From bland to realistic art

From bland to realistic art Last time we spoke about Ancient Classical Art which was predominant in Ancient Greece and Rome. This also means there were different areas of land where the civilisation were already finding different forms of expression to communicate among themselves. Coming to Medieval Art (400 - 1500 BC) Western Europe This is a very beautiful phase of Art consisting of many movements: Early Christian, The Byzantine, Carolingian, Romanesque and The Gothic Periods of Art. Beginning with The Byzantine Era, artists were drawing images but it wasn’t realistic. They did not try to make their paintings look lifelike but focused on the functionality and symbolism of art. Paintings were flat with no shadows. Sculptural subjects were static, cold and somber. They used these forms to convey religious point of view with topic of Jesus Christ and Mother Mary. Doors, windows and ceilings were decorated with stained glass. Crushed stones, lead and glass were combined in a decorative form and the images were enhanced with the help of natural sunlight passing through them. Over time, improvisation in technique and materials led to Romanesque Art. They used better materials from deeper under the ground, like richer minerals, lead and textured glass. Romanesque Art was inspired and rather a derivative of Roman and Byzantine Art. Gothic Art was an elevated version of Romanesque Art. Using brighter colours, dimensions and perspective. They made realistic figures with shadows and natural light. This also saw artists moving from religious topics to more about animals and mythic scenes. Because of the genuine unmixed materials, we see fine stained glass on Gothic structures like Notre Dame and religious places like Churches and Cathedrals around the world. Donatello, Giotto, Benvenuto di Giuseppe, Ambrogio Lorenzetti were some artists who were making a name for themselves within their growing community. In the next, we would talk about Renaissance Art period. When the Art world actually took shape and was glorified with magnificent statues, building architectures and paintings that we see at famous museums around the world...