TOPICS

1. Prehistoric, Egyptian, Greek and Roman Arts

2. Western Art Periods and Style
3. Contemporary Art Movements
LEARNING OUTCOMES
At the end of the lesson, students should be able to:
1. identify how art was used by prehistoric people to depict everyday
life;
2. examine the underlying historical, political, and social contexts
of the significant periods or movements; and
3. articulate the importance of art to the development of
Western culture.

TOPIC 1: PRE-HISTORIC, EGYPTIAN, GREEK, AND ROMAN ARTS

Throughout man’s history, there are notable artifacts that point us to the idea of
man’s long study and practice of arts. Throughout time, the motivation for the conduct
of art varied and changed alongside social, economic, political, cultural, intellectual, and
affective changes. Presented below is a chronological presentation of Pre-historic,
Egyptian, Greek, and Roman arts, which is predominantly a history of the West and how
the Western art scene developed through time.

STONE AGE
• The unearthing of archaeological artifacts and
(14,000-2,000 BCE) remains provides modern society a glimpse of
their beliefs, practices, and activities of early
PALEOLITHIC (late years civilizations.
of the Old Stone Age) • The early people produced such materials that
MESOLITHIC (Middle reflect their attitudes and belief systems on
Stone Age)
spiritual, social, political, and economic
NEOLITHIC (New Stone
Age)
matters.
 • The transition from being nomads to
permanent settlers has brought changes to
the activities of man, in turn, changes to the
materials they use and the artworks they have
created—the first sign of early civilization.
• An attempt to record everyday life through
paintings and sculptures that depict
humans, animals, and natural habitats.
• Central to the representation of early
civilizations would be the establishing of
Venus of Willendorf, Paleolithic possible linkages among art, religion, and life.

Lascaux Cave Painting, Paleolithic Stonehenge, Neolithic

ANCIENT EGYPTIAN ART OLD KINGDOM – Egyptian tomb sculptures,

pyramids MIDDLE KINGDOM – Portrait sculpture and
(5000 BCE - 300 CE) fresco paintings
NEW KINGDOM – Sculptures with life-like features

• Egyptians recognized the integral role of the Nile River in their lives. It is
this indispensability and utility that eventually led to the belief that the
Nile is to be worshipped as a god. With this came the notion that art
was something that can be ascribed and associated with religion.
• Most of the artworks created centers on the social structure and the
ruler, which is the pharaoh, and to the gods, they believe in.

Great Pyramid of Giza, Old Kingdom Narmer Palette, Old Kingdom

 Tomb fresco, Middle Kingdom

Tomb sculpture, Old Kingdom

Colossal statue of
Menkaura, Old
Kingdom

King Tutankhamun, New Kingdom

Bust of Nefertiti, New Kingdom

The gods Osiris, Anubis, and

Horus, from a tomb painting,
Middle Kingdom

Blue-painted storage jar, New

Kingdom

ANCIENT GREEK ART GEOMETRIC PERIOD – geometric shapes and

patterns ARCHAIC PERIOD – human figures
(900-30 BCE)
CLASSICAL PERIOD – peak of Greek sculpture
and architecture
HELLENIST PERIOD – showcasing emotions and
depicting reality

• Greeks valued poetry, drama, and philosophy

• For those who want to be involved in the arts—painting, sculpture, and
architecture—one is required to have a certain skill set and body of
knowledge.
 Interior (tondo) of a red figure
kylix, depicting Herakles and
Pyxis, Geometric Period Pyxis, Geometric Period Athena, Geometric Period

The Strangford Apollo, The Moschophoros or calf-bearer, Peplos Kore, Archaic Period
Archaic Period Archaic Period

The Artemision Bronze, either

Poseidon or Zeus, Classical
Period

Venus Braschi, Classical Statue of Hermes, Classical

Period Period
Laocoön and His Sons, Hellenist Period Pergamon Altar, Hellenist Period

ANCIENT ROMAN ART

• Principle of realism in most of their
(509 BCE - 300 CE) works, highlighting the features of
human beings.
• Roman art encompasses a variety of
media including marble, painting,
mosaic, gems, silver and bronze
work, and terracotta among others.

Augustus of Prima Porta Marble bust of a man

Bust of Antinous

Colosseum Roman Forum

 SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIALS
101s on Prehistoric, Egyptian, Greek, and Roman arts:
 Cave Art 101 | National Geographic
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjejoT1gFOc)
 Ancient Egypt 101 | National Geographic
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hO1tzmi1V5g)
 Ancient Greece 101 | National Geographic
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bDrYTXQLu8)
 Ancient Rome 101 | National Geographic
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXoEpNjgKzg)
Ancient Greece in 18 minutes (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFRxmi4uCGo)
Ancient Rome in 20 minutes (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46ZXl-V4qwY)

Guide question: What differentiate each civilization’s practice of art? What are
 the common themes explored through the artworks?




