P7.50

          One of the most successful advertisements here in the Philippines is the 2015 television commercial of Ariel. This commercial became a hit in the Philippines just days after being released. This commercial features Filipino mothers washing some clothes with Ariel Swakto Pack. Ariel is known for being a "high-end" brand, with a high cost products. For this advertisement, they used a strategy that removed the focus of the viewers on the pricyness of the detergent. What they did is that they highlighted the Ariel Swakto Pack. It is repeated over and over in the tv commercial that this small pack of detergent is very affordable at the price of only 7.50 pesos. Adding to the fact that Ariel is a high-end brand, they also featured basins in the commercial (indicating the manual method of washing clothes). This can signify that they are trying to break attract the attention of possible customers from the lower class.

          The biggest asset of this advertisement is its jingle. This is the main reason why it garnered a lot of viewers. Everyday you could hear someone somewhere singing it. This is one of the propaganda techniques that they used. The colors were very bright throughout the whole commercial. The mothers were dancing and singing along to the jingle as well while doing their laundry. All of these elements give off a positive vibe to the viewers. This is a great way to attract Philippine viewers since Filipinos, in general, are cheerful and love to have a good time.

          Ariel was successful in grabbing the attention of its market. Even I sing to the jingle everyday: "Finally Ariel happened to me, 1 wash clean sa labada for just 7.50~. Up until today I still jam to it even though it doesn't show on tv anymore. This advertisement isn't lacking in any portions or field. It was carefully planned to bring out the right mix of elements in the commercial. 

Share a Coke

          Coca-cola is the most popular and biggest-selling soft drink in history, as well as the best known brand in the world. It is one of the leading brands when it comes to refreshments. During the summers of 2013 and 2014, Coca-Cola made a splash when they swapped their famous logo with ordinary people's names. "Share a Coke" is a campaign that capitalizes the global trend of self-expression and sharing, but in an emotional way. The brand used personal names to purposefully make invitations more about giving a Coke to someone else rather than keeping it to yourself. It is a great success in many countries, including the Philippines. Coca-Cola Philippines has released the most popular Pinoy nicknames, terms of endearment, and group names on personalized Coca-Cola products for a more fun and personal way of sharing a Coke. You can see Coke bottles with personal names everywhere in the Philippines.

          Above is one of the print ads that Coca-Cola Philippines has released. This media of advertisement is very refreshing to the eyes, just like the drink itself. The fact that they used a plain white background underneath the distinguishable color of red is very neat ad nice to look at. The layout of the ad media is really simple, but it contrasts with the image of the "Share a Coke" bottles. The propaganda techniques present in this advertisement are snob appeal and transfer or emotional appeal. This advertisement is both a product and an institutional advertisement. It is an advocacy; it encourages and tells people to share their love and emotions with others. Coke wants us to be able to show our appreciation to people who make us happy. 

          Coca-Cola's great idea has pulled them a lot of money in. It has also given us a wonderful chance to share our love with other people and to spread happiness as well. The hype that this concept has caused is one of the things that has determined its success. It has brought us back to childhood, even getting excited at the sight of our very own names on bottle or can of Coke. It feels very special. Coca-Cola knows just how to advertise their products.

Busog Lusog

          "Breakfast time, ganito na lang lagi. Nandiyan sila, pero parang hindi~". This line is recognizable from one of the most recent commercials by Nestle Philippines. Bear Brand Busog Lusog is an improved product of Nestle Philippines. It claims to have 2x more flakes and milk than their previous formulation. This statement is also very convincing, considering the techniques that were used to make it more appealing. In my opinion, this television commercial attracts much attention and interest from the audience. I think it's safe to say that this particular ad was successful in attaining the desired results of the brand's objectives.

