History of Arts

One of my favorite subject and also one that I struggle with is History of Arts- you have to keep track of like a million periods with their own characteristics, styles, colors, paintings, sculptures, buildings and whatnots.

It's also very interesting once you really focus on it (without the stress of exams) and appreciate how each period
was developed, whether it was due to war, politics, economics, rebellion, etc.



But first we have to define Art.
It is an aesthetically pleasing and meaningful arrangement of elements, as words, sounds, colors, shapes, etc.
It is a form of human activity whose chief character is determined by such arrangement.

According to Mr. Wikipedia:

Traditionally, the term art was used to refer to any skill or mastery. This conception changed during the Romantic period, when art came to be seen as "a special faculty of the human mind to be classified with religion and science".^[1] Generally, art is made with the intention of stimulating thoughts and emotions.

Which gave birth to the term Decorative Arts, which is any of the arts pertaining or referring to any of the following:

• painting
• sculpture
• glass/glassware
• ceramic/pottery
• metallurgy
• plants

Other professions directly involved with the Arts is Architecture and Interior Design. The former is seen as the science or profession of design and constructing buildings and other structures, while the latter is mostly concerned with its interiors.

Art is categorized into different styles. And when analyzing them, there are four elements to consider:

1. Racial- designated from the people who originated it
2. Epochal- period where it flourished
3. Individual- its originator
4. Character- e.g. classic, romantic, expressionist, impressionist, etc.

There are also lots of factors that influence the evolution of style:

1. Religion
2. Geography (climate and land)
3. Politics (ruling monarch/government)
4. Availability of materials
5. Monument of styles and craftsmen
6. Earlier styles
7. Culture
8. Economy
9. Technology
10. Growth of world communications through the opening of trade routes

CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER OF STYLES
Early Periods 

• Pre-history
• Ancient Egyptian Period
• Aegean Art
• Greek Art
• Roman Art
• Byzantine Art
• Romanesque Period

Western Art and Architecture 
 
Asian Art and Architecture

• Islamic Arts
• Moorish
• Chinese
• Japanese
• Filipino
• Spanish Colonial

History of Interior and Furniture Design

• Egypt
• Greek
• Byzantine
• Gothic
• Italian Styles (Renaissance, Baroque, Rococo)
• Hispanic Style
• French Styles (Renaissance, Baroque, Rococo, Neoclassic, Directoire, Empire)
• Biedermeier
• French Provincial
• English Styles (Early Renaissance, Elizabethan, Jacobean, Baroque/Mid-Renaissance, Restoration Stuart/Carolean, William & Mary, Rococo, Early Georgian, Chippendale/Mid-Georgian, Neoclassic/Late Renaissance/Late Georgian, Regency, Victorian)
• Hispanic Style
• American Periods (Colonial, Georgian, Late Colonial/American Federal, Victorian)

20th Century Styles

• Arts & Crafts Movement
• Art Nouveau
• De Stijl
• Bauhaus
• Art Deco
• Chinese
• Japanese
• Filipino