History of art The history of art is the history of any activity or product made by humans in a visual form for aesthetical or communicative purposes , expressing ideas , emotions or , in general , a worldview . Over time visual art has been classified in diverse ways , from the medieval distinction between liberal arts and mechanical arts , to the modern distinction between fine arts and applied arts , or to the many contemporary definitions , which define art as a manifestation of human creativity . The subsequent expansion of the list of principal arts in the 20th century reached to nine : architecture , dance , sculpture , music , painting , poetry ( described broadly as a form of literature with aesthetic purpose or function , which also includes the distinct genres of theatre and narrative ) , film , photography and graphic arts . In addition to the old forms of artistic expression such as fashion and gastronomy , new modes of expression are being considered as arts such as video , computer art , performance , advertising , animation , television and videogames .   The history of art is a multidisciplinary branch of the arts and sciences , seeking an objective examination of art throughout time , classifying cultures , establishing periodizations , and observing the distinctive and influential characteristics of art . The study of the history of art was initially developed during the Renaissance , with its limited scope being the artistic production of Western civilization . However , as time has passed , it has imposed a broader view of artistic history , seeking a comprehensive overview of all the civilizations and analysis of their artistic production in terms of their own cultural values ( cultural relativism ) , and not just western art history .   Today , art enjoys a wide network of study , dissemination and preservation of all the artistic legacy of mankind throughout history . The 20th century has seen the proliferation of institutions , foundations , art museums and galleries , in both the public and private sectors , dedicated to the analysis and cataloging of works of art as well as exhibitions aimed at a mainstream audience . The rise of media has been crucial in improving the study and dissemination of art . International events and exhibitions like the Whitney Biennial and biennales of Venice and São Paulo or the Documenta of Kassel have helped the development of new styles and trends . Prizes such as the Turner of the Tate Gallery , the Wolf Prize in Arts , the Pritzker Prize of architecture , the Pulitzer of photography and the Oscar of cinema also promote the best creative work on an international level . Institutions like UNESCO , with the establishment of the World Heritage Site lists , also help the conservation of the major monuments of the planet .
Angika literature Angika literature may be broadly divided into three prominent period - Ancient , Pre-Independence and Modern . Hundreds of standard literary books are available in angika language . Renaissance art Renaissance art is the painting , sculpture and decorative arts of that period of European history known as the Renaissance , emerging as a distinct style in Italy in about 1400 , in parallel with developments which occurred in philosophy , literature , music and science . The Renaissance art , perceived as the noblest of ancient traditions , took as its foundation the art of Classical antiquity , but transformed that tradition by absorbing recent developments in the art of Northern Europe and by applying contemporary scientific knowledge . Renaissance art , with Renaissance Humanist philosophy , spread throughout Europe , affecting both artists and their patrons with the development of new techniques and new artistic sensibilities . Renaissance art marks the transition of Europe from the medieval period to the Early Modern age .   In many parts of Europe , Early Renaissance art was created in parallel with Late Medieval art .   The influences upon the development of Renaissance men and women in the early 15th century are those that also affected Philosophy , Literature , Architecture , Theology , Science , Government and other aspects of society . The following list presents a summary , dealt with more fully in the main articles that are cited above .  Classical texts , lost to European scholars for centuries , became available . These included Philosophy , Prose , Poetry , Drama , Science , a thesis on the Arts and Early Christian Theology .  Simultaneously , Europe gained access to advanced mathematics which had its provenance in the works of Islamic scholars .  The advent of movable type printing in the 15th century meant that ideas could be disseminated easily , and an increasing number of books were written for a broad public .  The establishment of the Medici Bank and the subsequent trade it generated brought unprecedented wealth to a single Italian city , Florence .  Cosimo de ' Medici set a new standard for patronage of the arts , not associated with the church or monarchy .  Humanist philosophy meant that man 's relationship with humanity , the universe and with God was no longer the exclusive province of the Church .  