art

BOOK OF
Girl with Cat,
1989, Fernando Botero (to find out more see page 41)
art
BOOK OF
 Jacket images: Front: The Bridgeman Art Library:
Monasterio de El Escorial, Spain / Giraudon tr (Durer);
How to use this book
Musee Conde, Chantilly, France / Giraudon tl (Book of
hours); Private Collection/Christie’s Images c (Degas);
In this book, find out about different art
Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, The Netherlands / styles, the works and lives of famous artists
LONDON, NEW YORK, Giraudon br (Van Gogh); Corbis: Burstein Collection bl
(Hokusai); Marco Simoni / Rober t Harding World Imager y and sculptors, the way some artworks
MELBOURNE, MUNICH, and DELHI (Gaudi); ©The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual
Ar ts t (Warhol); Lasar Segall, 1891 Vilna - 1957 São
were created, and the amazing range of art
Senior designers Sonia Whillock-Moore Paulo, Collection of the Lasar Segall Museum, São around the world. There are four different
Paulo, National Institute of the Historical Artistic
and Pamela Shiels Patrimony, Brazilian Ministry of Culture: c (Segall) types of page in this book:
Senior editor Deborah Lock ARTIST PROFILE

In he o ner s a t mp of om ca i ra hy ha a t rs hi i how
E l A t H k i

J pan e ar s s i ned h i wo k H k sa us d mo e han 20

d f e en nam s d r ng h s ar er ep nd ng n h s s y e t t e ime
The G eat Wave o f Kana awa 1 29 3
10 x 15 n 25 9 x 7 2 m) C lor w odcut
Katsushika A t st s
bio raphy

Additional editing by Anneka Wahlhaus Hokusai

Ka su hi a
Hok sai

1760 Bo n in do
(n w To y ) a an

n the 1800s Katsushika 1775 Be ame n

Sue Malyan, Lorrie Mack, Elizabeth

A ra i on l p i t ap r n i e wo db o k
o g i has c 1 80 Hokusai revo u ioni ed Japanese en r v r

art He used a woodb ock pr n ing echn que 1778 J i ed he

s ud o f Ka uka a
but nstead of show ng samurai ge shas and Sh n hõ

nobil ty— he subjects chosen by other Japanese 1797 Ad p ed

t e name ok sai

Haldane, Wendy Horobin, Penny Smith ar is s—Hokusai drew landscapes and

ordina y l fe n the count yside He st ived for
rea ism per pec ive and movement which can
be seen n his famous p int The Great Wave
Tom a and p o uc d
b ush a n in s a d
i u t a ed b o s

1814 Cr a ed a
c l e t on f ke hes
kn wn as he e es
Hok s i Ma ga
off Kanagawa Copies of his p int have been

Additional design by Mary Sandberg, sold all over he wor d nf uenc ng thousands of
ar is s and des gne s
Th se fi he men t ki g f esh sh
rom t e r v l a e to he fish ma k ts Mount Fuji
1824 18 0:
Pr du ed m ny
f mou wor s
i c ud ng an s ap s

1849 Di d and
bu i d in o yo s
of do (n w T ky ) re c ug t up in

Gemma Fletcher, Rachael Grady,

The Gr at W ve w s one S i yõ i em le
s me ower ul o ean wa es he
a ge t wave w h s gr s ing l ws is of a s r es of pr n s a led
hr a en ng o ng lf he hr e bo ts he Thi ty S x V ews of
How do you h nk t e sh rm n A t st s
ee ? A e th y a ra d O are h y Mount Fu i ( 829 1833) influ nces
co fident h y l m ke t as hey A th ugh Mount uji s
h ve do e o many im s be o e? n he back round of his

Clemence De Molliens, Sadie Thomas

Hok s i wor ed ob e s ve y on p c ure it s framed by
c e t ng woo b ock p i ts He c ea ed he la ge w ves and n
mo e th n 30 000 w rks b t ev n at he fo egr und a sma l
he end of is fe he e t he ou d Ch ne e art
do b t er He s g ed one of is a t pe ked wave cop es or 1 00 y a s
wo ks as The A t C a y O d Man ts hape Ch n se a nt n s h d
f a u ed ong i t nce
l nd c pe v ws
Making a
Art director Rachael Foster woodblock print
D d you know hat he ar i st
w odbl ck p nts a e n ar y
2 00 ea s ld? Th y d te ba k
to anc ent Ch na in 220 CE Dut h l nd ca e

