- Published: September 15, 2022
- Updated: September 15, 2022
- University / College: The University of Arizona
- Level: Masters
- Language: English
- Downloads: 2
The Ancient Art and Its Forms
It is believed that ancient art began before the 16th century. The ancient art included ancient forms of art by Chinese, Persian, Egyptians, Indians, Greece, and Rome. In Egypt, most of the ancient art includes works of god, goddesses, because of their religious background. On the other hand, the Romans commemorated certain events using different artistic styles. Chinese ancient artwork dates back to the prehistoric times of Shag and Zhou Dynasties, which led to massive production artistic bronze ware and vessels. Chinese artistic art also included graphics and sculpture of horses. The first Indian art is believed to be 5, 000 years old, which included stone carving and bronze castings. With a great history of Hinduism and Buddhism, the Indians produced many religious pieces of arts. People in ancient Central America around Mexico region began their artistic work 1000 years BC. The region is famous for production of wonderful ceramics with kilns burning it over 900°C[Hen12].
The Christian era began during the ancient times and is believed to have continued evolving until the modern times. The most striking features of this period include monuments produced by Indians, Egyptians, Romans, and many other groups. However, we shall concentrate on two striking monuments like the Minoan Snake Goddess and Totem Pole. Minoan Snake Goddess is an ancient cultural piece of art that depicts the Goddess holds two snakes in each hand. The first production of Minoan Snake goddess dates back to 1600BCE. The piece of art resembles a totem pole by the manner in which it is decorated. An interpretation of the open breast reveals the fertile nature of the Goddess. The snakes are a symbol of renewed life since the snakes are regarded as immortal whenever they shed their skin and renew their strength. The above pieces of art resemble each other in the manner in which they are decorated [Ric92]. They are also symbols of religion. Indians in their temples use the Minoan Goddess symbol.
Minoan Snake GoddessTotem Pole
The two pieces of art are 3 dimensional carvings mostly done using the stone. Indians used the stone to produce most of their ancient art and so was Minoan Snake Goddess. Use of colors was highly emphasized ancient artists because colors and decorations brought out the beauty aspect of the intended art. Use of line and shape has also been used in the two pieces of art. Shapes like triangle and cube boxes have been employed in the Minoan Snake Goddess. The same also applies to the Totem Pole piece of art which is also highly decorated with a lot of different shades of color. The two pieces of art are religious in their context hence the theme of religion is greatly emphasized. Minoan Goddess is shown holding snakes symbolizing power over death Totem pole picture also show the curving with open hands a symbol of open strength and power over the evil hence this symbolizes pride[Wal85]. Minoan Snake Goddess and Totem pole resemble each other as they are tall and also form the sign of the cross.
References
Hen12: , (Henry M, 2012, p. pg 123),
Ric92: , (Richerson, 1992),
Wal85: , (Burkert, 1985),