A revived interest in the Classics brought about the first archaeological study of Roman remains by the architect Brunelleschi and sculptor Donatello . The revival of a style of architecture based on classical precedents inspired a corresponding classicism in painting and sculpture , which manifested itself as early as the 1420s in the paintings of Masaccio and Uccello .  The improvement of oil paint and developments in oil-painting technique by Dutch artists such as Jan van Eyck , Rogier van der Weyden and Hugo van der Goes led to its adoption in Italy from about 1475 and had ultimately lasting effects on painting practices , worldwide .  The serendipitous presence within the region of Florence in the early 15th century of certain individuals of artistic genius , most notably Masaccio , Brunelleschi , Ghiberti , Piero della Francesca , Donatello and Michelozzo formed an ethos out of which sprang the great masters of the High Renaissance , as well as supporting and encouraging many lesser artists to achieve work of extraordinary quality .  A similar heritage of artistic achievement occurred in Venice through the talented Bellini family , their influential inlaw Mantegna , Giorgione , Titian and Tintoretto .  The publication of two treatises by Leone Battista Alberti , De Pitura ( On Painting ) , 1435 , and De re aedificatoria ( Ten Books on Architecture ) , 1452 . Art of Yugoslavia Art of Yugoslavia refers to the visual arts of Yugoslavia . It was shaped by a number of Yugoslav painters , sculptors and graphics artists . Earliest findings for hominid art Earliest findings for Hominid art refers to archaeological findings that might be evidence of an artistic awareness and artistic-like activities from early ancestors of modern Homo sapiens .  There is no known evidence to indicate artistic activity in homonids of the Middle Stone Age . Artistic activity is defined as decorative production and production of either images or objects such as statues .   Locating the earliest art work depends upon the suitability of the thing proposed as art with respect to a consensually agreed definition , as to those necessary factors characteristic of something fulfilling the purpose of artistic creation . Ottoman studies Ottoman studies is an interdisciplinary branch of the humanities that addresses the history , culture , costumes , religion , art , such as literature and music , science , economy , and politics of the Ottoman Empire . It is a sub-category of Oriental studies and Middle Eastern studies , and also Turkish studies . An Outline of Modern Knowledge An Outline of Modern Knowledge , published by Victor Gollancz in 1931 , was an `` omnibus '' volume intended to survey the full range of human knowledge .   It was the first such volume to include entirely new material . Editor William Rose solicited leading authorities of the time , including Roger Fry , C. G. Seligman , Maurice Dobb , F. J. C. Hearnshaw , G. D. H. Cole , J. C. Flügel , R. R. Marett , and J. W. N. Sullivan among others , to contribute informative essays written for the common reader .   The publishers explained their reasons for creating such a volume in their spring 1931 list of their latest titles :   `` Because in our view there has been steadily growing , during the last twelve years , a desire to know which has had no parallel since the Renaissance , and which is now felt by relatively a far larger class of men and women than it was then . Under the surface of a vulgarity , a triviality , and a noisiness which ( because they have been the most blatant ) have seemed the most characteristic stigmata of our time , everywhere and in ever-widening circles educated people have been becoming philosophers -- have wished to understand as clearly as they might the meaning of their own life and that of the Universe . ''  The twenty-four articles carried the reader through the subjects of science , philosophy , religion , sex , mathematics , astronomy , biology , anthropology , cosmogony , psychology , psycho-analysis , archaeology , economics , politics , finance , industry , internationalism , history , ethnology , geography , literary criticism , music , architecture , painting and sculpture .   Category : Encyclopedias of history  Category : English-language encyclopedias  Category :1931 books  Category : British encyclopedias Architectural analytics Architectural analytics is the field of study that focuses on the discovery and identification of meaningful patterns in architecture .   Architecture represents a snapshot in time and can , in a very detailed fashion , animate the civilisation and people that created it . Architectural analytics can allow a large amount of information about a monument , settlement or civilisation to be discerned . This ability to inform and present previously unknown facts makes architectural analytics important in piecing together the larger understanding of civilisations and the human story . History of writing The history of writing is the development of expressing language by letters or other marks , and the study and description of this development .   