The document provides a summary of major art periods, their defining characteristics, key works, and historical events. It covers periods from the Stone Age through Post-Impressionism. Each period is listed with the dominant artistic styles, major artists and artworks, and important historical context for societal and cultural developments during that time. The table comprehensively outlines the evolution of art and architecture across regions including Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas over thousands of years.

1. Art Periods and Movements Summary Table
A R T PE R I O DS CH A R A CT E R I S T I CS M A JO R W O R KS H I S T O R I CA L E VE N T S
Stone Age30,000 –
25,000 B.C
- Cave painting.
- Fertility goddesses.
- Megalithic structures
- Lascaux Cave
painting.
- Woman of Willendorf.
- Stonehenge.
- Ice Age ends 10,000–8,000 B.C.
- New Stone Age & first
permanent settlements 8000–2500 B.C.
Paleolithic 30,000 t
o 10,000 B.C.
Click in blue links for
more information.
- Art was portable and stationary.-
Stone Venus. -
Representation of animals in
painting which are vividly realistic.
– Human figure is
completely absent in painting or
represented with simple stroke form like
a stick .
Important cave painting
examples are located
in:France: Chauvet,
Cosquer, Cussac, Font-
de-Gaume, Lascaux, Les
Combarelles, Les Trois-
Freres, Niaux, and
Rouffignac.Spain:
Altamira.
- Strictly hunter-gatherers.
- Use of rituals and dances to promote
excellent climate.
Mesolithic 10.000-
8000 B.C.
- Utilitarian pottery not for visual
pleasure.- Carvings of obsidian
and other objects jagged edges.
– Human figures in caves painting
highly stylized.
- Cave painting in
Europe, South Africa and
east of Spain.
- Beginning of settled and agricultural
communities
- Domestication of animals.
Neolithic 8000-3000
BC.
– Construction of megaliths The female fertility takes a
role starring as well as the
- The glaciers withdrawal providing
more land an climate stabilization.

2. – Stylized pictographs. goddess mother.
The figurines are now clay
and baked.
- Humans were settling in agrarian
societies.
Prehistoric Art.
Cooper, Bronze &
Iron Ages.
Cooper Age:
- Was one of the first metal using by
mans in its natural state due to not
know how to melted.
Bronze Ages. 2500-800 B.C.
- Intensification of trades.
- Labor specialization.
- Social differentiation.
Iron Ages 2000-1500 B.C.
– The last period of prehistory prior to
the beginning of the story with the
Cooper age:
- Elaboration of cuneiform
glass and ceramic
rope pottery.
- Spirals of gold.
- Abundant so-called
“Palmela” arrows.
- Triangular daggers in
copper.
- Perforated plates.
Bronze Age mayor
work:
- The petro glyphs,
paint on smaller
objects, sculptures and
steles, make frequent use
of ornament and artistic
images for decoration of
tools and household
goods.
Cooper age:
- The man perfected the techniques of
pottery allowing to experiment with
metallurgical processes.
- Most manufactured items were tools.
Bronze Age:
- Spread of agriculture and animal
husbandry.
– Mastery of metal developing new
alloys.
Iron Ages:
- Assyria originate and impressive

3. invention of writing.
– Development of the artistic skills due
to better use of time when the man
have improve tools elaborated with
iron.
– Developing of the military
technology and strong weapons.
Iron Ages
- Iron is a good material
for the manufacture of
saws, axes, adzes and
nails.
- Nordic petro glyphs.
military technology.
- The iron replaced bronze as the material
of manufacture of instruments and
weapons.
- Celtic and Nordic people star using iron
for tools & weapons.
Minoan Culture - Pacific inclines.
- Decoration with nature motive.
- Proportional human body
representation.
- Politeist religion. Matriarcal sociaty.
- Found for Physical activities.
- Important trades activities.
- Taurocatapsia
representation in painting
& relieves.
- Goddess of serpents.
- Ostentatious jewelry.
Skilled goldsmith.
– Dancing woman widely
represented in art.
– Dolphins fresco at the
Quing chamber’s.
Minoan historical events:-Development as
a Matriarchal society.- Foundation of
the first palaces.
– Sudden disappearance due to
conquests and natural disasters.
Mesopotamian3500–
539 B.C.
Sumerian Culture:
Sumerian Culture:
- The most ancient civilization in this
region with clay figurine
representation, cuneiform tablets and
Sumerian:
- Ubaid Art.
- Clay feminine
Sumerians:
- Invention of writing around 3400 B.C.
- The dynasty of Sargon between (2300

