Introduction to Visual Art

The development of the visual medium

The Purposes of Visual Art

• Ceremonial: ritual, celebration, art is created to support worship ceremonies.

• Artistic Expression: artwork to express or communicate emotions, ideas, feelings

• Narrative: art that tells a story, describes an experience, document an important or historical event

• Functional: artistic objects used in everyday life (pottery, quilts, baskets, etc…)

• Persuasive: artworks that promote ideas, philosophies, or products (ads, marketing, propaganda, ideology…)

Question for YOU:

• Considering all the purposes of visual art, what was the purpose/purposes behind the “Biography Collage” that we created?

• Write and explain your answer on a piece of paper. You have 5 minutes.

The Development of Visual Art:Ancient Approaches

• The earliest known sculpture dates from app. 30,000 to 15,000 BC.

• The first visual art consisted of lines scratched in damp clay…usually drawn of animals and in caves

• Ancient visual art developed in three stages:1. Black outline drawings of animals2. Addition of a second color to create sense of light/shade3. Multi-colored paintings done in a realistic style.

• Ancient art shied away from 3-dimensionality…subjects in profile only.

Cave Painting• Cave of Lascaux (in France) was discovered by a group of

children…hundreds of cave paintings found

• They contain some of the best-known Upper Paleolithic art. These paintings are estimated to be 17,000 years old.

More Lascaux Cave Paintings

Sumer (Mesopotamia)

• Middle East (between Tigris and Euphrates…present day Iraq)

• Majority of surviving works prior to 3000BC are painted pots and stamp seals

• Showed scenes of sacrifice, hunting, battle…

Assyrian Art

• Northern people from Ashur on Tigris River

• Had great military power and ruled over the whole region for nearly 400 years, waging constant warfare (destroying conquered cities)

• Leader Sargon II in 722 BC ruled during peak of power

• The citadel of Sargon II has been excavated and showed poor construction methods…

• The art showed the “supernatural” powers of the king.

Citadel of Sargon II

Hebrews, Israelites, and Jews

• Wrote and collected books of Old Testament

• Began as a group in 1200 BC

• Great works : King Solomon’s Temple and The Hebrew Bible

The Hebrew Bible

• The word Bible comes from the Greek word for book.

• The earliest written Bible dates back to the days of King David in 10th c BC.

• 24 books

Psalm 120:

“Out of the depths I cry to thee. O Lord!

Lord, hear my voice! Let thy ears be attentive to the voice of

My supplications!”

Pages from a Hebrew Bible

Art of Ancient Egypt

• We will study more in-depth next.

• Great works: Pyramids, Temple of Luxor, Sphinx, King Tut’s Tomb

Art of Ancient China

• People governed by social, family units/relationships

• Shang Dynasty (1400-1100 BC) began the history

• Shang Dynasty produced bronze weapons and ceremonial vessels.

• Stone sculpture in high-relief or in the round (mostly in Jade)….fish, owls, tigers, etc…

Art of Native America

• Pre-Columbian (before Columbus)

• Post-Columbian (after Columbus)

• Weaving, metalsmithing, pottery, architecture

Art of Ancient Greece

• We will study in greater detail later.

• Includes, architecture, sculpture