Art History

Let's look at Mesopotamia, ancient Egypt, ancient Greece, and the Roman Empire. All of those have become a big part of future artists, centuries later, and inspired Renaissance painters and more.

Sure, they didn't always cover up their naked bodies, and some of them were enslaving the nations they conquered... yeah, that's pretty serious stuff, especially that last one. But hey, at least they were kind of "civilized" in the sense that they had a unique architecture, statues, and designs that have made a lasting impact.

Most people aren't as impressed by medieval paintings, but things like leaded glass, cathedrals, statues, and the like surely add to our sense of awe. The Romanesque style, the gothic style, and calligraphy done by the monks are breathtaking indeed. Breathe in.... now, breathe out. There you go. Breathtaking, isn't it?

Many people think about Italy when they hear the word "Renaissance," even though the word is French (weird). But the Dutch were some of the most impressive artists during that time as well, aside from the Italians. Have you ever heard of Vermeer? Rembrandt? No? Okay, I give up.

Maybe when you see some of these paintings, it will ring a bell.

Michelangelo, Donatello, Raphael, and Leonardo are not just Ninja Turtles but they were actual people, and some of the most famous Renaissance painters of the past. Their sense of proportion, perspective, lighting, and anatomy have inspired millions. Take a look at this video for some insights and common knowledge.

Mannerism was like a sub movement of the Renaissance, with smaller heads, exaggerated muscles, and more dramatic twisty poses. But there were some artists who went directly against the culture and created something more unique.

The baroque has some beautiful paintings as art, but the culture also embraced art in the decorative styles of the furniture, walls, and basically everything in life. In my opinion, the 21st century is rather boring compared to that time period in its style.

The Rococo time period knew a lot of elegance and decorations. Personally, I love some of their art. It showed a softer, more innocent-flirtatious style of the Renaissance and Baroque.

Neoclassicism is a great word for Scrabble. It also was a revival, more or less of using ancient Roman styles, columns, statues, and scenes to integrate in more modern political issues. You might recognize some of these paintings from the 1700s and early 1800s. If you don't, then don't beat yourself up. You don't have to be a genius. It's not like I am. Haha! Or am I?

Romanticism was a movement that went along with great minds, music, poetry, and writing. But yes, in the world of visual arts, there was a lot happening too. Not everything was romantic, though. Some things, however, were romanticized. Some painters were more hopeless than romantic, not hopeless romantics.

Instead of focusing on mythology and religion, or idealistic proportions, half-naked or fully naked figures, and historical moments, realism basically said, "Let's just observe everyday life and paint that. No bells and whistles. Just show what's really happening."

Impressionism took things in another direction: Less detailed and more rough strokes. I guess Vincent van Gogh was heavily influenced by impressionism, but the real name we think of here when we mention impressionism is Claude Monet. Then there was Manet, not to be confused with Monet, and no, he wasn't related.

Funny story: My parents didn't know what to name me. When they drove to the hospital, they saw a Vincent Van Gogh Street. They named me Vincent and it turns out that I'm the only artist in my family. I still have both of my ears, though, and I plan on keeping them.

Art Nouveau just means "new art" in French. It was pretty classy, and I am a personal fan. Elegant women and patterns brought back what had mostly been lost since the Rococo time period, but it was still different, and now it was combined with movie promotions, commercials, plaques and posters, propaganda, and modern printing techniques.

I guess I don't have too much to say about fauvism. There were a few different styles, so it was a mix of everything. It was interesting, but not one of the biggest movements. In this video, you get a taste of it.

To be honest, I kind of hate expressionism. I don't think everything you paint or draw should be photographic or realistic. I am a big fan of cartoons, comics, or alterations of reality in various forms or shapes, but expressionism took it a bit too far. If you share my opinion, good. If you don't, that's okay too. But before you have an opinion about it, you should probably watch the video.

Cubism style is like a intentionally misplaced collage. Maybe you like it, maybe you don't. Either way, it was a trend. Some paintings sold for millions, and it was a new idea that many people thought was particularly fascinating in one way or another. It's good to know something about it. Maybe you even want to become a cubist artist for the rest of your life! Sorry, I don't have a course about that.

Surrealism, like cubism, is pretty weird. I guess it was a step back into a more realistic approach, but still with the collage system in place, putting random pieces together that weren't necessarily related to each other. Again, another Spanish artist came to the forefront in this movement.

Africa is so big! So, yeah, where do I start? Well, first, it's interesting to notice that you could divide it into the northern parts, the Muslim regions, and then into the original tribal art and the Christian influences in the north-east. So, let's start with that and then see what we can learn.

Ever since I've played Prince of Persia as a video game, I've been somewhat interested in Persia. The country we now call Iran is a big part of what that was, even before the impact of the Islam. Islamic art is supposed to stay away from figurative, completely opposite of Buddhist or Christian art in most cases. So, instead, we get beautiful mosaics and patterns instead of Allah or Mohammed statues. And yes, the Persian Empire was big. It remained there for a long time.

Since Central Asian is a cross-roads between China, India, the Middle East, and Europe, it received influential trends from every area. The result is a big mix, although in many countries, eventually, either the Muslim or Buddhist influence began to take over.

If you know the movie "Seven Years in Tibet" from the 90s, you've probably heard of Tibet. Or maybe you heard of some of the conflicts they had with China. Either way, Tibet stands out because it is such a strict Buddhist culture, and it has all kinds of rituals, monks, and artistic peculiarities, amidst the highest peaks in the world, the Himalayas.

Again, Indian art, is often related to its religions. Statues of Hindu deities, Buddhist art, and Jainism are everywhere. India is such a vast country that I didn't know where to begin either, but I begun anyway, otherwise, I would have ended up being stuck at this point. I hope you appreciate what I put together about that ginormous country. Wait, is ginormous even a word? Or is it just an erroneous combination of gigantic and enormous? Ah... who cares...

I love Thailand for many reasons. I spent 6 months there to do volunteer work, learn the language, and enjoy the delicious food. Later, I got married and came back with my wife and oldest (then a toddler) for another 2 months to enjoy the southern parts and Bangkok as tourists. Thai art can already be seen in the many Buddhist temples all across the country. But there is more to it.... way more... okay, fine, a little more. Not that much, I guess.

When we think of Cambodia, the tragedy of the genocide several decades ago may come to mind. But what makes Cambodia a little different than its surrounding countries is that large areas of ruins from the Khmer Empire hundreds of years ago, have been preserved. They are visited by millions of tourists every year. Let's take a look at it.

China is huge, and it contains a long history of wars, culture, and art. Today, we look at the art part. (Duh). You get to see some of the most famous buildings, statues, and techniques they used in ancient times.

The Japanese have a long history of samurai, allegiance, and conflicts. But they also invented things, created their own style, and have highly influenced the west (meaning Europe and Northern America) with their take on figurative art. Check out both the ancient, medieval, early modern, and late modern influences that we have noticed from this intriguing country.

The Aztec did some nasty things, but they also had a highly developed culture and society. It's not like they were ALL barbarians... I guess. Either way, let's take a look at their unique sculptures and other arts they created.

The Maya lived in Mesoamerica, and it was way before the Aztec. And yes, they also have some fascinating art pieces to admire and to learn more about. So, let's do it! Let's goooo!

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