Arts Through the Ages A look at Important Periods in Art History ©2006 EvaMedia, Inc.

Ancient Egypt BCE Oldest recorded civilization Egyptians invent papyrus (paper) and hieroglyphics (written language) Great Pyramid of Giza – one of several monumental tombs for kings Sphinx – enormous symbolic statue guarding one of the pyramids Romans conquer Egypt and ‘borrow’ much of their culture from this early civilization

Classical Greece & Rome 800 BCE -500 CE Greeks Greeks value high morals, ethics, order, beauty and aesthetics Drama invented in Greece (Drama’s ‘Golden Age’) All citizens expected to attend (government provided free admission) Festival of Dionysus = drama competitions for comedies & tragedies Philosophies, architectural techniques & ideas emerge to influence later eras Romans Romans conquer Greece and ‘borrow’ much of their culture from this civilization Roman drama favors large spectacle and low comedy Romans make great advancements in architecture (Coliseum = sports arena)

Medieval era – Also called the “Middle Ages” Politics & religion are united in power over the people Religious emotion is used to manipulate the uneducated Church controls work of artists, thinkers, writers, composers Artists allowed to work are mandated to create art for religious purposes Arts & sciences are suppressed In part, known as the “Dark Ages”

Renaissance – Values individual creativity Rebels against Medieval church’s control over artists & thinkers ‘Rebirth’ of Classical era ideals Visual artists = Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, Botticelli Drama = Commedia dell’arte, Shakespeare & Elizabethan theatre (late Renaissance) Music composers = Palestrina, des Prez Dance = court dances

Baroque – ‘ The Gilded Age’ Composers = Bach, Handel, Vivaldi Dance, Drama, Music = Ballet and Opera develop Church & monarchy jointly control arts & artists again Social class distinctions very obvious & strictly enforced Courtly life is valued

Neo-Classic era – ‘ Age of Reason’ or ‘Enlightenment’ Era of French & American revolutions Returns to ideals of Classical era Values individual freedom, independence Important era in world philosophy English entertainers tour U.S. colonies After Revolution, American arts develop unique styles 200 years of slave trade abolished in U.S. Drama = satire (Moliere) This is called the ‘classical music’ era Composers = Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven

Romanticism – Rebels against logic & order of Neo-Classic era Values nature, supernatural, emotion, imagination, sentimentality Music = Strauss (waltz), Wagner (opera), Tchaikovsky (ballet) Drama = melodrama Dance = ‘Golden Age of Ballet’ Visual Arts = European art influences American landscape painters; Matthew Brady photographically documents U.S. Civil War

Realism painters, such as Courbet, revolt against Romanticism’s idealized world view Realism seeks to show ‘real life,’ even its ugliness, in truth & detail Focus on the common person and on industrial urban scenes In drama, Henrik Ibsen redefines theatre toward Modern movement Realism –

Impressionist painters begin their movement in France in 1860s Impressionism is concerned with capturing the moment quickly & exploring the effects of light In music, Debussy and Ravel explore symbolism, inspired by Symbolist writers such as Verlaine and Poe Post-Impressionists are influenced by Impressionists, but their experiments move them toward the coming Modern movement Impressionism/ Post-Impressionism –

Modern/Contemporary Begins around 1900 Visual artists = break all the ‘rules’; create abstract, non-objective, ‘pop’ art, surrealism, cubism, expressionism, Drama = Plays by Shaw, Chekov, Miller + continuation of techniques from Ibsen (‘Father of Modern Drama’) Music styles invented = ragtime, blues, jazz, rock & roll, country, bluegrass, rap, hip hop … and more. Global music grows. Dance – Isadora Duncan invents a performance dance style named for its era: ‘Modern’ dance