Paintings

PRE-HISTORIC ERA Pre-historic includes all human existence before the emergence of writing. Their art is of interest not only to the art historians but also to archeologist and anthropologist, for whom the art is only one clue - along with fossils, pollens, and other finds to an understanding of early human life and culture.

PAINTINGS FROM THE PRE-HISTORIC ERA

Their paintings were found inside the caves which may have been their way of communicating with each other. It may also be for religious or ceremonial puposes. These paintings may be more an artifact of the archeological evidence than a true picture of humans' first created art. Prehistoric drawings of animals were usually correct in proportion.

Example:

Cave of Lascaux, 1 5000-10000 B.C.

-The dominant features in the painting were large animals native in the region. It was discovered on September 12, 1940 and given statutory historic monument protection. The painting has nearly 2,000 figures composed mainly of animals, human figures, and abstract design. Some sections have been identified inside the cave such as: The Great Hall of the Bulls, The Lateral Passage, The Shaft of the Dead man, The Chamber of Engravings, The Painted Gallery, and the Chamber of Felines.

PAINTINGS FROM ANCIENT EGYPT

The purpose of Egyptian paintings is to make the deceased afterlife place pleasant . With this in mind, themes include journey to the underworld, introducing deceased to the gods of the underworld by their protective deities.

It emphasizes the importance of life after death and the preservation of the knowledge of the past. Most paintings were highly stylized, symbolic, and showed profile view of on animal or a person. The main colors used were red, black, blue, gold. and oreen derived from mineral pigments that can withstand strong sunlight without fading. The paintings of the walls on the tomb showed events of the life of the king while he was still on earth and the scenes he expects to encounter in the underworld after his death.

Example:

Paintings from Sarcophagus of Tutankhamen XVll dynasty 1362 A.D. - 1253 BC

PANEL PAINTING

They are paintings on flat panels of wood. It can be either a small, single-pieced or several panels joined together. Most of the panel paintings no longer exist because of their organic composition.

Example:

The earliest known panel painting is the: Pitsa Panel (Archaic Period between 540 and 530 B.C.E.)

TOMB /WALL PAINTING

Tomb or wall painting was very popular during the classical period. It uses the method frescos in either tempera (water-based) or encaustic (wax). It has a sharp, flatly outlined style of painting and because it uses water-based materials, very few samples survived. The image was painted using a true fresco technique with a limestone mortar. It depicts a symposium scene on the wall. In tomb paintings, artists rely on the shade and hues of paint to ereate depth and life-like feeling.

Example:

Tomb of the Diver (Paestrum 480 BCE)

PAINTINGS FROM THE ROMAN ERA

Most of the paintings in this era were copied or imitated from Hellenie Greek paintings. Fresco technique was used in brightly colored backgrounds; division of the wall into a multiple rectangular areas (tie-tac-toe design); multi-point perspective; and a tropme-l-oeil effect. Roman paintings have a wide variety of subjects, animals, everyday life, still life, mythological subjects, portraits, and landscapes. The development of landscape painting is the main innovation of Roman painting from Greek painting.

Mosaic

It is an art process where an image is created using an assemblage of small pieces of colored glass, stones, or other materials. This technique is used for decorative art or interior decorations.

Example:

Roman floor mosaic in the House of Fun Pompei, dated 100 B.C.

Boscotrecase, Pompeii

-This fresco painting was believed to depict a ceremonial rite, either marriage or an initiation ofa woman in a mystery cult.

BYZANTINE PAINTING

The lively styles of paintings which had been invented in Greece and Rome lived on in Byzantium but this time for Christian subjects. By the 1th century, the Greek and Oriental styles seem to blend together in magnifcent and imposing images which adorned the churches in large and small forms. The court of Empress Theodora, mosaic 6th century AD San Vitale, Ravena.

Example:

Fresco from the Villa of Mysteries Pompeii 80 BC

Theodora was an Asian Queen with dark eyes and fierce expression

ROMANESQUE PAINTING

These are largely placed mosaics on the walls of the churches that follow a strict frontal pose. It has a remarkable variety of artistic traditions such as modeling and treatment of faces and draperies that follow Byzantine convention while the refreshingly decorative feeling comes from southern French styles. It also shows traces of Mozarabic influence (Arabize influence) through elongated oval faces, large staring eyes and long noses, figures against flat colored bands and heavy outlining.

Christ wears a greyish, white robe with a blue mantle. Underneath the Mandorla (Italian word for "almond," used to describe an enclosure surrounding holy figures in painting) is a black band with white writing, Each side of Image from Treasures of the World, the center window are three arches resting On 1961 CCP Library columns of capitals in green, red, and blackk and in between of the figures of Virgin Mary a Christ in Majesty Painting from the Church of Saint Clemente, Tahul, five saints are columns of vertical, wavy Lerida Spain, c. 1123 Musue Nacional d'Art de patterns. This mural painting has been moved Catalunya, Barcelona to Barcelona and replaced by a replica.

PAINTINGS FROM THE GOTHIC ERA

Paintings have been confined in the illumination of manuscript pages and the painting of frescoes on the walls of churches in cosmopolitan style, elegant manner, and sophistication.

Examples:

Lady and the Unicorn tapestry 1506- 1513

-Subjects usually depict popular legends and love stories. Patterns like mille fleur or thousand flowers show influence which may have been due to the Crusades.

Rose window from the North transcept about 1230

- Stained glass windows were created to transform the vast stone interiors with warm and glowing color and at the same time to instruct Christians in their faith.

The Shepherd David 13th century, Gothic manuscript illustration

-The painting shows some realistic details and naive naturalism.