          What makes this advertisement stand out from the others is its unique concept. I think that the art of concealment was a brilliant idea to incorporate in the tv commercial. When I first saw this commercial, I didn't realize that there were other casts in the background aside from the woman singing. The other casts a.k.a family members, were disguised as ordinary household items. One was camouflaged as an aquarium with fishes, the other one as a dining cloth, one was a curtain, and the father could be mistaken for a sofa. There was even their pet dog which looked perfectly like a floor rug. When the mother took out the new Bear Brand Busog Lusog, the concealed characters immediately came out and it amused me so much. This advertisement makes use of logical appeal, glittering generalization, and card stacking as its propaganda technique. It gives off a very positive feeling to the viewers. Overall, this is a great advertisement.

          Innovative ideas are a must to survive in the advertising industry. Just like how they did with this commercial ad, we need to come up with new ideas that can make our advertisements stand out and be successful. The whole "camouflage" idea/concept is enough to cause a hype among the audience. One should also consider and carefully plan out the type of advertisement and propaganda techniques he/she would use in his/her media projects. This is one step to ensure the success of your advertisements. 

Creative Ads (Advertising assignment)

          "Saan ka na?" "Malapit na." This is definitely a common lie in the Philippines. One of the things that the Filipinos are known for is the "Filipino time". Filipino time simply means being late or not arriving on time. This is a very common habit of Filipinos, which is actually not good. It shows disrespect for other people's time and effort. Pizza hut, however, chose to use this issue in their Hate Late print ads. The Hate Late print ads is a series of print ads that grew into and award-winning campaign. It features phrases that depict a common scenario in the everyday lives of Filipinos.

          This series of print ads caught my attention as soon as I saw it on the internet. I personally think it's a great ad, considering it's qualities. Fist of all, though it is simple, the combination of the colors and the type style is refreshing to the eyes. The colors aren't too vivid but not too dull either. Second, the phrase used in the print advertisement sparked interest in my head. It made me wonder why such words would be used to advertise food/ a restaurant. Third, it creates desire. It made use of humor as a propaganda technique, seeing as how Filipinos understand what the 2 phrases actually mean in our culture. It also uses a slogan with "HATE LATE?" as the brand's catchphrase. Lastly, their print ad made me want to order my favorite Pizza from them. The "Near na" & "Layo pa" phrases made me think of how annoyed I would be if I was hungry and was waiting for food that was an hour late but the Hate Late catchphrase quickly lured me in because I was sure that the pizza parlor wouldn't let me down with their advertisement.

          I think Pizza hut did a great job with their promotions. This advertisement has the right mix of elements that makes it appealing to the audience. It is a humorous appeal that will immediately catch the attention of the target audience. I believe that Pizza hut will gain more customers craving for their awesome pizzas. Here are a few more print ads in the series:

Different times, same love

          

          "Times may change, but a mother's love is timeless." One of the greatest advertisements I've seen on Philippine television is the 2015 Mother's Day commercial from/of Nido. This particular commercial shows the love of a mother for her child. It has a very heart-warming story that shows how a mother understands and tries to be patient for her child. The story shows why our moms will always be #1. It has a very strong sense of appeal that will make the audience want to watch it over and over. I personally think Nido did a great job with their advertisement. All the elements came together well. This commercial exceeded my expectations. It caught my attention once I saw it on TV.

          Since a lot of Filipinos have televisions in their homes, I think it was a great idea that they chose to create a commercial rather than a print/ billboard for this advertisement. The elements and technicalities of the commercial were a great mix. The way they were brought together was brilliant. I liked how the colors and the camera angles in this commercial were colorful and playful, just like a child. Basically every scene in the commercial was splashed with colors. This can be seen in the different rooms of the house, the furniture, the park, and even the clothes of the cast! The camera angles were satisfying to watch too. The best part of the commercial, however, is the message. At first, the story line made it seem as though the grandmother was always dismayed because her granddaughter kept on doing mildly unpleasant things such as being picky, not showing her manners, and not listening well. In the end, it was eventually revealed that the little girl was actually the opposite. As her grandmother said, she's "polite", "imaginative", "gets along with others well", "fun to be with", and that she's "a great kid". The latter scenes also show the bond between the grandmother and her granddaughter where they exchanged love and happiness; where they created memories.

