Prehistoric and Greek

Roman,Pre-Columbian,& African ArtArchitectureRoman builders developed the arch, vault and domePioneered the creative use of concreteCreated immense interior spaces without inner supportsArchitectureBasilica:An oblong building with semicircular apses on either end, high clerestory windowsUsed as a meeting place and widely imitated in medieval Christian churches.

Basilica JuliaArchitectureBarrel VaultDeep arch forming a half-cylindrical roof

Barrel VaultArchitectureGroin VaultTwo intersecting barrel vaults at the same height that form a right angle

Groin VaultThe Colosseum (70 A.D)Used Doric columns at base, Ionic in the middle and Corinthian above.Use of columns and arches allowed the Colosseum to rise to new heightsThe Colosseum (70 A.D)Seated 50,000 spectatorsOnce flooded to stage a navel reenactment by a cast of 3,000So efficiently laid out that it inspired present-day stadium design

Colosseum

Colosseum at nightRoman SculptureRoman sculpture was more literal than GreekOften kept wax death masks of ancestors that were factual molds of the deceaseds featuresPompeiiLuxurious resort community that was covered with 18 feet of ash pumiceThis preserved the city until it was uncovered 1,700 years later

PompeiiVillas painted with realistic still lifes and landscapes, which they used as make-believe windowsIntricate Mosaics made of colored stone, glass or shell

Fish Mosaic- Pompeii

Battle of Issus- PompeiiPre-ColumbianArt was vitally important to tribal societyArt objects were often thought to be magical and help ensure the tribes survival.

Crocodile God Hammered Gold Breast Plate

Mayan Vase

Wooden Grave Mapuche Effigies

Stone Inuit Carving (Vancouver)

Anasazi Pottery

Hupa Woven BasketMound BuildersNative Americans have always been environmentalists Created burial mounds out of earth as a symbol of their harmony with nature. More than 10,000 exist in the Ohio Valley, there are mounds from Florida to Wisconsin.

Great Serpent Mound in Ohio

Great Serpent Mound in Ohio

Great Serpent Mound in OhioEarly African ArtWooden masks were used in ritual performancesMasks were intentionally unrealistic:When confronting a supernatural power the idea was for the performers identity to be completely concealed.

Dan people wooden mask

Ivory Belt MaskEarly African ArtAfrican SculptureRejected real-life appearance in favor of vertical forms, tubular shapes, and stretched out body parts derived from the cylindrical form of trees.

Couple from Dogon, Mali

Mother and Child from Dogon, Mali