THE HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF VISUAL ART

Introduction to the historical development of visual arts: painting, architecture, and sculpture

Prehistoric Period/Cave Art

The history of painting spans all cultures and dates back to the time of the prehistoric men who
produced their own artifacts. Cave paintings.

Egyptian Painting, Sculpture, and Architecture

The Egyptian painting is associated with pre-historic times. It focuses more on expressions of concepts
rather than a record of sensory experience and mastery over reality.

Greek Painting, Sculpture, and Architecture

The development of Greek art can be traced back from the two great civilizations developed in Crete
and in mainland Greece: The Minoan Civilization and Mycenaean Civilization.

Medieval Painting, Sculpture, and Architecture

Most of the artworks produced in this time are purely religious artworks which came in different forms
such as mosaics, manuscripts, and fresco paintings which mostly can be found in churches.

Medieval art includes the use of vivid colors, most masterpieces where created mainly for churches
where arts are made to glorify God rather than for aesthetic appeal and appreciation, sculpture appear
to be larger than other figures surrounding, and art subjects mostly revolved around holy family and
saints although some sculptures and paintings depict war scenes.

Islamic Architecture

Islamic Architecture is defined as the building traditions of Muslim populations of the Middle East and
any countries wherein the religion Islam has been dominant from the 7th century on.

Renaissance Period

The word Renaissance is derived from the Latin word “RENASCERE” which means “rebirth “or “revival”.
Thus, this period marks the revival or rebirth of cultural awareness which occurred in the 14th to 15th
century.

Most of the artworks in this period emphasizes on the following: sciences, humans and their
environment and philosophy. Thus, it concentrates much on religious subject matters which contain
symbols and are realistic.

Moreover, it concerns more about life towards new discoveries, it is more sacred or biblical and even
nude.
Mannerism Period

Mannerism is derived from the Italian word “MANIERA” meaning MANNER or STYLE, a term which
denoting to exaggerated, foreshortening and elongated features.

Thus, concepts of artworks during this period are into distorting elements to produce drama, unusual
lighting effects, frequent eroticism, bright colors, fine detail, spatial, scenic and dramatic distorted
poses, perfect elegance and mathematical in nature.

Baroque Period

This particular art movement gives emphasis on exaggerated motion, easily interrupted details; thus,
artworks in this period produce drama, grandeur, tension, exuberance, dramatic poses and even
passionate expressions.

Also, during this period, art forms are more theatrical, having elaborate ornamentation, religious
grandeur and even dynamic.

Rococo Period

The term Rococo was derived from the French Word, “ROCAILLE” which means bits of rocky decorations
which can be found in a 16th century architectural ideas.

Common characteristics of the art works found in this period are: the use of light or pastel colors,
curvaceous forms, graceful lines, cherubs with myths of love, highly ornate and exquisite study of details
which these are found in furniture, panels, vases, and urns. Moreover, subjects of the artworks in period
are always in the center of the canvass.

Neo- Classicism Period

It is a movement in the western art that coincides with the Age of Enlightenment during the 18th
century. It is the period of revival of the styles and spirit of classical antiquity especially in the field of
architecture.

Characteristics of the artworks found in this period include: precise details, dynamism, elegance and
simplicity, strong horizontal and vertical lines, shallow spaces, sober colors, and clarity in forms.

Romanticism Period

It is the style of art that found its subject in the world of dramatic and exotic; a style of art and literature
which draws on the imagination rather than nationalism, thus, appealed to the emotions of the
audience.

This particular art movement gives emphasis in the painter’s reaction to the past events, peoples, and
landscapes.

Romantic art forms provide deep love of nature and concerns about the metamorphosis of the world
into a new golden age in the powers of the imagination.
The Modern Period

It is the art movement which offers unlimited opportunities for artists and lovers; hence, many mediums
for sculptures are improved during this movement. It is the revolution in sculptural techniques,
methods, subjects, and materials used by the sculptures in their artworks.

1. REALISM
artworks belong in this period conveys a truthful and objective vision of contemporary life.

2. IMPRESSIONISM
a movement that aims to bringing out the effects of experience upon the artists and audiences’
consciousness.

3. POST-IMPRESSIONISM
It is an art movement that appeared after the Impressionism movement, from the word “POST”
means “after”. Thus, it marks the beginning of the modern art. This art movement under the
modern include encompasses a wide range of distinct artistic styles. It is an art form that looks
beyond the natural world.

4. SYMBOLISM
characterized by fascination with the inner world of fantasy, emphasis in imagination over the
copying of nature and most of all, from the term itself; it uses symbols in presenting the art
subjects.

5. ART NOVEAU
This art movement refers to the “NEW STYLE” and “NEW ART”. This art is characterized by its
use of long, sinuous organic lines which is most often engaged in jewelry, architecture, interior
design, posters, and illustrations.

6. FAUVISM
It is an art movement popular in France with the use of vivid colors on subject like pictures of
comfort, leisure, and joy to express feelings. Common characteristics in this movement include
intense bright, clashing colors, distorted forms and perspectives, vigorous brush styles, flat
linear patterns, and bare canvass as part of the overall designs.

7. EXPRESSIONISM
It is an art movement which gives emphasis on emotional experiences and the artists attempt to
depict subjective, personal, and self- expression, and not objective reality.

8. CUBISM
The concept behind this art movement is showing the importance of an object through
displaying it from many angles and points of views
9. FUTURISM
The common characteristics of artworks in this movement focused on speed, power of the
machine and dynamism and energy of the modern world promoting a new taste for energy,
speed and power of modern technology and urban life.

10. CONSTRUCTIONISM
The concept of this art movement is that arts should serve a social purpose which is beyond
aesthetics. It is the rejection of the idea of autonomous art rather; it focuses on the idea that art
should be constructed. Artworks on this movement focused on abstract with emphasis on
geometric shapes. Moreover, this art movement is a combination of the ideals of Futurism and
Cubism.

11. DADAISM
It is a European artistic and literary movement that ignores conventional aesthetic and cultural
values producing artworks that are non- sense, no rules, and no values; it is considered as the
first anti-art movement.

12. SUPREMATISM
Suprematism refers to an abstract art based upon the supremacy of pure artistic feelings rather
than visual depiction of object. Common characteristics of the artworks in this movement
focused on geometric forms like circles, squares, rectangles, and lines that are painted in limited
colors.

13. DE STIJL (THE STYLE)

De Stijl is a Dutch term for “The Style”, an art and design movement founded in Holland in 1917
by Theo van Doesburg, a Dutch artist, and Piet Mondrian. Artworks in this particular movement
emphasized on the ideal spiritual harmony and order, geometric shapes e.g. squares and
rectangles, simplified visual compositions to the vertical and horizontal directions with the use
of primary or light colors along with black and white.

14. ART DECO

Artworks in this movement are characterized by rich colors, geometric and angular shapes,
fashion oriented, lavish ornamentation and strongly decorative.

15. ABSTRACT EXPRESSIONISM

Artists in this movement may have their own ways of expressing emotions through the artwork
they produce. Subjects are often distorted and exaggerated and artists use vivid and shocking
colors.

16. OPTICAL ART

a style of visual art which uses optical illusions. It consists of non-representational geometric
shapes which create various types of optical illusions
17. POP ART
This artwork can be found in new technologies such as TV, magazines, and newspapers; it is
reproduced, duplicated, combined, and mass produced.

18. MINIMALISM
It is an art movement that rejected the idea that art should reflect the personal reflection; it
focused on creating a purely visual piece and not concerned about the hidden or deeper
meanings of what a certain artwork conveys to the audience or viewers.

19. CONCEPTUAL ART / CONCEPTUALISM

posits that idea or concept, and meaning are the most important work of art; it means it is the
art of ideas wherein ideas are more important than the finished works. It rejects the idea that
“Art is Beautiful” and the conventional painting and sculpture.

20. SOCIAL REALISM

It is an international art movement that depicts daily struggles of the everyday condition of
working classes or human condition of its time; thus, artworks in this movement portrayed
human flaws and cruelty of human nature that includes more of individual people and small
settings or social structures

21. PHOTO REALISM / SUPER REALISM

It is a genre of art in which artists study photograph and attempt to produce the image as
realistically as possible; thus, artists take photography as their inspiration.

22. INSTALLATION ART

involves the configuration or installation of objects in a space such as rooms or architectural
spaces for a temporary period; thus, the artworks mounted or installed transform the
perception of space and which comprises the artwork.

23. PERFORMANCE ART

It is a genre of art that is presented live by artists may it be scripted or unscripted, spontaneous,
planned, or unplanned, random, or carefully orchestrated, with or without audience,
participants, and collaborators. Thus, performance art is an artistic production in nature which
focuses on actions, audiences, sites, or settings done in a particular period.