Publishing manager Bridget Giles 54

Am zin ly t e p oce s of m king
a wood lock p int s the ame
tod y s t was t en!
T e ima e is rawn nd
p a ed ac down on o a
b o k of wood
he a eas wh re he m ge
w l be wh te re c i e ed
way
he a eas o be p in ed
a p r cu ar o or a e l ft
as d
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p in ng i k and hen p es ed
on o pap r
D f e ent lo ks re made or
e ch co or nd us d ag in o
make o s of op es
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m t s wa t e s u ce o t e ec et
f mmor a t and a h me o go s
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55

Production editor Sean Daly ARTIST or SCULPTOR PROFILE: Find out about
Production controller Claire Pearson the life, style, and work of a famous artist or
Jacket designer Jess Bentall sculptor and take an up-close look at a work.
Jacket editor Mariza O’Keeffe HOW DID THEY DO THAT?
P rt ait f Te ent us Neo and h s w e
1 t c nt ry Fr s o r m Pomp ii ta y
T e s r ng ed c or we e mad f om s e na
E rl rt H t m k r

How to make
a h rd ed r ck o nd n h I a i n h l s d s

Here’s how to

Picture researchers Jo Walton frescoes In he ry l ma e of

I a y s me Rom n
f e c es ave u v v d
make a Roman fresco
A te pre ar ng t e w ll w th a ayer f ro gh
p as er he Roman f es o r i ts wo ld c ea e
he pa nt ng b t by b t as he igm nt ne ded
o be ppl ed on o wet p as er
Rom n f e co
f om i s de a
v l a n Pom e i
C h d k Fresco is one of The n s at omp ii

and Julia Harris-Voss

f p t
l we e p e e v d when
he methods used for t e v l ano e uv us
e up ed nd bu ed
pa n ing a p ctu e on o t e c t in 79 E
a wa l or cei ing
The wn r of he
Pigments the mater al ho se T r n iu Neo
was a ak r who
that makes he color wan ed im e f nd
h s wi e h wn as
are pa nted onto a su c s f l a d c e er
He ho d a s r l to
sur ace covered n plas er sh w he c n r ad
Frescoes h ve been found The w e h l s a s y us
on he wa ls of ancient Egyp ian (a w i ng oo ) a d
1 C u h d p gme t m de r m o ks nd
2 A sma l a ch f fin wet l s e ca ed

Art consultants Rebecca Lyons,

an o en d p y h ( n r ed la t we e mi ed w h l me wa er t e i t na o was ut n to he all
ombs and used to create amazing an i nt w i ng ab e ) o f rm he p s e
and o ks a i sh is
ef ects on the ce l ngs of ca hed als ab ut o fin h o f
s m wr t ng

Roman style

Art Historian and Lecturer for Christie’s

The Romans u ed a echn que ca l d buon
A K OUR ELF
resco ( rue f es o) to dec ra e he wal s of
I you we e n
he r bui d ngs ow ered p gm nts uch as a ai t ng what
n tu al br wn and r d e r hs we e m xed b ec s wou d
w th w ter nd p in ed onto he ur ace of ou ho d? What
wet p as er made f om l me nd and As m ght hey ay
bout ou or
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Education and National Gallery, London

our h bb es?
b ended in to co or the p as er The ar i t had

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p gm nt ou d b nd w th he l s er and ma e t s i e
Fresco timeline A wr in ta et d p y h)
he r s o t ch i ue w s u ed by nc nt p o le l o er he

and Emily Schreiner, Manager of Family

w r d he e hn q e has v r t me b com po u ar a a n

and Children’s Programs at the 18

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Philadelphia Museum of Art, USA HOW DID THEY DO THAT? Find out how an
artist or sculptor did their work and see how
First published in the United States in 2009 by the technique developed through history.
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a c n t e o or o
ago The var ed sty es of art have shown a d h pp n ss nd ed or
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electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or around the world and throughout art history
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by Dorling Kindersley Limited. Chinese art Mod rn art

i ce he 9 0s r s s
s h as i
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The art of Chinese people da es back more than p n i g ec n q es nd
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turbulent his ory of war and revolut on The Y ll M t (d t )

