Western classical art traditions grade 9

WESTERN CLASSICAL ART
TRADITIONS
Prepared by Mark Lester Nejana
Grade 9 - Arts

INTRODUCTION
In this Module you will learn that:
Even before humans learned to read and write they were
already artists as manifested by the different archeological
discoveries from the different parts of the world.
Each and every civilization of the world has its distinct art
forms depending on its aesthetic and utilitarian needs.

 Pre-historic art is classified into three periods such as; Paleolithic (Old Stone
Age), Mesolithic (Middle Stone Age), and Neolithic (New Stone Age) Eras.
 Egyptian Civilization was one of the early civilizations that have greatly
contributed in the development of art, religion, science and technology of the
world. Egyptian art is primarily religious in nature.
 Ancient Greek art depicts naturalism. They portray human forms in a realistic
and anatomically correct manner. Their art has a conservative form with a very
complex detail.
 Roman art developed as new source of artistic creativity much more
progressive than the conservative Greek art. The diversity of its form and its
variety inspired the modern attitude of art.

 Byzantine art was purposely made to glorify the Christian religion and to
express its mystery. It filled with spiritual symbolism, illustrates a love of
splendor. It was a combination of Eastern (decorative art forms) and classical
Western art (naturalistic art).
 Romanesque art was characterized by its very vigorous style in painting and
sculpture, lavishly decorated manuscripts and retained many basic features of
Roman architectural styles. It was also greatly influenced by Byzantine art with a
highly innovative and coherent style.
 The basic characteristics of Gothic art styles reinforce symbolic meanings.
The church symbolizes the transcendence of the soul, and the underlying
philosophy is to create buildings of height and light.

PRE-ASSESSMENT
 From the choices below, identify the pictures on the Eras where they
should belong.
A. B.
C. D.
E. F.

PAINTINGS
Paintings from the pre-historic era
Their painting were found inside the caves which may have
been their way of communicating with each other. It may also
be for religious or ceremonial purposes.
These paintings may be more an artifact of the archeological
evidence than a true picture of humans’ first created art.

CAVE OF LASCAUX, 1
 The dominant features in the painting were large animals native in the region. It
was discovered on September 12, 1940 and given statutory historic monument
protection. The painting has nearly n 2,000 figures composed mainly of animals,
human figures and abstract design.

PA I N T I N G S F RO M S A RC O P H AG U S O F T U TA N K H A M E N X V I I
DY N A S T Y
 Paintings from Ancient Egypt
The purpose of Egyptian paintings is to make the deceased afterlife place
pleasant. With this mind, themes include journey to the underworld introducing
the deceased to the gods of the underworld by their protective deities.
It emphasizes the importance of life after death and the preservation of the
knowledge of the past.

PISTA PANEL
 Paintings from Classical Greek Era
Paintings during the classical ere were most commonly found in vases,
panels and tomb. They depict natural figures with dynamic compositions.
Most of the subjects were battle scenes, mythological figures and everyday
scenes.
TOMB OF THE DIVER

MOST COMMON METHODS
OF GREEK PAINTING
1. Fresco – method of painting water-based pigments on a
freshly applied plaster usually on wall surfaces. Colors are
made of ground powder pigments mixed in pure water, dried
and set with plaster to become a permanent part of the wall.
2. Encaustic – developed by Greek ship builders, who used hot
wax to fill cracks of the ship.

THE GRAUNT HUNT
Paintings from the Roman Era
Most of the paintings in the era were copied or imitated from Hellenic Greek
paintings. Fresco technique was used in brightly colored backgrounds; division of the
wall into a multiple rectangular area; and multi-point perspective.
Roman paintings have a wide variety of subjects, animals, everyday life, still life,
mythological subjects, portraits and landscapes.
The development of landscape painting is the main innovation of Roman painting
from Greek painting.

HEAD OF ALEXANDER
Mosaic
It is an art process where an image is created using an assemblage
of small pieces of colored glass, stones or the materials.
This technique is used for decorative art or interior decorations.

