The history of Art has continuously changed over time, and will continue to do so as long as humanity continues to evolve and time continues to go on. The author of Art History, Marilyn Stokstad, eases the reader into this mindset very early on. She explains that slight changes in the economy, climate, what is expected socially or cultural differences can shift the way Art is viewed and created forever. Early African Art and Gothic Art, both of which Stokstad clearly and concisely summarizes within two enthralling chapters, are both two unique genres, so different from one another that it seems nearly impossible to relate the two at a first glance. The way they structured architecture and artwork are vastly different, and are from incredibly …show more content…
Stokstad describes the belief that Africa is the cradle of history of mankind and how that belief is quite unshakeable. Origins of African art date back long before recorded history, and is many centuries old. The basic subject within African art is the human figure. The art aspect of this culture deals with strong formal qualities which were exhibited with the strong design features that create balance and harmony, as seen in almost all pieces of work from this time. There are quite a few subgenres to African Art, which Stokstad demonstrates as the chapter progresses, and the earliest art form in Africa goes by the title of Rock Art1. Africa contains the oldest and greatest amount of Rock Art on Earth. The Saharan Rock art is located in central Sahara contains images that span a period of thousands of years. The earliest work of rock art is thought to date from at least 8000 …show more content…
Stokstad explains how most of these sculptures are now only mere fragments of figures, and come from the Nok culture of Nigeria. They are dated around 500 BC through 200 AD2. But these pottery sculptures aren't the only figures that derive from African art - the Igbo Ukwu Metal Sculptures and carvings also fall within this category. They are made of cast metal, as it is the only material that withstood the continents termites. They are found mainly in Eastern Nigeria and date back to the ninth and tenth century CE. Many of these figures are life-size heads and masks or smaller full length figures which achieve realism and reflect the utmost respect and quality that we, now looking back, admire in traditional African sculpts. While Stokstad refers to African art as being the beginning of all art, it is not the only significant or important art style which helped change and shape modern art forever. Gothic Art which originated in the powerful monarchy of Paris dominated much of European art and architecture for over four hundred years, beginning as early as the year 1100. During this year, the monumental sculpture on walls of cathedrals and abbeys in Ile-de-France were built. As seen in African art, there are distinct subcategories that these art types can fall into and which Stokstad goes over quite
The display of Benin art in museum and galleries reflect the attitudes and perceptions of Europeans towards non-western artefacts, especially African. Thus as European attitudes change towards non-western art since the discovery of Benin art in 1897, Benin art has been revaluated and re-categorised.
Many African cultures see life as a cycle we are born, we grow and mature, enter adulthood, and one day we will eventually die but the cycle continues long after death. In Africa art is used as a way to express many things in their society, in this paper I will focus on different ways traditional African art are used to describe the cycle of one’s life. Since Africa is such a large continent it is important to keep in mind that every country and tribe has different rituals and views when it comes to the cycle of life. It is estimated to be well over a thousand different ethnic groups and cultures in Africa today. Thousands of cultures in Africa see the stages of life bound together in a continuous cycle; a cycle of birth, growth, maturity,
Western attitudes to African people and culture have always affected how their art was appreciated and this has also coloured the response to the art from Benin.
Frieda Kahlo was born Magdalena Carmen Frieda Kahlo y Calderon in Coyoacan, Mexico, July 6th, 1907. She did not in the first place plan to become a creator; she entered a pre-Master of Education system in Mexico City. She endured more than large integer dealing in her brio time and during her convalescence she began to discomfit. Her beaux-arts, mostly self-portraits and still life, filled with the colors and forms of Mexican folk art. Frieda created some 200 spacing’s, artistic production and sketches germane to her education in life, physical and aroused pain and her churning relationship with her ex husband Diego. She produced 143 beaux arts, lv of which are self-portraits. At the time of her exhibition first step, Frieda’s health was such that her Doctor told her that she was not to leave her patch. She insisted that she was going to wait on her opening, and, in Frieda style, she did. She arrived in an ambulance and her bed in the backward of a transport. She was placed in her bed and four men carried her in to the waiting guests.
words that help capture what is medieval art. The artists behind these pieces of artwork
Art is defined as works created by artists, including, but not limited to paintings, sculptures, etc., that are created to be beautiful or to express important ideas or feelings (Merriam Webster). As the late 1800’s and early 1900’s began to set in, African art started its migration from the land of its origin, into the settings of European and American art galleries and exhibits. Modern artists were drawn to African sculpture because of its sophisticated approach to the abstraction of the human figure. During this time period artists like Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse, were thriving in trend setting for the entire art community. During the early 1900s, the aesthetics of traditional African sculpture became a powerful influence among European
When walking around a city, you may notice that the architecture and art look similar to other works. Many of these designs have changed along the course of history and time whilst others have not. The designs that many people still see in society and day to day living is from two of the many cultures of the old civilizations, Roman and Islamic. The art and architecture forms from the Islamic and Roman cultures have many comparisons and contrasts between them. They, the Islamic and Roman nations, have both adopted from other cultures and have made their own discoveries in the art and architecture worlds. The Roman and Islamic architecture and art vary drastically from each other and yet have varying comparisons between the two.