TOPIC 2: WESTERN ART PERIODS AND MOVEMENTS


The West has numerous art periods and art movements spanning centuries of
practicing, studying, and developing the field of the arts. These periods and movements
were shaped by predominant social, economic, political, and intellectual climates or
orientations of their own times. Nevertheless, the difference in periods and movements
made the field of arts more heterogeneous and/or varied, which people who appreciate
 arts enjoy even today.

 MEDIEVAL PERIOD (c.1100-1450) 
 

A period characterized by ignorance 
 and darkness. 


The church was the central figure and 
authority of the period—the most 
important products of the Medieval 
Period would have to be copied from 

 the Christian scriptures. 

During this time, great cathedrals 
 were built. 
 
The cathedrals can be categorized 
into two periods Romanesque (1050- 
 1200) and Gothic (1200-1500). 

Notable artists: Cimabue, Giotto, 
Nicola Pisano, and Benedetto 
Antelami 
 Giotto. Lamentation. 1303. Scrovegni (Arena) Chapel,
Padua. Fresco mural painting
 RENAISSANCE ART (c. 1300-1600)


During this period, artists valued the “individual” as a
subject of arts, leaned more towards non-religious
 works of art.

Heavily influenced by humanism, a shift to empower
 the “individual.”

Most artworks emphasized naturalism (great
emphasis on the proportionality of the human body).

 Three-dimensionality in Renaissance works of art.

 A revival of Roman theatrical plays.

Notable artists: Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo,
Raphael, Donatello, Sandro Botticelli, Jan van Eyck,
Albrecht Dürer, and Caravaggio
Leonardo da Vinci. Mona Lisa. 1503.
77 cm x 53 cm. Louvre Museum
(since 1797). Portrait painting

MANNERISM (c. 1520-1600)


As the Renaissance ended, artists started directly
 copying subjects from existing works of art.

Most artworks displayed distorted figures, two-
dimensional spaces, discordant hues and colors,
 and a lack of defined focal point.

Notable artists: El Greco, Paolo Veronese,
Bronzino, Parmigianino, Tintoretto, and Pontormo

Parmigianino. Madonna dal collo lungo.

1534–1535. Uffizi Gallery. Oil paint

BAROQUE AND ROCOCO (c. 1600–1750)


It has a different style and technique from Renaissance art—most artists used
 colorful palettes and ornamentation in their works.

Motion and space were taken into consideration by artists like the use of
 dramatic lighting and the concept of time.

Baroque music flourished through the likes of Vivaldi, Corelli, Bach, Handel, and

Monteverdi.

Notable artists: Johannes Vermeer, Caravaggio, Gian Lorenzo Bernini,
Rembrandt, Diego Velasques, and Anthony van Dyck
 (Baroque) Diego Velazquez. Las Meninas. (Rococo) Jean-Honore Fragonard. The Swing.
1656. 3.18 m x 2.76 m. Museo Nacional 1767. 81 cm x 64 cm. The Wallace Collection.
del Prado Oil paint

NEOCLASSICISM (c. late 1600–1700)


The art movement which aimed to revive
and rekindle the influences of Greek and
 Roman into art and architecture.

This movement was a reaction to the
artwork produced during the Baroque
Period—a veer away from the extravagance
in terms of style and form of the Baroque
 Period.

Notable artists: Jacques-Louis David,
Lorenzo Bartolini, Antonio Canova, and
Jean-Baptiste Pigalle
Jacques-Louis David. Death of Marat. 1793. 1.62
m x 1.28 m. Musée Oldmasters Museum
ROMANTICISM (c. late 1700–mid 1800)

Romanticists have highlighted heroic
 elements into their work.

The major and central themes of
Romanticism include the emphasis on
the goodness of mankind—promoted
 justice, equality, and social order.

Artists emphasized the emotions and
 feelings of man.

Notable artists: Juan Luna, Francisco
Goya, J. M. W. Turner, William Blake,
John Constable, Theodore Gericault,
and Caspar David Friedrich
Eugene Delacroix. Liberty leading the people. 1830. 2.6 m
x 3.25 m. Louvre Museum
 REALISM (c. late 1800s–early 1900s)


As a style of work focuses on the accuracy of
details that depicts and somehow mirrors
 reality.

The emphasis is placed on observable traits
 that can concrete through artworks.