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empe o s and art academies (schools) we e O H d dB t fl

l dI t (d t )
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A catalog record for this book who specia ized n studying art

T e op r w f a ur s he
he
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Q ng Dynasty
16 4 1 11
S me a i t kno n a t e “ ght
E c n r c ” r ke a a om t e
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is available from the Library of Congress.

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Printed and bound by Leo, China 6 7

ART STYLE: Find out about the different styles

Discover more at of art and follow the timeline of changing
www.dk.com styles through art history.
Contents
10 Early art
12 Rocky beginnings 34 Leonardo da Vinci
14 Egyptian scribes 36 Jan van Eyck
16 Faces in art 38 How to use oil paint
18 How to make frescoes 40 Children in art
20 Dreamtime art 42 Baroque (1600s)
22 How to make mosaics 44 Jan Vermeer
24 Gods and heroes in art 46 Still life in art
26 Chinese art 48 Rococo (1700s)
28 How to create colors 50 Francisco de Goya
30 Renaissance (1400s-1500s) 52 How to use watercolor
32 Landscapes in art 54 Katsushika Hokusai

56 Modern art
58 Impressionism 82 Grant Wood
60 Claude Monet 84 Animals in art
62 How to paint with pastels 86 Postwar abstract art
64 Vincent van Gogh 88 Jackson Pollock
66 Nighttime in art 90 Sir Sidney Nolan
68 After Impressionism 92 War in art
70 Henri Matisse 94 Andy Warhol
72 Pablo Picasso 96 Street art
74 Naïve art 98 Work in art
76 Paul Klee 100 Friedensreich Hundertwasser
78 Surrealism 102 Modern art
80 Joan Miró

104 Sculpture
106 Carved in stone 120 Gustav Vigeland
108 The Terra-cotta 122 Abstract sculpture
Army sculptors 124 Henry Moore
110 How to carve wood 126 Alberto Giacometti
112 African sculpture 128 How to create Land art
114 How to sculpt marble 130 Sculpture NOW
116 Michelangelo Buonarroti 132 Damien Hirst
118 Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi
134 Get up close to the real thing!
136 Glossary
138 Index of artists and sculptors
140 Acknowledgments
 What is art? This is a tricky question to answer,
because art can be so many things:

It’s not just It’s not just

h ppy…
but can also show anger ,
... but can also be collage, pain, wonder, SADNESS, and
mosaics, prints, PHOTOGRAPHY, many other emotions.
sculpture, video, painting, and
many other media.

It’s not just It’s not just

acceptable… pretty…
but can also be but can also be horrifying,
rebellious, scandalous, and challenging.
controversial,
dramatic, and
spiritual.

8
“Painting is poetry that is seen rather than felt...”
(Leonardo da Vinci, Renaissance artist, see page 34)

It’s not just It’s not j st

in galleries an image…
... but can also be in churches, but can also be a meaningful
public buildings, in parks and on idea and a historical source,
the streets, in magazines—in fact, informing us about the lifestyle of
there’s art all around you. people in the past and present.

It’s not just

REALISTIC
It’s not
just for art
... but can also be abstract,
symbolic, imaginary, distorted,
or a fleeting impression of a
lovers…
moment in time. but also for all people of
all ages to react to.

9
 Early art
Pre-history–1850

10
 Early art

From the first images on cave walls to dramatic

masterpieces hanging in exhibitions, the story
of art takes us around the world and traces the
developments in artistic skills, materials, and style.