          Overall, I recommend that you watch this commercial if you haven't seen it yet. This is seriously one of the greatest commercials out there. People of all ages would enjoy watching this. The cast played their roles well. Their acting was on point and they delivered the message well. This commercial is really fun and at the same time, touching.  I didn't see any segment that was lacking in anything. This is an example of a well-made advertisement. It just shows how an advertisement can be successful with the right mix of elements. All it takes is planning and thinking carefully.

          

Bulilit

          One of the best and well-known advertisement among Filipinos is Camella's "Bulilit" commercial. This commercial was released back in 2009. This instantly became a hit when it was released. Filipinos of all ages, all over the world, would often imitate the child actress in the said commercial. A lot of the kids would often sing the "Bulilit" song, whether the advertisement was playing or not. Bulilit, bulilit, sanay sa masikip. Kung kumilos, kumilos, ang liit-liit. The viewers were either hooked up to the song or the cute acting of the little girl. I'm guessing Camella actually had increased sales because of this commercial. There's something about the it that lures the audience in. It's something along the lines of witty and cute, it's addicting.

          One of the most striking points of this advertisement is the way that the message is conveyed. It is delivered in such way that the audience would give out a chuckle after finishing the commercial. The little girl in the commercial is seen doing her daily routine, but she appears to be restricting or limiting her body movements as she feels she is still in their old house. By the end of the commercial, while watching on the television, she takes a gander at her surroundings and slowly realizes that she is now free to move in their new house without much constriction. The song is also quite catchy, which is an important factor if you want your advertisements to be remembered by a lot of people. This will help establish the identity of the product or service being advertised. The color composition is good too, I would say it is very relaxing to the eyes and it naturally gives off the ambience of a peaceful and cozy home. I liked how the cameras were stable, the angles weren't nauseating. Overall, the well-planned flow and composition of the video helped make it convincing that it is an advertisement for housing projects. I think they were successful in attaining their objectives.

          The drastic rise of advertisements has had large-scale effects in the business industry. Advertisements have helped lure in huge amounts of sales for their respective companies. The world today is very dependent on advertisements. Innovation plays an important role in advertising. Thus, fresh ideas are needed everyday in order to ensure the success of an advertisement. Everybody has a function in the chain of advertising. If we choose to ignore advertisements, we would never get to know more about the product or service being offered. This would result to reatained (or even decreased) sales of the company. This is the very reason why an advertisement needs to be striking.

Reaching Out

          One of the constant phenomenon that prevails in this world is the development of technology. Improvement in technology causes a widespread impact on civilization. It has helped improve our way of living. The things that we use everyday, even the simplest of machineries, may be associated to the easy completion of our tasks. Technology also plays a big role in the economy. Such of these developments are used for public convenience such as medical and health care/purposes, transportation and even advertising. Advertising is the golden goose of the industry. It is the easiest and most popular way of delivering a message to an audience. Advertisements are pretty much everywhere, on humongous billboards along the streets of the city, on your favorite tv channels, and even on the internet just like a virus. Advertisements work like a public speaker, however, the right elements are needed in order to capture the attention of the audience.

          In creating an advertisement, one should consider the factors that actually matter to the viewer. This may also be what the viewer likes and dislikes. Let's say a plenty of viewers tend to catch up quite slow with fancy words, a proper solution would be using concrete words in advertisements. If the viewers find a commercial mundane then consider using lots of color and graphics on the next project to give it life. There have been lots of improvement in advertisements in terms of quality and potential over the years. I am going to use two famous commercials of Mc Donald's released in the Philippines to further explain these improvements. The first one is the "Karen" commercial which was released back in 2001.

It is evident that this commercial is grainy, having been released in a year when professional equipment for the media wasn't at its best state yet. The commercial seemed to lack life from the range of hues and limited camera angles. The voices and sounds are somehow vague too, but this commercial delivered a wonderful message of love, with "lolo" even keeping the half of his hamburger for his favorite granddaughter "Karen".

