Author: Mounia Mahdiya – Bangladesh – PROMPT! Cohort #1
Imagine standing in a dark cave from thousands of years ago. With a torchlight flickering on the walls. You can see different types of ancient paintings done by using natural pigments like charcoal and ochre. You can see handprints, deer, bulls, and even paintings of humans hunting down animals. Why was this done? Was it to tell stories, express themes related to hunting, or just to simply say “I was here”? The oldest known cave drawings were made over 40,000 years ago, from that moment art became a language older than the languages we are speaking now. Fast forward today, we can see virtual paintings, or Ai generated images which were made in seconds. Despite all these changes the heart of art remains the same. It is a form of communication and self-expression. In this blog we’ll look further into how art has evolved around history, art in our everyday lives and where art can be in the future.
Art can come in so many different styles. These are called Art Period/Movements. Some examples include: Modern art, Renaissance, Impressionism, Art deco etc. Over time art has changed so much and new styles of art were found. But it all stated thousands of years ago with cave paintings by early humans. This evolution of art can be divided into sections.
Prehistoric Art (Before 800 BC) : Was human’s earliest attempt to record life and imagination. The famous cave paintings we know show animals like deer, horses, bison were drawn with surprising detail. But people believe these weren’t just pictures but carried meanings like hunting rituals or even storytelling.
Ancient art (800 BC-400 AD): After the prehistoric period came the ancient art. This kind of art was linked to power, culture and religion. Some kinds of ancient art are Egyptian art, Greek art, and Roman art. Ancient art is famous for some sculptures, pyramids, temples and other architecture like the Coliseum in Italy.
Renaissance Art (c. 1400-1600): We all know about the famous painting ‘Mona Lisa’ by Leonardo da Vinci. The Mona Lisa is a famous example of renaissance art. This art style focused on Realism and Humanism. This art was done by use of perspective and focusing on Light and shadow. This made the art look more realistic and three dimensional. Other examples of Renaissance art include ‘The last supper’ also by Leonardo da Vinci and ‘The school of Athens’ by Raphael etc.
Modern and Contemporary Art (1850 – Present): Modern art is a term for artistic work produced roughly from the 1860s to the 1970s. At this time instead of focusing on power, culture, religion or realistic representation, artists focused on new ways of seeing the world. Artists broke free from the strict rules of art and it wasn’t necessary for their art to be realistic. The goal was to often express the artist’s inner feelings. Modern art is divided into several groups such as: Impressionism (1865-1885): This art style captures the “impression” of a moment. Impressionist paintings have short, thick brushstrokes to give the art an unfinished look. The artists focused on capturing the momentary nature of the scene instead of historical or mythological scenes. An example is Impression, Sunrise by Claude Monet created in 1872.
Post Impressionism: A lot of us heard about The Starry Night by Van Gogh. This is a famous example of post-impressionism. This art reacted against Impressionism by focusing on subjective expression and symbolic content rather than just objective.
Surrealism: Surrealism is the 20th century art movement that began in Paris. Surrealism was a way for artists to freely express the happenings of their unconscious minds and combine the worlds of their dream and reality into a new “Surreality”. Surrealism was about more than just art, it stood for freedom. It encourages both the artist and the viewer to explore their imagination.
Contemporary art is the art of today. It refers to the art created in the 1970s to the present day. Contemporary art reflects our complex and rapidly changing world. It is a broad category and is incredibly diverse. Artists use a lot of mediums from traditional painting, sculpture and even digital media to create art.
Art is a mirror of its time. By observing art of different ages we can learn about the different types of beliefs and challenges people from the past went through. It preserves tradition and stories passing it down through generations. For some people who are passionate about art, it is therapeutic. Art can reduce stress and improve mental well-being, so people use art as an escape. A surprising fact is that art was a competitive event in the Olympics from 1912 to 1948. But eventually it was discontinued after the 1948 Olympics.
Art isn’t just paintings hanging in a gallery or art museum. Art gives our lives a shape and brings joy to it. From the clothes we wear to the songs we sing, art is how we can express the ideas that go on inside our mind and show it to the world. Fashion is a great example of art in our everyday life. The shape, color and designs of the clothes we wear are the designer’s creative vision. What we wear can also influence how we feel about ourselves. Music is also a form of art. Lyrics, rhythms and tunes are artistic expressions. Songs can also affect how we feel. Music can comfort us or fill us with energy. Movies are also another powerful form of art where every detail is crafted to make us cry or laugh. Without art movies would be moving images without meaning. Whether we realize it or not, we are surrounded by creativity daily. Art plays an important role in our life by making it joyful, colorful and meaningful.
Now that art has evolved so much we might be thinking, where can art be seen in the future? Technology is transforming creativity faster than ever. Artificial intelligence (AI) can now create images, produce music and even generate films. They do this in just a few seconds where it could take us days or even months. This is a threat to human creativity. People are worried that AI will replace humans in the future. At the same time AI can also be called a new type of paintbrush. In the future AI can bring a lot of exciting new features to the world of art.From prehistoric to art generated by AI, art has always been a reflection of human creativity. As Pablo Picasso believed art should express emotions famously stating, “The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls.” Next time you see an art of old times, ask yourself what story it tells you.
