Throughout all the art periods known to humanity, it is not surprising that art has been perceived in various ways in every century. This approach to artistic work has been documented by multiple writers and critics over time, each of whom naturally brings their own interpretation to it.
From antiquity to contemporary art, the motivation for creating art has become more extensive. This is largely due to the changes in society, which have become much more individualistic.
Old Greek and Roman Art
- Idealizing
- Sculptural
- Refined
Around 800 B.C. to 100 A.C., it was the heyday for Ancient art, which we now know as grand temples and statues primarily based on the ‘spiritual‘ and its form.
Gaius Plinius Secundus
The writer Gaius Plinius Secundus lived in the first century AD. He strongly emphasized that artists should not create art solely for their own pleasure but to educate their surroundings. He also believed that, in addition to the aesthetic aspects of a painting or sculpture, the deeper meaning should be clearly conveyed.
‘Someone was only a good artist if they could effectively evoke emotions.’
He documented many of his findings about art (history) in his book ‘Naturalis Historia.’
Writers on the art of the medieval age
- Symbolic
- Craftsmanship
- Pontifical
The Middle Ages saw artists like Jan van Eyck, who primarily had a mystical and symbolic approach to art. This was, of course, due to the rise of Christianity, which was also the ‘regime’ from which everything in society stemmed, including art.
Albertus Magnus
One notable author and monk who extensively described his interpretation of art was Albertus Magnus. Besides his interest in philosophy and science, he was also deeply involved in the spiritual aspect of art.
He considered art a means to express the divine harmony in creation. Furthermore, art was meant to influence the human mind by forming an understanding of the spiritual and natural worlds.
Renaissance: a shift in the possibilities of art
- Linear perspective
- Psychology in art
- Scientific influence
- Accurate observation of nature
In this period (1300–1600), it was still the norm to create a realistic representation of reality, whether it was nature, ancient mystical stories, or human anatomy. It gradually became acceptable to incorporate the ‘inner’ aspects of humans in art.
Leon Battista Alberti
An important figure who documented his findings on this matter was Leon Battista Alberti (15th century). This Italian humanist found it intriguing to see aspects of ancient art integrated into ‘new architecture.’ He even believed that architecture didn’t need to be purely functional and could be an art form in itself.
Alberti’s ideas laid the foundation for Renaissance art and neoclassicism. He encouraged artists to base everything they created on a solid theoretical foundation.
Art still had a spiritual foundation, but that didn’t mean that artists weren’t allowed to incorporate their own stories and messages.
Baroque period: realistic and dramatic
- Excessive
- emotional
- contrast-rich
After the Renaissance, the Baroque era made its entrance, characterized by a strong emotional aspect in music, literature, and thus also in art.
Gian Pietro Bellori
Gian Pietro Bellori was a great fan of this dramatic work of art. As an art historian, he was very passionate about evaluating other people’s art. He did this, for example, with Peter Paul Rubens, whom he believed placed too much emphasis on physical beauty in his art.
Art is supposed to be the lover of nature and the disciple of truth.
Above all, he believed that art should strive for perfection, which also explains his preference for realistic ancient art. These views on ‘what art should be’ align very much with the Baroque period, which we now see as quite conservative.
Additionally, he believed that artists should draw strong inspiration from past masters. He considered knowledge of the art of the Romans and Greeks essential for the art created in his period.
Impressionism and Classicism
- Balanced
- Symmetry
- Harmonious
After this, a period we now call classicism followed. It closely resembled the style widely used in the Baroque era. It was still highly realistic, but it lost its unrestrained and dramatic edge.
Nicholas Poussin
A writer and artist who emphasized this was Nicolas Poussin. He believed it was important for his own and others’ art to focus on order and balance. He also discussed emotions, which were expressed in a more subdued manner.
He had a very philosophical approach to life and, consequently, his own art.