Fast forward to 2015 where new technologies keep emerging, and this is what you get. A high quality commercial of a cute little boy who keeps on pestering his dad at work to bring him home his favorite chicken from Mc Donald's. I would say that this beats the earlier commercial mentioned as it contains CLEAR voices (and background sounds), is humorous in a way, has bright colors that give it life, and plays with various angles. All of these elements has made this "Mc-Mc-Mc" commercial popular in the Philippines.

          I would like to stress out the significant difference in advertisements then and now. Having a thought on the earlier commercials discussed was quite interesting for me. It's good to see how advertisements have improved over the years. The new advertisements that are being released tend to persuade a good number of people. The present advertisements always seem to be full of spirit and life. It has become more powerful with the developing minds of special people. Commercials nowadays aren't restrained to dull colors and stiff angles. They are communicating much more than ever to the people of the world. In this world were we constantly have to adapt, we have discovered a lot of things. We have finally discovered the art of widespread communicating and it is not going to stop just yet.

GATE 111

          The 20th century art was created from the late art movements from modern art. It made its entrance on January 1, 1901 (as incorporated on this blog entry title: Gate 111) and exited, after a century (pretty obvious on the era's name), on December 31, 2000. Like the era of modern art, this era was also a gateway to a diversity of art movements. These were fauvism, expressionism, cubism, futurism, dadaism, and abstraction. As a result of continuous experiments in the field of art, more possibilities were offered to the people. Changes in art were moving forward and not backward. A diverse range of art styles and forms evolved. The artists of this era refused to stick to traditions and went out to explore by themselves.

         

"The Japanes Bridge", a fauvist painting
by William Sommer back in 1913.

Fauvism, from the french word "Fauve" meaning wild beast, was an art movement that exploded of bright colors and vibes. Artists practicing this movement painted still life, traditional nudes and landscapes. Cubism was the most influential movement of the 20th century and made use of analyzing, breaking up and reassembling objects. Typical cubist paintings show letters, musical instruments, bottles, pitchers, glasses, newspapers, still lifes and

"Guernica" by Pablo Picasso is the most powerful painting of this era. It was
created in response to the bombing of Guernica and showed

the human face & figure. Cubism was divided into analytic cubism (simplified and monochromatic colors) and synthetic cubism (non-objective objects were pasted onto the canvas/painting). Futurism is a restless form of art that emphasized speed, energy, dynamism, the power of machines; and was founded by Filippo Tommaso Masiretti. One of the artists of abstraction (in the US) is Georgia O' Keeffe and is most known for her paintings of enlarged flowers. Meanwhile, abstraction in Europe used a combination of geometric shapes, primary colors and black lines. It gave way to the formation of constructivism and "De Stijl". In constructivism, 3D works were constructed from industrial materials such as plastic, metal and glass --- similar to synthetic cubism. 

          The art movements that the 20th century gave us were all a fantastic contribution to the development of art. I, speaking for most of the present day artists out there, am very grateful for the 20th century artists and their unending dedication to finding out and sharing tot he world how far the edges of art can be pushed. The astonishing performance of these artists are very worthy of our respect and I hope that many more artists will follow their steps and ponder beyond the normal.

"Simultaneous Visions", a futurist art by Umberto Boccioni.

Blossoming Art

          There are no exact words to pinpoint what modern art exactly is. The only definition that you would end up geting is that these are the artistic works produced from the 1860s up 'till the 1970s. The modern art is, obviously and like all the other art eras, a product of all the previous eras of art starting from the ancients. This is where different artistic styles were developed. Some of these styles were expressionism, impressionism and romanticism. This is where the art of photography was also developed further. Another point of this era is the use of allegorical figures. These are non-existent people that symbolize or represent something. The modern art was centered in the city of Paris. Among the notable artists of this era were Vincent Van Gogh, Paul Cezanne, Paul Gauguin, Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso.

          Neoclassicism was one of the art movements during this era which depicted history, literature and mythology. I think the most recognized art of this movement is the 'Arc de Triomphe' monument in

The Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France.

