Ge - 103 Art Appreciation Module 4

GE 103 - ART APPRECIATION MODULE 4
CHAPTER IV. ART HISTORY
INTRODUCTION
Art appeared as one of the earliest activities of man. Even as far as the prehistoric
period, before man knew how to read and write, he was already an artist. The first works of
art were found inside the caves which primitive man inhabited: paintings of animals on the
walls and ceilings as well as the first works of sculpture.
TOPICS
Western Art History
1. Prehistoric Period
2. River Civilizations
3. Classicism and the Greco-Roman Tradition
4. The Medieval Period
5. Renaissance
6. The Sixteenth Century
7. The Seventeenth and the Early Eighteenth Centuries
8. The Late Eighteenth and the Nineteenth Centuries
9. The Twentieth Century
LEARNING OUTCOMES
1. Discuss the history of art in different periods and civilizations
2. Narrate the chronicles of art history from the prehistoric period until the 20 th
century
3. Identify and describe various art works during the different periods
4. Manifest examples of art works during specific periods.
TIME FRAME: Week 8 and 9
Western Art History

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PREHISTORIC PERIOD
Cave paintings
Painting, along with sculpture, is the most ancient of
the arts. Archaeologists have discovered many cave
paintings in southwestern France and northern Spain
to be as old as 40,000 years and more. How did
painting begin? The cave paintings reached a high
degree of perfection in the examples at Lascaux,
France. The application of natural pigments became
very subtle and skillful, and line developed a
flexibility and expressiveness which suggested the
Photo from: Google images movement of the hunt and the qualities of the
animals themselves. There were also indications and
drawings of arrows and spears in the pursuit of the
vainly fleeing animals.
In Altamira, Spain, modeling was used with skill, and the artist even suited his figures to the
protuberances and hollows of the surface for a three-dimensional effect. These paintings of
high artistic quality and remarkable naturalism attest to the trained hunter's eye and his
keen powers of observation.
Sculpture
Venus of Laussell in Bordeaux Museum
It was through the same belief in magic that sculpture came

to be the first works of sculpture, aside from small animal
statues were the fertility statues, so called because of
their exaggerated treatment of the female sexual
attributes. The artist emphasized the opulent breasts and
wide hips, but took no note of the face, thus showing no
individualizing qualities. Some were in low relief such as the
Venus of Laussell; somewhere in the round, such as the
Venus of Willendorf.
Photo from: Google images
The Beginnings of Architecture

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Early man, with his nomadic existence in search of animals to hunt for food and
clothing, did not build permanent dwellings but lived in caves and natural shelters. The first
notions he had of building came when he began the practice of burying his dead. This
occurred with the development of social organization.
The first structures – the menhirs, dolmens, and cromlechs were associated with a
funeral and religious purpose. The menhirs found along the coastlines of Europe and Africa
were simple monuments consisting of a single large piece of stone, a megalith, sometimes
rising as high as 60 feet. It is believed that primitive man erected them as shelter for the
spirits of those lost at sea
The dolmens, made up of a number of vertical megaliths with a horizontal slab spanning
them, were primitive graves to accommodate a number of dead. They are important,
structurally, as the beginning of the post and lintel system.
The cromlechs were more complex structures, again made up of a number of megaliths
in concentric circles extending over a wide area. The most interesting example of the
cromlech is the famous Stonehenge in Salisbury Plain, England.
Dolmen Chromlec Menhir
Photos from: Google images
RIVER CIVILIZATIONS
About 10,000 B.C., with the end of the fourth glacial period and the onset of warmer
weather throughout the world, man migrated in search of geographical conditions more
advantageous to existence. The mode of existence shifted from hunting, nomadic and day to
day economy, to agriculture, domestication of animals which encouraged more social
structure leading to barter and trade. Later, trade spread and first writing systems were
invented, codes of law and establishment of sculpture.
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Egyptian Art
Religious Functions
The art of ancient Egypt was closely knit with religion, and to understand it, we must realize
that at its very core is a profound preoccupation with death and immortality.
Pyramids
The great pyramids of the kings, especially that of

King Khufu or Cheops were the highest point of
pyramid construction. The largest was built on a
base of 13 acres and rose to about 450 feet. The
huge stones, each weighing from two and a half to
thirty tons, were quarried from Upper Egypt and
transported for miles in the desert. The sides of
the pyramid were oriented to the four directions
and the precision of their construction is a marvel The Great Pyramid of Giza
even to our day. Photo from: Google images
Temples
It is also in the ancient Egyptian temples that the
visual arts - painting, sculpture, and architecture -
found fullest expression. The temples shared the
massive quality of the pyramids. Some were
constructed on the sides of a cliff, such as that of
Queen Hatshepsut and the temple at Abu Simbel.
Others, such as those of Luxor and Karnak, were of
the pylon type. Egyptian architecture developed the
use of the post-and-lintel system. It also made
extensive use of columns with lotus and papyrus
Photo from: Google images motifs. The temple of Hatshepsut consisted of two
galleries of columns on two levels connected by an
inclined ramp.
CLASSICISM AND THE GRECO-ROMAN TRADITION
The civilization of ancient Greece or Hellas began about 1000 B.C. The geography of
Greece varies greatly from that of Egypt, for Greece has a mountainous interior and a long
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and rugged coastline with many harbors. Unlike Egypt, Greece was divided politically into
small city-states (polis) with autonomous governments. This encouraged diversity of political
structures, with Athens creating the first democratic state with popular, if limited,
representation. Furthermore, the ancient Greeks or Hellenes developed an outgoing
disposition as seafarers and enjoyed an active commercial and cultural exchange with their
neighbors.
Greek Art
The history of Greek art is divided into three principal periods: the Archaic Period (800-600
B.C.), the Classical Period or Hellenic Period (500 B.C.), and the Hellenistic Period (400-100
B.C.)
Archaic Period
In the Archaic Period the arts manifested the influence of earlier civilizations, such
as those of Mesopotamia and Egypt, in their linear, geometric tendency and stylized forms.
This was seen in pottery with its variety of geometric designs and highly stylized human
figures.
In sculpture, there were two important types, the kouros (pl. kouroi) and the kore (pl.
korai). The kouros was a nude male figure, presumably of an athlete. It showed the influence
of Egyptian sculpture in its frontality and rigidity, one foot slightly forward, the fists
clenched at the sides. It also had a smiling face, slightly bulging eyes, and hair arranged in
tight, geometric curls. The kore was a fully clad female figure, the drapery of its robe
rendered in regular, vertical folds. The kouros and the kore sometimes held an offering of
fruit or an animal to the gods.
Classical or Hellenic Period

