History of Art from Early Christian to Colonial Periods
Early Christian Art
Is it Pre-Columbian Art?
Early Christian art encompasses the artistic expressions of the first centuries of Christianity, derived from the Greek term paeI-old.
Locations and Cultures
Mesoamerican Art
Located in the north, encompassing present-day Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and parts of Nicaragua. Key civilizations include the Aztec and Maya.
Andean Art
Located in the south, along the Andes Mountains and Pacific coast, including Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, and parts of Chile. Key civilizations include the Inca and Chibcha.
Circum-Caribbean Art
Located in the central region, surrounding the Caribbean Sea, covering present-day Venezuela, northern Colombia, the Antilles, and Guiana.
Basic Terms Glossary (p. 53)
Materials Used in Mayan Culture
Mayan artists utilized soft stones like limestone and harder stones like basalt and diorite.
Dominant Motifs in Aztec Murals
Similar techniques were employed as in earlier cultures.
Early Christian and Byzantine Art
Early Christian Art
Art developed before the triumph of Christianity.
Byzantine Art
Art developed after Constantinople was decreed the seat of the Roman imperial government by Emperor Constantine.
Catacombs
Underground cemeteries where early Christians sought refuge.
Scallops
Curvilinear triangles used to balance the weight between domes and the lower sections of buildings.
Important Catacombs
- San Calixto
- Santa Ines
- Priscilla
- San Sebastian
Basilicas of Byzantine and Early Christian Art
- St. John Lateran
- St. Paul Outside the Walls
- Santa Sabina
Glossary (p. 59)
Romanesque and Gothic Art
Romanesque Art
Cultural expressions arising in the former territories of the Roman Empire.
Gothic Art
Changes in lifestyle and religious thought occurring in the late Middle Ages.
Stained Glass Windows
A technique of joining different sizes, shapes, and colors of glass using lead strips.
Miniature Painting
A type of painting that decorated manuscripts and prayer books used in medieval liturgy.
Enamel
Small-format painting.
Renaissance and Baroque Art
Renaissance
A major cultural period originating in Italy during the 1400s.
Humanism
The ideological foundation of the Renaissance, promoting the development of human capacities through rational analysis of ancient culture.
Renaissance Artists and Their Works
Painters
- Leonardo da Vinci: The Virgin of the Rocks, The Last Supper, Mona Lisa
- Raphael: The School of Athens
- Michelangelo: The Final Judgment, The Creation of Adam and Eve, Moses
Sculptors
- Donatello: St. George, David
- Michelangelo: David, Moses, PietÃ
Baroque Art
An important period in Western culture, developing in Europe between the 17th and 18th centuries.
Baroque Sculptors and Their Works
- Gian Lorenzo Bernini: The Ecstasy of St. Teresa, Apollo and Daphne, David
- Stefano Maderno: St. Cecilia
Colonial Art
Colonial Art
Artistic expressions influenced by Spain during the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries.
Colonial Architecture and Examples
- Religious: Caracas Cathedral
- Military: Castillo de San Antonio de Cumaná
- Civil: House of Iron Windows
Types of Colonial Sculptures
- Full-Sized Images
- Dressed Images
- Gummed Cloth Images
- Highlight Images
- Bottle or Openable Images
Important Colonial Painters and Their Works
- Juan Pedro Lopez: Immaculate Conception
Origins of Colonial Art Images
Spain and Portugal
16th-Century Building Still Standing
[Information needed]
Materials Used in Colonial Architecture
Mud and wood