Paris, France. It was commissioned by Napoleon to commemmorate his victories and was beautifully sculpted by different artists corresponding different parts of the monuments such as the small details and the big sculptures on the outside walls. Romanticism was bold and intensive, especially with colors. The artists of this movement depicted landscapes, religion, revolution and peace. There was a famous school back in this era which is the French Royal Academy, an institution that trained young artists to be great, if not, the best. Realism is another predominant style in this era and depicts ordinary people, their life and whatnot. Among the rest, impressionism, which is a

"Starry Night" by Vincent Van Gogh

recording of nature; is my favorite. Refer to the "Starry Night" by Vincent Van Gogh and you"ll immediately understand what impressionism is. Post-impressionism, commonly referred to as "Synthetism" to distinguish from the earlier, is the extension of the style mentioned above and is a result of continuous rejection from the other eras. Expressionism revolved around traditional ideas of youth & harmony and is plenty on distortion & exaggeration. Lastly, photography which is divided into pictorialism and straight photography, may be the most known of all movements; a lot of the youth today are much into photography.

Pictorialism - "Black Bowl" by George Seeley

A straight photography by Helen Levitt.

          The modern art was and is a vital element to the present art we know of today. It has been a great help in the development of art itself. 

ON TO THE WEST!

          The art beyond the West, from what I understand, is a mix between the strong and the gentle. They appear to be both at the same time. Bold lines are scattered everywhere and soft colors seem to embrace them. The art of this era is mostly sculptures and paintings. The art beyond the West hovers over African art, Oceanic Art , Native American art, Islamic art, Indian art, Chinese art, and Japanese Art. The predominant styles of this era are symbolism, naturalism, abstractionism and realism. They used a variety of materials, some of these are rocks, wood, metal, ceramic, clay, marble and oil. The focus of their art is in their religion, people and tribes. Like most of the other eras of art, this particular era is a product of continuous rejection of different proposed changes in art. We can conclude that the people of these era were very much religious and pretty much stuck to their own ways and beliefs. 

          The art of the Africans were mostly of rock paintings and engravings. It is also noticeable that their artworks focus on their people/tribes and their religion, among these are the door from

A hunter figure (Nkisi Nkondi).

Iderre, various masks used in ceremonies & rituals (including the Mboom helmet mask) and ancestral figures such as the Nkisi nkondi and ancestral couple. There are also instances where they give praise to their kings through art. Some artworks which feature the importance of the king are "Altar of the Hand" from Benin, Nigeria and "The ruler of Orangun-Ila" by Airowayoye I. Oceanic art is divided into Polynesia, which is known for their massiveness & compactness; Melanesia, which is mainly about wood studies & carving and; Micronesia. The native art of the Americans (mostly in Mexico and Peru) was rich and was wholly shaped by their religion. Most of the art of Mexico

A casta painting by Miguel Cabrera. This
symbolizes the marriage of two cultures.

were made by the Olmecs and they were carvings of huge heads, small stone carvings and wooden poles which were painted brightly and intricately --- the same applies for art in Peru. Spain also had a big influence on Mexican art caused by the clash of both cultures. Islamic art and Indian art are both characterized by sophisticated & intricate designs and a sense of importance o their religion. Most of their art are places for worshiping such as mosques and temples, the famous ones

The Great Stupa. The dome symbolizes the sky
and the fence (Vedika) acts as a barrier between
the heavenly and the earthly. More rituals are
outside rather on the inside.

being the Taj mahal; the Great Mosque at Samarra and; The Great Stupa. The Chinese and Japanese art are more on the oriental side of art and both showcase a sense of peace to the eyes. The Chinese art was inspired by the principles and morals of Confucianism which was the major way of life during that time, while the Japanese art contained more colors and designs.

Sudden Rain at Atake and Ohashi by Ando Hiroshige.

          I highly believe that the art in this era would not exist without the presence of their (respective) religions. These were the primary factors that made the art beyond the West possible. The art beyond the West served as a starting point for the establishment and settlement of the modern art.