It is with the Classical or Hellenic Period that Greek civilization, particularly that of
Athens, is mainly associated. This period marks the highest point in the remarkable
civilization of the ancient Greeks. It is also known as the Golden Age of Athens or the Age
of Pericles, after its great statesman. As an outstanding period of cultural achievement, it is
a constant point of reference in the history of art and philosophy. The Classical Period
contains the mainsprings of Western cultural tradition in the philosophy that crystallized
from the works of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle.
Sculpture
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Sculpture in the Hellenic Period evolved from the frontal and rigid kouroi to truly
three-dimensional figures interesting from every angle. 'This is seen in the Lance-bearer,
which is Polycleitos' important work. It was intended as a model to illustrate the canons he
had previously set down in a treatise. The work is a study in classical proportions and in the
balance of physical tensions in the human figure. It also attests to the growing knowledge in
anatomical science.
Phidias is unfailingly mentioned as a

sculptor of the Classical Period. He is
distinguished primarily for his works in
the Parthenon, the famous Temple of
Athena on the Acropolis
Photo from: Google Images
Architecture
The architecture of the period is best typified by the Parthenon, as well as the other
buildings on the Acropolis such as the Erechtheum, with its Porch of the Maidens, and the
temple of Winged Victory. The Parthenon was designed by the architects Ictinus and
Callicrates and ornamented by the sculptor Phidias. The temple exemplifies the post- and-
lintel system of architecture, and it shows the integration of sculpture with classical
architecture
Hellenistic Period
The term “Hellenistic” refers to the period after the 5 th century B.C. when Greek culture
intermingled with oriental influences and, together with the political instability of the time,
give rise to the new set of aesthetic ideals.
Painting
Ancient Greek Pottery and vase Paintings

Painting
6 in ancient Greece was largely confined to
pottery. Greek pottery was first in a highly stylized,
geometric style, which later developed into the
expressive, flexible style of the red- and white-
Sculpture
Hermes and the Infant Dionysus
There were two outstanding sculptors of the

period: Praxiteles and Lysippos. Praxiteles is known best
for the beautiful statue of Hermes and the Infant
Dionysus. Other important sculptural works of the
Hellenistic Period are the Laocoon the Winged Victory
of Samothrace, the Dying Gaul, and the Venus of Milo.
There were two outstanding sculptors of the period: Praxiteles and Lysippos.
Praxiteles is known best for the beautiful statue of Hermes and the Infant Dionysus.
Other important sculptural works of the Hellenistic Period are the Laocoon, the Winged
Victory of Samothrace, the Dying Gaul, and the Venus of Milo.
Roman Art
The Hellenistic world was absorbed by Roman expansionism in the first century B.C.
when Greece and Asia Minor were added to the Roman Empire. The Romans admired the
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older Greek civilization and propagated throughout the empire. But the Romans, unlike the
idealistic
Greeks, were practical and realistic people. Not particularly religious, they stressed civic
virtues of citizens and placed much importance on the family unit.
Painting
Endowed with a keen, observant eye, the Roman artists painted their environment.
They developed new artistic subjects such as genre, still life and landscapes, as well as
architectural motifs. These ornamented the walls of villas as frescoes, such as those found
in Pompeii, or as intricate mosaics on the floors and ceilings. Landscapes, particularly views of
enclosed gardens,
and still life were rendered in a charming colorful style. Architectural motifs showed
amazing illusionistic skill, for interiors seemed to extend into loggias and balconies
overlooking gardens.
Sculpture
An ancient Sculpture of Julius caesar
It was, however, in portraiture that the Roman artists

concentrated their talents. The portrait filled an
important role in Roman society. A later development
from the busts and full-length statues of the Roman
leaders were the large equestrian statues, symbols of
dynamic authority and power, such as that of Marcus
Aurelius, which would later fascinate and inspire
Renaissance sculptors.
Architecture
The greatest contribution of the Romans to Western civilization lay in the field of
architecture. The Romans adopted certain features of Greek architecture but these were
modified to suit their purposes. The important features of Roman architecture are the
rounded arch, the vault, and the dome. Finally, the Romans developed the dome and favored
the construction of circular edifices. The use of concrete further reinforced the structures.
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It was especially in community planning that the Romans showed their practical sense. In
building their empire, the Romans constructed durable roads to link the far-flung cities of
the empire, from which comes the expression, “all roads lead to Rome.” City-building was an
important activity of the period. Then, too, Roman architecture was not largely confined to
the religious function, but buildings served a variety of purposes. The simplest structure was
the Arch of Triumph, such as the Arch of Titus. It was constructed to honor a victorious
general returning from a foreign campaign. It was elaborately ornamented with figures in
relief celebrating heroic exploits.
Literature
In literature, Virgil is known for the Aeneid, an epic poem celebrating the glory of
Rome. He traced the origin of the City of the Seven Hills to the fall of Troy and the
adventures of the warrior Aeneas, who fled from the burning city with his old father,
Anchises, borne on his shoulders. From the Greek dramatists, tragedy also further
developed in the plays of Seneca. These were bloody and moralistic and permeated with a
sense of caricature.
THE MEDIEVAL PERIOD