In the history of how systems of representation of language through graphic means have evolved in different human civilizations , more complete writing systems were preceded by proto-writing , systems of ideographic or early mnemonic symbols . True writing , in which the content of a linguistic utterance is encoded so that another reader can reconstruct , with a fair degree of accuracy , the exact utterance written downwriting usually does not convey the tone of the utterance . is a later development . It is distinguished from proto-writing which typically avoids encoding grammatical words and affixes , making it more difficult or impossible to reconstruct the exact meaning intended by the writer unless a great deal of context is already known in advance . One of the earliest forms of written expression is cuneiform . Heinrich Gustav Hotho Heinrich Gustav Hotho ( Berlin , 1802 -- Berlin , December 25 , 1873 ) was a German historian of art and Right Hegelian . He is famous for being the compiler and editor of Hegel 's posthumous work Vorlesungen über die Ästhetik ( `` Lectures on Aesthetics '' ) .   During boyhood he was affected for two years with blindness consequent on an attack of measles . But recovering his sight he studied so hard as to take his degree at Berlin in 1826 . A year of travel spent in visiting Paris , London and the Low Countries determined his vocation .   He came home delighted with the treasures which he had seen , worked laboriously for a higher examination and passed as `` docent '' in aesthetics and art history . In 1829 he was made professor at the university of Berlin . In 1833 GF Waagen accepted him as assistant in the museum of the Prussian capital ; and in 1858 he was promoted to the directorship of the Berlin print-room .   During a long and busy life , in which his time was divided between literature and official duties , Hotho 's ambition had always been to master the history of the schools of Germany and the Netherlands . Accordingly what he published was generally confined to those countries . In 1842-1843 he gave to the world his account of German and Flemish painting . From 1853 to 1858 he revised and published anew a part of this work , which he called `` The school of Hubert van Eyck , with his German precursors and contemporaries . ''   His attempt later on to write a history of Christian painting overtasked his strength , and remained unfinished . Hotho is important in the history of aesthetics as having developed Hegel 's theories ; but he was deficient in knowledge of Italian painting .   Category :1802 births  Category :1873 deaths  Category : German art historians  Category : German male writers Ethnography Ethnography ( from Greek ἔθνος ethnos `` folk , people , nation '' and γράφω grapho `` I write '' ) is the systematic study of people and cultures . It is designed to explore cultural phenomena where the researcher observes society from the point of view of the subject of the study . An ethnography is a means to represent graphically and in writing the culture of a group . The word can thus be said to have a `` double meaning '' , which partly depends on whether it is used as a count noun or uncountably . The resulting field study or a case report reflects the knowledge and the system of meanings in the lives of a cultural group .   Ethnography , as the presentation of empirical data on human societies and cultures , was pioneered in the biological , social , and cultural branches of anthropology , but it has also become popular in the social sciences in general -- sociology , communication studies , history -- wherever people study ethnic groups , formations , compositions , resettlements , social welfare characteristics , materiality , spirituality , and a people 's ethnogenesis . The typical ethnography is a holistic study and so includes a brief history , and an analysis of the terrain , the climate , and the habitat . In all cases it should be reflexive , make a substantial contribution toward the understanding of the social life of humans , have an aesthetic impact on the reader , and express a credible reality . An ethnography records all observed behavior and describes all symbol-meaning relations , using concepts that avoid causal explanations . Art Nouveau furniture Furniture created in the Art Nouveau style was prominent from the late 19th century to the advent of the First World War . Unlike furniture made by the British Arts and Crafts movement , from which it emerged in stylistic respects , most Art Nouveau furniture was produced in factories by normal manufacturing techniques , which led to tensions with Arts and Crafts figures in England , who criticised continental Art Nouveau furniture for not being '' ` honestly ' constructed . It also tended to be expensive , as a fine finish , usually polished or varnished , was regarded as essential , and continental designs were usually very complex , with curving shapes that were expensive to make . It by no means entirely replaced other styles of furniture , which continued to be popular , with Art Nouveau styles largely restricted to an expensive `` art furniture '' category . The style was named for Siegfried Bing 's Maison de l'Art Nouveau gallery and shop in Paris , which opened in 1895 , and in France and Belgium furniture designers took up the style with more enthusiasm than those of most countries .   