NAME OF STUDENT:

PROGRAM/YR/SECTION:
INSTRUCTOR:
MODULE 3

TOPIC: THE WESTERN ART HISTORY

3.1 The Prehistoric Civilization

3.2 Medieval Arts in Europe
3.3 Western Arts
3.4 Classical Greek Arts

TIME FRAME: 5 hrs

INTRODUCTION

This chapter is an introduction to the artistic developments in Western Art from the cave
paintings of the prehistoric period to the modern times of art in Europe. The focus is on
monuments of architecture, sculpture and painting, which are analyzed in terms of their formal
aspects, their stylistic associations, their symbolic content, and their historical and societal
contexts.

OBJECTIVES:
At the end of this lesson, students are expected to:
 describe the history of Art in Prehistoric Civilization;
 demonstrate understanding on the Medieval arts in Europe; and
 identify the famous artists in Western Europe and their works of art.

PRE-TEST
As a preliminary activity for the topic, write your perception on the picture below.

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LEARNING MODULE SURIGAO DEL NORTE STATE UNIVERSITY
LEARNING ACTIVITY

Assigned Reading/text

Art in Prehistoric Civilization

The term ―prehistoric‖ relates to the time before written history. Specifically, the writing
developed in ancient Mesopotamia before 3000 B.C.E. This period invludes visual culture
(paintings, sculpture, and architecture) made before that date (Zucker, 2015). The oldest
recognized decorative art forms come from Africa date back to 100,000 BC.E.

Prehistoric art has four main periods: Stone Age, Neolithic, Bronze Age, and Iron Age. The
remaining artifacts of this period are small sculptures and cave paintings. During these early
times, different forms of art were created and performed as a sign of communication or
adoration to the deity. This practice shows how cultural and religious factors played little to the
development of the art forms that made the ancient society so famous until now.

Ancient people often represented their worldviews

and beliefs through visual images. Art emerged with
the appearance and the dispersal of entirely modern
people through Africa, Asia, Australia, America and
Europe. Paintings, sculptures, engravings, and
potteries are expressions for beauty and complex
social and spiritual systems. Prehistoric art like
animals are the favorite subjects of hunters,
herdsmen, and breeders.

Prehistoric art is a symbolic system that is an integral

part of the culture that creates it (Honour et al., Figure 1 El Castillo Cave Painting, Spain
2005). Many archaelogists have identified Stone Age
art, namely: petroglyphs (rock carvings and engravings); pictographs (graphic imagery,
symbols); ancient sculpture (totemic statues, ivory carvings); and megalithic arts (performs or
any other works associated with the formation of stones).

The oldest European cave art is the El Castillo Cave (Cave of the Castle) in Spain. This cave
was discovered in 1903 by Hermilio Alcalde del Rio, a Spanish archaeologist. Some
Archaeologists argue that artwork inside this cave are probably a creation of
Homoneanderthalensis. Hand stencils, claviforms (club shapes) and disksmade by blowing
paint onto the wall in El Castillo cave found that date back at least 40,800 years, making them
older than those of the Chauvet Cave in central France, which dated to around 39,000 years
(Kwong, 2012). Other old cave painting sites in France include Lascaux, Grotte de Cussac,
Pech Merle, Cave of Niaux, and Fontde-Gaume.

Stone Tools for Art Making

Stone is formed based on the composition of minerals on it. It is classified as Mineral growth,
Sedimentary, Metamorphic, and Volcanic. Sedimentary rocks shaped through the deposition
and compression of particulate matter. On the other hand, Metamorphic rocks changed from the
result of extreme temperature and pressure. Volcanic rocks are from molten igneous magma
(Prindle, 1994).