Under the Medieval Period, we shall consider four artistic styles - Early Christian, Byzantine,
Romanesque, and Gothic.
Early Christian Art
In contrast to the Roman love of luxury and worldly pleasures, as well as their thirst
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for power, Christianity introduced a new sense of values, laying emphasis on the spiritual and
the eternal life on earth being but a preparation for life after death. At first, symbols took
precedence over the presentation of God, Christ, and the saints. The symbols served as a
kind of religious code which enabled the Christians to identify themselves and to
communicate with one another. The prevalent Christian symbols were the Cross, the fish, the
lamb, the Greek letters Chi-Rho, Alpha, and Omega, triumphal wreaths, grapes, doves, and
the peacock. Later, the artists portrayed Christ and the saints with halos, but the heavy,
stocky figures showed less skill than the well-executed symbols. Early Christian architecture
would be developed only at the end of the era of Christian persecution. The first known
Christian church is the old Basilica of St. Peter in Rome, dedicated in 326 A.D. by Emperor
Constantine. This early building for worship gave rise to the basilica type, which became the
basic structure for later churches.
Byzantine Art
The term Byzantine refers to the Eastern branch of the Roman Empire which existed
from the founding of Constantinople by the Emperor Constantine in 330 A.D. to its conquest
by the Turks in 1453. The classical and Asian artistic traditions merge in Byzantine art. The
icons portraying Christ the Crucifixion or Mary as the Mother of God are examples of
Byzantine artistic representation. These are portable ivory carvings or wood panel paintings
often luxuriously ornamented with precious stones and a gold background, a symbol of
divinity and perfection. A Byzantine icon which we are most familiar with is the image of Our
Lady of Perpetual Help.
Romanesque Art
Romans had their own arts and culture. They excelled in metalwork which they
executed with geometric designs and stylized animal forms, and they covered the entire
surface of objects with complex; curvilinear patterns.
Literature
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The early Middle Ages brought forth legends and epics that
told of the daring, magic, and terrors of earlier times. There
was the Anglo-Saxon Beowulf which told of a Teutonic
hero's fight with the man-eating creature, Grendel, and his
mother, as well as with the monsters of the deep. There
were the tales about King Arthur and the Knights of the
Round Table in legendary Camelot.
Painting and Sculpture
Romanesque wall painting in spain

Pantheon of the Basilica of San Isidro, León.
During the Medieval Period, monasteries became important centers of learning.

Leaders of the Church, like St. Gregory, set about their task of salvaging culture from ruin.
In the monasteries, the monks copied the scriptures and other sacred writings by hand and
illustrated them with marvelous and elaborate paintings known as illuminations. Romanesque
painting shares the qualities of the sculpture of the period. The examples are to be found in
illuminated manuscripts, elaborately and painstakingly designed by hand in tempera and on
vellum.
Architecture
11 Walled City in Intramuros, Manila
Romanesque art is often associated with the

architectural style of the period. Of its
characteristics, the most important are its massive
quality and its horizontal emphasis, since the
concept of the fortress predominated. This was
true for both religious and secular architecture. In
the 16th century, the Spaniards brought over to
the Philippines the concept of the walled city in the
building of Intramuros.
Gothic Art
Architecture
Chartres Cathedral, Paris France In the midst of these new and prosperous towns stood the
Gothic cathedral, the architectural triumph of the later
Middle Ages. It was, as John Ruskin described it, “a Bible in
stone,” to provide all people, especially many who could not
read or write-and printing had not yet been invented, a lively
visual narrative of the Holy Scriptures. Another important
characteristic of the Gothic cathedral is that it brought into
use a large variety of the materials of the time. Aside from
the stone used in building, there was translucent stained
glass, and in the interior, ornaments of gold and silver and
precious stones, and exquisite tapestries.
Literature
In literature, the Faith of the Middle Ages found full expression in Dante Alighieri's
Divina Commedia, which is the odyssey of a soul through hell and purgatory, to celestial
paradise where he joins the beatific company of God, the. saints, and the beloved, the
incomparable Beatrice. A great merit of the work is its gallery of diverse characters
suffering the punishments corresponding to their sins in the nine circles of the infernal
abyss. It is a journey from the lowest depths to the heights of heavenly glory.
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Music of the Middle Ages

The music of the Middle Ages is divided into two kinds: religious and secular. There
are also three distinct styles in the music of the period. The first is the Early Christian,
which is monophonic, also called plain song or Gregorian chant. The second is Ars Antiqua, and
the third, Ars Nova. Early Christian music consisted of psalms from the Old Testament,
hymns celebrating Christian truths and events, and canticles, which are lyrical parts of the
Bible. The earliest example of Christian music which has survived is a 3rd century hymn in
praise of the Trinity. It has Greek words and uses Greek notation; it was written on papyrus.
RENAISSANCE
The economic progress in the late Medieval Period, which was brought about by
increased trade and commerce, resulted in the growth of cities and provided the backdrop
for the remarkable period that is known as the Renaissance. Renaissance, a word borrowed
from the French language literally means "rebirth," and in the history of art it is applied to
the 15th century which is one of the. highest moments of civilization. The Renaissance was a
period of rebirth, for it ushered in a new outlook on man and the world. First, there was a
revival of classical learning in the study of the ancient Greek and Roman texts. Then, too, the
Renaissance saw the widening of horizons in the literal sense with the series of maritime
expeditions in which man circumnavigated the world for the first time, thus proving it was
round and not flat as formerly thought. Cartographers became busy mapping out the new
lands. In 1492, Christopher Columbus set foot in America, the New World; in 1521, Ferdinand
Magellan and his men landed in Cebu, Philippines. Finally, this expansion into all directions, the
discovery of more trade routes, and the development of trade and commerce changed the
structure of society.
The Renaissance Ideal of Man
Leonardo Da Vinci Michelangelo Buonarroti

