Art History (30,000 BCE -2019) timeline

Cave Art is the oldest form of artwork and dates back to 30,000 BCE. It was discovered in French caves, and was most likely preserved due to no environmental exposure. Most cave art consists of paintings made with either red or black pigment. The reds were made with iron oxides, berries, blood, whereas manganese dioxide and charcoal were used for the blacks. Engravings were made with fingers on soft walls or with flint tools on hard surfaces. Most cave art consists of animal paintings.

Egyptian Art was greatly influenced by their religion during this time. Most artwork was dedicated to gods and their afterlives when death occurred. They would fill the tombs of the Pharaohs with paintings and sculptures, to help the Pharaohs in the afterlife.The temples were a popular place for art as well and were filled with large statues of their gods as well as many paintings on the walls. This painting is a picture on a tomb wall of Queen Nefertari, wife of Ramses the Great.

Ancient Greek art stands out among that of other ancient cultures for its development of naturalistic but idealized depictions of the human body. Greek's focused on sculptures and the body of males and females in the nude. The Parthenon was a commanding example of Greek temple architecture. Classical Greek pottery was perhaps the most utilitarian of the era’s art forms. People offered small terra cotta figurines as gifts to gods and goddesses, and buried them with the dead, as well as toys.

Early christian art actually did not include imagery that will dominate later Christian art, we don't find the Nativity, Crucifixion, or Resurrection of Christ. This absence of direct images of the life of Christ is best explained by the status of Christianity as a mystery religion. A symbol of a fish was sufficient to allude to Christ and bread and wine symbolized the Eucharist. Medieval art started from the fall of the Roman Empire and consisted of stain glass and illuminated scriptures.

Early Renaissance artists began to create work by the knowledge of architecture, philosophy, theology, mathematics, science, and design. Early Renaissance artists were greatly influenced by the Humanist philosophy that emphasized that man's relationship with the world, the universe, and God were no longer the exclusive province of the Church. This lead to a more intimate way for viewers to experience art. The following painting is "The Mona Lisa" by Leonardo da Vinci, a master piece in this time

Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo and Raphael dominated the High Renaissance period. Many works of Renaissance art depicted religious images, including subjects such as the Virgin Mary. Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo and Raphael each embodied an important aspect of this period. Inspiration on the human body as the ultimate vehicle for emotional expression was introduced as well as beautiful, serene nature.

The development of the Baroque style was considered to be closely linked to the Catholic Church. The Baroque style is characterized by exaggerated motion and clear detail used to produce drama, and sculptures, paintings, architecture, literature, dance, and music. Drama and emotions were a big factor in baroque art, darker scenes were being produced at this time such as massacres and sorrow. Facial expressions and body language made the viewers of the art feel what the painting was depicting.

Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre discovered that a latent image forms on a plate of iodized silver and that it can be “developed” and made visible by exposure to mercury vapor. Thus creating the first camera. Photography was and still is often criticized by painters because they don't consider it art, because the talent of painting is more complex than simply taking a picture. But photography plays a major role in capturing real life moments. It shows the real emotions of life.

Realist works depicted people of all classes in situations that arise in ordinary life, and often reflected the changes brought by the Industrial and Commercial Revolutions. Realism was primarily concerned with how things appeared to the eye, rather than what the higher class wanted you to see. Since the upper class had the money to be painted, they were often all the world saw. But this period showed the struggles of the lower society and the truth of life during this time.

Impressionism can be considered the first modern movement in painting. Impressionists aimed to capture the momentary, sensory effect of a scene, looser brushwork and lighter palettes included intense colors. Traditional linear perspective was abandoned. For this reason, many critics faulted Impressionist paintings for their unfinished appearance and seemingly amateur looking quality. This painting is Van Gogh's "Starry Night" and it depicts what the artist sees, thus making it impressionism.

Leonid Afremov is a Russian-Israeli modern impressionistic artist, born July,12,1955 in Vitebsk, Belarus. He was a good student in school and interested in history and art. He attended all art classes offered in school and took private lessons from local artists. He was admitted to the Vitebsk Education Institute where he studied arts and graphics department. During college, Afremov was introduced to the work of March Chagall, Picasso, Dali, Modigliani and the 19th century French Impressionism.

During the cold Russian winter, Afremov stayed at home painting. He was not allowed to participate in government exhibitions because of his Jewish roots and was not allowed to be a member of the local art associations. His early work was sold privately for family and friends and was not seen by many people. A lot of his work in the 1980’s was just given away for free, and he did not keep records of his work, not much of it survived either. Currently no pictures of anything before 1990 exist.

In May of 1990 Leonid and his family moved to Israel. Weeks after moving to Israel, Afremov found a job in advertisement making signs and posters. After working in this agency, he worked in a gallery shop where he learned to make frames, being introduced to the palette knife for the first time. However, being a Russian immigrant made locals consider his work little in value. Leonid experimented with watercolors, was painting what people were buying, with very little artistic freedom.

In 1994, out of extreme desperation, Afremov's 16-year-old son tried to sell his fathers paintings door to door, this proved itself very effective, and Afremov suddenly started selling many pieces he painted and was getting better money than from selling directly to galleries. He then began using the palette knife and oils. This technique created paintings that explode in a millions of bright colors. He is an impressionistic artist because he takes basic scenery and paints them in his eyes.