4. Babylonian Culture:
Assyrian Culture:
seals.
Babylonian Culture:
- Glazed brick decoration.
- cuneiform writing tables and seals.
- Hammurabi’s code of laws.
- Gilgamesh Epic representation in Art
pieces.
Assyrian Culture:
– Warrior people with art and
narration in stone relief predominant
Lion representation and winged
Sphinxes.
figurines,
- Standard of Ur.
Babylon:
- Gate of Ishtar.
- Diorite Stele of
Hammurabi’s Code.
- Gilgamesh’s Epic
flood tablet story.
Assyria:
Nimrud or Jursabad doors
with winged Sphinxes
The construction of
Ziggurats.
– 2223 BC) build ziggurats and clay seals.
- Rule of Naramsin 2230 BC.
Babylon:
- Hammurabi writes his code of
laws 1780 B.C.
- Abraham founds monotheism.
- King Nebuchadnezzar palace is
builder in Babylon.
Assyria:
About 884 BC Assyria gets at the head of
the power in a vast region under Ashur-
Nassir-Pal reign.
Aqueménida Period (550-330) B.C.-
Monumental style with sculptures in
relief attached to architectural joints
with profuse but simple decoration.
– Metalwork representation evading
the ambiguous, obscure or clumsy.
Same principal of simplicity apply to
Aqueménida Period
- Glazed brick are use to
decorated in Darius
palace.
- Palace of Persepolis.
- Relief on the palace
- During the reign of Cyrus the
Great, Persia expands to the West
and Northwest beyond the borders of
what is today Iran to include Babylonia,
some of the Aegean Islands and
Anatolia.- Dario’s Government (522 to
486 BC) .The rule of Darius covers many

5. Persian Culture
painting.
– Use of low reliefs glazed brick from
Babylon;s technique.
– Simplicity of the messages avoiding
complications, the dark or confuse.
Sassanid Period
– Architectural decorations in
carved stone, walls covered with
stucco decorated with vivid and
contrasting colors.
– Attractive and deeply expressive
with refined decoration, emotional &
imaginative.
– Representation of abstract ideas
without violating the terms of the visual
aspects.
Islamic Period
– Stoning architecture.
– Calligraphy & decoration of
walls representing the
power of rulers.
- Important metalwork in
weapons decorations.
Sassanid Period.
- Spectacular
glaze decorations.
- Detailed metal
work in daily used objects
and weapons.
- Drapery and
jewelry mastery.
- Islamic architecture.
- Calligraphy
and decoration of
manuscript.
cultures.
He and his son used foreign artists to
promote and strengthenits image of
power.
Sassanid Period
- Greatest achievements of Persian
culture, the last great Iranian Empire
before the Islamic conquest of Persia.
- The conquest of Persia by Alexander the
great began the spread of Hellenistic art
into Western Asia.
Islamic Period
- The adoption of the Islam as a religion
throughout the territory resulted in
important changes in the Persian culture.
- The Persians became the main

6. manuscripts.
– Decoration of the walls with stucco
and covered with figurative colored
and detailed paints.
- Handmade Persian
rugs.
- Pottery with influence
of Chinese ceramic.
- Metalwork
with arabesques.
instrument of the expansion of Islam
in most of the rest of the Asian territory.
Egyptian 3100 –
30 B.C.
- Art with an afterlife focus with
destination to the Church:- Pyramids
and tomb painting.- Reverence to
pharaohs.- The artist is more a
craftsman, completely anonymous.-
Hieratic & utilitarian sculptures.
– The image carries a symbolism and a
message; it is not with the intention of
showing beauty.
– The figures show position
of frontality; is a fixed concept which
is repeated.
- Imhotep,
– Step Pyramid
– The great pyramid of
Giza, built by King Cheops
about 4,500.-
Bust of Nefertiti,
– Mask of Tutankhamen.
– Sculpture of the scribe.
– The Sphinges.
- King Narmer unites Upper/Lower Egypt
(3100 B.C).- Ramses II battles the Hittites
1274 B.C.- Persian domination of
Egypt.1085-333: Persian domination of
Egypt.- The domain of Egypt under the
Greek and the Roman.- Cleopatra
dies 30B.C.
Greek and Hellenistic
850 –31 B.C.
- Greek dealism of balance, perfect
proportions and mathematical
measures applied to all manifestation
of art.
Representation of an idilic art oriented
to be decorative an highlighting the
beauty of the forms.
- Architectural orders (Doric,
- Construction of
the Parthenon.
- The Korai and the Kouroi
archaic sculpture.
- Masters sculptures artist
individually highlight like
Myron, Phidias,
Polycleitus,
- Athens defeats Persia at Marathon 490
B.C.- Peloponnesian Wars (431–404) B.C.
- Alexander the Grate’s conquests Greece
336 -323 B.C
- Hellenistic Period: 4th century
(B.C) from the reign of Alexander the
great (336-323 BC) until the conquest
of Greece by Rome, in the middle of the