There is a move to combine both art and life in
artistic works since the modern world is suitable
 for subjects of art.

Notable artists: Edouard Manet, Gustave
Gustave Courbet. La rencontre (Bonjour
Courbet, Auguste Rodin, and Jean-François Monsieur Courbet). 1854. 1.29 m x 1.49 m.
Millet Oil paint

IMPRESSIONISM (c. late 1800s)


Impressionist artists incorporated
scientific principles to achieve a more
 distinct representation of the color.

The distinctive characteristic of this
 style is that it allows the artist to
emphasize the immediate
impression he has of a particular
 event or scene.

Notable artists: Claude Monet, Henri
Matisse, Berthe Morisot, Paul
Cezanne, Piet Mondrian, Juan Luna,
and Pierre-Auguste Renoir Claude Monet. Impression, Sunrise. 1872.
48 cm x 63 cm.
Musée Marmottan Monet

POST-IMPRESSIONISM (c. late 1800-early 1900)


Most artists that belong to this
movement started as impressionists
 but later on saw the inherent
limitations and flaws of
 impressionism.

Development of individual style that
emphasized defining from with the
use of broken colors and short brush
 strikes.

Notable artists: Vincent van Gogh,
Paul Cezanne, Georges Seurat, Paul
Gauguin, Camille Pissarro, and Henri
Toulouse-Lautrec
Vincent van Gogh. Starry Night. 1889. 73.7 cm ×
92.1 cm. The Museum of Modern Art. Oil paint
 NEO-IMPRESSIONISM (c. late 1800-early 1900)

 Response to empirical realism of impressionism.

Most painters who subscribe to such movement rely on systematic and scientific
techniques that have a predetermined visual effect not only on the artwork itself
 but also on how the audience perceives the art.

Notable artists: Georges Seurat, Henri-Edmond Cross, Maximilien Luce, and
Camille Pissarro.

Georges Seurat. A Sunday on La Grande Jatte. 1884. 207.6 cm × 308 cm.

Art Institute of Chicago. Oil on canvas

ART NOUVEAU (c. 1890-1910)


This ornamental style of art was a break
from the conservative historicism, which
was the prevailing and dominant themes of
 most Western artworks.

Notable artists: Gustav Klimt, Alphonse
Mucha, Charles Rennie Mackintosh, and
Victor Horta

Gustav Klimt. The Kiss (Lovers). 1907–1908. 180 cm × 180 cm. Österreichische
Galerie Belvedere, Vienna. Oil and gold leaf on canvas.
 FAUVISM (c. 1904-1910)


What makes fauvists revolutionary is that they
used pure and vibrant colors by applying straight
from the paint tubes directly to the canvas—this
is done to produce a sense of an explosion of
 colors in the canvas.

Most fauvist works reject the conservative and
traditional renderings of three-dimensional
 space.

Notable artists: Henri Matisse, Andre Derain,
Georges Braque, and Kees van Dongen
Henri Matisse. Woman with a Hat.
1905. 81 cm x 60 cm. San Francisco
Museum of Modern Art. Oil on canvas

CUBISM (c. 1907-1914)


Cubism highlighted the two-dimensional
surface of the picture plane—focusing on a
flat surface was a rejection of the
 dominant techniques, e.g., use of
perspective, foreshortening, and
 modeling.

Notable artists: Pablo Picasso, Georges
Braque, Salvador Dali, Piet Mondrian, Frida
Kahlo, Marcel Duchamp, Vicente
Manansala, Ang Kiukok, and Cesar Legaspi
Pablo Picasso. Les Demoiselles d'Avignon. 1907.
244 x 234 cm. The Museum of Modern Art. Oil on
canvas

FUTURISM (c. early 1900)


Highlighted the speed, energy, dynamism,
 and power of machines.

Common themes in this movement are
restlessness and the fast-pace of modern
 life.

Notable artists: Umberto Boccioni,
Giacomo Balla, Gino Severini, Carlo Carra,
and Luigi Russolo

Gino Severini, 1912, Dynamic Hieroglyphic of

(Caslib et al., 2018 pp. 188-126) the Bal Tabarin, oil on canvas with sequins,
161.6 x 156.2 cm (63.6 x 61.5 in.), Museum
of Modern Art, New York
 SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIALS
Timelines of art periods and movements:
 Art Periods and Art Movements | LittleArtTalks
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfX1tvloLNA)
 How Art Arrived At Jackson Pollock
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1irNBh2qg8)
  A timeline of visual art movements
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyabu9mU1bk)

 Guide question: What’s the difference between art period and art movement?