Several notable designers were architects who designed furniture for specific buildings they had also designed , a way of working inherited from the Arts and Crafts movement ; these include Charles Rennie Mackintosh , Antoni Gaudí , Hector Guimard and Victor Horta . Mackintosh 's furniture was relatively austere and geometrical , marked by elongated dimensions and right-angles . Continental designs were much more elaborate , often using curved shapes both in the basic shapes of the piece , and in applied decorative motifs . In many ways the old vocabulary and techniques of classic French 18th-century Rococo furniture were re-interpreted in a new style . Luxury veneers were used in the furniture of leading cabinetmakers Georges de Feure and others .   Alphonse Mucha produced a few designs , but was little involved with production . The École de Nancy ( School of Nancy in France ) , the Wiener Werkstätte in Vienna and the Deutscher Werkbund were groupings including many designers of Art Nouveau furniture . The Exposition Universelle de Paris in 1900 was an important showcase for designers , and the Prima Esposizione Internazionale d'Arte Decorativa Moderna at Turin in 1902 heavily featured the work of furniture designer Carlo Bugatti of Milan . Aesthetics Aesthetics ( -LSB- ɛsˈθɛtɪks -RSB- or -LSB- i : sˈθɛtɪks -RSB- also spelled æsthetics and esthetics also known in Greek as Αισθητική , or `` Aisthētiké '' ) is a branch of philosophy that explores the nature of art , beauty , and taste , with the creation and appreciation of beauty .   In its more technically epistemological perspective , it is defined as the study of subjective and sensori-emotional values , sometimes called judgements of sentiment and taste . More broadly , scholars in the field define aesthetics as `` critical reflection on art , culture and nature '' . In modern English , the term aesthetic can also refer to a set of principles underlying the works of a particular art movement or theory : one speaks , for example , of the Cubist aesthetic . Museum of Ukrainian folk art The National Folk Decorative Art Museum is a museum dedicated to Ukrainian Folk decorative art in Kiev , Ukraine .   The National Folk Decorative Art Museum is one of the largest art museums in Ukraine . It is located on the grounds of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra and is housed in the former Metropolitan 's residence and the adjacent Annunciation   The museum collection was established in 1899 as part of the collection of the newly founded City Antiquity and Art Museum , which was renamed in 1904 the `` Kyiv Art , Industry and Science Museum '' .   Now the reserves and displays of the museum contain over 75,000 artifacts of Ukrainian traditional folk and professional decorative art dating from 15th century to present days . Many of them are household and domestic articles varied in material , shape , decoration , and purpose which talented craftsmen had turned into highly artistic items inhering the wealth of regional specificities . Art works created by professional artisans demonstrate implementation of established folk traditions in their creative concepts .   The museum permanent exhibition which totals some 1,500 sq. m. represents all types of Ukrainian folk art : carpet weaving , weaving , print , embroidery , ceramics , wood carving and painting , artistic leather work , horn and metal work , glassware , porcelain , Easter egg painting ( `` pysankarstvo '' ) , folk painting and iconography .   The pride of the Museum is its extensive collection of Ukrainian folk costumes of the 19th -- first half of the 20th century representing all regions of Ukraine , in which are synthesized folk arts of style , sewing , weaving , embroidery , applique , print , wicker-work , artistic leather work and metalwork . Also deserving mention are the collection of traditional trappings : `` duckachs '' ( necklaces with coins as lockets ) , coral and Venetian glass beads , beadwork .   Especially valuable objects , both from the historical and artistic viewpoints , are wooden carved silver-mounted cross of 1576 , clay glazed tiles of 15th -- 18th centuries , Cossack tobacco-pipes and powder flasks of 18th -- 19th centuries , silk woven sashes of 18th century , embroidered in gold and silver , 18th-century vestments , `` guta '' ( a traditional glass workshop in the 16th -- 19th centuries ) glassware of 16th -- 18th centuries , production of leading Ukrainian porcelain and faience enterprises of 18th -- 19th centuries : Kyevo-Mezhighirskaya faience factory and Volokitinsky porcelain works .   The Museum possesses Ukraine 's largest collection of works by Maria Prymachenko ( 1909 -- 1997 ) , which includes more than 500 paintings .   A special showroom accommodates the canvases by Kateryna Bilokur ( 1900 -- 1961 ) . They are deservedly considered the masterpieces of the Museum 's collection and belong to riches of world art .   Numerous temporary exhibitions feature works by contemporary artisans as well as the exhibits stored in the Museum 's repositories .   Category : Museums in Kiev  Category : Museums established in 1899  Category : Art museums and galleries in Ukraine  Category : Folk art museums and galleries  Category : Kiev Pechersk Lavra  Category :1899 establishments in Russia Arts journalism Arts journalism is a branch of journalism concerned with the reporting and discussion of the arts , including but is not limited to the visual arts , film , literature , music , theater , and architecture .   