw the emergence of Abstract Expressionism, Pop Art and Photorealism among the few.
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