TOPIC 3: CONTEMPORARY ART MOVEMENTS



In everyday language, the terms “modern” and “contemporary” are often used
interchangeably. In the context of art, however, they designate two distinct moments in
art history. There are specific definitions for both terms, and these definitions will help us
to establish an understanding of the images and themes that emerge in.

MODERN ART

Modern art dates from the late nineteenth through the early twentieth centuries
and refers to work that was entirely different from that which preceded it. This art broke
with convention, dealt with a new subject matter, focused on conceptual concerns, and
changed the position of the artist within society. Modernism began as a trend of thought
that emphasized the power of human beings to create, improve, and reshape their
environment, with the aid of scientific knowledge, technology, and practical
experimentation. Thus, in its essence, it is both progressive and optimistic.

The movement was initially an ideological reaction to the dehumanizing effects of
late-nineteenth-century industrialization. Otherworld events further inspired the
movement, including World War I (1914–1918) and World War II (1939–1945); huge
improvements in industry and technology as compared to the nineteenth century; the
rise in the power and influence of international corporations; increasing
interconnectedness across the globe in the form of cultural exchanges, transportation,
and communication; the spread of popular culture from Europe and North America
elsewhere; and the “Westernization” of many formerly traditional societies.

Modern art reflects a tendency toward abstract and nonrepresentational
depictions of the world. Many styles of art developed during the modern period, including
impressionism, fauvism, cubism, expressionism, surrealism, pop art, op art, art nouveau,
and art deco.


CONTEMPORARY ART

The term “contemporary art” is generally regarded as referring to work made

between 1970 and the present. It also implies art that is made by living artists, but
essentially contemporary art is seen as something that has never been done before. There
is no unifying ideology in contemporary art, and there are no schools, periods, or styles
as are associated with modern art. However, certain trends have emerged in
contemporary works.

Contemporary art emphasizes a rejection of the commercialization of the art

world, but it is often connected to the contemporary consumer-driven society.
Contemporary art often reflects a strong social consciousness, including themes such as
feminism, multiculturalism, globalization, bioengineering, and AIDS awareness. It
incorporates the widespread use of a variety of technology-based media. Contemporary
art blurs the distinctions between painting and sculpture through the use of everyday
objects and other non-traditional media in the final product.

Also, contemporary art includes large-scale installations that emphasize the

importance of an architectural context for art. Contemporary art often makes a
connection to the future, but it parallels many developments in contemporary society.
Contemporary artworks to explore our understanding and perception of art. This kind of
art challenges, defies, and excites; it crosses boundaries and asks us to question the
meanings of “high” and “low” art. Contemporary art breeds controversy and confronts
the viewer with challenging questions. This art forces a relationship to form among the
art, the artist, and the viewer. From this relationship, works of art gain new meaning.
Contemporary art unites new technologies and materials with traditional styles and
processes. The study of contemporary art can help people think in new directions by
focusing on the process of looking at and analyzing art, and contemporary artists hope
that viewers can translate these skills into their everyday lives.

CONTEMPORARY ART MOVEMENTS

Action painting underscored the

process of creation in that it showed
the physicality, direction, and most
often the spontaneity of the actions
that made the drips and strokes
possible.

Jackson Pollock. Number 1A. 1948. 172.7 ×

264.2 cm. The Museum of Modern Art, New
York City. Oil and enamel on canvas
Color fields emphasized the emotional power of the colors.
From the vivid demarcation to the more toned-down
transition, these bands of colors were skin to the effect of
landscapes.

Mark Rothko. White Center (Yellow, Pink and

Lavender on Rose). 1950. 2.06 m x 1.41 m.
Private collection. Oil paint

Creating energy was at the center of op-art or optical

art (the early 1960s onward). Much like was
discussed in the lesson on elements of art that
dimension can be implied even on the two-
dimensional surface of the plane, op-art 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.
Bridget Riley. Movement in Squares. 1961. 123.2
x 121.2cm. The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.
Tempera on hardboard

The quest for actual movement in the works created

was responded to by kinetic art (the early 1950s
onward). Harnessing the current and direction of the
wind, components of the predominantly sculptural
artwork, most were mobiles and even motor-driven
machines, was an example oh how art and technology
can be brought together. Artists known for creating
kinetic art were Naum Gabo, Alexander Calder, Jean
Tinguely, Bridget Riley, and Nicolas Schoffer.

