The History of Art: A Look From the Past to the Present Times

Art is an important part of each individual’s life, and over the years, it has seen a massive transformation, reflecting a shift in humans’ overall lifestyle.

From the beginning until now, art has adopted plenty of styles, techniques, approaches, and perspectives that have changed regularly.

For example, the first form of art was cave paintings from the prehistoric era, which shows that art has also been present in our lives from a long time ago.

Art has changed hugely from the past, as today we have access to technology, which has started to reshape the possibilities in which art is created.

Digital art comes in a wide range of options, including digital paintings, drawings, and illustrations.

Plus, because of technology, people have become more creative than ever and come up with a lot of ideas on where to put their creative skills. Let’s take the example of NFTs.

NFTs are a unique piece of art tokenized on a blockchain that can later be traded or exchanged for money.

Digitizing art allows new ways to buy NFTs. In recent years, NFTs have become very popular.

And even though they were created mainly on Ethereum, things have changed later, as Bitcoin has integrated Ordinals and Bitcoin runes, protocols that allow the creation of both fungible and non-fungible tokens directly on the Bitcoin platform.

To understand better how the art change has produced, we have prepared a guide on how art looked from the past to the present.

Keep reading to find out more.

Prehistoric Art

Art can be traced back to the prehistoric era when people expanded their artistic skills with cave and rock paintings, which allowed them to explore more possibilities.

Most paintings of this kind depicted humans, animals, or symbols, and they were created to serve ceremonial or religious purposes.

But how did people from the past create art if they didn’t have the resources for this?

Well, they came up with some creative solutions and used natural pigments and brushes they would make from plant fibers or animal hair.

These are the first pieces of art in which humans tried to express themselves artistically, conveying their ideas and feelings.

Ancient art

Prehistoric art continued with ancient art, which included Roman, Greek, and Egyptian art.

In Egypt, art mainly contained symbols from nature and images of gods and pharaohs.

On the other hand, Roman and Greek art differed from the one in Egypt, as they focused on creating art based on human forms.

Medieval Art

Art also changed in medieval times, when it started to focus on religious themes, which was primarily seen in the frescos that decorated the cathedrals and churches and their stained-glass windows.

Additionally, in this period, art pieces were created by artists with a vision, not just by craftsmen.

Most medieval art was inspired by Christian theology, where the artistic landscape included religious figures and biblical scenes.

Renaissance Art

Renaissance was a prosperous time for the intellectual and artistic movement that started in Italy in the 14th century and spread later in all the other parts of Europe.

Plus, the Renaissance artists were some of the most popular artists known up to present times, including Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and Raphael.

They were interested mainly in classical antiquity while focusing greatly on realism.

Additionally, in this period, the most important works of art were created, including the Sistine Chapel ceiling and the Mona Lisa.

Baroque Art

Baroque came again with a shift in how artists perceived art in general, as they renounced the classical ideals from the Renaissance period and embraced a dramatic and ornate style.

This is why the work of art from Baroque uses intense emotions, dynamic compositions, and dramatic lighting.

This period is known worldwide as the time when extravagant pieces of art were created, like the sculptures of Bernini or the paintings of Caravaggio.

Modern and Contemporary Art

The art nowadays differs greatly from what it was in the past, as our days have shown the integration of new movements and styles, like Cubism and Impressionism, Pop Art, and Abstract work.

Today, artists try experimenting with new techniques and resources and using something else from the past.

For example, they have started implementing video and even photography into their works, offering a new perspective on art.

Additionally, the implementation of technology has led to the popularity of digital art, which can potentially transform how we perceive art in general.

Digital art has become a great idea as it is more accessible, and with the help of the online space, artists from all over the world can connect faster and exchange details and opinions about art in general.

Digital art reflects the online culture we live in and offers great insights about our environment and lifestyles.

Digital art will probably increase even more in the future, as technology will surely bring new tools and resources that emerging artists could use.