11
 ART STYLE

Rocky beginnings
In the beginning, there was cave art—the markings of
prehistoric man. Although thousands and thousands
of years old, the drawings are beautifully preserved, often
found deep inside a mountain or underground, safe from
being worn away by the weather. Imagine in the dim
glow of a flickering fire, cavemen using burned
sticks or dirt mixed with a little water to
create their beautiful paintings.
I’m a bull from
the Lascaux caves
in France. I’m
17 ft (5 m) long!

No one knows
what the paintings
European cave art were for. Maybe
The impressive as decoration
cave art found at or graffiti, or
the Lascaux caves in for ceremonies
or passing on
The

France is also known as

information? What
the “prehistoric Sistine wa do you think?
Chapel” (see page 19). The caves ll’s
tex .
were discovered in 1940 by four ture i mals
shapes the an
teenagers, who were said to be
chasing their dog, Robot.

We were
painted 15,000
years ago.

12
 Early art—Rocky beginnings

African cave art

The walls of the desert caves in Libya,
Africa, are covered with pictures of giraffes
and other grazing animals. These paintings
suggest that in 12,000 BCE, when they
were created, the now-barren
The only animals
Sahara Desert was a lush, that live in the Sahara
tree-filled landscape. Desert today are
camels, snakes, and
small mammals.

The vast sand

dunes of the
Sahara Desert as
they are today.

Black markings were

Drawing of a made using charcoal.
prehistoric African This is wood that has American rock art
hunter and his dog been buried under sand This art is found at
and then burned. Newspaper Rock in
Utah. It was created by
American Indians before
150 CE. Rather than painting
the rock and the marks
gradually washing away
over time, the people
scratched the oily surface to
reveal the lighter sandstone
underneath for a lasting
image. These images are
called petroglyphs.

Deer
provided an
important
source of food
(venison).

This could be
a spirit figure, Feet and
or possibly a tracks show
witch doctor. a journey.

13
 ARTIST PROFILE

Papyrus paper
Ancient Egyptians were the first to make
paper, using papyrus, a plant once found
along the banks of the River Nile. Papyrus
Egyptian scribes
was also used to make ropes and baskets. For the ancient Egyptians, art had a specific
purpose rather than just decoration. In general,
most art was designed to ease the journey through
the afterlife or to worship the gods. Egyptian
scribes had a very strict set of rules to follow
when painting. Erwin Panofsky, a German
art historian, discovered that Egyptian
To make paper, the green skin of the scribes used a mathematical system
papyrus stalks was removed and the
stalks cut into long strips. The strips were
of grids to make sure all figures were
flattened out and then some were laid
horizontally on a cotton sheet.
drawn in proportion. The eyes and shoulders
of Egyptian figures were
shown facing the front, but
all other parts of the body
were shown side on.

Nebamun’s tomb painting

Nebamun was an official in ancient Egypt. Around
his tomb was a large wall painting. This scene
showed Nebamun with his family hunting birds
in the marshes of the River Nile. This type of
scene, showing the deceased doing something they
Other strips were placed vertically on top.
This gave the crisscross pattern found
enjoyed, was very common in tombs. Nebamun
in papyrus paper. Then the strips were wanted this wall painting in his tomb so that he
pressed. The natural juice of the papyrus could have lots of birds and fish to hunt in the
plant acted as a glue to seal all the strips
together, creating a single sheet of paper.
afterlife, a place for the dead to live.

Can you see the cat

balancing on two reeds
trying to catch birds?
Cats were family pets in
ancient Egyptian
times but also used
as hunting partners.

Book of the Dead

The ancient Egyptians were often
buried with their own Book of the
Dead to ensure they passed safely
through the Underworld, to be reborn
into a new life. The book would contain
a range of texts, including spells, and
small illustrations known as vignettes.
The vignettes were very important as they
showed what would happen in the afterlife.
14
 Early art—Egyptian scribes

If a scribe thought an illustration

The owl represents The horned viper The Egyptian The eye is said to The quail chick needed more explanation then
the letter M represents the letter F vultures represent mean the word ‘I’ represents the hieroglyphs would be used,
the letter A letter W or U such as these. Hieroglyph
literally means “sacred carving.”
Each symbol represents a
different letter or sound.

The artists of this wall

painting have managed
to show the scaly and
shiny skin of the fish.