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The great men of the Renaissance were versatile - Michelangelo was a great painter,
sculptor, architect, and poet; Leonardo da Vinci was a painter, architect, scientist, and
mathematician. They developed their potentialities fully and showed how much a man can
comprehend in his lifetime. Their lives were enriched and refined by artistic and intellectual
values, and they shunned overspecialization in a particular field which would lead to
intellectual imbalance. It is largely from the Renaissance that we derive our idea of a liberal
education with the two branches of the arts and the sciences, its ideal of intellectual
harmony through. a well-rounded education, and its aim to provide the person with the values
and opportunities to lead a life worthy of man's dignity as an individual and as member of
society.
Painting and Sculpture An important characteristic of the period was the

The death of saint francis spirit of scientific inquiry and investigation. The
artists, influenced by the interest in science,
strove for a more naturalistic portrayal of man
and developed new techniques such as the use of
modeling and shading for a three-dimensional
effect. The modeling of the human figure
countered the linear tradition of Byzantine and
medieval art. This trend was begun by Giotto in
his frescoes, in which he stressed the solidity and
monumentality of his figures that they exited
with volume in space and were surrounded by
space. This he did by careful modeling, with
particular attention to folds and draperies, as in
The Death of St. Francis,
Classical subjects revived studies of the nude and the Dawn, Evening, Morning, and Night
male athlete, such as found in the works of Pollaiuollo,
in order to understand the balance of physical tensions.
Leonardo da Vinci made numerous studies of the human
body in movement, and so did Michelangelo before
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painting the astounding frescoes of the Sistine Chapel.
The sculpture of Michelangelo, including the expressive
figures of Dawn, Evening, Morning, and Night for the
tomb of the Medici Pope, Julius II; his seated Moses,
Architecture
St. Peter's Basilica in Rome Architecture during the Renaissance was brought to
the construction of aristocratic residences, or
palazzos, as well as churches. The palazzos in Florence
were placed in a setting, such as a piazza (square), to
set off their elegant facade. Outstanding Italian
architects of palazzos were Michelozzi, who designed
the Medici-Riccardi Palace in Florence for Cosimo de
Medici, and Leon Battista Alberti, who designed the
Rucellai Palace, also in Florence. As to religious
architecture, Brunelleschi designed the dome of the
Florence Cathedral, while Michelangelo designed that
of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.
Music and Theater
While Renaissance Italy distinguished itself in the visual arts and architecture,
England saw the golden age of theater and music. In this period, William Shakespeare, the
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great dramatist of all time, produced his memorable tragedies (Hamlet, Macbeth, King
Lear) and comedies (Merchant of Venice, As You Like It, The Tempest) for the
Elizabethan stage. The Renaissance in England is also remembered for its wealth of songs
and madrigals, which contributed greatly to the development of secular music.
THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY
Mannerism
Mannerism in the arts may assume various forms. First, there may be mannerism in
subject. The meaning of a mannerist painting is often obscure and ambiguous, and it may
contain elements one cannot account for. In Parmigianino's Madonna of the Long Neck, who is
the thin man in the background holding a scroll? And what does the large unfinished column
signify?
In painting, sculpture, and in architecture, the works of the Mannerist Period are
generally characterized by a sense of instability and ambiguity, in spite of the presence of
classical features. Outstanding architects of the period are Giulio Romano, who designed the
unusual Palazzo del Teat. Mantua; Vignola, who designed the Jesuit church of Il Gesu in
Rome; and Andrea Palladio with his most famous work, the Rotonda (Villa Capra) at Vicenza.
His architecture, which is based on classicism but modifies it, is discussed in his. treatise,
The Four Books of Architecture.
THE SEVENTEENTH AND EIGHTEENTH CENTURIES
Baroque Art
Painting
Crucifixion
The baroque style is first of all characterized by

movement, energy, and restlessness. The formal balance and
harmony of classicism gave way to turbulent expression.
Lines zigzag, forms surge diagonally into space. The winds of
ardor and passion stir the forms that move in a smoky haze
or amid swirling clouds. This quality is found in the
Crucifixion by Rubens and the Descent from the Cross by
Rembrandt. Both paintings have a related subject, but each
bears the stamp of the artist's personality. While that of
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Rubens is robust and colorful, Rembrandt's is spiritual, even
mystical.
Sculpture
Trevi Fountain
Baroque as a restless, dynamic style with its
diagonals and floating curved lines, its striking
chiaroscuro, and its sensuous textural effects set
its indelible stamp on sculpture and architecture.
The masterpiece of baroque sculpture is the
famous Trevi Fountain in Rome done by the
sculptors Salvi and Bracci. The work exemplifies
the alliance in baroque sculpture of marble with
water, which is a free-moving and dynamic element.
Architecture Church of San Carlo alle Quatro Fontane
In architecture the Baroque style is marked by a

sculptural, highly ornamented facade. It may have giant
and twisted columns, broken pediments, and common
decorative motifs such as scrolls, scallops, trellises, urns,
and angels called putti.
An example of baroque architecture in Italy is the Church