FROM HIGH CLASS TO AN EVEN HIGHER CLASS

          A new age of art has once again been born after another. This new age is called the "BAROQUE" era whose name originated from the Portuguese/Spanish word "Barroco" which means "rough or imperfect pearl". It originated in Spain and Italy around the 1600s. It is also said that artists from the Renaissance shifted from mannerism/ mannerist style to this particular style of art. The Baroque era which comes directly after the Renaissance is considered to be an age of genius. WHY SO? The Baroque period was where various discoveries were made. Such of these were the laws of motion & gravity, and space. These discoveries made the people know how life works. The artists of these era made use of these discoveries and incorporated them in their art. This is what makes Baroque art on a higher level than Renaissance art. The Baroque art turned out to be much more full of life.

          The baroque art can be easily distinguished from other arts from the different periods, especially from the Renaissance art. The baroque art is characterized by (1)drama, (2)motion, (3)time, (4)space and (5)light (&shadow). This allows their art to be more felt by the audience for it depicts real emotions and several natural phenomenon present in everyday life. Faces and body

A portrait of Marie Antoinette
by Elisabeth Vigee Lebrun. This portrait
shows the use of tenebrism.

expressions become much more exaggerated to emphasize drama/ emotions. Motion is implied to make the artworks have an illusion of movement. This also makes it more interesting for the viewer. Time and space can be related to motion as it helps draw the viewer in the artwork to make it seem as though the audience is in the artwork itself. Lastly, the light and shadow, a similar feature in Renaissance art. This allows the subject matter (or the art as a whole) to give off an illusion of a source of illumination and the shadow which it casts. They developed the "Chiaroscuro" into a much more exaggerated and dramatic illumination. This is called "Tenebrism" or "Tenebroso" in Italian. One of the artworks that showcases this technique is Caravaggio's "The Conversion of St. Paul".

Las Meninas by Diego Velasquez. This painting shows the sense of motion
present in the young girls.

          Another strong point of this era, which is personally my favorite, is their use of colors. I

Happy accidents of the swing
by Jean Honore Fragonard

noticed that even if the colors they use vary, some dark and some light, they still appear soft to the eyes. They use very delicate strokes when painting and this make their artworks much more appealing to me, probably because I love pastel colors. Pastel colors are also mainly featured in the Rococo (late baroque). This is my favorite part in the baroque era. It is where the baroque was refined. It contains pastel hues and portrays sweetness; daintiness; leisure activities of the upper class and; witty stories, an example being the "Happy accidents of the Swing". They also portray the fashion of that era which I absolutely adore. These also eventually lead to the rise of several factors such as enlightenment, revolution, the scientific and the natural.

TAKING A TURN

          Like the highly flourished walls built in Italy, art took its turn for the better. Following the Christian art, the dark age rose up from the holy wars caused by the crusades. This certain period lasted for about 700 years and spread plagues, wars and poverty. Albeit full of negative events, this era actually paved way to a much more royal and sophisticated period. After so long, the dark age started to die little by little and only then did the people of Europe start to retake and rebuild its land and art. They went back from the start and this is where the RENAISSANCE period evolved. The Renaissance started in Florence, Italy. Renaissance is a french word for "re-birth", which is pretty self-explanatory. This period gave birth to a new, more sensible and higher level of art.

          Before the Renaissance, the notable art of the Christian era were religious architectures such as churches, basilicas and cathedrals. From here on, we can imply that the Renaissance art incorporated a hint of classicism in its own. The Renaissance art was centered on humans and religion.

A portrait of Giovanni Arnolfini and His Wife,
my favorite symbolism painting by Jan Van Eyck.

