Western Classical Art Traditions - Quick Reference

Timeframe: before the emergence of writing; essential for archaeologists and anthropologists to understand early life and culture.
Characteristics: cave paintings; likely communication, religious, or ceremonial purposes.
Notable facts: dominant features include large animals; cave paintings discovered in the 20th century; around $2000$ figures in some sites; artifact evidence supports early human art.

Purpose: paintings aim to make the afterlife pleasant; journeys to the underworld and introductions to protective deities; emphasizes life after death and preservation of knowledge.
Style: highly stylized, symbolic, and often profile views of figures.
Colors: red, black, blue, gold, green from mineral pigments that resist strong sunlight.
Tomb paintings: depict events of the king’s life on earth and expected events in the underworld.

Mediums: Vase Painting, Panel Painting, Tomb Painting.
Techniques: Encaustic (wax-based, used by Greek ship builders); Fresco (water-based pigment on plaster).
Style: natural figures, dynamic compositions, and a hold on linear perspective with naturalist representation.

Description: paintings on flat wooden panels; Pitsa panel is among the earliest panel paintings.

Symmetry and depth achieved through shading and hue; Fresco used to create depth on walls.

Panorama painting: major innovation derived from Greek painting; subjects include animals, everyday life, still life, mythological scenes, portraits, and landscapes.
Mosaic: image created from small pieces of colored glass/stone; used for ornamental or indoor decoration.
Example: full Roman floor mosaic (Pompeii) depicting battle scenes of Alexander the Great versus Darius III (dated around $100 ext{ BCE}$ ).

Transition of Greek/Roman visual language to Christian subjects; prominent in mosaics and illuminated works.
Notable themes: religious imagery, imperial iconography, and symbolic motifs; Theodora depicted in mosaics is a landmark example.
Common patterns: use of mosaics on church walls and icons; acrostic signs with theological significance.

Manuscript illumination and frescoes on church walls feature cosmopolitan, elegant, and sophisticated styles.
Subjects: legends and love stories; patterns such as mille fleur (thousand flowers) show Crusades influence.
Stained glass: used to transform church interiors with color and to instruct Christian faithful.

Materials vary by region; some early sculptures may reflect natural erosion rather than intentional artistry; mythological or religious significance is common.
Early sculpture (prehistoric to ancient):
- Example period: 28{,}000–25{,}000 B.C.E. carved from limestone with exaggerated form as fertility charms.
- 25{,}000 years old ivory figurine showing realistic human face and hairstyle.
Symbolism and tombs: symbolic elements (hieroglyphics, relative size, material, color) used in tomb sculpture; large figures often represent gods or kings.
Common materials: wood, ivory, stone.
Notable patterns: gods depicted with animal heads; reliefs arranged in horizontal registers; divine figures larger than humans; space filled with figures/hieroglyphics.
Later periods: refined portraiture and narrative reliefs (e.g., 180–190 BCE sarcophagus with battle scenes).
Important works: Barberini Diptych (Byzantine ivory) and Gislebertus Tympanum (west portal of Autun Cathedral) as exemplary pieces.

Greek sculpture: early tense and stiff; later developments show accurate human anatomy and proportion after centuries of experimentation; high naturalism by around 5th century BCE.
Roman sculpture: monumental terra-cotta and relief works; focused on narrative reliefs in triumphal columns; grand sarcophagi.
Key form: relief compositions; monumental sculpture for public and ceremonial spaces.

Megalithic architecture: based on large stones (megaliths).
- Main types: Menhir (upright stone), Dolmens (stone-table tombs), Cromlech (stone circle, e.g., Stonehenge).
Egyptian Architecture: pyramids (funerary structures), tombs, and temples with orders and columns; three orders are Doric, Ionic, Corinthian.
Greek Architecture: classical use of the golden ratio; Petra as stone-rich region; architectural orders influence later styles.
Roman Architecture: durable stone structures; monumental public works.
Byzantine Architecture: perfected domes, clerestory lighting, and mosaics; Hagia Sophia as a landmark (Holy Wisdom).
Romanesque Architecture: solid masonry, rounded arches, and stone vaults; major building activity across Europe; decorative portals and sculptural programs on doors.
Gothic Architecture: development of pointed arches and rib vaults enabling taller structures; Notre Dame as a reference for design and stained glass.
Notable terms:
- Hagia Sophia: means “Holy Wisdom” (a key Byzantine monument).
- Petra: Greek for “stone”; region known for stone construction.

Megaliths and their meanings: Menhir, Dolmens, Cromlech, Stonehenge.
The role of symbols in ancient sculpture (gods, kings, and the dead) and typical materials.
Common architectural orders and their distinguishing features: Doric (simple capital), Ionic (scroll capital), Corinthian (acanthus leaves).
Key differences between Greek and Roman sculpture and architecture.
Byzantine contributions to art and architecture (domes, mosaics).
The evolution from Romanesque to Gothic architecture (pointed arches, rib vaults, verticality).