of San Carlo alle Quatro Fontane by the architect
Francesco
17 Borromini. The building with an oval plan has a
facade of giant columns, flanking niches and recesses, and
a fountain at the corner. Bernini, a noted architect as well
as sculptor, is known for the oval piazza and colonnade at
Music
Baroque was a style which applied not only to the visual arts but also to music. In
music, baroque refers to the rich polyphonic music composed about the period between 1600
and 1750. It was the period of vocal forms, such as the oratorio and the cantata, and of
instrumental forms such as the
fugue. The great composers of baroque music were G.F. Handel and Johann Sebastian Bach.
Rococo Art
The decadent court of the French kings Louis V and Louis VI developed a hedonistic
style known as rococo. The word comes from the French r ocaille, meaning shell or conch,
which was the predominant motif of rococo art. Rococo, in fact, is an extension of baroque
art in its ornate aspect. But while baroque decoration still obeyed order and symmetry,
rococo, on the other hand, cast these aside, and ornament developed like an organic growth
with spirals and twisting lines, tendrils, fantastic shapes, and shell-like motifs, thus becoming
increasingly ornate. In architecture, structure became subordinate to decoration, and solid
walls seemed to dissolve in the profusion of swarming figures.
Rococo was, on the whole, an aristocratic art, as its subjects consisted of gentlemen
and ladies of leisure, whiling away their time in courtly pleasures. It could be playfully erotic
and superficial, as in the paintings of Eragonard, such as The Stolen Kiss or The Swing, in
which statues in a garden are mute witnesses to the sporting of the lovers.
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Of the rococo painters of the 18th century, Antoine Watteau was the least
superficial. He often drew his subjects from the theater, especially the Comedia dell Arte -
with its characters of Pierrot and Columbine, clowns, and Saltimbanques because he was
concerned with the difference between interior and exterior reality.
THE LATE EIGHTEENTH AND THE NINETEENTH CENTURIES
Neo-Classicism
During the centuries which marked the triumph of baroque, the classical trend did not
disappear but was pursued by two French artists, Nicolas Poussin and Claude Lorrain,who
studied in Rome where they were influenced by the classical tradition.
The Arcadian Shepherds By Poussin
The carefully planned landscapes of Poussin,

where figures quietly go their way amidst trees
and hills, exude a remarkable serenity such as in
the Funeral of Phocion. Another painting, The
Arcadian Shepherds, is an outstanding example of
French neo-classicism in its observance of balance
as the careful placement of the figures readily
show -as well as in its harmony and serenity.
Lorrain painted what has been called “heroic landscapes,” again with a sure sense of
balance and order, with detailed architectural settings of an ancient Homeric period. The
figures of men are subordinated to the landscape with a distant horizon; the sea reflects
the setting sun, its soft golden rays creating a romantic, impressionistic atmosphere, as in
The Embarkation of the Queen of Saba.
The Oath of the Horatii
It was Jacques-Louis David, a painter

19 educated in Rome, who was at the forefront of the
movement. Among his best-known works are The
Death of Socrates, The Death of Brutus, and the
grandiose Coronation of Napoleon. But his
Romanticism
Romanticism as an artistic style followed the French

Liberty Guiding the People
Revolution. With romantic spontaneity also came the
cult of energy, even of power. Gros, in his Bonaparte
at Arcole or his Pesthouse at Jaffa, exalted the
Napoleonic figure as a symbol of energy and power.
Gericault also glorified energy in paintings of warriors
on rearing battle steeds (Officers of the Chasseurs
Charging). Delacroix also pursued the same theme in
his Jacob Wrestling with the Angel and in his North
African paintings of turbaned men battling with
tigers. Delacroix, however, is known best for his
Liberty Guiding the People, a patriotic painting of
the French Revolution, in which the central figure of
a woman beckons the soldiers forward with the flag
she raises high above the field of dead and wounded,
while the drummer boy beside her valiantly charges
with a pistol upraised.
The Family of Charles IV
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The artist, too, could take refuge in bohemianism or

in dandyism. Finally, he could cultivate a taste for
the mad, the horrible, nothingness, and death. The
great Spanish painter of the Romantic Period was
Francisco Goya, with his powerful paintings and
engravings. He fearlessly satirized royalty in
unflattering, portraits, (The Family of Charles
IV).
Music
In music, the visual artists had their counterpart in the romantic composers who freed
music from the restraints of the classical form. Frederick Chopin, who himself lived a
colorful, passionate life in association with George Sand, a French woman novelist, deviated
from the classical sonata and created in freer forms such as nocturnes, ballades, preludes,
and etudes, and incorporated Polish folk motifs in his mazurkas and other pieces. In his
music, as in that of Liszt, Schubert, and Schuman, emotion triumphs over intellect and the
beauty of the melodic line holds sway over considerations of structure. In Germany, Richard
Strauss (not Johann Strauss of the waltzes) and Wagner were the foremost romantic
composers. Wagner's epic opera, The Ring of the Nibelungs, and Strauss' Thus Spake
Zarathustra carried over into music the Nietzschean cult of the superman.
Realism
In the second half of the 19th century which saw the rise of industrial capitalism, and
with it the growth of the working class, a group of artists advocated a new and more honest
way of seeing. These artists, known as the realists, renounced once and for all the traditional
subjects of art, especially the gods and goddesses of classical mythology, which clearly
enough had no more place in an industrial society. They preferred to derive their subjects
from the working people and to show them as they are in their daily activities without
idealizing them.
21
The Angelus The Song of the Lark The Man with the Hoe
Of the realist artists, Francois Millet is known for his paintings of peasants in the field The
Angelus, The Song of the Lark, The Man with the Hoe . He imbued them with a solid and
quiet dignity and his paintings exude a solemn and religious atmosphere, not without a certain
didacticism.
Honore Daumier - found expression in his prints (lithographs), political cartoons, and
paintings. While he lashed out at the corruption and hypocrisy of the privileged class, as in
The Legislature, he had a profound sympathy for the poor and the oppressed, as in the
Third-Class Carriage and The Washerwoman.
Art Nouveau
The golden stairs by burne jones
At the turn of the 19th century, a reaction to

industrialization and to the machine gave rise to a new
style which became known as art nouveau. The moving
spirit behind art nouveau was the Englishman, William
Morris, an articulate theorist who strove to repair the
widening gap between the artist and society and between
art and function. He found company with the Pre-
Raphaelites-Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Burne Jones, and
Maddox Brown. Together they propagated the art noubeau
style in making household objects such as lamps, vases, and
Photo from: Google images furniture, as well as in leatherwork, metalwork, and
embroidery.
22
Dante's Divina Commedia
Rossetti discovered a kindred soul in William Blake,

with his highly original and imaginative works,
characterized by sweeping lines and strong rhythms.
He is known best for his illustrations of Dante's
Divina Commedia and his scenes from the Old
Testament. Blake was an intense visionary who saw
harmony and rhythm in all living forms. His poems
collected in Songs of Innocence and Songs of
Experience-the most famous of which are “The Tiger"
and “The Lamb”-reveal his profound personal
Photo from: Google images mysticism.
In England, art nouveau later became associated with the group of aesthetes led by
Oscar Wilde and Aubrey Beardsley. Oscar Wilde himself became a personification of
dandyism and wit that bordered on decadence. Apart from his satirical plays, he is best
known for his novel, The Portrait of Dorian Gray, a terrifying version of the Narcissus
legend, which traces the slow moral deterioration of a man who outwardly remains physically
perfect and beautiful.
Aubrey Beardsley, a highly gifted artist who died young, exemplifies art noubeau in his
drawings and posters. The startling metamorphoses of line assume a morbid character in his
Medusas and Medeas in which the sinuous femme fatale is also a vampire.
Symbolism
In France, the aestheticism of the period led to the theory of “art for art's sake.”
This theory placed the importance of form or the formal aesthetic elements over meaning or
content. The trend began with Baudelaire, whose seductive poetry often celebrated moral
decay (The Flowers of Evil) or invited one to escape to primitive islands untouched by
civilization or to artificial edens of opium.
Poetry soon took the direction of symbolism, with Baudelaire, Rimbaud and Verlaine as
precursors, and developed with the poets Mallarme, Valery, and even T.S. Eliot. The influence
of symbolism on subsequent art lay primarily on its affirmation of the theory of “art for
art's sake” which has since pervaded the whole of modern art. Symbolist poetry also
expressed the idea, of synesthesia, in which the various senses intermingled and fused with
one another. This quality is found in the works of Edgar Allan Poe, an American writer whom
Baudelaire hailed as a major influence on French symbolist writings.
23
THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
Modern Art
What is called modern art is a product of various social factors. The turn of the
century saw marked advances in science and technology. Rapid urbanization followed the
Industrial Revolution, which gave rise to new relations of production, that of labor and
capital.
The invention of photography released the painter from the demands of realistic
representation, so that painting assumed a freer, more experimental, and at the same time,
more personal character. Painting redefined itself as an art distinct from mere reproduction.
But photography also taught the painter a few things, such as the effects of light on the
subject, different viewing angles, and spontaneity. of approach.
And within the second decade of the 20th century occurred the first of two major
cataclysms shaking the world World War I followed barely thirty years later by World War
II. These were marked by the development of more lethal weapons, from rifles to atomic
bombs which could destroy cities in a split second. The two wars created an atmosphere of
insecurity and skepticism that cast its cloud upon modern art.
The Crisis of Subject in Painting
Against this historical background modern art was born. It first manifested itself as a
crisis of subject. The realists Courbet, Millet, and Daumier were the first to question the
subject matter of art.
It was in 1884 that a French painter, Edouard Manet, painted two paintings which
provoked scathing criticism: The Luncheon on the Grass and Olympia. The Luncheon on the
Grass was an affront to academic classicism because it showed a nude woman seated on the
grass, her eyes directed frankly to the viewer, in the company of two men in contemporary
formal attire. Olympia is a nude reclining on a bed, dressed only with a ribbon around her
neck, her slippers dangling idly from her feet. She has the same direct and candid gaze.
Beside her, a. black woman hands her flowers from an admirer.
These two paintings were branded as scandalous because the nude was not yet accepted
outside the mythological context. On the part of Manet, these paintings, rejected by the
French Academy and later exhibited in the Salon des Refuses, were a challenge to the
conventions and hypocrisies of academic art which had ceased to be meaningful to the public.
24
Search for Meaning in Art

As has been previously mentioned, subject matter in art was the principal issue in the
work of the French realists, for they were among the first artists who took the common
people, laborers and peasants, as subjects of art. They aimed to show these people as they
were, in their sufferings. Edouard Manet, Luncheon on the Grass (1863), oil on canvas. Museo
de I'Impressionnisme, Paris and yet surmounting these by their qualities of spirit ( Daumier,
The Washer Woman and Third-Class Carriage; Courbet, The Stone Workers; Millet, The
Angelus).
Previous to the realists, the romantics had also chosen to deal with contemporaneous
subjects, as did Delacroix in his Massacre at Chios in connection with the Greek struggle of
independence, which also won the sympathies of Lord Byron; or Gericault with his Raft of the
Medusa.
Guernica by Pablo Picasso
In the Rose Period, Picasso took. his subjects

from the acrobats, saltimbanques, and other
people of the circus, fascinated as he was with
the problem of illusion and reality in their lives.
In the context of World War II, Picasso painted
one of the most powerful paintings of all time,
Guernica, in which he effectively used the cubist
idicm to depict the horror and destruction
caused by the German bombing of a Basque town
in the Pyrenees.
Expressionism
A style derived from the crises of modern times was expressionism, so called because
of the primacy of feeling, often strong and violent, always intensely personal, in the work of
art. Expressionism is associated with the northern countries of Europe. Its ominous and
morbid quality has been linked with the sado-masochistic temperament of northern peoples
who have always had to reckon with a harsh and difficult natural environment. It also
reflects a society on the brink of socio-political conflicts.
25
Starry Night by Van Gogh
Vincent Van Gogh, a Dutch artist who spent most of