Traditionally , journalists and critics writing about the arts have a background in writing and the arts ; apart from baccalaureate studies in literary criticism , the humanities , and art history , there is no other formal advanced journalistic training in this field .   For instance , an art magazine is a publication whose main topic is art , contributed to by people from the practice of artmaking , curating , critical theory , or teaching , among other functions , whether they be institution-based , academe-based or independent and self-taught . Such a magazine can be in print form , online , or both , and may be aimed at different audiences , including galleries , buyers , amateur or professional artists and the general public . In short , art magazines can be either trade or consumer magazines or both .   There are also radio and TV features covering art topics . New Zealand art New Zealand art consists of the visual and plastic arts ( including architecture , woodwork , textiles , and ceramics ) originating from the geographical location of New Zealand . It come from different traditions : indigenous Māori art , that of the early European ( or Pākehā ) settlers , and later immigrants from Pacific , Asian and European countries . Because New Zealand is so isolated , in the past many artists had to go overseas to make a living . The visual arts flourished in the later decades of the 20th century , with the increased cultural sophistication of many New Zealanders . Music Music is an art form and cultural activity whose medium is sound organized in time . The common elements of music are pitch ( which governs melody and harmony ) , rhythm ( and its associated concepts tempo , meter , and articulation ) , dynamics ( loudness and softness ) , and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture ( which are sometimes termed the `` color '' of a musical sound ) . Different styles or types of music may emphasize , de-emphasize or omit some of these elements . Music is performed with a vast range of instruments and vocal techniques ranging from singing to rapping ; there are solely instrumental pieces , solely vocal pieces ( such as songs without instrumental accompaniment ) and pieces that combine singing and instruments . The word derives from Greek μουσική #Ancient Greek ( mousike ; `` art of the Muses '' ) .   In its most general form , the activities describing music as an art form or cultural activity include the creation of works of music ( songs , tunes , symphonies , and so on ) , the criticism of music , the study of the history of music , and the aesthetic examination of music . Ancient Greek and Indian philosophers defined music as tones ordered horizontally as melodies and vertically as harmonies . Common sayings such as `` the harmony of the spheres '' and `` it is music to my ears '' point to the notion that music is often ordered and pleasant to listen to . However , 20th-century composer John Cage thought that any sound can be music , saying , for example , `` There is no noise , only sound . ''   The creation , performance , significance , and even the definition of music vary according to culture and social context . Indeed , throughout history , some new forms or styles of music have been criticized as `` not being music '' , including Beethoven 's Grosse Fuge string quartet in 1825 , early jazz in the beginning of the 1900s and hardcore punk in the 1980s . There are many types of music , including popular music , traditional music , art music , music written for religious ceremonies and work songs such as chanteys . Music ranges from strictly organized compositions -- such as Classical music symphonies from the 1700s and 1800s , through to spontaneously played improvisational music such as jazz , and avant-garde styles of chance-based contemporary music from the 20th and 21st centuries .   Music can be divided into genres ( e.g. , country music ) and genres can be further divided into subgenres ( e.g. , country blues and pop country are two of the many country subgenres ) , although the dividing lines and relationships between music genres are often subtle , sometimes open to personal interpretation , and occasionally controversial . For example , it can be hard to draw the line between some early 1980s hard rock and heavy metal . Within the arts , music may be classified as a performing art , a fine art or as an auditory art . Music may be played or sung and heard live at a rock concert or orchestra performance , heard live as part of a dramatic work ( a music theater show or opera ) , or it may be recorded and listened to on a radio , MP3 player , CD player , smartphone or as film score or TV show .   