SCULPTURE
Sculptures from the Early Age
Pre-historic Sculptures
Materials used in sculptures vary according to region and locality.
Archeologists believed that their sculpture is a result of natural erosion
and not of human artistry.
Frequently carving may have mythological or religious significance.

Venus of Willendorf
Venus of Brassempouy

QUEEN NEFERTITI
PAINTED LIMESTONE
Sculptures from the Egyptian Era
Symbolic elements such as forms, hieroglyphics, relative size,
location, materials, color, actions and gestures were widely used.
Their tombs required the most extensive use of sculpture.
The most common materials used for sculptures are wood, ivory
and stones.

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE
SCULPTURES
 Symbolisms were heavily used to represent the gods. They were
represented as composite creature with animal heads on human bodies.
 Relief compositions were arranged in horizontal lines to record an event or
to represent an action.
 Most of the time of gods were shown larger than humans, the kings, larger
than their followers, the dead larger than the living.
 Empty spaces were filled with figures or hieroglyphics.
 All individual components were all brought to the plane of representation
and laid out like writing

VENUS DE MILO
Sculptures from the Classical Greek Era
Early Greek sculptures were tensed and stiff, their bodies
were hidden within enfolding robes. After three centuries
of experiments, Greek sculptures had finally evolved and
showed all the points of human anatomy and proportion.
One of the most popular styles of the Greek sculptures was
Hellenistic style.

THE
PORTONACIO
SARCOPHAGUS
 Sculptures from Classical Roma Era
Most Roman sculptures are made of monumental terra-cotta.
They did not attempt to compete with the free standing Greek
works of history or mythology but rather they produced reliefs
in the Great Roman triumphal columns with continuous
narrative reliefs around.

ARCHITECTURE
Pre-Historic Architecture
Man has developed a form of architecture based on megaliths (a big
rock) from Greek word lithos (“stone”) and megas (“big”). This
architecture is made of huge stone blocks which were probably intended
for burial.
Megalithic monuments have always ignited man’s imagination. They
provided plenty of legends and superstitions. During this era, stones and
rocks were associated with divinity.

THREE MAIN TYPES OF
MEGALITH STONES
 Menhir: a huge stone standing vertically on the
ground, usually standing in the middle of the field
or arranged in rows.
 Dolmens: These structures are in a form of
table consisting of two huge standing stone
supporting a horizontal giant stone. It believed that
it served as grave or as an altar.
 Cromlech: a Brythonic word where crom means
“bent” or “curved” and llech which means “slab” or
flagstones”. Literally it is a circle of standing stones

PYRAMIDS OF
GIZA Egyptian Architecture
This architectural style was developed during the pre-dynastic period 4,000 BC.
The Pyramids of Giza are the most substantial ancient structures of the world.
The three pyramids are the funerary structures of the three kings of the fourth
dynasty (2575 to 2465 BC) namely:
Khufu (cheops) whom the Great pyramid was attributed to:
Khafa (Chepren) whom the pyramid next to the Great pyramid:
And the smallest is attributed to Menkaura (Mycerinus)

 Mastaba
It is a type of Egyptian tomb in the form
of a flat-roofed, rectangular structure
with outward sloping sides. It made of
mud-bricks or stones.

CHARACTERISTIC OF EGYPTIAN
ARCHITECTURE
 The structure has thick sloping walls with few opening to obtain stability.
 The exterior and interior walls along with columns and piers were covered with
hieroglyphics and pictorial frescoes and carvings painted in brilliant colors.
 Ornamentations were symbolic including scarab (sacred beetle), solar disk, vulture
and common motifs (palm leaves, buds, flower of lotus and papyrus plants).
 Temples were aligned with astronomically significant events like solstices (comes
from the Latin word Sol, meaning “sun” and stitium meaning “stoppage”, as the sun
appears to stand still on the first day of winter) and equinox (a time or date when day
and night are of equal length) with precise measurements required in determining the
moment of that particular event.

COLUMNS
Greek Architecture
Temples consisted of a central shrine or room in an
aisle surrounded by rows of columns. These
buildings were designed in one of three architectural
style or orders.

