You are on page 1of 74

The History of Painting

Pre-Historical Painting (40,000 BC 9000 BC) Paintings were focused on animal spear and other rudimentary materials

Greek Art
Prehistoric Greek Art: four periods

1. Formative or PreGreek period motif was sea and nature

2. First Greek period largely Egyptian influence

3. Golden Age (480BC 400BC)

4. Hellenistic Period (4th century 1st BC) -Heightened individualism, tragic mood, and contorted faces (lacaustic painting)

The subject matters of painting were on young wide males, draped female, wounded soldiers, scenes from everyday life.

Roman Art
1. Etruscan Period (2000 1000 BC) - Subject matters of painting were on ancestor worship; catacombs and sarcophagi.

2. Roman Period (2000 BC 400 AB) -The subject matters of painting were commemorative statues, sarcophagi, frescoes, designs with vine motives

The art served the cult of ancestors and defied emperors.

Medieval Period 1. Early Christian Art Subject matters were symbols: cross, fish lambs, alpha and omega, triumphal wreaths, grapes, doves, and peacocks.

-Later development: haloed Christ, saints and the Virgin Mary, and martyrs.

-Spiritual expression took precedence over physical beauty; emphasis on spiritual symbols

2. Byzantine art
-Subject matters of painting were Christ as the Creator, and Mary as the Mother of God.

3. Gothic Art

-The subject matter of painting were religious and grotesque

-More calm and plastic style

-The picture of the Madonna and Child gazing into each others eyes in playful mood is an example of this style.

Franco-Flemish Painting -Portable easel paintings and oil paintings were utilized

Illustrations consisting of altar pieces with general wings that open and close.

- Childrens faces were painted like small adults; spectator was even drawn into the picture.

-Landscape was placed within the pictures by the open window technique where faraway landscape of towns, people and river were seen.

Renaissance Art Three periods

1.Early Renaissance (14th-15th century)

-The styles of paintings are simplicity pretty, gesture and expression

-Painting was on man and nature in fresco technique

2.High Renaissance (16th century)

- Its centre was in Florence, Venice and Rome

-Painting style consists of the deepening of pictorial space, making the sky ore dramatic with dark clouds and flashes of light.

-Da Vinci introduced the chiaroscuro; Michaelangelo dramatized the position of figures in his famous contrapuestotwists

3. Mannerism period

-Subject matter is on human figure with the use of oil painting and color.

- Colors were sumptuous, warm and sensual.

Famous painters: Giotto, Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael Sanzio, and Michaelangelo.

Baroque Art
-Paintings style is ornate and fantastic appealing to the emotion, sensual and highly decorative; with light and shadow for dramatic effect.

- Paintings showed figures in diagonal, twists, and zigzags.

Famous painters in this period: Paul Rubens, Rembrandt, El Greco, Diego Velasquez, and Murillo.

Rococo Art

- Painting style emphasized voluptuousness , picturesque and intimate presentation of farm and country.

- Rococo art technique made use of soft pastel colors rendering the landscape smoking, and hazy with the subject always in the center of the canvas.

Famous painters: Watteau, Fragonard, Hogarth, Reynolds, and Ingres.

Romantic Art -The emphasis of painting is on the painters reactions to past events, landscapes, and people.

- Famous painter: Francisco Goya

19th Century Painting (Modern Art) Art was aimed to please the public. Various movements appeared.

1. Impressionists -Paul Cezanne was the greatest impressionist and the Father of Modern Art

- His efforts were toward the achievement of simplicity, brilliance and perfect balance in art, brightness of colors and sense of depth in art.

2.Expressionists

Vincent Van Gogh was the Father of Expressio nism

He used bright, pure colors mixed on the palette but applied to the canvas in small dots or strokes replying on the beholders eyes to see them together.

3. Simplicity in art

- Paul Gauguin was in his artistic style.

He studied the technique of craftsmen, applied these to his canvas, simplifying the outline of forms but strong patches of colors.

You might also like