The Different Types Of Art

The Different Types Of Art

Introduction

Throughout the history of man, one thing has stood out from the other as it has been in existence since the medieval Stone Age period, which is art. Art is defined as the creative skills of human beings where they produce paintings, sculptures, or architectural structures that have an aesthetic aspect that is used to express an individual’s emotions (Wood, 2019). Mostly art is created from a combination of creativity and human imagination, which results in a visual form. It is used to communicate or for decoration purposes. Art has been that one thing that has stood out as it has been in existence even before the development of language. Before the development of language in the Stone Age period, man used to communicate through rock art, and they made sculptures and other artistic items using rocks and sticks.

In the contemporary world, art has evolved, and new modern methods, types, and techniques of creating artistic items have been established and adopted by the new artists. The evolution of art has been contributed to human and technological advancement or evolution (Wood, 2019). Artists and architectures who have made history with their creative creations produced paintings, craftwork, sculptures, and architectural designs that had a positive impact on society.  Being an artist is not an easy job because some rules and guidelines direct the artist on the type of materials to use for a specific design and the design principles of that particular structure.

Great Sphinx Of Giza

Located in Egypt, the great sphinx of Giza is a statue of a mythical creature that was believed to have a lion’s body and a human head, which was referred to as the sphinx (Pryor, 2011). The sculpture or statue is located on the Giza plateaus of Egypt on the western side of the river Nile banks facing from west to east. The sphinx measures at 240 ft. (73m) from the tail to its paw; it is 66ft (20m) in height from its base to its head. The sphinx is also 62 ft. (19m) wide on its rear haunches. This is one of the most significant sculptures or statues in Egyptian history.

The sphinx is believed to be one of the oldest and essential monuments i in the history and Egyptian culture as they believe that the sculpture is a representation of the pharaoh Khafre. The statue was constructed during the old kingdom of Egypt by an ancient sculptor between 3532 -2558 BC, a period of the reign of Pharaoh Khafre (Pryor, 2011). The statue is made of limestone, which was carved into the bedrock of Giza. The area where the sphinx was curved was also the quarry that the Egyptians used for the famous pyramids and other various monuments found in that location.

The constructor of the sphinx used some sophisticated design style informing this statue. First, he used the nummulitic limestone from the Giza plateaus, which is made up of several layers that have different capabilities to resist erosion. Due to the fact that the different layers of the limestone had different abilities to withstand erosion, the statue has an uneven degradation. Some of its body parts have been eroded by wind and other natural factors. The head layer is much harder than the neck layer, and the bottom body part and legs are made from the solid rock these design principals have enabled the statue to stand firm throughout the years.

By Alchemist-hp (talk) (www.pse-mendelejew.de)

Roman Coliseum

In the history of architecture, a lot of structures have been developed over time with various artistic aspects of each structure. Architecture has evolved with time due to technological advancement and enhanced creativity, imagination, and skill that today’s human being has developed. From the Stone Age period, people have tried to construct structures to live, which were made from sticks or caves. With time more sophisticated structures have been developed with different materials, shapes, and sizes (History of the Colosseum, n.d.). One of the fascinating structures in the history of architecture is the Roman Coliseum, which has been able to stand for years.

The Flavian Amphitheatre or the Roman Coliseum is said to be the largest Amphitheatre to be ever built in the history of the world. The Coliseum is an oval-like Amphitheatre that is located in the middle of the Roman city of Italy east of the Roman forum. The Amphitheatre held approximately 50,000 to 80,000 spectators, and that is what made it the biggest Amphitheatre at that time (History.com Editors, 2009). The process of building the Coliseum began in AD 72 and was completed in AD 80. The building of the Coliseum was initiated by the emperor Vespasian. Still, it was completed by his successor emperor Titus, and it was further modified during the reign of Emperor Domitian.

The oval structure stands on a base area of 6 acres (24,000 square meters), with a height of about 48 meters, and its perimeter was initially and measured at 545 meters (History.com Editors, 2009). The center part of the Coliseum is measured at 87 meters. The Coliseum was constructed using the travertine limestone, brick-faced concrete, and tuff or the volcanic rocks. It is estimated that building the outer wall of the Coliseum could have required over 3,531,467 cubic feet of the travertine stones. The surprising fact about the building technique of the Coliseum is that the builders did not use any motor on the stones. What they used were iron clamps that held the stones together. The building materials and the designing principles of the Coliseum have been the reason why it has survived the adverse roman fire and the natural calamities like earthquakes.

The architects of the colossi developed 80 entrances and exits, which were numbered. These many exist necessary as the Coliseum held a massive capacity of spectators who needed quick exits in case of emergencies. It also had mast corbels that were positioned on top of it to keep the spectators from rain. The Coliseum only has a part of its wall that still survives up to date even after the adverse impacts it went through. This can be as a result of the materials used in building it and the architectural principals the builders used. The Coliseum was used to host gladiator shows, the munera, and other events.

By AlexanderVanLoon – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0,

The Tiles Craftwork

Craftwork is a form of art that applies the imagination and skills of the craftsman. Crafts are mostly made by hand or by using some tools to create the intended design. The crafts range from decorative arts, household tools, and sculptures (Lemmen, 2013). The intention of craftworks is decorative and functional. The craftsmen are also known as artisans, go through years of practice before they master the art. An example of craftwork is the ceramic tiles that have been in existence since the Before Christ (BC) period.

The ceramic tiles history can be traced back to Egypt, where the oldest form of civilization is believed to have originated. The main functions of the ceramic tiles were decorative as the Egyptians used them to decorate their houses and the temples (Lemmen, 2013). The making of the decorative ceramic tiles required skills and patience as it took an expert to produce a good quality tile. It is said that throughout history, as from 4000 BC, the Babylonians, the Assyrians, and the Islamic empire are known for making tiles. The spread of tiles through other regions was facilitated by trade.

The craftwork requires natural clay, water, and sand, which are the materials mixed in the clay making process. Then after the mixing, the materials are molded into a rectangular or square-shaped, then backed in a kiln (Lemmen, 2013). The purpose of baking the tiles is to remove as much moisture as possible from the mixture. It is used to create the hardness of the tile. After the tile is backed, then the artistic features are imprinted on its surface to create the decorative effect of the tile. Making or decorating the tile requires a creative approach guided by principles as one wrong step can cause damage to the tiles.

By Turkey; Iznik – qgGWq7ZoqqVlIA at Google Cultural Institute maximum zoom level, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=22730801

Conclusion

It is clear that art has a lot of benefits in the society and it should be encouraged as it preserves history through painting or sculpturing, it also decorates our homes, and it produces some structures that are useful to the society. It is essential to remember that artists, artisans, and sculptors take a lot of time to develop any artistic structure and that the structures should be preserved and carefully handled. In every form of art, some principles guide the artist, which makes it a profession and not just a hobby.

References

(PDF) A Case Study: Ceramic Tile Production. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/300856811_A_Case_Study_Ceramic_Tile_Production

History of the Colosseum. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.thecolosseum.org/history/

History.com Editors. (2009). Colosseum. Retrieved from https://www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/colosseum

Lemmen, H. van. (2013). 5000 Years of tiles. London: The British Museum.

Pryor, D. (2011). The Great Pyramid and the Sphinx: the essential handbook to the monuments of Giza. Place of publication not identified: Threshold Publishing.

Wood, C. S. (2019). A history of art history.