The importance of art throughout history

Virtual Art Museum

Art is important because human beings live in a visual world. Images communicate in unique ways in a manner that is important to the life today. The visual acumen one achieves from closely looking at art makes them a better person as they are able to make informed judgments that will help them understand the environment better. The focus of the discussion will to compare and contrast artworks and the relevance and influence the specific artwork to the history.

Comparison

The prehistoric art existed long before c. 3000 B.C.E. It existed before the written history. The particular art that existed during this particular time included paintings, architecture, and sculptures. With regards to the Ancient art, it existed between c. 3000 B.C.E and went through up to c. 400 C.E. The period was marked by great early civilizations of the ancient Egypt, Greece, North East Babylonia, and Romans. The history is normally credit with among the most important artworks that involved creating the naturalistic images of human beings ( Powell, 2015). Other important art during this particular period included theatre, mathematics, philosophy, and democracy. Thirdly, the art of the middle ages existed between c. 400 C. and c. 1400 C.E. The artwork experienced during this particular time developed in the wake of political and economic upheavals witnessed in Western Europe. The artwork during this time depicted religious activities especially Christianity which was evident in the Roman Empire and Islam which rapidly spread across Spain and North Africa.

Major cave paintings characterized the prehistoric art. The walls of the caves were decorated with paints whose source was charcoal that was mixed with animal fat ( Greer & Hayward, 2014). The pigments were stuck on the wall due to its porosity. On the other hand, the hallmarks of the ancient art were the sculptures and the stone drawings. Human beings applied reasoning in the development of statues that depicted human beings. With regards to the art in the middle ages, they were different based on their location and the period in which it occurred.

It is important to note that the prehistoric art, ancient art, and middle ages art are divided into distinct periods depending on the type of art and the period in which it occurred. The prehistoric art occurred in a period commonly referred to as the Paleolithic era and therefore the art was divided into three including the lower, middle, and upper Paleolithic art. The ancient art is subdivided into the Stone Age, Bronze Age, and Iron Age arts. Thirdly, the middle age art is divided into the Byzantine Art, the Romanesque Art, and thirdly the Gothic Art.

Some of the characteristics of the prehistoric art include vase decoration where vases were decorated using fish and other animals. Cave and rock art was also a dominant art during this period that involved paintings and making graffiti on the stones making up the caves. Morphy, (2014) asserted that animals' images were also common on the stones owing to the fact that this was a period where the main socioeconomic activity was hunting and gathering. Concerning the ancient art, it is vital to note that the art depicted was specific to the country or the region it occurred. In Egypt, many of the works depicted their gods, goddesses, and Pharaohs who, according to them, were regarded as divine. Horizontal and vertical references lines were mainly used to ensure correctness in their proportions when working. Sumerians mainly focused their practice on the decoration of pottery using cedar oil plants. They also had practices in the field of jewelry. On the art of the middle ages, the Romanesque Art focused mainly on religion and Christianity. Architectural designs included carvings, stained glass art, manuscripts, and sculptures. The Byzantine Art was mainly focused with a painting which lacked realism.

Relevance on History

The prehistoric art was documented before the inception of the written history. The art in this period is particularly important because it defines the economic activities of the early man. The stone painting using animals was clear evidence that the dominant economic activity during that particular time was hunting and gathering. The art during the Neolithic revolution was vital to history because it highlighted how the early man learned the art of farming and the domestication of animals hence adopting a more sedentary kind of life. The ancient art was developed in the wake of the invention of writing and the fall of the Roman Empire. The art represents a period when the Greeks applied their human reasoning in the development of naturalistic images of human beings. It also played a critical role in painting a religious picture especially in the Roman Empire as the first painting of Jesus Christ was first developed during this period. Finally, the art during the middle ages depicted a period in which sophisticated artwork was developed and the improvement of art developed in the previous years. Literature was an important component of artwork which depicts the level of reason that was present at this particular time. The paintings and drawings were mainly religious depicting Christianity and Islam as the two major religious factions at that particular time ( Lawrence, 2015).

In conclusion, art has been an important component of history and has played a critical role in defining the social, economic, and political components of the lives of human beings. Human beings continue to develop his artwork in various areas that will be used in judging the current society in many years to come.

References

Greer, M., & Hayward, M. H. (2014). Rock art and sacred landscapes . D. L. Gillette, & W. B. Murray (Eds.). Springer New York.

Lawrence, C. H. (2015). Medieval monasticism: forms of religious life in Western Europe in the Middle Ages . Routledge.

Morphy, H. (Ed.). (2014). Animals into art (Vol. 42). Routledge.

Powell, B. B. (2015). Classical myth . Pearson.