Art History and inter-disciplinary relation

Overview

Ancient Egypt - Greek

Cave Art

This is an rock art in Australia. Wikipedia says this is 40 thousand years ago,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bradshaw_rock_paintings
Please compare with next cave art in France, 30 thousand years ago.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chauvet_Cave
Both years are still in controversy, so don’t believe wikipedia's year yet.
This French painting is more realistic like scientific drawings. On the other hand, Australian painting is more symbolic, or deforme.
Which do you feel younger? Please type “France” or “Australia” in local chat.
At first, I felt symbolic Art of Australia looks younger.
After photograph invention, realistic is not so special, so people feel symbolic Art is more modern than realistic Art. But 30 thousand years ago, there was not photograph, so it is not strange that Australian Art is older than scientific French Art.
In anyway, 30 thousand years ago, many cave arts were found not only in Europe and Australia, but also in India and Indonesia.
At first, European scientists thought French cave art was most old, and that means Europe is origin of modern human. But now, we know Africa is origin of all of the world modern Human, Homo-Sapiens Sapiens by Genome analysis.

Glacial Cycle

Then, how climate was in 30 thousand years ago?  Please see opposite side.
Black line is temperature of 100 thousand years Glacial-interglacial cycle. Left is past and right is present, Please look at last 10 thousand years, very stable warm climate, But other period, there were many spikes of abrupt jump of temperature.
And please look at Blue line. This is sea level change. In 20 thousand years ago, it was “Last Glacial Maximum”, most coldest period. At that time, sea level was 200 meter lower than now.
And sea level was changing until 6 or 5 thousand years ago, which means a lot of Ice-sheet still remained on Eurasia and North America continent and supplied meltwater into the sea.
10 thousand years ago, climate became warm and stable but shoreline and water flow on land were still changing until 6 or 5 thousand years ago,
So It is surprised us that human enjoyed Art in such unstable climate in 30 thousand years ago.

Civilization

Then, human became able to settle down and started agriculture by several thousand years ago at latest, and started concentration of wealth and power.
This Clay pod visualize fire flame symbolically.
Pyramid, simple geometric shape is another interesting Art and Architecture’s theme, but I’ll pass this today.
Pompeii and ancient Rome’s Arts are realistic.
Nazca’s ground lines are symbolic.
We can find both realistic and symbolic at those ages.

Gothic

In Gothic age, I’m sorry I couldn’t select representative Art works which attract me on wikipedia. When I found nice work, it looks like Renaissance Art.
In this age, King needed strong religious order to control people, so, paintings were picture story for edification.
I have different religious view as Japanese, so it is difficult for me to have sympathy with works in this age.
So please recommend me representative Art in Gothic Age.

Renaissance

We arrive at Renaissance, it seems 1st explosion of Art was occured.
One of the reason is invention of Tempera painting technique.
Before Renaissance, only Fresco technique, painting upon wet lime Plaster, could preserve paintings for long time.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fresco
You saw Pompeii’s wall paintings, that is also Fresco, and Cave arts could survive by natural fresco by calcium carbonate. And since Renaissance, Tempera, using fast-drying painting medium, enable painter to express more delicate Art and preserve their paintings for long time.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tempera

Invention of Printing Press

Another important invention was printing press.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Printing_press
People became able to share their knowledge.
And European people find new World, although there are not new for native inhabitant.
In anyway, people found Scientific approach based on data or evidences is useful and practical for economic activities.
Traders and bankers became rich and strong, and even King became to rely upon them.
King learned it is better to encourage them and collect taxes from them in wide spreaded economy.
Martin Luther’s Protestant Reformation was one of aspects in this age.
Of course, people and Artists are still living with religion, but they became free a little from religious authority. In this Age, religion teaches people to have virtue. Strong traders and bankers also hope to show their virtue to other people, so they became to support Artists.
Then Artists were increasing, Art works became more variety, but Artists still painted under poweful patrons, so I feel there were many gorgeous works which praise patron’s status and renown or religious authority.

From Renaissance, paintings became Realistic and perspective.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perspective_(visual)
In other word, I can’t find symbolic art at that age. I don’t know whether symbolic art couldn’t survive by present day at least on Wikipedia.
Then, I think Realistic and perspective continues until impressionism or cubism.
Why? I think in these Ages, people were living in success of science & technology, so they prefered realistic and perspective Art.

Baroque age

In Baroque age, we can find some private sense works, Georges de La Tour and Vermeer’s works look like Impressionism. I don’t know why and how they could paint such works at this age.

Industrial Revolution

Now, we arrived at industrial revolution,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industrial_Revolution
Variety of Art was increased further, due to increase of rich capitalists.
We can see new wave in William Blake and Antonio Canova.

Social revolution

Soon, Citizen revolution
Revolutions start from higher level of society, but gradually, benefits of Industrial revolution reached to labor level. Then 2nd explosion of Art was occurred.
Citizens became able to enjoy their life. From the standpoint of free market, Art started since Impressionism. I think Impressionism is not specified style or fashion but social movements.
Since Impressionism, Artists became to paint not for own patrons but for unknown citizens through free market, like through Art dealers, through auctions, or citizens became able to appreciate Art at Museums, Galleries and Salons. In other word, all of Art styles or fashions after this age can be called as Impressionism.
We can see symbolic expression in Japanese ukiyoe and African Art. Both affected to Impressionism.

synchronicity

I want to show you an example of synchronicity at the end of today’s time travel.
In 1905, Einstein published the Theory of Special Relativity.
It is interesting, you can see Art became free from perspective.
Klimt, Chagall, and cubism of Picasso.
Stravinsky premiered Ballet music in 1913 which is full of irregular time and discordance.
Please look this panel. Synchronicity between Einstein, Picasso and Stravinsky.
Red birth years are near and Blue published years are also near.
Art started to challenge abstrusity, difficult Art Age stated.
Duchamp’s Fountain is an extension of this line.
I think World War was affected.
After 1950, we can find few shared images of paintings. We can display Architectures and industrial products.