Fowling in the Marshes, c. 1350 BCE—Wall painting

15
 GALLERY

Faces in art
Since very early times, artists have made images
of the human face. They have painted
themselves or someone dear to them, some have
used the face to convey feelings, while others
have experimented with styles, such
as Arcimboldo’s seasonal heads.

u Portrait of Clara Serena Rubens

(detail), c. 1616, Sir Peter Paul Rubens,
Oil on canvas Rubens was famous for his portrait
paintings. This portrait shows his daughter at age five
years and is thought to be one of the most moving
child portraits in European art.

u Portrait of the Boy

Eutyches, 100–150, from Faiyum,
Egypt, Encaustic on wood When Egypt
was ruled by the ancient Greeks and then
the Romans, faces of dead people were
painted onto the wood of the mummy cases.
Many of these have been well preserved.

Untitled, 2002, . u Young Girl with Long Hair (detail),

Louise Bourgeois, Tapestry and aluminum 1884, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Oil on canvas Renoir was a
This strange head is covered in a tapestry. big influence within the Impressionist movement. This portrait
It is more like an expression of inner feelings shows how he used bright colors and loose brushstrokes to capture
than an attempt to show an actual person. the light on the girl’s face.

16
 Early art—Faces in art

u Portrait of an Infant,
20th century, Tsuguji Foujita, Oil on canvas
Foujita, from Japan, is well-known for mixing
Eastern and Western painting styles to create
his own style. He was influenced by artistic
movements in Paris and eventually changed
nationality to French in 1955.
u Summer, 1573, Giuseppe Arcimboldo,
Oil on canvas Arcimboldo became famous for
his clever portraits of human heads, using fruit,
flowers, and vegetables for every season.

u Niña Llorando, 20th century,

Oswaldo Guayasamín, Oil on canvas The
Ecuadorian artist, Guayasamín, painted over
100 pictures showing the subject of pain and
suffering of the local people living in the Andes.

u Self portrait with black background, , Hip mask c. 1600, Benin, Nigeria,
1915, Helene Schjerfbeck, Oil on canvas Throughout her life, Ivory This mask would have been worn by
the Finnish painter Helene Schjerfbeck painted her own face. This an African king at a special ceremony held to
one shows her at 53 years old, but later she painted herself as a remember his mother. The face is carved from ivory
frail old woman, nearing death. and looks like the image of a real woman.

17
 HOW DID THEY DO THAT?
Portrait of Terentius Neo and his wife,
1st century—Fresco from Pompeii, Italy

How to make
frescoes In the dry climate of
Italy, some Roman
frescoes have survived.
Crushed rock
for paint
Fresco is one of The ones at Pompeii
colors were preserved when
the methods used for the volcano Vesuvius
erupted and buried
painting a picture onto the city in 79 CE.
a wall or ceiling.
The owner of the
Pigments, the house, Terentius Neo,
was a baker who
materials that make the wanted himself and
his wife shown as
color, are painted onto a successful and clever.
He holds a scroll to
surface covered in plaster. show he can read.
Frescoes have been found The wife holds a stylus
on the walls of ancient Egyptian (a writing tool) and
an open diptych (an
tombs and used to create amazing ancient writing tablet)
and looks as if she is
effects on the ceilings of cathedrals. about to finish off
some writing.

Roman style
The Romans used a technique called buon
ASK YOURSELF
fresco (true fresco) to decorate the walls of
... If you were in
their buildings. Powdered pigments such as a painting, what
natural brown and red earths were mixed objects would
with water and painted onto the surface of you hold? What
wet plaster, made from lime and sand. As might they say
about you or
the surface dried and hardened, the pigment
your hobbies?
blended in to color the plaster. The artist had
to work very quickly before the plaster dried.

Fresco timeline A writing tablet (diptych)

The fresco technique was used by ancient people all over the
world. The technique has, over time, become popular again.

