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30,000 BCE
The First Drawings Are Made
From 30,000 to 10,000 BCE is when the earliest known drawings made by humans are estimated to have been created. These drawings were painted on cave walls with natural substances of red, black, or brown color. Found in Altamira, Spain and Lascaux, France, the drawings depict bulls, horses, and other wild animals. -
Period: 30,000 BCE to 10,000 BCE
Pre-Historic Drawing
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3000 BCE
Ancient Egyptian Drawings
Starting in around 3,000 B.C., Egyptians carved themselves and their routines, hieroglyphics, and the gods they worshipped on the walls inside their pyramids and temples. Early Egyptian civilization also drew similar things on papyrus with ink. Everything was drawn in side view. A human's legs were sometimes drawn in side view while its arms and shoulders were facing the viewer, which is impossible in real life. -
1200 BCE
Drawings of Ancient Greece
Ancient Greece began in 1200 BCE. The drawings told stories of ancient wars and battles and fantastical myths and legends. Vases and pottery display drawings of epic warriors in battle, goddesses, and elegant horses. Lastly, the vases have floral patterns mixed with clean repeated lines that makes the signature Greek style. -
386
Chinese Drawing from the Wei and Tang Dynasty
During the Wei dynasty (386-535 CE) and the Tang dynasty (618-907 CE), it is said that the Chinese started drawing on silk and paper. Color was not often used in these drawings. Baimiao (from Chinese) was the name for the technique of finely outlining with ink and a brush. The use of splashing ink in Chinese drawings was called pomo (from Chinese). -
400
Drawing in the Middle Ages
In medieval times, drawing was mainly done as a step before painting. These drawings were commonly done on wood, slate, or wax. Paper was created in Europe only starting in 1100. Artists would often reuse the wood, slate or wax. Artists in this time would also draw directly on the canvas they were going to paint over. For these reasons, many drawings from the Middle Ages were lost. -
400
Drawing in the Middle Ages
In the Middle Ages, drawings were mainly made to convey stories from the Bible. Monks would make drawings and paintings in prayer books or bibles for rich families. Another key feature of drawing in this time was model books, in which artists drew likenesses of live models to use as a reference later. -
Period: 400 to 1400
Drawings of the Middle Ages
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1300
Drawing of the Renaissance
As artists were receiving more and more art commissions for decorative art in churches, etc. drawing became more important. Also, new ways of using chalk and charcoal allowed for different textures and depth in drawing. In addition, drawings of portraits became popular among rich families. -
1300
Drawing In the Renaissance
In the Renaissance era (1300-1499), the increase of the use of paper helps drawing to become known as a respectable art form. Scientists and artists put increased importance on drawing because of their desire to create more realistic drawings of nature. -
Period: 1300 to 1499
Drawing in the Renaissance
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Baroque Period Drawing
The Baroque Period, which lasted the whole of the 1600s and 1700s, included drawings with flowing lines and more energetic forms. Another key aspect of Baroque drawing was the Counter-Reformation. Peter Paul Rubens, an influential artist of the Counter-Reformation, used the open composition technique. Using the open composition technique, an artist can make art a drawing on paper seem to pop out. -
Baroque Drawing Advancements
The Baroque period saw the invention of sketch books, which allowed artists to copy what they saw outside directly. In other words, artists no longer had to draw what they saw outside from memory. Water color and ink washes also became available to artists in this time. Finally, the flowing lines from Baroque drawing led to the Rococo period, a trend of extravagant design. -
Period: to
Baroque Period
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Drawing in the 19th and 20th Centuries
Pencils first began to be used in the 1800s, and was soon was considered the one of the best tools for drawing. Ingres and Goya were artists at the time that made innovative drawings with pencils. In addition, art movements such as impressionism, cubism, expressionism, and fauvism emerged as artists explored new ways of drawing.