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Questions and Answers
The middle ages occurred from the fall of the Roman Empire in the 5th century CE until the beginning of the Renaissance Period. It is also known as the _________ Period.
The middle ages occurred from the fall of the Roman Empire in the 5th century CE until the beginning of the Renaissance Period. It is also known as the _________ Period.
Medieval
The term 'Ichthys' is a Greek word that symbolizes Christ as the Alpha and the Omega.
The term 'Ichthys' is a Greek word that symbolizes Christ as the Alpha and the Omega.
True
Why did the Roman Empire fall?
Why did the Roman Empire fall?
What was the significance of the fish symbol (Ichthys) in early Christianity?
What was the significance of the fish symbol (Ichthys) in early Christianity?
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In Ancient Roman fine wares, terra sigillata was characterized by green-colored pottery.
In Ancient Roman fine wares, terra sigillata was characterized by green-colored pottery.
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During which period of Greek art did sculptors incorporate more diverse figure types and bodily poses, resulting in far more naturalistic and realistic sculptures?
During which period of Greek art did sculptors incorporate more diverse figure types and bodily poses, resulting in far more naturalistic and realistic sculptures?
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What is the defining element of the Corinthian Order in Greek architecture?
What is the defining element of the Corinthian Order in Greek architecture?
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What does the dove symbolize in Christianity?
What does the dove symbolize in Christianity?
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What is the significance of the basilica in early Christian architecture?
What is the significance of the basilica in early Christian architecture?
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The basilica contains the largest extant hall from antiquity and is considered a World Heritage Site. The hall has a length of 67 m, a width of 26.05 m, and a height of __ m.
The basilica contains the largest extant hall from antiquity and is considered a World Heritage Site. The hall has a length of 67 m, a width of 26.05 m, and a height of __ m.
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Match the following churches with their locations:
Match the following churches with their locations:
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What does the term 'Positive space' refer to?
What does the term 'Positive space' refer to?
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Which colors are considered Primary colors?
Which colors are considered Primary colors?
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Harmony in art is achieved by using different elements throughout the work.
Harmony in art is achieved by using different elements throughout the work.
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______ adds excitement to your work by showing action and directing the viewer’s eye throughout the whole picture plane.
______ adds excitement to your work by showing action and directing the viewer’s eye throughout the whole picture plane.
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Match the following artistic periods with their descriptions:
Match the following artistic periods with their descriptions:
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What is an illuminated manuscript?
What is an illuminated manuscript?
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Gothic art has nothing to do with Goths, true or false?
Gothic art has nothing to do with Goths, true or false?
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What is the purpose of stained glass windows in Gothic cathedrals?
What is the purpose of stained glass windows in Gothic cathedrals?
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Match the cathedral with its location:
Match the cathedral with its location:
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Which cathedral is described as the 'tallest completed cathedral in France'?
Which cathedral is described as the 'tallest completed cathedral in France'?
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Study Notes
Elements of Art
- Space refers to the distances or areas around, between, and within components of a piece
- Positive space refers to the subject of the piece itself
- Negative space refers to the empty spaces the artist has created around, between, and within the subjects
Line
- Indicates direction, orientation, movement, and energy
- Characteristics:
- Vertical line: basic framework of all forms, power, strength, stability, simplicity, and efficiency
- Horizontal line: creates an impression of serenity and perfect stability, rest, calmness, peace, and repose
- Jagged line: shows violence, confusion, and conflict
- Curved line: shows a gradual change of direction and fluidity and signifies subtle form
Shape
- An enclosed space, a bounded two-dimensional form that has both length and width
- Boundaries are defined by other elements of art such as line and space
- Types:
- Organic shapes: based on natural or living forms, irregular
- Geometric shapes: based on measured forms, precise, and named (e.g., sphere, cube, pyramid, cone, cylinder)
Form
- Connotes something that is three-dimensional and encloses volume
