WEEK 9

• Art history is the study of objects of art considered within their time period
• Art historians analyze visual arts' meaning (painting, sculpture, architecture) at the time they were created
• Art history's mission is to establish authorial origins of artworks, i.e. discovering who created a particular artwork, when, when and for what reason
• Iconography is a major part of art history. It consists in analyzing the symbolism of works of arts. For instance, art historians identify the visual elements of a painting and interpret its meaning.
• Beginning of Architecture

  • The first architectural structures were the menhirs, dolmens, and cromlechs, associated with funeral and religious purpose
• Menhirs


  • Simple monuments consisting of a single large piece of stone called megalith
• Dolmens


  • Made up of a number of vertical megaliths with a horizontal slab spanning them, beginning of post-and-lintel system
• Cromlechs


  • More complex structures made up of a number of megaliths in concentric circles extending over a wide area, example is Stonehenge
• At the onset of warmer weather, man migrated and settled along the banks of major rivers: Tigris and Euphrates in Mesopotamia, Nile River in Egypt, Yangtze River in China, Ganges River in India, Indus River in India
• Cuneiform


  The first writing system of Phoenicians, developed by the ancient Sumerians of Mesopotamia
• In Mesopotamia arose the kingdoms of Sumeria and Babylonia, with the first codes of law drawn up, most famous being the Code of Hammurabi
• In Babylonia, the ziggurat, a tower-like structure, was erected, and all the arts were in the service of religion and the glory of the ruler
• Egyptian Art


  • Closely knit with religion, profound preoccupation with death and immortality, remains of the dead preserved through mummification, image preserved in painting and sculpture, more time devoted to building tombs than dwellings
• Mastaba


  • The earlier and simpler type of tomb, which later developed into the step pyramid
• Pyramids


  • The great pyramids of the kings, especially that of King Khufu or Cheops, were the highest points of Pyramid construction, with chambers containing treasures and paintings of the king surrounded by his family and other deities
• Queen Hatshepsut Temple


  • An example of an ancient Egyptian temple where visual arts found fullest expression
• The Great Pyramid of Giza, Egypt had paintings of the king surrounded by his family and other deities around the walls
• Paintings in ancient Egypt


  • Stylized linear geometric style
  • Face in profile with fully delineated eye
  • Shoulders in frontal position
• Temples in ancient Egypt

  • Queen Hatshepsut Temple
  • Abu Simbel Temple of Ramesses II
• The Greeks placed prime importance in the use of reason and believed that man was at the center of society
• The humanist ideals of the Greeks were reflected in their democratic form of government, artworks, architecture, literature, and philosophy
• Periods of Greek art development

  • Geometric Period
  • Archaic Period
  • Classical Period
  • Hellenistic Period
• In the Hellenistic Period, Greek art focused on showcasing emotions and depicting reality, with sculptures emphasizing balance, dynamic poses, and a number of emotions
• Famous Hellenistic sculpture

  • Laocoon and His Sons
• The origins of theater and drama can be traced back to the Greek civilization, with the followers of Dionysus starting the Greek theater
• The Roman Republic was established around 500 BCE and eventually transformed into one of Western Europe's mightiest empires
• The Romans were fond of the Greeks and their achievements in the arts, leading to a fusion of Greek and Roman cultures in Roman artworks
• The Romans were known to be master builders, with the Colosseum being one of their architectural achievements
• Just like the Greeks, the Romans valued their gods and this was evident with their sculptures and artworks
• Ancient Greece had a huge impact on the formation of Roman culture, with Greek influences evident in Roman theater and drama
• Code of Hammurabi principle

  An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth
• A basic religious scripture with its funeral prayers and rituals

  Book of the Dead
• Egyptian architecture developed the use of post-and-lintel system. It is also made use of columns with lotus and papyrus.
• The fusion of Greek and Roman cultures can be seen in most Roman artworks.
• Geometric Arts

  • Terracotta Krater
  • Bronze Horse
  • Bronze Man and Centaur
• Archaic Arts

  • Marble Statue of a Kouros (youth)
  • Terracotta Aryballos (oil flask)
  • Terracotta Column-Krater(bowl for mixing win and water)