1 ancient civilizations

ART APPRECIATION

Tara Justin PGIDS Pearl Academy 2014-2016

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I would like to express my deepest appreciation to all those who provided me the possibility to complete this report.

A special gratitude I give to our tutor, Ms.Suhasini Taneja, who provided us an insight into the ancient art period and taught us art.

I would also like to acknowledge with much appreciation the crucial role of Ms.Haroop, in coordinating the work especially in making this report.

Executive summary Ancient Civilization study is a basic subject in the social studies curriculum. The subject is challenging because it embraces humanity in general, and not just one nation or cultural tradition.

Civilization refers to the process of a society developing into a centralized, urbanized, stratified structure.

The 4 main civilizations are Egyptian, Mesopotamian, Greek and Roman.

Basic understanding of the principles of Art, graphics and design in architecture are required to sensitize people to develop insights and interpretations for Aesthetics, Architecture & Environment. .

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Topic

Pages

Mesopotamian civilization

1-6

Egyptian civilization

7-12

Greek civilization

13-18

Roman civilization

19-25

Renaissance

26-27

Baroque

28

Rococo

29

Romanticism

31

Realism

33

Modern Art

35

Fauvism

36

Cubism

37

Expressionism

38

Futurism

39

Dadaism

40

Surrealism

41

Minimalism

42

Impressionism

43

Pop Art

44

Op Art

47

Art Deco

48

Art Nouveau

49-50

4

ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS

Mesopotamian Civilization

1

• •

• •

Mesopotamia ("land of rivers") is a name for the area of the Tigris–Euphrates river system The indigenous Sumerians and Akkadians (including Assyrians and Babylonians) dominated Mesopotamia from the beginning of written history (c. 3100 BC) to the fall of Babylon in 539 BC, when it was conquered by the Achaemenid Empire.

It fell to Alexander the Great in 332 BC, and after his death, it became part of the Greek Seleucid Empire.

Around 150 BC, Mesopotamia was under the control of the Parthians.

Fig 16.One of 18 Statues of Gudea www.wikipedia.org

Fig 15. Alabaster with shell eyes (2750-2600 BC) www.wikipedia.org 2

Religion  

Believed that the world was a flat disc surrounded by a huge, holed space, and above that, heaven.

They also believed that water was everywhere, the top, bottom and sides, and that the universe was born from this enormous sea.

Fig 17. Ziggurats www.wikipedia.org

 

Fig 18. The Burney Relief, Old Babylonian, around 1800 BC www.wikipedia.org

Mesopotamian religion was polytheistic.

The Sumerian word for universe is an-ki, which refers to the god An and the goddess Ki. Their son was Enlil, the air god. They believed that Enlil was the most powerful god.

3

Burials •

•

In the city of Ur, most people were buried in family graves under their houses, along with some possessions. A few have been found wrapped in mats and carpets.

Deceased children were put in big "jars" which were placed in the family chapel.

Fig 19. Life and Death in Nabada www.wikipedia.org

Fig 20. A pit grave in the necropolis www.wikipedia.org

4

Art •

•

•

The art of Mesopotamia rivalled that of Ancient Egypt as the most grand, sophisticated and elaborate in western Eurasia The main emphasis was on various, fortunately very durable, forms of sculpture in stone and clay Brick is the dominant material Fig 21. One of two figures of the Ram in a Thicket(2600-2400 BC) www.wikipedia.org

5

Government 

Believed kings and queens were descended from the City of Gods, but, unlike the ancient Egyptians, they never believed their kings were real gods.  When Assyria grew into an empire, it was divided into smaller parts, called provinces.  They all had their own governor who had to make sure everyone paid their taxes.

Fig 22. King Sargon II (right) and his crown prince Sennacherib (left) on a relief www.livius.org

Fig 23. Stela of Ur-Nammu www.factsanddetails.com

6

Egyptian civilization 7

Introduction • Ancient Egypt was a civilization of ancient Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River • It is one of six civilizations globally to arise independently.

• Coalesced around 3150 BC • The success of ancient Egyptian civilization came partly from its ability to adapt to the conditions of the Nile River valley for agriculture. The predictable flooding and controlled irrigation of the fertile valley produced surplus crops, which supported a more dense population, and social development and culture.

Government and Economy

• The pharaoh was the absolute monarch.

• Barter system initially and later coinage.

• Farmers made up the bulk of the population.

Fig 1. Pharaoh www.wikipedia.o rg

Fig 2.Nakht tomb relief 8

Architecture

Ancient Egyptian architects used sun-dried and kiln-baked bricks, fine sandstone, limestone and granite.