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The tools made of stone were the instruments by

which early man developed and progressed. All
human culture founded on the ingenuity and
brainpower of our early ancestors in creating
sophisticated tools that enable them to survive.
The first stone tools (eoliths – which are now
believed to be naturally produced by geological
processes such as glaciation) and other types of
organic materials (wood, bone, ivory, and antler)
were about two million years ago. The oldest
human tools were a simple stone chopper, such
as those unearth at Olduvai George in Tanzania.
Many Paleoanthropologists (people who study
origins and predecessors of the present human Figure 2 Stone Age tools and weapons in a Museum
species) confirmed that the Palaeolithic Man
produced four types of tools in creating an art namely: pebble tools (with a single sharpened
edge for cutting or chopping): Bifacial tools (hand axes); Flake tools; and Blade tools.

Pebble Tools (Pebble chopper). It is a first cutting device and considered as the oldest
type of tool made by humans. The tool contains a rounded stone struck some blows with
a similar stone used as a pounder, which created a serrated crest that served as a
chopping blade.

Bifacial tools. It is a hand ax prehistoric stone tool flake with two faces or sides. These
tools may be oval , triangular, or almond-shaped in form and characterized by axial
symmetry. The cutting edge could be straight or jagged and is used as a knife, pick,
scraper, or weapon. The technique was distinctive of the hand-ax tradition of the lower
Palaeolithic period and the Aucheulian culture.

Flake tools. These are hand tools used during Stone Age. They are usually formed by
crushing off a small or large fragment then used as the tool. Both cores and flakes could
be as stone tools. New flakes were very sharp, but quickly became blunt during use and
had to be sharpened again by further flaking, a process called ―retouch‖.

Blade tools. These are a Stone tool created by striking a long narrow flake from a stone
core. This procedure of cutting the stone and creating the blades is called lithic
reduction. After chipping the blades, they integrated into larger tools, such as spears.

Medieval Arts in Europe

The primitive art of the Western world covers an extensive range of time and place of over 1000
years. Specifically, Medieval art in Europe grew out of the artistic culture of the Roman Empire
and the iconographic practices in the church of the early Christian (Oliquiano, 2012). These
sources were mixed with the influential ―barbarian‖ artistic culture of Northern Europe to make
an estraordinary creative legacy. Medieval art portrayed in Pietistic painting (religious art)
displayed in Ceramics, fresco and mosaic paintings, Goldsmith and Silversmith, Stained Glass,
illuminated manuscripts, metalwork, Tapestry, and Heraldry in churches.

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a. Illuminated Manuscripts (Illumination) – They were colorful religious texts which often
use of gold and silver as its main feature. It is the embellishment of a manuscript with bright
colors. The artist who produced the impressive artwork on illuminated manuscripts was called
Illuminators.

b. Metalwork – Metalworkers were very skilled in creating religious objects for church
decorations. Experts in Bronze art produced beautiful jewels, sculptures, and even church
doors.
c. Silversmith and Goldsmith – They were excellent artists who created new shapes of
jewelry. The Medieval church demanded to employ silversmiths and goldsmiths in the church to
produce religious items with precious materials that are worthy of the divine service.

d. Mosaics - It is the art of

crafting figures with small pieces of
colored glass, stone or other
materials. The early Christians used
ceiling and wall mosaics in their
churches and cathedrals.

e. Paintings – Artists who

were skillful in Iconography uses
Fresco and panel painting with a
religious theme during the medieval
period. Fresco is performed mostly
on wall covers or ceilings. Likewise, Figure 3 Apse c. 1200 Mosaic San Paolo fuori le Mura, Rome
Panels is a painting which showed on
several pieces of wood that joined together.

f. Bayeux Tapestry – It is embroidery in colored wool. It consists of eight long strips of

unbleached linen, sewn together to form a continuous panel of 230 feet long and 20 inches
high.

g. Ceramics – They were hand shaped cooking pots, jars, and pitchers.

h. Stained Glass – It is usually applied exclusively to the windows of medieval churches,

castles, and cathedrals. It creates the primary form of art where small pieces of glass are
arranged to form pictures or patterns which are held together by strips of lead and supported by
a hard frame.

i. Heraldy – It is the manner of designing coats of arms and insignia. Specimens of coats
of arms were worked using embroidery, paper, painted wood, stonework and stained glass.