7. Ionic, Corinthian)
- Great Pottery, red ceramic, black
figure ceramic.
Praxiteles, scopas, Lisipo.
- The Athena Farnese.
second century B.C).
Roman 500 B.C–
476 A.D)
– Roman realism: practical and
utilitarian very down to earth.-
Introduction of new techniques in Art,
but still with Greek influences.- Art to
the services of the propaganda of the
Roman’s Empire power.
– It addresses both the idealism and
realism in the art.
– Central themes in Roman sculpture
are portraits.
– Mayor accomplishments in
architecture
– Erotic & sensual content in painting.
– Anonymous Illusionist or stages
painting.
- Augustus of Primaporta.-
Roma’s Coliseums.
– Trajan’s Column.
– The Discobolo of
Myron.
– Caracalla Thermals’.
– Caracalla Mosaics.
– Constantine Emperor
Sculpture.
– City of Pompeii &
Herculaneum paint’s
Julius Caesar is assassinated 44 B.C.
Augustus proclaimed Emperor 27 B.C.
Diocletian splits Empire 292 A.D.
Rome falls 476 A.D.
Emperor Constantine adopted
Christianisms.
India Culture:
- Dynamic colorful multi-ethnic and
multicultural features.- Buddhism
temples carving in the mountains.-
Serene, meditative & solemner art in
Buddhism & Jainism.
– Erotic & symbolisms in Hinduism
- Polychrome sculptures.
- Taj Majal.
- Alora Cave.
- Khajuraho Temple.
- Templo Jaina de Vimala
- Dravidians develop advances urbanisms
& culture.
- The Brahmanism prosperous social cast &
religious made an important statement in
India.
- The Buddhism & Jainism prosper.

8. sculpture.
– Sensuality, dramatics, movement &
symbolisms in Hinduism painting.
– Splendor in jewelry and textiles.
– Nature & their polytheist religious
pantheon are the main elements of
representation in their art.
Vasahi en el monte Abu.
- Ajanta Budhist Temple.
Maharastra.
- The Mahabharata and
the Ramayana, two major
Sanskrit epics manuscripts
of ancient Indiath India
region Temples.
- The Hinduism modify the ancestor
polytheist Brahmanism pantheon.
- Persia Invade India been the last
conquest by the Mughal very important for
the art in India.
- The England Indian’s Company
establishes a colony beginning from the
littorals of India and then extended.
Chinese,
and Japanese 653
B.C–1900 A.D.
- Serene, meditative art.- Arts of the
Floating World.
– Represent idealist lanscape with
realistic detail.
– Homenage to nature and to the
lanscaping in painting.
– After a colourful period in painting
this one is reduced to duo tones color
representation in furthers periods.
– Important ceramic production using
porcelain made with caolin.
– Detailed painting in paper, wood
and fabrics.
– Abundant use of caligraphy in paints
been as much important as the paint
itself.
– Magnificent works in ivory amd jade.
Painters- Gu
Kaizhi.-
– Li Cheng.
– Guo Xi.
– Hokusai.
– Hiroshige.
Birth of Buddha 563 B.C;Silk Road opens
(1st century B.C.
Buddhism spreads to China 1st–2nd
centuries A.D and Japan 5th century A.D

9. – Architecture addresed to practical
use not ornamental and intedrated to
the lanscape around the building.
Wooden structure with repetitive plant.
– Wide representation of Budda
images with particular Asiatic feature
and postures.
Byzantine and
Islamic 476–1453 A.D
- The symbolic character of the works
becomes more important over even
its expression and aesthetic,
responding to the theology
and ecclesiastical power
representation.– They do not imitate
the image of the man and the nature
in details, they made instead a rational
representation of the concept of those
images.-
– Rich materials in Byzantine.Mosaic’s,
with abundance in the use of gold.
(Glowing sensation).
- Heavenly
Byzantine mosaics.-
Islamic
architecture and amazing
maze-like design.-
Mural Painting.-
Wood & Ivory
diptychs.- Hagia
Sophia Cathedral.
– San Vitale of
Ravenna
– Andrei Rublev.
– Mosque of
Córdoba.
– Tthe Alhambra in
Spain.
- Justinian partly restores Western
Roman Empire (533– 562). A.D.
- Iconoclast controversy 726– 843 A.D.
- Birth of Islam 610 A.D.
- Muslim Conquests 632–732 A.D.

10. Art Appreciation
Art Periods and Movements Summary
Submit t ed by:
John Lawrence S. Ting
Ronald P.Castillo
Myla A.Viray
Jeric L. Hernandez
Jacques Cymon E. Mendoza
Aldrin M. Manalo
Submit t ed t o:
Ms. Leslee B. Manguerra