Art Through the Ages: From Paleolithic to Classical

Paleolithic Period

• Characterized as the Stone Age
• Featured cave paintings of animals and hunting scenes
• Parietal Art: permanent artworks
• Depictions of women as fertility statues
• Mobile Art: art made to be mobile

Neolithic Period

• Shift from nomadic peoples to small agricultural communities
• Development of agriculture and domestication of animals
• Belief in the afterlife and religious development

Classical Art

• Originated in Ancient Greece and Rome
• Emphasized perfect proportions of the human body
• Featured Contrapposto: bearing weight on one leg for a more natural stance in figurative sculpture

Renaissance

• Meaning "re-birth"
• Saw a re-birth of interest in classical ideas of Greece and Rome
• Featured Humanism: a branch of art that challenges logical thought and celebrates secular dimensions of life
• Utilized Linear Perspective: use of geometry to suggest implied space

Baroque

• Highly decorative era of art
• Focused on drama, emotion, and splendor
• Featured dramatic uses of light, scale, and composition
• Dark backgrounds and Biblical and Propagandic representations

Rococo

• Characterized by small scale, ornate decoration
• Featured interior decoration highlighting the organic
• Utilized light/pastel colors
• Focused on scenes of everyday life and celebration of humanism