17th century BCE This bull-leaping fresco was on the 1st century This fresco of a 14th century The walls of the Arena Chapel in Padua, Italy, are
walls of the ancient Great Palace at Knossos on the baker and his wife who lived in covered in frescoes by Giotto di Bondone and his assistants. The figures,
island of Crete. Pompeii, Italy, was preserved by which are about half the size of a person, look three-dimensional.
18 volcanic ash
 Early art—How to make frescoes
The strong red colors were made from sienna,
a hard red rock found in the Italian hillsides.

Here’s how to
make a Roman fresco
After preparing the wall with a layer of rough
Roman fresco
plaster, the Roman fresco artists would create from inside a
the painting bit by bit as the pigment needed villa in Pompeii
to be applied onto wet plaster.

1 Crushed pigments made from rocks and

dried plants were mixed with lime water
to form the paste.
2 A small patch of fine wet plaster called
the intonaco was put on to the wall.

3 The paste was painted on right away.

Since the plaster was still wet, the
pigment would bond with the plaster.
4 Once the picture was completed, wax was
put over the surface to protect the picture
and make it shine.

1541 It took Michelangelo four years to complete the 1688–1694 The huge fresco ceiling 1896 This is one of six large frescoes at the 1933 The Mexican painter Diego
famous fresco on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in in St. Ignazio Church, Rome, by National Museum in Stockholm, Sweden, Rivera used fresco for his Detroit
the Vatican in Rome, Italy. Pozzo is an impressive illusion. painted by Carl Larsson. Industry series (detail).
19
 ART STYLE

Dreamtime art
For thousands of years, Aboriginal people have been
creating art, including body and bark painting, clay and wood sculptures,
and rock art. Some surviving rock engravings are about 40,000 years old.

Dreamtime
According to traditional Australian
aboriginal belief, the world was
created during a magical period
known as the “dreamtime.” To
aboriginals, the dreamtime is not in
X-ray paintings the past but is a parallel stream of
At Ubirr, northern Australia, time running through past, present,
there are rock paintings that
show skeletons, lungs, and
and future. In the dreamtime,
other internal organs. Many ancestral beings rose from beneath
of these pictures are of the Earth and wandered across the
animals eaten by Aboriginal landscape, creating the mountains,
people—turtles, kangaroos,
valleys, and rivers we see today.
and fish—and are part of a
hunting and fishing magic.

This rock painting, in Northern Territory,

Australia, shows a creation-ancestor: a
humanlike spirit with large eyes and no
mouth. Many rock paintings are repaired
and repainted during religious rituals.

Aborigines make paints from

natural plants and minerals
such as this red and yellow
ocher. They grind it to powder,
To paint an X-ray picture, mix it with liquid, then paint
an artist often began by using bark or sticks.
drawing a white silhouette,
then filled in the details with
ocher paints and charcoal.

20
 Early art—Dreamtime art

Technique
Ancient Aboriginal painters used
earth colors—reds, browns
and yellows, black and white—made
from natural plants and minerals. A
variety of ways were used to apply the
paint. Some pictures were painted using
fingers, the palm of the hand, sticks, or feathers.
Grasses, chewed twigs, narrow strips of
stringy bark, or palm leaves were also used to
make brushes. For stencil designs, the paint
was blown out of the mouth around an object.
An Aborigine bark
painting of a hunter
and a kangaroo.

Charles Inkamala works

on a painting in Alice
Springs, Australia.

The principal motifs of

contemporary dreamtime art
are circles, semicircles, spirals,
dots, and lines. Ancestors are
portrayed in simple lines and
geometric designs.

Contemporary art
Today, artists continue to explore their culture,
land, and dreamtime. Many use modern materials,
including watercolors and acrylic. However, they
combine these with traditional earth colors. They
also use traditional dot painting techniques, and
curved and wavy lines.

A goanna Snake Dreaming was

painted to painted in 1989 by artist
honor its Keith Kaapa Tjangala.
Modern artist, Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri
ancestral
(1932–2002), used dots and circles to
spirit.
create large, complex works of art.