his life in France, is named a worthy predecessor of
the movement, with his gnarled and tortured
shapes, his strong rhythms, as in Starry Night and
Road with Cypress, in which the road, the trees,
and the stars seem to whirl together in one vast
universal rhythm. Two other artists who worked
along the same line were James Ensor and Edvard
Munch.
Edvard Munch's prints eloquently expressed the emotional dislocation of society caught in
the toils of war. His print, The Scream for instance, with its skull-like figure howling on a
bridge is the image of contemporary neurosis.
In expressionism, nature and everyday objects, such as flowers, become highly expressive of
a mood or an emotional state. Expressionist artists used bright, screaming colors,
disregarding the natural colors of the object, in order to express emotion powerfully.
Dadaism
The two disastrous world wars have indelibly set their imprint on modern art. In 1916,
during the period of World War I, a group of young intellectuals in Zurich, Switzerland,
headed by Tristan Tzara, founded the movement which came to be known as dadaism (from
the French dada, meaning “hobby horse,” or from the German word meaning “childish
gabble”).
They protested against the tyranny of artistic traditions. Marcel Duchamp and
Frances Picabia, two dadaists, did a completely unprecedented and startling act: to Da
Vinci's revered painting, Mona Lisa, known for her enigmatic smile, they added a beard and a
mustache.
Surrealism
The dadaists, with their penchant for radical and startling visual effects, soon
espoused the cause of surrealism which rapidly spread throughout Europe. Andre Breton,
founder of the movement, advocated the exploration of the twilight zones of the mind
through artistic means.
There were two ways of realizing the objectives: there was autistic surrealism that
26
took the form of the uncontrolled meanderings of automatic writing which would reveal clues
to the contents of the unconscious. This style is found in the works of Joan Miro and Paul
Klee who once spoke of “taking a line for a walk.”
Then there was veristic surrealism, with its realistic technique allied with the startling
juxtaposition of objects in painting, thus becoming a kind of visual equivalent of the free
association method.
The persistence of memory
Example of veristic surrealism is found in the

works of Salvador Dali, as in The Persistence
of Memory, with its melting clocks on a desolate
and barren shore
Social Realism
IN MEXICO
Gods of the Modern World Mexican art, because of its relevance to its times
and because of its encompassing view of the social
nature of man, was particularly suited to the large
format of the mural. The great masters of the
mural were Jose Clemente Orozco who did a series
for the University of Mexico, one of which is the
Gods of the Modern World, done in a bold
expressionistic style dramatizing the social
conflicts of his time; David Alfaro Siquieros, best
known for Echo of Scream, showing a small boy
whose cry reverberates in a desert of bones and
Photo from: Google images wreckage; and Diego Rivera with his work in two
parts entitled Night of the Rich, Night of the
Poor.
27
IN THE UNITED STATES

Nighthawks
Realism allied with social consciousness also
characterized a considerable portion of the art
of the United States from the 1930's to the
1950's. During this period, American society was
suffering from economic depression and the
crash of Wall Street. Literature and the other
arts dealt with the problems of urbanism,
alienation, and lack of social integration as in
Hopper’s Nighthawks, bureaucracy and the
dehumanization of the person as in Tooker’s The
Subway.
Experimentation with Form

Impressionism
From the beginning of the 20th century, however, with Paris as the art center
attracting artists from all over Europe, a number of styles developed from the
experimentation with form. Among the new styles which showed a preoccupation with pure
form were impressionism and its offshoots, cubism, futurism, and abstract art.
Fauvism
Woman with Hat

The impressionists' use of bright colors was the
principal aspect of Fauvism. The group of Fauvist
painters included Henri Matisse, Andre Derain, and
S. Bonnard whose striking, bold use of colors, which
were no longer confined within definite planes but
spilled over freely, caused a disagreeing critic to
call them Fauves, the French word for “wild
beasts.” This is true of the work of Henri Matisse
who consistently produced paintings of colorful
patterns and designs (Woman with Hat, Large Red
28
Interior).
Pointillism
Sunday Afternoon at Grand Jatte
Another branch of impressionism is pointillism,

sometimes called divisionism. The obvious
characteristic of this style is the application of
tiny dots of pure color side by side on the canvas
to create a luminous effect, such as in the works
of Georges Seurat or Andre Derain, Georges
Seuratis particularly known for his masterpiece,
Sunday Afternoon at Grand Jatte, which shows
very careful planning and organization.
Cubism
The movement to regain structure in painting was initiated by Cezanne, who is known
as the Father of Cubism. Cubism was further developed by Picasso, and Braque in the first
decade of the 20th century, when it was modified by the influence of African primitive
sculpture with its tendency to abstraction. In 1907 Picasso painted the much celebrated
Demoiseles d' Avignon, which must have been a shocker in its time, but which marked a step
in the progress toward abstraction begun by the impressionists.
Futurism
Nude Descending a Staircase
29
An offshoot of cubism was futurism, which

imparted a dynamic quality to the forms of cubism.
Futurism as a style in painting strove to analyze
visually the various stages of an action. It deals
with the process of becoming, not of being, or with
the unfolding of an action, so that the painting may
seem to correspond in photography to a series of
multiple exposures of one action on a single film.
The work of Marcel Duchamp, Nude Descending a
Staircase, expresses this intention.
Abstract Art
Abstract art is a logical extension of cubism with

its fragmentation of the object. Two artists,
Kandinsky and Mondrian, launched abstraction in
painting which, proclaiming the independence of
the artist from the representation of the object,
must have constituted a most daring step.
Photo from: Google Images
Sculpture
Modern sculpture may be said to begin with the French

artist, Auguste Rodin. His sculpture of the novelist
Balzac, impressionist in technique but expressionist in
spirit. His fine Burghers of Calais, a group sculpture, is
an expressionist- romantic study of dignity and despair.
30
The British sculptor Henry Moore advanced a new concept in sculpture in his use of
stone, wood, and metal. In Internal and External Forms (1954). He also made large works in
this style, such as The Family Group, where individual features are subordinated to the
general form. Moore has been of considerable influence on the work of contemporary
sculptors, including those of the Philippines.
Conceptual Art
“Conceptual art” is the latest trend so far in contemporary art. It makes use of an
“environmental object” or an “environmental composition.” The objects could be styrofoam
pieces shaped and painted to resemble such objects as loaves of bread and arranged in
interesting patterns on the floor or wall of a gallery.
Indeed, these styles are rooted in Western society and when transplanted indiscriminately
into the Philippine social context, only increase the gap between Westernized urban culture
and the culture of the large majority.
Architecture
Modern architecture has been shaped by new materials. These are primarily
structured steel and reinforced concrete. Other materials now in use besides steel,
concrete, and glass are plastic, metal alloys, asbestos, aluminum, plywood, and rubber. These
new materials have led to the innovations that are now common features in modern
architecture.
Unite d 'Habitation at Marseilles
The work of Le Corbusier (Charles Edouard