After the Middle Ages, the Renaissance took place in 1350-1550. During this period, new ideas about cultures, arts and inventions formed. Art was one of the most influential out of cultures and inventions. With art, artists were able to exemplify realism, humanism, and secularism. Art did not just show paintings. It showed different views of the Renaissance.
The start of the Renaissance ended the period in which we refer to as the Middle Ages. The Renaissance began in the 14th century, an age of great creativity and change in many areas. Classical ideas were modified, and political, social, economic, and cultural values were reborn as a result of the achievements of certain individuals. Occurring subsequently, the Reformation was an upheaval of beliefs in religious, political, intellectual, and cultural views that caused fragmentation in Catholic Europe. The era of the Renaissance and Reformation were a significant point in history which effectively ended the medieval period, creating a revolutionary departure from the Middle Ages. The Renaissance Period was a rebirth of ideas and concepts after the Middle Ages, the cultural movement focusing on art, history, and literature, all of which had a considerable impact upon Christianity.
Pop art is an art movement that questions the traditions of fine art and incorporates images from popular culture. Neo-Dada is an art trend that shares similarities in the method and/or intent to Dada art pieces. Both these movements emerged around the same time periods in history, the 1950s and 1960s, and artists from both generally got their inspiration from the Dada movement, which developed in the early 20th century. The movement altered how people viewed art, and it presented a variety of new methods and styles. Dada artists, also known as Dadaists, believed in showing their anti-war beliefs through their artwork. The Dada movement produced a different style of art, and pieces created controversy because they were outside the realm of what society considered art and what was expected and acceptable. This set in motion a chance for artists to be able to create the kind of artwork that inspires them, even though it was considered unorthodox. Even though they were controversial, many pieces that were created during Dada heavily influenced other styles of art to come after, such as Neo-Dada and Pop art. The influence of Dada can be seen in Robert Rauschenberg’s work, who was a Neo-Dadaist, and it can also be seen through Andy Warhol’s work, a Pop artist. Even though Dada affected both artists, they created very different pieces. This paper will analyze Warhol’s Campbell’s Soup Cans and Rauschenberg’s White Painting (Three Panel) and discuss how they were impacted differently by the Dada movement, and why they are each considered to be different styles of artwork. The time in history of each artist was the same, and the same movement influenced them both, but the outcome of the art that they each created was incredibly different....
From Mark Twain to Vincent van Gogh, each genre of art comes with its greatest master. There are many compelling arguments to why this specific artist, musician or writer is the best in their category. In modern days, we don’t have a Mozart, or a Hemingway or even an Andy Warhol. There are many good artists of their own kind and many more are emerging thanks to new technology and new forms of media art. However, many arguments are made as to why these forms of art aren’t considered true forms of art. A few years back and even today, many argue that digital paintings aren’t real art so it is not surprising when people don’t think of a video game as an art form, but it is. The world is at constant change and so is art.
Most art has some sort of reason or purpose behind it. It might be religious, symbolic, literal, traditional, customary, or just a preference by the artist. Most African art has a symbolic reason. Masks, pottery, figures, portraits, jewelry, baskets and clothing reflect the religious belief of the different tribes. Africans believed that everything in nature is alive. For example: rocks, grass, plants, trees, rivers and mountains. African art was not popular and was looked down upon until recently. In Nigeria, people were tattooed as a test of courage. The figure- “Portrait Head of a King (Oni)” reflects this. The King has this tattooing on his entire face. The King has big slanted eyes, a prominent nose, and big full lips. All these things represented something to the Nigerian people; the King...
The way we live today, was not how the world lived years ago. There were many different time periods that tried many different ways of living; many failed. The Renaissance, which also means rebirth, went on from the 14th to the 17th century. A connection the people of the modern life to the renaissance is the motivation; money, fame, and power. Aspects of the Renaissance time period helped shape a lot of art, literature, and technology we have today. It originated in Florence, Italy and soon spread throughout western Europe. The Renaissance is widely known for the innovation of new technology and ideas.
The end of the Middle Ages and the beginning of new era, the beginning of the transition from feudal to bourgeois medieval society, when the foundations of the feudal social way of life were shattered, and the bourgeois-capitalist relations have not yet emerged with all their mercantile morality and soulless hypocrisy, is known as the Renaissance. The love of aristocracy for wealth and splendor were provocative, where the Church considered as a clear access to the political power. Rome itself became the biblical Babylon, which dominated by corruption, unbelief and immorality. The era of free urban communes was short, the era of tyranny began shortly. A commercial rivalry among the European cities eventually turned into a bloody rivalry. In this complex world of the Renaissance were working artists, dreaming about the utopia and embodying their perfect world in their art.
Subsequent to the study of different philosophies of art, as well as completing projects asking for personal preference in art as well as objective “fine art,” a personal philosophy may, by necessity, include subjective and objective facets. In determining what fine art is, the quality of universality is important. There also does not have to be a traditional presentation of beauty for a work of art to be fine art. Contrary to R. G. Collingwood’s philosophy, for fine art the culture and setting in which art is created should not matter, because if art is universal and timeless, meaning endures outside of where and when it was created. Evaluation of art can be subjective, but fine art is universally appreciated regardless of understanding background,