21
 HOW DID THEY Tesserae made
DO THAT? of natural stone
and marble.

An assortment of
gold and silver
glass tesserae

How to
make mosaics
Mosaic is the art of creating images with small pieces
of colored glass, stone, pottery, or other hard material.
Byzantine style
These small tiles or fragments are called tesserae. Glass tesserae in many different colors,
including gold and silver, were used
From the first pebble designs, to the glittering effects on the walls and ceilings during the
of the Byzantine art, to the textured modern abstracts, Byzantine period (330–1453). This art
was mainly based on religious Christian
mosaics have covered the insides and outsides of themes and, by tilting the tesserae, light
would reflect from the haloes and faces of
buildings with stunning effect. the holy people.

How to
make
a mosaic
Byzantine mosaicists
would have placed the
tesserae directly into
a bed of lime cement,
working a
section at a
time because
the cement 1
Try making a mosaic yourself.
Draw your design onto a
would dry wooden base. The Byzantines had 2 Use special tile cutters to shape
each piece of tessera so they fit 3 Byzantine mosaics were never
grouted (filling the spaces between
quickly. to work quickly, but give yourself together well and follow the curves of the tiles with fine cement), but a fine
more time by applying the tile your design. Tilt each one a little so layer applied to your design will seal it
adhesive piece by piece. it will catch the light. and make it stronger.

Mosaic timeline
The ancient Greeks in the 4th century BCE began the craze of
making mosiacs, using different-colored pebbles to create
patterns and scenes. Here are some of the designs since then.

1st century Marble and 6th century The large floor mosaic in 7th century Islamic mosaics have 12th century The nave of the Norman cathedral
limestone tesserae were used the Great Palace of Constantinople (now repeating patterns of rich blues and greens of Monreale in Sicily is covered from end to end
in Roman floor mosaics. Istanbul) used 80 million tesserae. as on The Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem. with Byzantine-style mosaics of glass tesserae.
22
 Early art—How to make mosaics

Hagia Sophia, Istanbul (detail from the face of Christ),

6th century—Glass tesserae

The Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, Turkey, is an

excellent example of Byzantine art and
architecture, but only a few of the mosaics
have survived, such as this one of Saint John
the Baptist with Christ.

Beneath the huge dome of the Hagia Sophia

were mosaics of prophets, saints, and other
religious figures. This face of Christ was made
up of specially manufactured tesserae called
smalti, which were cut into cubes from large,
thick sheets of colored glass. No grouting was
used between the pieces, so as to allow light
to reflect the colors within the glass.

Adding some sparkle

For silver or gold
leaf smalti, thin
sheets of silver
or gold were put
between two slabs
of glass to make a
mirrorlike piece.
This was then cut
into smaller pieces
and placed at a slight
angle to the wall.
These pieces then
sparkled, as they
reflected the light
in different ways.

1900–1914 Antoni Gaudi’s 1957 The Mexican muralist Diego Rivera designed the huge glass 1977 The mosaics of Jeanne 2008 This mosaic by Emma Biggs
vibrant, multicolored mosaics mosaic on the outside wall of the Teatro de los Insurgentes in Mexico Reynal have different-sized was stuck to a kitchen wall with
cover Park Guell in Barcelona. City. The image shows a visual history of theater and dance in Mexico. tesserae, making a rough texture. cement-based adhesive.
23
 GALLERY

Gods and heroes in art

Artists and sculptors have been
inspired by ancient legends and
religious stories. These pieces
show the brave deeds of mythical
heroes and the great works and lives
of religious figures.

St. George
SEEING THINGS
For more on stone and the
carvings see page 106 Dragon,
c. 1470, Paolo Uccello,
Tempera on panel This
painting shows the legend
of St. George defeating the
dragon and rescuing
the princess.

Hercules
and Nessus, 1599,
Giambologna, Marble
Giambologna was a highly
skilled sculptor famous
for carving dramatic
scenes. Here,
Hercules, the ancient
Greek hero, is
about to beat his
opponent the
centaur,
Nessus.

 In The Dream World,

1995, Norval Morrisseau, Acrylic
on canvas According to an American Indian
tribe called the Ojibwe, the color blue
protects the human spirit from danger.

The Hero Overpowering a

Lion, c. 725 BCE, Assyrian, Stone
This carving is thought to be the mythical hero
Gilgamesh demonstrating his superhuman
powers by controlling a ferocious lion.