In many cultures , music is an important part of people 's way of life , as it plays a key role in religious rituals , rite of passage ceremonies ( e.g. , graduation and marriage ) , social activities ( e.g. , dancing ) and cultural activities ranging from amateur karaoke singing to playing in an amateur funk band or singing in a community choir . People may make music as a hobby , like a teen playing cello in a youth orchestra , or work as a professional musician or singer . The music industry includes the individuals who create new songs and musical pieces ( such as songwriters and composers ) , individuals who perform music ( which include orchestra , jazz band and rock band musicians , singers and conductors ) , individuals who record music ( music producers and sound engineers ) , individuals who organize concert tours , and individuals who sell recordings and sheet music and scores to customers . An Universal History of Arts and Sciences An Universal History of Arts and Sciences was a two-volume encyclopedia compiled in English by the French expatriate Dennis ( or Denis ) de Coetlogon . It was published in 209 weekly installments from 1741 to 1745 . In his preface , Coetlogon criticized Ephraim Chambers ' Cyclopaedia and other extant dictionaries of the arts and sciences for conveying superficial information and not supporting true education . To remedy the problem , Coetlogon chose to base his encyclopedia on `` treatises '' rather than articles . In the end , the Universal History comprised 169 treatises averaging around fifteen pages in length but varying widely from a mere fourteen lines ( `` Cosmography '' ) to 113 pages ( `` Geography '' ) . It is likely that the example of the Universal History played a role in the adoption of treatises in the first edition ( 1771 ) of the Encyclopaedia Britannica a few decades later . Indian art Indian art consists of a variety of art forms , including plastic arts ( e.g. , pottery sculpture ) , visual arts ( e.g. , paintings ) , and textile arts ( e.g. , woven silk ) . Geographically , it spans the entire Indian subcontinent , including what is now India , Pakistan and Bangladesh . A strong sense of design is characteristic of Indian art and can be observed in its modern and traditional forms .   The origin of Indian art can be traced to pre-historic Hominid settlements in the 3rd millennium BC . On its way to modern times , Indian art has had cultural influences ( e.g. , Indus Valley and Hellenistic ) , as well as religious influences such as Hinduism , Buddhism , Jainism and Islam . In spite of this complex mixture of religious traditions , generally the prevailing artistic style at any time and place has been shared by the major religious groups .   In historic art , sculpture in stone and metal , mainly religious , has survived the Indian climate better than other media , and provides most of the best remains . Many of the most important ancient finds that are not in carved stone come from surrounding , drier regions rather than India itself . Indian funeral and philosophic traditions exclude grave goods , which are a main source of ancient art in other cultures . Art and World War II War is a common theme in art and has inspired great works of art . Throughout history , most representations of war depict military achievements and often show significant battle scenes . However , in the 19th century a `` turn '' in the visual representation of war became noticeable . Artists started to show the disastrous aspects of war instead of its glorified events and protagonists . Such a perspective is best exemplified by Goya 's series , The Disasters of War ( 1810-1820 , first published in 1863 ) , and Otto Dix 's portfolio , Der Krieg ( published in 1924 ) . During World War II , both traditions are present . For instance , Paul Nash 's Battle of Britain ( 1941 ) represents a scene of aerial combat between British and German fighters over the English Channel . On the other hand , André Fougeron 's Street of Paris ( 1943 ) focuses on the impact of war and occupation on civilians .   In connection to World War II , the relations between art and war can be articulated around two main issues . First , art ( and , more generally , culture ) found itself at the centre of an ideological war . Second , during World War II , many artists found themselves in the most difficult conditions ( in an occupied country , in internment camps , in death camps ) and their works are a testimony to a powerful `` urge to create '' . Such creative impulse can be interpreted as the expression of self-preservation , a survival instinct in critical times . Language arts Language Arts ( also known as English Language Arts ) is the name given to the study and improvement of the arts of language . Traditionally , the primary divisions in language arts are literature and language , where language in this case refers to both linguistics , and specific languages . According to the International Council of Teachers of English , the five strands of the language arts are reading , writing , speaking , listening , and viewing ( visual literacy ) .   According to professors of the language arts , the most important topic of it is debating . When writing essays , the important part is stated to be the argument -- for instance , the opinion of the writer , the opinion of an expert , or the opinion of a specialized human . Another important part of the debating in the essay ( of language arts ) is the proof . The writer can have statistical proof , or other forms of numerical , phonetic , and symbolic proof .