 These were the main subject matters in the artworks. Their distinct styles include realism, naturalism, idealism and symbolism. Various techniques were also invented such as the sfumato and chiaroscuro. Another technique famous in this era is called "Trompe-l'oeil" which dates back to the Greek and Roman times and the Christian art too. These 3 techniques are all about illusions. The sfumato, commonly used by Da Vinci, is a technique that creates smooth transition between colors and tones without the use of borders and is most notable in Mona Lisa, whose face, when looked at, creates a confusing illusion as to whether she is actually smiling or not. Chiaroscuro is basically shadowing and employs the effect of having a source of illumination and the shadow casted by it. This allows art to show much more drama and heightens emotional tension. Trompe-l'oeil or trick-the-eye is a technique that creates an illusion of depth and makes the subject (or art as a whole) seem three dimensional.

The Matchmaker by Gerrit van Honthorst, an example of painting which uses the chiaroscuro technique.

Escaping Criticism by Pere Borrell del Caso, a painting that uses "Trompe L'oeil".

          I state the significance of this era in the history of art with all my heart. This huge turn in art made it possible for the artists in that era to improve their skills and techniques more. Such is the use of oil paint. I have noticed that a lot of paintings from this era was made with oil paints and they looked very professional and well made. These improvements in skills and techniques made a huge development in art that spread all over the world and is present today. This marked the new start and further innovation in world of art. 

A DELICACY FOR THE EYES

          Christian art, unlike art from the other eras, took a long time to flourish. This is mainly because Christianity simply wasn't accepted during the reign of the Romans. The Romans, who were emperor-centered, saw the Christians as mad cult members who refused to acknowledge their emperor or any other Roman gods. Christians were under a period of persecution for a long time.

Early Christian catacomb artwork

This lead them to worship in secret, using underground burial places called Catacombs. Even though they had difficulty in hiding their religious activities, the Christians were faithful and continued with the knowledge of risking their lives. Catacombs, though underground, have thousands of decorations. Some of these include inscriptions, paintings, statues, ornaments and other items placed in the graves. Most of these decorations were used to identify, immortalize and show respect to the dead.

          Only after emperor Constantine's proclamation (Edict of Milan)were the Christians finally able to be recognized. They did no longer need to hide and worship in secret. They quickly moved above ground level and that's when numerous churches were erected. The construction of churches was based on Basilicas - since Roman architecture was what they already knew. These newly erected

A magnificent view of the former basilica Hagia Sophia.

churches were very intricate in design. The churches included various versions of towers (piers, minarets, twin bell towers, etc.), mihrabs, pendentives, rib vaults, triforiums, flying buttresses and such. The Christian architecture was commonly incorporated with various sculptures, tapestries, mosaics, frescos and stained glass. The sculptures are mostly high/ raised reliefs. The notable artworks of this are the Bernward doors and the Last Judgement tympanum. A famous tapestry is that of the Bayeux tapestry which contains the detail of the Battle of Hastings. The stained glasses are my personal favorite. They seem so brilliant and so full of life, it has that effect of making people see new wonders in the world. Stained glass windows were created to illustrate the teachings of the bible such a nifty idea.

The Bernward doors. Such small sculptures
would require lots of patience and effort.

    

Stained glass window depicting Episcopal baptism.

     

          Christian art, for me, is the most splendid out of all. I never really realized until now but it's something about the delicate shapes and lines, and the light but bold colors. Every single detail, every single effort that the creators exerted are very essential. These made the Christian art of quality workmanship. 








*all photos taken from google

Tall and Mighty

          Classical art is very much related to royalty, in a sense that it's subject were mostly humans. Most of the artworks in this era were either sculptures or architecture. It is said that the most important concepts in classical art are humanity, reason and culture. During this era, the evident styles depicted were humanism, naturalism and idealism. Classical art is divided into 2 parts: the Greek and the Roman art. 