24
 Early art—Gods and heroes in art

u Orpheus playing
to the animals, Roman
artist, Mosaic Ancient Greek
legend says that Orpheus, a
u Taglung Thangpa Chenpo
mythical poet, was so talented
c. 1300s, Tibet, Ground mineral pigment on cotton
a musician that he was able
Tibetan monks would carry painted or embroidered banners like this SEEING THINGS
For more on to tame wild animals.
one during ceremonial processions. Buddhas, teachers (lamas), and
Renaissance
other gods surround Chenpo, the founder of the Taglung monastery. art see page 30

,The Baptism of
Christ, 1450s, Piero
della Francesca, Tempera
on panel The dove, seen
above Christ, represents the
Holy Spirit. Paintings
such as this were
painted to decorate
altars, churches, ,First
and chapels. Avatar of
Vishnu as
‘‘The Fish’’
19th century, Indian,
Painted and gilded
wood Vishnu, the Hindu
protector god, is shown
rescuing the world from
a flood and so saving
all the people.

25
 ART STYLE

Chinese art
The art of Chinese people dates back more than
10,000 years, flourishing alongside the country’s
turbulent history of war and revolution. The
golden ages of art were encouraged by certain
emperors, and art academies (schools) were
established by “literati,” amateur painters
who specialized in studying art.

s tor y begin
he s.

T
The top row features the

..
Eight Immortals—
important figures in
the Chinese belief
system called Taosim.

Prehistoric Pieces
of colored pottery more
than 6,000 years old have
been found with faces and
The first, and animals painted on.
arguably Cliff paintings show wars,
the finest, hunting, and celebrations.
porcelain came
from China. Three-legged “Kuei” pitcher,
c. 3rd–2nd century BCE,
This is why we from the Longshang Culture
sometimes call all
pottery “china.”

This porcelain Western Han

vase comes from the Dynasty
Qing dynasty and is 206 BCE–9 CE
In China, silk paper was
around 300 years old.
invented before paper
Its themes of religion made from rags. Painting
and everyday life are on silk woven into
common in Chinese sheets and clothes was
pottery, as was the very popular.
color: blue on white.
This porcelain became
very popular around
the world. Banner from the
Tomb of Dai Hou
Fu-Ren, c. 180 BCE

26
 Early art—Chinese art

Modern art
Since the 1950s, artists
such as Liu Haisu
experimented with new
painting techniques and
painted new subjects,
including modern life.
Chicken and
Chinese Cabbages,
Yellow Mountain (detail), 20th century,
20th century, by Liu Haisu by Qi Baishi

One Hundred Butterflies,

Flowers, and Insects (detail),
17th century, by Chen Hongshou
Shanghai School
20th century
During the 1900s, Western art
Qing Dynasty was introduced to China, and
1644–1911 Chinese artists moved from
Some artists known as the “Eight copying the style of the old
Eccentrics” broke away from the masters to a modern style.
traditions of the court painters and
developed freehand brushwork
and flower-and-bird painting.

Yuan Dynasty
1279–1368
Four great painters—
Huang Gongwang, Wu
Zhen, Ni Zan, and Wang
Meng—developed the
“mind landscape” through
The Peach Blossom Spring, c. mid-1500s, by Wen Zhengming
which they expressed
Ming Dynasty 1368–1644 their personal feelings.
The literati, including Wen Zhengming, were trained
Woods and Valleys of
to be excellent at poetry, calligraphy, and painting— Mount Yu, 1372, by Ni Zan
skills known as the “Three Perfections.”

Tang Dynasty
618–907
The emperors of the Tang
dynasty (royal family)
enthusiatically supported
artists. Figure paintings of
nobles and court ladies
became a major theme.
Old Trees, Level Distance, c. 1080, by Guo Xi
Portraits of Thirteen
Emperors (detail), late
Song Dynasty 960–1127
7th century, by Yan Liben The Imperial Art Academy was formed from the
merger of several academies set up in earlier times.
Their art included landscapes that looked almost 3-D.

27