Are you interested in learning about civilization’s art history? Do you enjoy knowing about ancient civilizations’ art timelines and the history of art timelines?
So stay with us in this article because we want to provide helpful information about art in early civilization summary and art and civilization.
What is Ancient Art?
The arts include creative expression, storytelling, and the cultural participation of humans. The arts in a particular tradition are often born through study, teaching, or conscious theorizing. In the same way, they have been transferred to the next generations and even between different civilizations.
In response to the question of what art is, we must say that art is a means through which people cultivate distinct social, cultural, and individual identities.
The civilization’s art history conveys values, judgments, and sometimes different ideas.
By examining art in different civilizations, we can understand people’s views, spiritual meanings, life patterns, and experiences over time and space.
What kind of art is ancient art?
Ancient art includes different types of art. Advanced cultures of ancient societies created ancient art.
Writing has been one of the main ways to show art in various ancient societies such as ancient China, India, Greece and Rome, Mesopotamia, Iran, Palestine, and Egypt. So we always conclude that the invention of calligraphy has dramatically helped preserve ancient arts.
Ancient civilization art timeline
Now that you know how ancient art is in civilizations, In the following, we discuss some essential items from the history of the art timeline. In the rest of this article, you will get acquainted with art in an early civilization summary.
Ancient egyptian art history
(4000 BCE – 30 BCE)
If we do not consider the Neolithic and pre-dynastic cultures from 6000 to 3200 BC, the art and culture of Egypt were a superpower for more than 3100 years.
Narmer was the first ruler to unite Egypt. He was able to promote art and language in Egypt until the conquest of Egypt by Alexander the Great 2800 years later.
He encouraged artists to create several of the ancient world’s greatest wonders.
Read more :powerful ancient kings in the Middle East
We state an exciting point so you can understand the change of views throughout history.
In the past, in ancient Egypt, egyptian makeup was considered a form of worship, and women and men wore makeup during prayer. Whereas today, applying makeup seems to be a modern art to be more beautiful.
So we conclude how important is the study of civilization’s art history because we notice the change of views during history.
The most significant art in ancient Egypt
- Palette of Narmer
- Gebel el-Arak Knife
- Pyramid of Djoser
- Giza Pyramid Complex
- Great Sphinx of Giza
- Head of Man with Bows
- Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut
- Egyptian Vessel
- Luxor Temple
- Akhenaton Bust
- Bust of Nefertiti
- Akhenaten and Nefertiti
- Canopic Jars
- Aafenmut Canopic Jars
mesopotamian art facts
Archaeologists have found no known works of art in the highlands of Mesopotamia. (Murray, 2007) But Mesopotamia is famous for the art of poetry, war, and the invention of law throughout history.
The civilization’s art history and art of writing, and the creativity of written language is the most critical turning point in the history of humanity. Did you know that we owe the art of writing to accountants? Accountants played a vital role in the invention of handwriting in ancient times.
Human civilization gradually progressed in this ancient region.
Around 4500 BC, people made metal tools. Other arts such as spinning became popular, and a little later, the invention of the spinning wheel led to the development of this art.
At that time, people were busy teaching and learning the arts of pottery and spinning to meet their needs.
Read more : 10 oldest civilization in the world
The most famous mesopotamian art
- Votive Figurines from Eshnunna
- Perforated plaque of Dudu
- Clay Nails – A Treaty of Fraternity
- Cone of Entemena
- Inscription by Naram-Sin: Temple Construction
- Male Worshiper of Ninshubur
- Victory Stele of Naram-Sin
- Bull Head from Girsu (Telloh)
famous ancient chinese art
(2070 BCE – 256 BCE)
The line between history and myth narrows When examining civilization’s art history. According to historians, ancient China had a unique culture and art.
When we examine the history of ancient China, we find that Lord Yu ended the Xia dynasty. At that time, China had significant urban development. Ancient Chinese arts were also well advanced, and people produced various advanced bronze tools and agriculture.
