Art 100 Reading Summaries : Indian Art , Gothic Art, Chinese Art, Renaissance Art, Contemporary/Modern Art, and art of the Americas

Indian Art and Shiva

Indian art made of terra-cotta figurines and a few stone and bronze statuettes were found in the Indus Valley. Indian art is related to Mesopotamian art, in its abstract rendering, and foreshadows the later Indian artistic tradition in its sensuous naturalism. The nude male torso found at Harappa is an example of the contrasting naturalistic style. It emphasizes the soft texture of the human body and subtle nuances of muscular form. Shiva is the great god of India, and the god of Hinduism.

Gothic Art

Gothic dominated much of Europe for over 400 years., not only in art but also in architecture. Gothic art expressed the religious and political values of the Christian community. Tall cathedrals and churches with taller naves and towers and glowing glass were becoming more and more popular. The characteristics of gothic art are: Stained-glass windows, very tall, pointy buildings (churches), which represents being closer to god. The stained-glass windows in churches and cathedrals would be colorful and represent figures from the bible. That would have a great significance to the Christian community.

Chinese Art and Buddha

The early Chinese civilization used the Potter’s wheel, mastery of reduction firing, and the early invention of high-fired stoneware and porcelain distinguish the technological advancement of Chinese ceramics. They used bronze castings and proficient techniques of mold making characterize early Chinese metalworking. Buddha is the Chinese god, and the god of Buddhism.

Renaissance Art

Renaissance art is traced back to Italy, form the early 13^th- 14^th century. Italian artists such as Michael Angelo, and Leonardo da Vinci became some of the very well known fathers of the artistic world in the time period.  The characteristics of Renaissance art are Linear and perspective aspects and 3D images. The artist used oil paint, and painted figures from the bible. Many works of Renaissance art depicted religious images, including the Virgin Mary, or Madonna, and were encountered by contemporary audiences of the period in the context of religious rituals. Today, they are viewed as great works of art, but at the time they were seen and used mostly as devotional objects.

Modern and Contemporary Art

 Modern and contemporary art if the newest and newest type of art there is. Modern art dates from the 1880’s up until 1960’s, and Contemporary art is from the 1960’s up until this minute. Characteristics of modern art are abstraction, and narrative. Pablo Picasso was a very famous artist, and was well known for his dramatic modern art pieces. Contemporary art speaks to the dramatic social, political and technological changes.

Art of the Americas

The first Mesoamerican art were monumental stone sculptures, representing their rulers. They also were known for finely carved jades, elegant ceramics,  and architectural elements such as pyramids, plazas, and ballcourts. The Olmec produced an abundance of monumental basalt sculptures, but they also made smaller ceramic objects. The art of the Americas is unique and has its own style because their ancient art style represents their uniqueness before the Spanish conquest.