Famous Artists in Western Europe

Great artists introduced the advancement of arts during the middle periods. During this era,
artists split away from the influences of the Byzantium art style and developed into the Gothic
visual art. The Medieval painters and sculptures were founders of the movement towards
greater realism which culminated in the Renaissance art style. Most famous artists during
medieval period were Donatello, Giotto, Leon Battista Alberti, Cimabue, Filippo Brunelleschi,

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Fra Angelico and Lorenzo Ghiberti.

1. Donatello (also known as Donato di Niccolo di Betto Bardi). He

was born in 1386 in Italy. He was the son of Nicolo di Betto Bardi, a
wool merchant in Florence. He learned the fabrication of metals
and other substances which known as metallurgy. His most famous
work of art include David, Mary Magdalene, Madonna, Salome,
Zuccone, and St. Mark, St. John the Evangelist and St. George and
the Dragon.

2. Giotto di Bondone (born 1266–67/1276, Vespignano, near

Florence [Italy]—died January 8, 1337, Florence), the most
important Italian painter of the 14th century, whose works point to
the innovations of the Renaissance style that developed a century Figure 4 Statue of Donatello
later.

3. Leon Battista Alberti. An Italian Renaissance humanist author, artist, architect, poet, priest,
linguist, philosopher and cryptographer; he epitomised the Renaissance Man.

4. Giovanni Cimabue, also known as Cenni di Pepo or Cenni di Pepi, was an Italian painter and
designer of mosaics from Florence. Although heavily influenced by Byzantine models, Cimabue
is generally regarded as one of the first great Italian painters to
break from the Italo-Byzantine style.

5. Filippo Brunelleshi. Considered to be a founding father of

Renaissance architecture, was an Italian architect and
designer, and is now recognised to be the first modern
engineer, planner, and sole construction supervisor.

6. Fra Angelico was an Italian painter of the Early Renaissance,

described by Vasari in his Lives of the Artists as having "a rare
and perfect talent". He earned his reputation primarily for with
the series of frescoes he made for his own friary, San Marco, in
Florence.

7. Lorenzo Ghiberti, born Lorenzo di Bartolo, was a Florentine

Figure 5 Fra Angelico Italian artist of the Early Renaissance best known as the creator
of the bronze doors of the Florence Baptistery, called by
Michelangelo the Gates of Paradise. Trained as a goldsmith and sculptor, he established an
important workshop for sculpture in metal.

Most Common Paintings in Classical Greek

During the classical era, most paintings were discovered in panels, tomb, and vases. It portrays
natural symbols with dynamic masterpieces about battle scenes, mythological figures, and
everyday scenes. It also discloses a gasp of linear perspective and naturalist illustration (Rayos,
2018). Familiar paintings in classical Greek are as follows:

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a. Kerch Vase Painting

Kerch Vase is red-figured pottery names after the place where it discovered. Most common
motifs were scenes from the life of women, mythological beings or mythical story or event. This
type of painting used a technique known as polychromy which combined different colors
especially the brilliant one in an artistic manner. The shapes commonly found are:

a. Krater (it is a bowl used for mixing wine and water)

b. lebesgamikos ( a container with high handles and lid use to carry bridal bath)
c. lekanis (a low bowl with two horizontal handles and a small, broad foot)
d. pelike (a wine container)

b. Panel Painting

Panel painting was especially famous for making beautiful altar pieces. This type of paintings
executed on flat panels of wood or metals which can be either a small, single piece or several
boards that are together. The earliest known old painting is the Pitsa Panel (dated between 540
and 530 B.C.E.).

c. Tomb/Wall Painting

Popular Tomb or wall painting during classical period uses either tempera (water-based) or
encaustic (wax) as a method of fresco. Colors in this type are made with grind powder stains in
pure water, dry and set with plaster to become a lasting part of the wall.