TEMPLE OF POSEIDON
The Greatest
Classical temple,
ingeniously
engineered to
correct an optical
illusion.

COLOSSEUM
Roman Architecture
They built sturdy stone structures both for use and to
perpetuate their glory.
The emperors erected huge halls and arenas for public
games, baths and procession. They built them gigantic
arches of stones, bricks and concrete, or with barrel vaults.

MEDIEVAL ART
Art during medieval Ages is strongly manifested in its
most inspiring buildings- the churches. Toward the end of
the 11th century, a style of church building called
Romanesque was prevalent. Beginning in the mid-12th
century and becoming more and more popular in the next
few centuries, followed the style called Gothic

The focus of art and learning was no longer on the
individual world, but on religion. Italian scholars called
this time the Middle Ages to separate the years between
the ancient cultures and the Renaissance that revived
them.
The Middles Ages, also called the medieval period,
lasted from about 400CE to about 1300CE.

LESSON 2
 BYZANTINE PAINTING
The lively styles of
paintings which had been
invented in Greek and
Rome lived on in
Byzantium but this time
for Christian subjects.
PAINTING
The Court of Empress Theodora
Mosaic

CHRIST IN
MAJESTY
 ROMANESQUE PAINTING
These are largely placed mosaics on the walls of the churches
that follow a strict frontal pose.
Some paintings were of Classical inspiration, while others
show a new, highly charged, energetic drawing style.

ROSE W INDOW F ROM
THE NORTH
TR A NSCEPT
 PAINTINGS from GOTHIC ERA
Painting have been confined in the
illumination of manuscript pages and
the painting of frescoes on the walls of
churches in cosmopolitan style, elegant
mannered and sophisticated.
Stained glass windows were created to
transform the vast stone interiors with
warm and glowing color at the same
time to instruct Christmas in their faith

SCULPTURE
 Byzantine Sculpture
The dominant themes in
Byzantine sculpture are religious,
everyday life scenes and motifs
from nature.
Animals were used as symbols
(dove, deer, peafowl) while some
had acrostic signs that contained
a great theological significance.
The Barberini Diptych.

LAST
JUDGEMENT
ROMANESQUE SCULPTURES
Some of the famous sculptural pieces are reliquaries, altar
frontals, crucifixes and devotional images. Small individuals
works of art were generally made of costly materials for royal
and aristocratic patrons. These lightweight devotional images
were usually carried during processions both inside and
outside the churches.

RESURRECTION
OF THE VIRGIN
GOTHIC SCULPTURES
Gothic Sculpture have a greater freedom of style. They no
longer lay closely against the wall, but begun to project
outward. Figures were given their own particular attitudes
instead of being set into particular patterns and are more
lively and realistic.

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
ROMANESQUE AND GOTHIC STYLES

ARCHITECTURE
BYZANTINE ARCHITECTURE
It has a lot in common with the early
Christian architecture. Mosaic decoration
was perfected by the Byzantines, as was the
use of clerestory to bring light in from high
windows. Byzantine’s advancement in
developing the dome created a new style in
global architecture.

THE GROIN - VAULTED CRY PT OF
WORCESTER CA THEDR A L
ROMANESQUE ARCHITECTURE
The doorways of Romanesque’s churches are often
grand sculptured portals. Wood or metal doors are
surrounded by elaborate stone sculptures arranged in
zones to fit architectural elements.

CATHEDRAL OF
CHARTRES
 GOTHIC ARCHITECTURE
This design included two new
devices: pointed arch which
enabled builders to construct
much higher ceiling vaults and
stone vaulting borne on a
network of stone ribs
supported by piers and
clustered pillars.

SAN SEBASTIAN
CHURCH
 GOTHIC ARCHITECTURE
One of which a historical church
that stands in the busy end of
Claro M. Recto street in Manila.
Built in 1980, the San Sebastian
Church exudes a magnificent
Gothic-styled beauty and
architecture.

THE END
 Prepared by: Mark Lester Nejana
Art Teacher – Grade 9

Western classical art traditions grade 9

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Western classical art traditions grade 9