Ancient Art.

<< back

To see our full collection of
Ancient Art Prints,

A study of ancient art reveals a great deal about the origins of human behavior, beliefs and imagination. Some would even argue that it was with the first attempt at artistic expression that homo sapiens became truly “human” as we currently understand it.  This may have been a blessing or a curse, depending on your perspective.  In any case, by learning to appreciate the timeless works of ancient Greek art, ancient Egyptian art, ancient Roman art, ancient Etruscan art, or Paleolithic ancient art, we grow in our understanding of the origins of other cultures as well as our own.

The cave drawings in Lascaux, France provide a rare glimpse into the minds of our Paleolithic ancestors. Some have called this 15,000 year-old work a “prehistoric Sistine chapel;” others, the earliest attempt at animation. The paintings that cover these cave walls are arranged in narrative form, and when read from left to right the drawings tell dramatic stories of hunts and wars, as well as recording the behaviors of diverse animal species in the region. Aurochs (a large wild ox, now extinct), horses, ibexes, stags and bison are drawn with thick organic outlines that are then filled in with soft, mouth-blown color, which is gathered from pigments found in the surrounding area. Incredible examples of this prehistoric ancient art can be found here. 

Thousands of years later, ancient Egyptian art began to appear, and utilized precisely the same narrative form as the cave drawings. Much of the artwork found within the tombs of such famous Pharaohs as Seti I and Amenophis contains stories told in the same linear fashion, although the subject matter of Ancient Egyptian Art is much more centered on social relationships and the afterlife.

Ancient Greek art and ancient Roman art demonstrate a shift away from the storytelling nature of early ancient art and towards the deep study of certain subjects or scenes frozen in time. It was during this era that “classical sculpture” was developed and there began to be a drive towards so-called “realistic” depictions of objects. Perspective and geometry became far more advanced, thanks to discoveries borrowed from the Egyptians and other ancient cultures.

Somewhere between ancient Greek art and ancient Roman art there exists the work of the Etruscans. Nothing of much certainty is known about this culture, which flourished in Italy during the same era as classic Greek civilization and many generations before the rise of the Roman Empire. Ancient Etruscan art is known especially for its masterful works of pottery and terra cotta, as well as some interesting portraits of human figures that were found painted on Etruscan tombs.

Ancient art provides not only a gateway for interpreting the present, but also an opening to new possibilities for the future. By studying the patterns of thought that defined human behavior in its earliest stages, we may also find new ways to overcome ancient habits. It is in this continuous reflection upon the past that we may learn to evolve yet further, redefining once more what it means to be “human.”

Aaron Lozier, 2004