Figure 6 The Tomb of the Leopards, an Etruscan necropolis at Tarquinia, Italy, 480-450 B.C.
Photograph

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Let’s do It!

Imagine how the prehistoric people were able to make an artwork all over the caves. Make your
style of cave art using a stone as your working canvas and another stone as your medium to
create an artwork. Take a picture of your output and discuss your insights.

Materials:

 Flat rock (any shape)

 Stones (with sharp edges)
 White Glue

Procedure:

1. Using a sharp-edged rock, scratch the flat rock with your desired design.

2. After designing your stone, put varnish utilizing a mixture of white glue diluted with water to
preserve your plan on it. Your design should imitate the character of a prehistoric artwork.

SELF EVALUATION
Match type: Match Column A to B. Write the letter of the correct answer on the box provided
before each item.

Column A Column B
1. It is a way to communicate beliefs and express ideas a. artifacts
about the human experience.
2. It refers to the time before written history. b. Pictographs
3. It is an archaeological material of small sculptures c. Megalithic arts
and paintings found in caves.
4. It refers to rock carvings and engravings. d. Ceramics
5. This applies to pictorial imagery or symbols. e. Polychromy
6. This refers to totemic statues and ivory carvings. f. Pebble chopper
7. This relates to petroforms or any other works g. sculpture
associated with the formation of stones.
8. It is a club shape and disks made by blowing paint h. Fresco
onto the wall in El Castillo cave.
9. They were hand shaped which produced cooking i. Bifacial
pots and jars.
10. They were religious texts embellished with vibrant j. Pitsa
colors which often featured the use of gold and silver.
11. It is a primordial cutting tool and considered as the k. Claviform
oldest type of device made by humans.

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12. This tool may be oval, triangular, or almond-shaped l. Illuminated Manuscripts

in form and characterized by axial symmetry.
13. It is a method of painting water-based pigments on m. prehistory
a freshly applied plaster usually on a wall surfaces.
14. It is known as the earliest panel painting during the n. Petroglyphs
Archaic period between 540 and 530 B.C.E.
15. It is the combination of different colors especially o. Art
the brilliant one in an artistic manner.

REVIEW OF CONCEPTS

Cave art - generally, the numerous paintings and engravings found in caves and shelters dating
back to the Ice Age (Upper Paleolithic), roughly between 40,000 and 14,000 years ago.

Classical - was an era of classical music between roughly 1730 and 1820. The Classical period falls
between the Baroque and the Romantic periods. Classical music has a lighter, clearer texture than
Baroque music and is less complex.

Medieval period – Middle Ages or Medieval Period lasted from the 5th to the 15th century. It began
with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and merged into the Renaissance and the Age of Discovery.

Renaissance – The Renaissance was a fervent period of European cultural, artistic, political and
economic “rebirth” following the Middle Ages. Generally described as taking place from the 14th century
to the 17th century, the Renaissance promoted the rediscovery of classical philosophy, literature and
art.

POST-TEST

Essay. Answer the following questions.

1. How do you describe art as a cultural document?

2. In your own opinion, what are the purposes of art during ancient time in Europe?

3. Why were ancient arts mostly found in Caves? What are their significant values?

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4. What is the importance of Stone during Paleolithic period? Explain.

5. What art legacy do you like most during ancient Europe? Explain.

REFERENCES

Ramos, Arnulfo B. (2018). Art Appreciation for the New General Education Curriculum. First
Edition. 65 Arellano St., Davao City: SMKC Printshoppe

Images’ Sources:
Figure 15 - Wikipedia
Figure 16. Kidz Feed
Figure 17. WikiArt
Figure 18. WikiArt
Figure 19 wikiart
Figure 20 Alamy

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