Jeanneret) shows the imaginative use of
geometric forms derived from cubism. This is
seen in the Unite d 'Habitation at
Marseilles, which aimed to answer the needs
of communal living.
Tugendhat House
31
Another architect of the style is Mies van der

Rohe, whose style is exemplified in the “Tugendhat
House” in Brno, Czechoslovakia. His work shows the
influence of the Dutch De Stijl painters,
particularly Mondrian, in its precision and clarity of
form. Working in the same style in South America
is Oscar Niemeyer with his Cathedral and Congress
Bernard S. Myers, Art and Cioilization (London; Paul
Music
Modern music has come a long way from classicism. The structures of classical form
under Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven had previously given way to the 19th century
romanticism of Liszt and Chopin, a music characterized by emotionalism expressed through
the richness of the melodic line as well as through chromaticism and dissonance. This trend
developed with the impressionism of Debussy, with its atmospheric effects and indecisive,
meandering quality.
The freedom from traditional forms led to a rediscovery of non-Western music, such
as African tribal music and ethnic music. These sources have enriched modern music as well
as expanded the frontiers of musical experience. Indeed, it is only recently that Western
composers have recognized and appreciated the vast field of Asian and ethnic music which
have introduced a new and complex vocabulary in musical research.
REFERENCES
Ortiz, et al., Art: Perception and Appreciation. Goodwill Trading Co., Inc. 1976.
Google.com.images
Let’s Do This!
I. Identification test. Identify what is being asked in the following sentences.
_____________1. These are considered the most ancient form of art.
_____________2. Made up of simple monuments consisting of a single large piece of stone

or a megalith
32
_____________3. The most interesting example of the cromlech
_____________4. Made up of a number of vertical megaliths with a horizontal slab spanning

them, were primitive graves to accommodate a number of dead
_____________5. Developed the use of the post-and-lintel system, made of extensive use
of columns with lotus and papyrus motifs.
_____________6. It is a fully clad female figure, the drapery of its robe rendered in
regular, vertical folds
_____________7. This period is also known as the Golden Age of Athens or the Age of
Pericles
_____________8. He is mentioned as a sculptor of the Greek Classical Period for his works
in the famous Temple of Athena
_____________9. He is known best for the beautiful statue of Hermes and the Infant
Dionysus.
_____________10. Constructed to honor a victorious general returning from a foreign

campaign
_____________11. A word from the French language literally means "rebirth,"
_____________12. He painted the astounding frescoes of the Sistine Chapel
_____________13. The works during this period were generally characterized by a sense of
instability and ambiguity, in spite of the presence of classical features.
_____________14. A restless, dynamic style with its diagonals and floating curved lines, its
striking chiaroscuro, and its sensuous textural effects set its indelible stamp on sculpture
and architecture.
_____________15. Known as the Father of Cubism
II. Activity/Output: In an A4 bond paper, paint or draw an ABSTRACT drawing or

painting and make a title of it. You can use any materials. (Example Ballpen, Pencil,
Crayons, Water color etc.)
33 OUTPUT IN GE 103 - ART APPRECIATION
“PAINTING TITLE”
34

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GE 103 - ART APPRECIATION MODULE 4

CHAPTER IV. ART HISTORY

TIME FRAME: Week 8 and 9

Western Art History

Venus of Laussell in Bordeaux Museum

It was through the same belief in magic that sculpture came

The Beginnings of Architecture

Dolmen Chromlec Menhir

Photos from: Google images

The great pyramids of the kings, especially that of

even to our day. Photo from: Google images

CLASSICISM AND THE GRECO-ROMAN TRADITION

Classical or Hellenic Period

Phidias is unfailingly mentioned as a

Photo from: Google Images

Ancient Greek Pottery and vase Paintings

Photo from: Google images

Hermes and the Infant Dionysus

There were two outstanding sculptors of the

Photo from: Google images

An ancient Sculpture of Julius caesar

It was, however, in portraiture that the Roman artists

Photo from: Google images

Photos from: Google images

THE MEDIEVAL PERIOD

Photo from: Google images

Painting and Sculpture

Romanesque wall painting in spain

Photos from: Google images

During the Medieval Period, monasteries became important centers of learning.

Romanesque art is often associated with the

Photo from: Google images

Music of the Middle Ages

The Renaissance Ideal of Man

Leonardo Da Vinci Michelangelo Buonarroti

Painting and Sculpture An important characteristic of the period was the

Photo from: Google images

Photo from: Google images

Music and Theater

THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY

THE SEVENTEENTH AND EIGHTEENTH CENTURIES

The baroque style is first of all characterized by

Photo from: Google images

Photo from: Google images

Architecture Church of San Carlo alle Quatro Fontane

In architecture the Baroque style is marked by a

An example of baroque architecture in Italy is the Church

Photo from: Google images

THE LATE EIGHTEENTH AND THE NINETEENTH CENTURIES

The Arcadian Shepherds By Poussin

The carefully planned landscapes of Poussin,

Photo from: Google images

The Oath of the Horatii

It was Jacques-Louis David, a painter

Photo from: Google images

Romanticism as an artistic style followed the French

The Family of Charles IV

The artist, too, could take refuge in bohemianism or

Photo from: Google images

Photos from: Google images

At the turn of the 19th century, a reaction to

Dante's Divina Commedia