- A significant philosophical aspect of Nicolas Poussin’s approach to art was his emphasis on “la ligne” (the line) and “le dessin” (the drawing) as fundamental elements of art. He believed that the line and the drawing formed the foundation for a painting’s composition and that artists should pursue accuracy and precision in their drawings.
Line draws and preserves form and has nothing in common with color.
A comeback…
However, not much later, the emotional aspect made a comeback. In 1870, Impressionism emerged, emphasizing the mood and the subjective experience of the moment. The ‘sketch-like’ style and brighter colors became popular among both artists and spectators.
Émile Zola
One writer who played a significant role in promoting this newer art movement was Émile Zola. At that time, this style was a blow to the conservative style that art had known for centuries.
Zola was a big fan of artists who captured everyday life in paintings, such as Manet and Edgar Degas. In his essay ‘Le Salon de 1866,’ he expressed his appreciation for the raw reality of this new art style, where artists went beyond entrenched artistic norms.
The impressionists, through their way of painting, depict the modern world. They have a gaze, a spontaneity, an innocence, and a surrender that are very new. And the result is a perfect representation of what they see because they hide nothing of their impressions.
At the end of the 19th century, there was a shift from the spiritual aspect that had been associated with art for centuries to the personal views of the artists themselves.
Breaking the conventional: Modern Art
- Abstract
- Experimental
- Unconventional
Although “modern” suggests the immediate past, the period from 1800 to 1950 is referred to as modern art.
This was mainly due to radical changes that led to a completely new approach to art. Abstract forms, Surrealism, and Fauvism emerged in quick succession and intertwined with each other.
Louis Vauxcelles
One writer who strongly criticized these developments was the Frenchman Louis Vauxcelles. His deep love for traditional realism led him to consider the abstract style a mockery of what art should be.
When he visited “Salon d’Automne 1905,” where modern art was exhibited, he used the term “Les Fauves” (the wild beasts) in response to what he saw there. Not much later, this statement gave rise to Fauvism (LINK), which became a nickname for this art movement.
Positive reactions to modern art
Despite his negative remarks about it, modern art attracted a large audience. The critic Guillaume Apollinaire was a big fan of the works of Cubist (IMAGE) artists like Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, whom he often promoted in his essays.
He found the experimental aspect that predominated in art very interesting because it could bring about new perspectives. He also strongly believed in challenging the old classical art norms versus those of the modern to stimulate a new way of looking.
Cubism, this new art form that is both original and rational, goes to the core of things to show their most fundamental aspects.
Contemporary art: questioning society
- Abstract
- Conceptual
- Industrial
After World War II, it was not surprising that new art also took on a political edge. Not only that, but the significant concerns and taboos in society were often reasons to create art.
Because we are still in this period, there are more writers than ever who have something to say about it. Some are praising, but there are also many critical voices because understanding contemporary art is often considered challenging.
Robert Hughes
One of the writers highly critical of the art of this century is the Australian Robert Hughes. In his book ‘The Shock of the New’ (AMAZON LINK), he describes, among other things, the emphasis on conceptual art that comes at the expense of traditional artistic skills.
The ugliness of much contemporary art lies not in any particular gesture or act but in the assumption that art can be entirely independent of the rest of our culture—that there is no relationship between one way of making and another.
Furthermore, he believes that something needs to change in the commercial aspect of the art world, where investments by wealthy individuals often play a more significant role than the original intent of art. Many people agree with him.
How art and its motives have always changed
You can see that the interpretations of art remained quite the same for a long time, with not much room left for new forms of artistic expression. Writers from antiquity to classicism praised the realistic approach and didn’t have many tendencies towards ‘something new.’
Small changes led to significant developments, allowing more room for a unique style in the centuries that followed, whatever that might be. This freedom seems to have reached its fullness now.
Well…
Adhering to techniques from an old art period is often seen as outdated now because it has had its time. But who knows? This might change again in a few years.
Final Thoughts
Writers have a lot to say about the reasons people have for creating art. In this era of ‘contemporary art,’ more than ever, there is much writing about the question:
