- Paleolithic cave paintings and the Neolithic Susa vessel have a common subject matter; they both illustrate the animals, hunting scenes and cuneiform writings. The Paleolithic art which was made during the old stone period has two styles: Franco-Cantabrian which was attributed to the Cro-Magnon man whose designs depict horses, bison and cattle for their art subjects. The Neolithic art on the other hand was a new art formed in the new stone period. The style of Neolithic art was portable art is characterized of its ability to be moved from one place to another either by humans or by environment. The other is the stationary wherein the art forms are painted in caves that stayed in place and cannot be moved by humans.
- The Mesopotamian lyre of Ur falls under the category of musical instruments, specifically stringed instruments. Often called as the lyres of Ur, the subject matter of the front piece of the lyre is a bull’s head made of gold representing the god Shamash. On the bottom three rows, the painted scenes of burial rituals showing fables with animals which are made of shell set.
- The Civilization of Egypt is probably one of the greatest civilizations that ever lived on Earth. Along with its history and culture, art played an important role in the ancient Egyptian society for this is the method wherein they can honor their kings and queens as well as the gods and the souls of the dead. The sculptures of the ancient Egyptians during this time are closed. Skilled artisans of ancient Egypt sculpted only the death masks of pharaohs, tombs and pyramids. They also sculpted figures in caves as part of their respect in their culture and in their gods. For example, the statues located at the temple of Abu Simbel, the sculptors carved the head in proportion with its body. In addition, the hands of the statues were held quite close to the body as if the statues were hugging themselves.
- The architecture of Mesopotamia and Egypt had the pyramids as their common structural form. Ziggurats or the massive pyramids held important ceremonies and rituals spearheaded by the priests who also act as a messenger of the gods. In the Egyptian architecture, pyramid is also the tomb wherein the dead body of the pharaoh is laid, and important ceremonies are also held in that place.
- The Indus River Valley Civilization is the original civilization of India and Pakistan. The sculptures portray the human torso are perfectly proportioned and most of them are sculpted naked. The limbs are drilled in the holes made in the torsoto make the sculpture appear more realistic. In addition, sculptures of torso are left naked to show the gender of the subject.
- The Yellow River Valley Civilization of China was derived from the Yellow River or Huang He.Most of their artworks categories are based from religion and mythology. Artworks such as porcelain plates, scroll paintings are decorated with four gods representing the Chinese constellations.
- Greek Civilization is one of the most famous civilizations in the world that contributed highly in different fields such as art, music, science, architecture and many more fields of studies. Basically, from spear bearer; the unity, balance as well as the proportion of the body parts is achieved. Moreover, the Greeks sculpted statues (both Spear Bearer and Venus) in nude which shows their knowledge about the human anatomy had been clearly depicted based on the sculptures they made in the detailed appearances of the human body.
- Parthenon is a Greek temple made for Athena in the acropolis of Athens. Parthenon was made for a specific reason and it was to store the statue of the goddess Athena. In addition, the Greeks also wanted to create a temple wherein the geometrical asymmetry is depicted.
- The Greek artists sculpted statues that described a hero and a person who possess supernatural powers. In addition, they also sculpted naked portraits of a person. The Romans sculpted figures of clothed individuals’ specifically ordinary people who are engaged in daily activities.
- The Flying Horse of China is a physiognomic representation of a superior horse. Among its unique characteristics is its form which is depicted standing on a Flying Swallow. The horse’s three feet were set apart on its body whilst balancing the entire weight in its one foot. The Flying Horse also known as the heavenly steed lacks wings in contrast to the Pegasus of the Western World.
- The Standing Bodhisattva wore a style of drapery that characterizes the styles prevalent during the Sui Dynasty. He wears a short robe on top of his inner robe designed with a slanted collar along with a skirt which made the statue appear straighter. Along his neck, precious stones and a string of pearls were carved.
- Stupas are the Buddhist structures that serve as shrines to the worshippers and a house for relics. It is a dome-shaped architectural building which is a visual and architectural representation of Siddhartha Gautama’s (Buddha) cycle of life and death. Buddhists worship by meditating in temples or at homes.
- Shiva is the God of Destruction in Hinduism. He is also the lord of dance. In this position, Shiva portrays the image of the creator, preserver and the destroyer at the same time. His left foot elevated from the ground while the right foot was the on the ground for balance. The hands were placed on various positions as the whole statue was encased in a flaming halo.
- The Borobudur in Indonesia in Central Java, Indonesia is an architecture derived from the Indian and Buddhist influences. The king of the Saliendra Dynasty built the temple to honor Siddhartha Gautama. The temple was built on three tiers of bricks consisting of a pyramidal base with an inclusion of five concentric square terraces. The temple grounds was made of three circular platforms with a stupa located at the topmost part of the temple.
- The Islamic art decoration was derived from many sources: Early Christian, Byzantine and Roman. The decorative styles found in the in the Muslim artworks were commonly based on geometric-floral designs, Quran and calligraphy.
- A mihrab is a prayer niche or a door enclosed within a building. Worshippers line in front of the mihrab to pray. Although it might appear as a simple doorway, it was decorated with elaborate calligraphy to make it stand out from the rest of the architecture.
- In the Sultan Sanjar painting, the space was used in order to separate the main subject which is the king from the rest of the people on its background. In addition, the commoners were not allowed to be placed in proximity of the king; hence the space was a sign of respect in the painting. Furthermore, the purpose of the space is separate the characters from each other.
- In the Byzantine and the Early Christian art the attempt to create the realistic figures of humans decreased and they could no recreate the styles of the Greek and Romans. Two characteristics of the byzantine and Early Christian arts are human figures are drawn stiff, wooden and unrealistic in appearance.
- For Byzantine icons, the figures are usually drawn by applying the principles of inverse perspective. In contrast to linear perspective, wherein the nearest figures appear more smaller in addition to the images in the drawing which join in a one vanishing point. In the case of inverted perspective, it eliminates the space in the background of the painting which causes the images in the background to look more bigger that the figures in the foreground and the vanishing point is often located in the foreground which is closer to the audience vision. These principles highlight the Byzantine artists’ interest in flat surfaces and abstraction by keeping the viewers’ attention on the foreground.
- There are two art styles prevalent during the Middle Ages: the Romanesque art and the Medieval Gothic art. The Romanesque art style was developed in the early stage of the Middle Ages, which generally depict religious figures. Medieval Gothic art style emerged from the later part of the Middle Ages. Artists from the Medieval Gothic tore the traditional Byzantine and Romanesque influences and concentrated in depicting realistic images and figures. Both art styles were influenced by the Byzantine Art.
- The sculptor who is relief carving above the doorway of Saint Madeleine Cathedral of Vezelay, France is titled “Christ of the Pentecost”c.1125-1150. This work of art is an interpretation of the ending of the gospels of Matthew 28.16-20, Luke 24.44-53, John 21.1-25, and the longer ending in Mark 16.9-20. In the book “Art forms” written by Duane Preble and Sarah Preble, explain “As worshippers enter the sanctuary, the image above them depicts Christ at the time he asked the Apostles and all Christians to take his message to the world. (2002:282)” The message is “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” Matthew 28.19 Christ is the sculpted in the center than the other carvings. The swirls and folds of drapery are displayed by the smooth swirls represent the powerful symbolism of Christ.
- Gothic architecture emerged from Romanesque and was characterized by pointed lines and a much higher building structures. The inner structures were composed of flying buttresses and pointed arches with a ribbed vaulting and clerestory. One example of Gothic architecture was the Amiens Cathedral in Paris and Salisbury Cathedral in United Kingdom.
- Southern Renaissance in Europe focused more on the Greek and Roman mythology gods and goddesses. Because of the vibrant color used in paintings, it appears that the painter allowed his imagination to roam freely outside the boundaries of traditional arts. In addition, most subjects are painted in nude and well-proportioned body. Hence, the example of it is The Birth of Venus created by SandroBoticelli depicting the origin of Venus. The basis of the painting came from the Roman and Greek mythology.Furthermore, Titian’s work entitled The Rape of Europa is another example of Southern Renaissance artwork.
- Artists from the Northern Renaissance explored subjects such as landscape painting which features the earth and the surrounding environment while genre painting is the representation of people doing every day chores.
- Baroque sculpture is characterized by over exaggeration of detail and motion to portray tension, dramatic appearance and grandeur; hence, it is characterized primarily as a style of elaborate sculptural ornamentation.
- Katsura Detached Palace differs from the Palace of Versailles in two ways: architectural style and the use of space. Katsura Detached Palace is a typical Japanese architecture wherein there was a wide use of spaces inside the structures. There was no elaborate ornamentation and most of its designs are based on the Zen Buddhism. In contrast, the Palace of Versailles has a strikingly impressive marble inlaid Gothic and Baroque features and heavily decorated walls and ceilings. Most of its designs are based on the Renaissance movement and geometrical shapes.
- Artists especially from the Impressionism movement were influenced by the styles of Japanese prints. The characteristics of Japanese prints include the lack of shadow and perspective whilst flat areas of the subject were filled with strong colors. Moreover, compositional freedom is achieved by placing the subject off the center of the painting.
- Shinto is the indigenous faith of the Japanese people. It is the oldest religion of Japan spanning from the arrival of the Ainu tribes in the mainland Honshu. Shinto influenced the traditional weddings in Japan. In Japanese architecture, Shintoism also influenced the construction of buildings, houses and temples in Japan. One of it is the appreciation of life, purity, cleanliness and the simple way of living. By the simple way of living, most Japanese temples are constructed unadorned because they believed that the gods prefer the emptiness or simplicity in terms of area of aesthetics.
- Chinese brush painting is an ancient tradition in China. Most paintings are done on rice papers which absorb ink rapidly. The delicacy of the strokes represents the artists’ inner feelings. Commonly, the paintings are done within the influence of Tao. Typical design or motifs found in Chinese brush paintings are birds, flowers, animals and scenic landscapes which makes it a realistic portrayal.
- Chinese used watercolors and other pigments found in nature along with a special thin brush. The painters paint in silk scrolls and rice papers and their subjects depict nature scenery and animals.
- The TajMahal in India is a mausoleum built by Shah Jahan to his wife MumtazMahal. It is a tomb and made by white marble. On the outside, it is appears as a white structure in contrast with its colorful surroundings. The inside of TajMahal was decorated with precious stones and calligraphy. Because of the whiteness of the structure, it appears to be a paradise in the mortal world in the viewer’s eye.
- African masks often depict animals and faces humans. They are often used in rituals as visual representation of the gods and goddesses. The masks are often made of reed or wood and sometimes of beaten gold. The mask of a person symbolizes his standing in the society. The fourth mask represents the face of a human possibly the chieftain in the African society and is made of reed and wood.
- The painting of Melissa McKinnon entitled, Vina del Mar was inspired from the beautiful coastline of Chile. The artist’s use of translucent and colorful pigments and light brush strokes added the depth and beauty to the subject.