Fig 3. The Great Pyramids of Giza www.wikipedia.com

Fig 4.Temple of Taffeh

Fig 5.Temple of Edfu www.wikipedia.com

Fig 6.Temple of Kom Ombo www.wikipedia.com

9

Daily life    

Great value on hygiene and appearance Most ancient Egyptians were farmers tied to the land.

Music and dance were popular entertainments Leisure activities include games and music, Senet, Mehen, wrestling, Juggling and ball games . Wealthy members enjoyed hunting and boating

Fig 8.Lower-class ancient Egyptian occupations. www.wikipedia.org

10

Art

Artisans used stone to carve statues and fine reliefs, but used wood as a cheap and easily carved substitute

Fig 11. Ka statue www.wikipedia.org

Art forms are characterized by regularity and detailed depiction of gods, human beings, heroic battles, and nature

Fig 12. The Bust of Nefertiti, by the sculptor Thutmose, 11 www.wikipedia.org

Burial customs  Immortality after death. . their dead in stone tombs and use artificial mummification, which  Buried involved removing the internal organs, wrapping the body in linen, and burying it in a rectangular stone sarcophagus or wooden coffin.

 Wealthy Egyptians were buried with larger quantities of luxury items, but all burials, regardless of social status, included goods for the deceased.

Fig 13. Anubis attending to a mummy www.wikipedia.org

Fig 14. Golden Burial Mask Of Tut www.wikipedia.org 12

GREEK CIVILIZATION

13

Ancient Greece was a civilization belonging to a period of Greek history that lasted from the Archaic period of the 8th to 6th centuries BC to the end of antiquity (ca. AD 600).

Fig 24. God of the sea, Poseidon, circa 475 BC. www.historymuseum.ca

14

Politics and Society • The major peculiarities of the ancient Greek political system were firstly, its fragmentary nature and secondly the colonies that they set up throughout the Mediterranean Sea. • Only free, land owning, native-born men could be citizens entitled to the full protection of the law in a city-state.

• People could change classes if they made more money.

• Between forty and eighty per cent of the population of Classical Athens were slaves who had no political rights or power.

• For most of Greek history, education was private. Only wealthy families could afford a teacher. The three types of teachings were: grammatistes for arithmetic, kitharistes for music and dancing, and Paedotribae for sports.

15

Religion and Mythology • Greek mythology consists of stories belonging to the ancient Greeks concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world and the origins and significance of their religious practices. • The main Greek gods were the twelve Olympians, Zeus, his wife Hera, Poseidon, Ares,Hermes, Hephaestus, Aphrodite, At hena, Apollo, Artemis, Demeter, and Dionysus.

Fig 25. The Temple of Hera at Selinunte, Sicily www.wikipedia.org 16

Archaic

Sculpture Classical

Fig 26. www.wikipedia.org

Fig 27. www.wikipedia.org

Hellenistic

Fig 28. www.wikipedia.org 17

Greek Architecture

Fig 29

18

ROMAN CIVILIZATION 19

Introduction • Ancient Rome began on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. • It is so old, it is today known as 'the eternal city'. • Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to become one of the largest empires in the ancient world with an estimated 50 to 90 million inhabitants and covering 6.5 million square kms during its height between the first and second centuries AD

20

Architecture • Arches and domes • Cement was the most important feature.

Fig 30. The Colosseum in Rome, Italy www.wikipedia.org Fig 31. The Roman Pantheon was the largest dome in the world for more than a millennium.It is the largest unreinforced solid concrete dome to this day. www.wikipedia.org

21

Mosaics are among the most enduring of Roman decorative arts, and are found on the surfaces of floors and other architectural features such as walls, vaulted ceilings, and columns. The most common form is the tessellated mosaic, formed from uniform pieces (tesserae) of materials such as stone and glass.

Fig 32. The Triumph of Neptune floor mosaic from Africa www.wikipedia.org 22

Arches

Fig 33. www.cbcurtis.net

23

Portraiture Imperial portrait sculptures may model the head as mature, even craggy, atop a nude or semi-nude body that is smooth and youthful with perfect musculature.

Fig 34. Augustus of Prima Porta www.wikipedia.org

Fig 35. circa 130 AD: the empress Vibia Sabina www.wikipedia.org 24

Fig 36. Bust of Caligula www.thewhatofart.files.wordpress.com

Fig 37. Claudius www.birrenshistoricgroup.org

25