◦ Ancient Greece The Greeks were known to excel in various fields and aspects of

society. They valued poetry, drama, and philosophy, which remain interesting fields of
study for the contemporary times. The development of Greek art can be divided into four
periods: Geometric, Archaic, Classical, and Hellenistic.
Geometric Period A time when Greece was starting to get back from the onslaught of
what seemed to be their Dark Ages. It was a period when geometric shapes and patterns
have taken the spotlight in most of the artworks.
◦ Archaic Period Placed importance on human figures. It was primarily a result of
Greece`s trading activities with other civilizations.
◦ Classical period is the peak of the Greek sculpture and architecture. It was during this
time when the Greeks found themselves rebuilding their temples and focusing on creating
artworks.
◦ The time of Alexander the Great was called Hellenistic Period. During this time, art
was primarily focused on showcasing emotions and depicting reality. Hellenistic
sculptures started to emphasize balance while showcasing dynamic poses and a number
of emotions evoked by the subject.
◦ Ancient Rome The Roman Republic was established around 500 BCE. The Romans
were fond of Greeks and their achievement in the arts. The fusion of Greek and Roman
Cultures can be seen in most Roman artworks. Some would argue that Romans merely
copied Greek art. This eventually made the Romans produce artworks that are often
looking stern, harsh and strong.
◦ They also invoked the principles of realism in most of their works, highlighting the
features of human being. Aside from this, the Romans were also known to be master
builders, which earned their reputation for grand monuments and architectural
infrastructures.
◦ Middle ages It is the period between the decline of the Roman Empire and the
Renaissance. This period was characterized by ignorance and darkness. Church also
became the central figure and authority of the period. Since the church was the most
important figure, the most important products of the early Middle Ages would have to be
copied of the Christian scriptures.
◦ Renaissance Art During the Renaissance Period, artists valued the individual as a
subject of arts. Most artworks emphasized naturalism, which was also an influence of
humanism since there was a great emphasis on the proportionality of the human body.
Most artists also added perspective of depth wherein spaces were explored in different
artworks. This technique provided a three-dimensional perspective of most Renaissance
paintings During the Renaissance Period, there is also a revival of Roman theatrical
plays. The plays were done in such a way that showcased grand and lavish entertainment
for the audience. These plays were performed during special occasions at the courts of
 Italian princes. Eventually this would lead to Italy`s opera, which have greatly influenced
their tradition of popular theater.
◦ Mannerism was a period in art history, which was a product of the Renaissance Period.
As the Renaissance ended, artists started directly copying subjects from existing works of
art. Most artworks during this period displayed distorted figures, two-dimensional spaces,
discordant hues and colors, and lack of defined focal point.
◦ Baroque and Rococo This period roughly spanned from 1600 to 1750. although this
was the period following Renaissance, it is said that a lot of artists have developed
styles and techniques different from their Renaissance predecessors. Most artists
used colorful palettes and ornamentation in their works. Motion and space were
taken into consideration by artists like the use of dramatic lighting and concept of
time.
◦ Aside from art, music also flourished during the Baroque Period. Baroque music was able
to clearly distinguish loud from soft, and solo from ensemble. Since the birthplace of this
period was in Rome, it did not come a surprise that most composers come from Italy.
Eventually, the influence of Baroque music spread outside Italy and reached other parts
of Europe.
◦ Since Baroque composers, through their works, tried to evoke certain emotions from their
audience, they began to make more complex musical compositions and performances.
However, it can be noted that initially, this kind of music was limited only to powerful
institutions like the Church and individuals like the patrons.
◦ Neoclassicism was a movement in Europe that transpired during the late eighteenth and
early nineteenth centuries. It was the dominant art movement that time which basically
aimed to revive and rekindle the influences of Greek and Roman into art and architecture.
The ancient Greeks and Europeans had placed emphasis on human reason and keeping
society in order. These very principles were also the dominant principles during the
Baroque Period.
◦ Romanticists have highlighted heroic elements into their work. During the age of
revolutions, there has been a tremendous focus on patriotic and nationalistic movements.
One of the major revolutions in history would be the French Revolution, and such
movements became the focal point of most Romantic works.
◦ The major and central themes of Romanticism movement include the emphasis on the
goodness of mankind. Artists also emphasized emotions and feelings of man, which was
a deviation from the humanist principles of rationalism.
◦ It focuses on the accuracy of details that depicts and somehow mirrors reality. Realism
was heavily influenced by Hellenistic Greek culture since most artworks during that
period placed emphasis on the human body. Realism as a modern movement in art veered
away from traditional forms of art. In a way, it revolutionized themes and techniques in
paintings. Since artists works within the context of revolutions and social change, artistic
 works began to depict real-life events. Idealistic concepts and images were replaced by
real manifestations of society. There is a move to combine both art and life in artistic
works since the modern world were suitable for subjects of art.
◦ The impressionism movement started in France, which led to a break from the tradition in
European painting, it emerged in the mid-late 1800`s. impressionists artists incorporated
scientific principles to achieve a more distinct representation of color. The artist`s
impression is communicated through his works and can be seen through the brushstrokes,
distinction of colors, and lights and shadows used by the artist.
◦ Post It emerged in France, and is a result of both the influence and rejection of
Impressionism. Most artists that belong to this movement started of as impressionists and
later on saw the inherent limitations and flaws of impressionism. This eventually led to
the development of individual style that gave emphasis to defining from with the use of
broken colors and short brush stroke.
◦ Neo It is considered as a response to empirical realism of impressionism. Most painters
who subscribe to such movement rely on a systematic and scientific techniques that have
a predetermined visual effects not only on the artwork itself but also how the audience
perceive the art. The leading figure in neo-impressionism was Georges Seurat who
recorded optical sensations on a more scientific manner. His color theories paved the way
for the technique called pointillism. This art technique basically utilizes discrete dots and
dashes of pure color. These elements are believed to blend with the viewer`s perspective.
◦ Art Nouveau This ornamental style of art was a break from conservative historicism,
which was the prevailing and dominant theme of most Western artworks. This
ornamental style uses long and organic lines that are concretely manifested in
architecture. Jewelry and glass design, among others. In most works, the defining
characteristics of Art Nouveau is the asymmetrical line that usually is in the form of
insect wings or flower stalks. The line is done in such a graceful and elegant manner that
somehow evokes a certain power to it.
◦ Fauvism What makes fauvists revolutionary is that they used pure and vibrant colors by
applying straight from the paint tubes directly to the canvas. This is done to produce a
sense of explosion of colors in the canvass. The fauves, just like the impressionists,
painted directly from nature.
◦ The difference lies with how the fauves have this strong and expressive reaction to how
they portray their subjects. Most fauvist works reject the conservative and traditional
renderings of three-dimensional space. What they did was they introduced and promoted
a picture space that is defined by the movement of color.
◦ Cubism Between 1907 and 1914, Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque introduced a new
visual arts style called cubism. Cubists highlighted the two-dimensional surface of the
picture plane. Focusing on a flat surface was a rejection of the dominant techniques like
the use of perspective, foreshortening, and modeling.
◦ In addition, one of the things that cubism rejected was the existing and prevailing notion
that art should imitate nature. Cubists emphasized that they are not in any way obliged to
copy texture, form, color, and space. They presented a new depiction of reality that may
appear fragmented objects for viewers.
◦ Futurism It is an early twentieth century art movement that started in Italy, which
highlighted the speed, energy, dynamism, and power of machines. In addition, common
themes for works in this movement are restlessness and fast-pace of modern life. Later
on, the movement`s influence branched out not only in Europe but also in Russia. The
greatest impact of futurism is evident in poetry and visual arts
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