The most significant ancient chinese artifacts
- Jar with Dragons
- Ritual grain server (Gui)
- Zhong Bell
- Ritual wine cup
- Hafted axe with dragons
- Ritual wine warmer (Jia)
Ancient greek art and architecture
(800 BCE – 31 BCE)
The Greek language in 800 BC led to Greek culture and art development. The Greeks developed the first democratic system of government. They devoted their time to education in addition to art. The view of the Greeks towards sports was more unity.
Greek art was like their culture, a story of the whole brain obsessed with perfection. They were very artistic in decorating pottery and mosaics and had a philosophical view of art. At first, the art style of the Greeks was similar to the simple and stylized forms of Aegean art. The art of the Greeks was more natural, and they paid a lot of attention to details.
In ancient times, Greece was constantly fighting with Iran. Therefore, at that time, the culture and art of the Greeks changed to some extent.
famous ancient greek artists and their work
- Peplos Kore
- Greek Drinking Vessel
- Vix Krater
- Tetradrachm
Ancient art examples and description
In this article, you have gained valuable information about ancient art. Next, we will discuss the art history summary and describe the history of the peak of various arts in ancient times. This way, you will understand what kind of art reached its glory and power at what time.
Ancient art Before 500 AD
ancient Art:
- Egyptian
- Greeks
- Hellenists
- Romans
Art civilization 500-1550 AD
Medieval Art:
- Early Christianity
- Celtic
- Byzantium
- Coptic
- orthodox
- Roman and Gothic
- Islamic
Art civilization 1400-1600 AD
Renaissance Art:
- Early Renaissance with late Gothic elements
- Northern Renaissance
- Italian Renaissance or High Renaissance
- Late Renaissance
- Mannerism
- Transitional period
Ancient art 1600-1725 AD
Baroque Art:
- Landscape paintings
- General still life
- Still life of fruit bowls
- Dramatic use of light and shadow
- Paintings are dramatic and emotional moments
Ancient art 1720-1760 AD
Rococo Art:
- Depicting the domestic lifestyle
- Nobles in elegant clothes
- Courtship, beauty, romance
- Mythological themes
- Use of pastel colors
- Hanging painting
Art history 1760-1830 AD
Neoclassical Art:
- Greek or Roman men in armor
- Classic topics
- Clear lines
Art history 1800-1850 AD
Romanticism Art:
- Imminent danger and fear of the unknown
- Dramatic human or nature scenes
- Focus on nature and mystical scenery with the dark, mysterious environment
- The outstanding and exhausting sky
- Dramatic scenes
- Horrible and gothic images
Art history 1800s AD
Academic Art:
- Ideal life in a pastoral landscape
- Combination of neoclassicism and romanticism
- Mythological themes and characters
Art history 1840-1870 AD
Realism Art:
- Rough and everyday paintings of ordinary people
- Dark paintings
- Focus on nature and mystical scenery with the dark, mysterious environment
Ancient art 1848-1854 AD
Pre-Raphaelite Art:
- An ideal woman
- Pseudo-religious works from mythological stories and the Bible
- Bold disrespect for religious sensitivities
Ancient art 1870-1900 AD
Impressionism Art:
- The presence of paint spots in the painting
- Lack of a clear outline
- There is a significant and incomprehensible mess
- Lack of details
- Recording fleeting moments of nature
- Show outdoor scenes
Ancient art 1880-1920 AD
Post-Impressionism Art:
- Incoherence
- Heavy and vague lines
- An incredible number of tiny color dots in the paintings
Conclusion about civilization art definition
In this article, we collected information about civilization’s art history for you. We hope you enjoyed reading this article. At the end of the article, we examined the Summary of art history and introduced the most famous old painting styles. Your opinion is important to us. Please leave us a comment.
References:
- Murray, T. (2007). Milestones in Archaeology: A Chronological Encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO.
- Lapatin, K. D. S. Chryselephantine Statuary in the Ancient Mediterranean World (Oxford Monographs on Classical Archaeology). Oxford Univ Pr.