Kinetic art. Gyula Kosice. Röyi. 1944.

w64 x h120 x d15 cm (overall). The
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Wood
joined with bolts and wing nuts
 Gutai (the 1950s-1970s) which means embodiment or
concreteness, preceded the later forms of performance
and conceptual art. The goal was not only to explore the
materiality of the implements used in the performance, but
also to hold a deeper desire to make sense of the
relationship that is struck between the body, the
movements, and the spirit of their interaction during the
process of creation.
Gutai. Shozo Shimamoto. Holes.
1954. 892 × 699 mm. Oil paint on
paper

Another movement was minimalism which 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"
the sparse.

Dan Flavin. A Primary Picture. 1964. Red, yellow, and blue

fluorescent light,2 ft. (61 cm) high, 4 ft. (122 cm) wide

The other movement is pop art. It first

emerged in the 1950s but found it footing
in the 1960s. It drew inspiration, sources,
and even materials from commercial
culture, making it one of the most
identifiable and relatable movements in
art history. Artists became increasingly
critical about how what was being
exhibited in art spaces had no relationship
with real life.
Andy Warhol. Campbell's Soup Cans. 1962. 51 cm × 41 cm.
The Museum of Modern Art. Synthetic polymer paint on
canvas
In the 1980s, there was a renewed interest in pop art—
neo-pop art—specifically to Andy Warhol's works and
his contemporaries. What made it different in pop art
was that it appropriated some of the first ideas of Dada
in which ready-made material was used for the artwork.

Jeff Koons. Puppy. 1992. 12 meters 40 cm x 830 cm x 910 cm.

Stainless steel, soil and flowering plants

The resurgence of
figurative art, where realistic deceptions are chosen,
is proof of how varied and fragmented
postmodernism is. In photorealism, painstaking
attention to details is aimed without asserting an
artist's style. This drawing and paintings are so
immaculate in their precision that it starts to look
like it is a photo without a direct reference to the
artist who created it.

Ralph Goings. Flowered table top. 1978. 25.4 x

25.4 cm. Watercolor and graphite on paper

Other movements were informed and shaped by pop art, such as conceptualism. As
opposed to celebrating commodities as references to real life, conceptualism fought
against the idea that art is a commodity. This movement is also brought to the fore issues
brought about art institutions such as museums, galleries where works are peddled and
circulated.

Joseph Kosuth. Clock (One and Five), English/Latin Version. 1965

Compared to the format of the traditional art, installation
art is a kind of immersive work where the environment or
space of which the viewer steps into or interacts with
(going around installation art) is transformed or altered.
Usually, large-scale installation art makes use of a host of
subjects, materials, conditions, and even light and aural
components.
Installation art. Marcel Duchamp Fountain, 1917, photograph by Alfred Stieglitz at 291 (art
gallery) following the 1917 Society of Independent Artists exhibit

Sometimes considered as kind or spin-off

installation art, earth art (or land art) is when
the natural environment or a specific site or
space is transformed by the artist. It is a kind
of human intervention into a specific
landscape or terrain. Earth art is different
from environmental art in the sense that it
does not focus on the subject (
environmental issues or concerns ) but rather
on landscape manipulation and the materials
used, taken directly from the ground or
Andy Goldsworthy. Touching North. 1989. 246 x 310 cm. vegetation ( rocks or twigs).

Street art is related to graffiti art as it is a

by-product of the rise of graffiti in the
1980s. Artworks created are not traditional
in format but are informed by illustrative,
painterly, and print techniques and even a
variety of media (even video projections).
Some of the examples of this include
murals, stenciled images, stickers, and
installations, or installative/sculptural
Jeft Aerosol. Chuuuttt!!! 2012. Paris, France
objects usually out of common objects and
techniques.
 SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIALS
Learning more about Contemporary Art Movements:
How to Learn About Contemporary Art | The Art Assignment | PBS Digital
Studios (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=An3L7hQdkOg)

Guide question: How do we understand contemporary art and the artworks

associated with it?

ASSESSMENT

MODERN/CONTEMPORARY ARTWORK

The different art periods and movements have produced variety and diversity in
works of art and on how artists present the world, their experiences, and imagination,
among others. In this requirement, create a work of art inspired by any art period or
movement. You can utilize any material (it doesn’t have to be new, you can reuse or
recycle materials found in your home). You can incorporate many art elements and
principles of design. At the end, you should be able to establish that your artwork
belongs to any of the art period or movement of your choice.

The standard size for the medium is 8.5 x 11 inches (size of a short bond paper).
Include a title of your work, a proper documentation, and a 5-sentences description
of your work in relation to the art period or art movement that your artwork is
inspired by or anchored to.
ASSESSMENT RUBRIC:
Creativity: 20 points
Art style: 10 points
Technique: 10 points
Realism/distortion: 5 points
Narrative: 5 points
Total: 50 points