          First off - Greek art. For the Greeks, there was an evident style of idealism, naturalism, realism and humanism. They're common mediums were stones, marble and bronze. The Greek art mainly had humans, Gods, athletes and warriors as their subject matters. Greek art is divided into 4 periods: Geometric, Archaic, Classical & Hellenistic. As early as the geometric period, people already began

The Dipylon Vase

attempts at perspective (but they weren't so successful). An example of this is the horse drawing on the Dipylon vase. They intented to draw the horses using perspective in hopes of letting the viewer see realistic images. Instead, the horses looked like one horse with 12 legs on it, which is freakishly weird if you'd actually see one in real life. 
The archaic period had the so-called 'Archaic smile' which was a trademark in their artworks. An example of this would be 'The Dying Warrior' which, oddly enough, still has a faint smile on his face even though he is suffering. The classical period is notable for the creation of the Parthenon, a temple dedicated to Athena. Hellenistic on the other hand, expressed more emotions.

The Dying (but smiling) Warrior

          Roman art is most known for being imitators of the Greek art. If you would notice, Greek and Roman art are almost similar, except that Roman art is better and was much more exclusively planned and detailed. They focused on realism and idealism, and the common mediums were bronze and terracotta. The Roman empire had 3 periods: The Republican period, The early empire and the Late empire. The Roman art started when Julius Caesar improved Rome under

Pont du Gard

his rule. He adopted the religion and artistic style of the Greeks. The early empire was where the beautiful works of Arch started. The 'Pont du Gard' is a famous example of the Arch built. Another one is the 'Colosseum/ Flavian Ampitheatre'. Later in the empire, they battled over who would rule over the empire. They were divided into the Eastern and Western empire. Constantine tried to reunite the two empires but failed so he divided the empire into his sons.

The Colosseum (Flavian Ampitheatre)

          I think Greece and Rome are truly gifted, considering that there are a lot of breathtaking sites to explore. Classical art is everywhere. The power it emits is enough to make it stand out among the rest. Bold lines, poses and angles all make up for the lack of color (for some artworks). 

THE ORIGIN OF OUR PASSION

          I'm sure everyone's asking the same thing about everything: "How did it start?". This question applies to EVERYTHING! May it be dancing, singing, the latest trends or even how we were created. EVERY POSSIBLE THING - YOU NAME IT! This too goes for the art enthusiasts. How exactly did art start? What happened for such beauty to exist? Let me tell you, it all began way back (more than you can imagine) during the ancient era. I'm gonna have to apologize in advance because my brain has somehow reached full capacity and I am literally crying internally for having to deal with this blog entry. Please do bear with this messy thread. 

          Bold outlines, bland colors, recording, rituals, deities,  depiction - that's what ancient art is all about! Ancient art mostly depicted living things. Animal subjects were dominant during the prehistoric era. The ancient art started around 2,500,000 BCE ago. I suppose everyone's familiar with the popular film 'Ice Age'. As freezing as the words seem, that's how it actually was during the ice age era, maybe even worse. Due to the cold weather, people retreated to the warmth of caves and that's where the first attempt at art occurred. The great wall paintings were said to be "accidentally" discovered when two men followed their dog who chased a ball all the way down a hole. 

The famous "Hall of Bulls" in Lascaux, France.

They saw various paintings of animals that seem to be stampeding in different directions. The first and main unproven reason as to why their subjects were animals (mostly) and humans is to record. The cave paintings served as a form of recording their daily lives and some believed that "capturing" the animals in the painting would help them catch animals in real life. 

          Humans, however, were the more common subjects in the succeeding eras such as the art of near east cities (Sumer, Babylon, Akkad, etc.), Egyptian art, Aegean art.

An artwork dedicated to King "Tut" Tutankhamun

They were mostly deities or the people that they praised and the artworks were created mostly in their favor to appease them. These artworks' face profiles are exclusively detailed. If not based on humans, the artworks were architectural but still served as a vessel to pray to their gods (temples, etc.) Art in Jerusalem was more profound of buildings/ architectural art - referring to mosques and churches. These were often barricaded with walls to separate people of different religion. 

Mosque of Omar, Jerusalem

Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem

These are the primary things that has helped art to reach where it is now. Without the discovery of these, art would never had existed. There would be no splash of colors, a hint of lines, and a dash of beauty in our lives.




(All photos taken from google. Credits to the owners.)