- Geometric forms: mathematical, precise, and can be named
- Organic forms: free-flowing, curvy, and not symmetrical or easily measurable
Color
- Produced when light, striking an object, is reflected back to the eye
- Characteristics:
- Hue: refers to the names we assign to a color
- Saturation: refers to the vividness of a color
- Value: refers to the lightness or darkness of a color
Principles of Art
- Emphasis: creating points of interest to pull the viewer's eye to important parts of the work
- Balance: sense of stability in the body of work, created by repeating similar shapes and creating a feeling of equal weight
- Harmony: achieved by using similar elements throughout the work, creating an uncomplicated look
- Variety: achieved by using different shapes, textures, colors, and values in the work
- Movement: adds excitement to the work by showing action and directing the viewer's eye throughout the picture plane
- Unity: seen in a painting or drawing when all the parts equal a whole
Art Movements and Styles
- Ancient Greek Art
- Archaic Period (c.650-500 BCE)
- Classical Period (c.500-323 BCE)
- Hellenistic Period (c.323-27 BCE)
- Greek Sculpture
- Three periods: Archaic, Classical, Hellenistic
- Famous sculptors: Phidias, Praxiteles, Kritios, Lysippos, Myron
- Greek Architecture
- Orders: Doric, Ionic, Corinthian
- Characteristics of each order
Theatre
- Origins in the cult of Dionysus
- Festivals: Rural Dionysia, Lenaia, Anthesteria, City Dionysia
- Competitions: tragedians, actors, and playwrights
- Famous playwrights: Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Aristophanes
- Aristophanes' comedies: bawdy, obscene, fantastical, or absurd
Aristotle's Poetics
- First systematic treatise on drama
- Elements of drama: plot, character, thought, diction, music, spectacle
- Tragic flaws: hubris, hamartia
- Dramatic structure: anagnorisis, peripeteia, catharsis### Imperial Roman Art
- Characterized by red-colored pottery with glossy surface slips
- Flourished in Italy and Gaul (modern-day France) during the Roman Empire
- Aggrandized the ruler and his family
- Often hearkened back to the Classical art of the past
Late Antique Art
- Characterized by frontality, stiffness of pose and drapery, deeply drilled lines, less naturalism, squat proportion, and lack of individualism
- Important figures are often slightly larger or placed above the rest of the crowd to denote importance
- Red gloss terra sigillata ware with relief decoration was used
Roman Painting
- Roman interiors were lavishly painted and had stucco
- Largest body of evidence comes from Pompeii and Herculaneum
- Roman wall painters preferred natural earth colors such as darker shades of reds, yellow, and browns
- Subjects included portraits, scenes from mythology, architecture, flora, fauna, and even entire gardens, landscapes, and townscapes
Roman Sculpture
- Blended the idealized perfection of earlier Classical Greek sculpture with a greater aspiration for realism
- Mixed in the styles prevalent in Eastern art
- Mostly used marble and bronze
- Sculptures depicted prominent political figures in Rome or wealthy individuals
- Were both manifestations of life and death
- Larger than life sculptures were also carved for gods, emperors, and heroes
Roman Mosaics
- Made with small black, white, and colored squares of marble, tile, glass, pottery, stone, or shells
- Each individual piece measured between 0.5 and 1.5 cm, but fine details were often rendered using even smaller pieces as little as 1mm in size
- Popular subjects included scenes from mythology, gladiator contests, sports, agriculture, hunting, food, flora, and fauna, and sometimes even captured the Romans themselves in detailed and realistic portraits
Roman Architecture
- Continued the legacy left by the earlier Greek architects
- Largely favored marble, especially for state-funded projects
- Various types of marble used, such as Carrara marble from Italy, Parian marble from Paros, Pentelic from Athens, yellow Numidian marble from North Africa, red porphyry from Egypt, and green-veined Carystian marble from Euboea
- Notable architects included Apollodorus of Damascus, Hadrian, Severus, Celer, and Vitruvius
Roman Theatre
- Socio-cultural context: Romans were uninterested in theoretical questions, but were among the greatest engineers, military tacticians, and administrators
- Horace's The Art of Poetry served as a manual on writing good plays
- Playwrights included Livius Andronicus, Gnaeus Naevius, and Titus Maccius Plautus
Roman Republic vs Empire
- Republic: 509-27 BCE, characterized by discipline, economy, endurance, military precision, and loyalty
- Empire: 27 BCE-476 CE, characterized by a shift from representative government to imperial rule
Roman Tragic Playwrights
- Only three recorded Roman tragedians: Quintus Ennius, Marcus Ocuvius, and Lucius Accius
- Fabula crepidata: tragedies based on Greek originals
- Fabula praetexta: tragedies based on Roman subjects
Roman Actors
- Histriones: actors; Cantores: declaimers
- Male actors, while women performed in mimes
- Playwrights left the production at the hands of managers
- Some actors belonged to guilds
- Emphasis shifted to the "star" performer in the 1st century BCE
Art in the Middle Ages
- Occurred from the fall of the Roman Empire in the 5th century CE to the beginning of the Renaissance Period
- The term "Medieval Period" was introduced by Italian humanists to differentiate the 1000-year gap from the Classical Period
Why did the Roman Empire fall?
- Rome suffered against Germanic tribes
- Financial crisis, minimal resources, and depletion of labor force
- Empire was divided into two, leading to administrative and logistical nightmares
- Government was plagued by corrupt officials, and frequent civil wars resulted in the murder of the sitting Emperor and the coronation of a new one
Early Christian Art
- Refers to the painting, sculpture, and architecture from the beginnings of Christianity up to the 6th century CE
- Hidden and symbolic, with the fish (Ichthys) as a symbol for Christ
- Christ as the Alpha and the Omega
- Dove as the Holy Spirit
- 3rd and 4th century catacombs had the earliest identifiably Christian art
The Basilica
- Since Christianity was a mystery religion that demanded initiation to participate in religious practices, Christian architecture put greater emphasis on the interior
- The Christian churches needed large interior spaces to house the growing congregations and to mark the clear separation of the faithful from the unfaithful
The Edict of Milan
- Agreement shifted Christianity from being an illicit, persecuted sect to being welcome and soon dominant
Romanesque Art
- Took shape in the 11th century, initially developing in France then spreading to Spain, England, Flanders, Germany, Italy, and other regions
- Characterized by elongated human forms
- Fresco on the Apse of the Basilica of Saint Angelo in Formis, Italy, showing the enthroned Christ and the symbols of the four Evangelists### Romanesque Period
- The term "Romanesque" was invented by 19th-century art historians to refer specifically to the architecture of the time period, which retained many basic features of Roman architectural style.
- Romanesque art resulted from the great expansion of monasticism in the 10th and 11th centuries, when Europe regained a measure of political stability after the fall of the Roman Empire.
- Characteristics of Romanesque art:
- Use of semi-circular arches
- Retention of Roman architectural style features
- Regional characteristics
- Sculpture:
- Revival of monumental sculpture in Western Europe after 600 years of dormancy
- Relief sculpture used to depict biblical history and church doctrine on capitals of columns and doors of churches
- Natural objects transformed into visionary forms
- Painting:
- Followed Byzantine Iconographic models
- Christ in Majesty, the Last Judgment, and scenes from the Life of Christ were common depictions
- Illuminated manuscripts featured saturated primary colors, limited depth, and abstract backgrounds
Romanesque Architecture
- Characteristics:
- Massive and solid appearance
- Use of rounded arches and barrel vaults
- Small windows and limited light
- Examples:
- St. Servatius in Maastricht, Netherlands
- Bamberg Cathedral in Germany
- Deanery of Maastricht in France
Gothic Art
- Emerged in the 12th century
- Characteristics:
- Use of pointed arches and ribbed vaults
- Larger windows and more light
- Elaborate stone carvings and sculptures
- Illuminated Manuscripts:
- Handwritten books decorated with gold, silver, or brilliant colors
- Featured elaborate designs, miniature pictures, and biblical scenes
- Examples:
- Westminster Abbey Bestiary (c. 1275-1290 CE)
- The Book of Hours of Jeanne d'Evreux (c. 1324-1328 CE)
Gothic Architecture
- Characteristics:
- Grand, tall designs with pointed arches and ribbed vaults
- Use of flying buttresses
- Light, airy interiors with large windows
- Decorative gargoyles as waterspouts
- Examples:
- Chartres Cathedral in France
- Amiens Cathedral in France
- Notre-Dame de Reims in France
- Westminster Abbey in London, UK
- Canterbury Cathedral in UK
- Milan Cathedral in Italy
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Description
Learn about the element of space in art, including the distances and areas around, between, and within components of a piece. Understand how art completes what nature cannot.
