Photography on Canvas the Foundation : A Brief History of Art

A Brief History of Art - The Foundation of Photography on Canvas

A quick tour through the Art of Ages leads nicely into the contemporary art form of photography on canvas. It is a journey through time that illustrates advances in technology and how it is that photography on canvas is the next logical step in the revolution of art and culture.

Ancient art is scare and far between to locate, mostly because so much of it has been destroyed over time. That which has been found is spectacular in its precision and the use of unexpected materials. As far back as the Bronze Age in Greece, the Minoans were already creating beautiful ceramics and stone carvings, a practice that is very much used today. Typical ceramic patterns included simply geometric, pictures of wildlife and flowers. The Minoans were also very skilled goldsmiths, creating gorgeous jewellery and masks for royalty, temples and the nobility. Clearly, art in the ancient Minoan culture involved much more than simply drawings and paintings.

In the Middle Ages, Indian Islamic art covered a wide variety of crafts including illustrated manuscripts, ceramics, metal-works and glass. The earliest known Indian paintings are called petroglyph's. A petroglyph is an image created by removing part of a rock surface through pecking and carving. The word comes from the Greek petros (stone) and glyphein meaning to carve. Consider that every manuscript ever written and illustrated, every stone carving and every piece of art in that time was done by hand and took days, weeks, even months and years to complete! It was an astronomical amount of work that, although integral to the culture of the time, paid insignificant monies. As always in history, the Islamic artists of the
day barely eked out a living.

The rise of Romanesque art refers to the period from 1000 to the onset of Gothic art in the 12Th century. Gothic art, also known as religious Christian art, developed alongside the rise of monasticism in Western Europe. Its architectural design is dominated by thick walls, and round-headed windows and arches. The name Romanesque comes from the 19Th century art historians, since it was the first time since ancient Rome that Roman architectural forms were used in both art and architecture. Stained glass was popular at this time. All of the figures in stained glass are religious and Christian in origin. They are colorful and highly proficient in design.

Modern art is a term that applies to artwork produced during the mid-1800s until the 1970s. Like all historical artwork it reflects a very distinct cultural style and attitude. Modern artists experimented with different ways of seeing the world. Andy Warhol made his mark in New York City with his expression of pop culture. His first exhibition opened November 6Th, 1962. It ran for one month and received mixed reviews from critics and the public. The drawback to modern or contemporary art as it is also called is the public perception of what is art? Warhol included moving video in his art exhibitions and rightly so. Is film not an expressive art form?

Contemporary art also includes new technologies that are being developed and refined more and more every year. Photography on canvas has recently gained great credibility on the art scene, although there are still mixed public opinions about it, just as there are mixed opinions about modern art to this day. Warhol experimented with silk screen paintings. Had he been alive today no doubt he would have helped to initiate the movement toward photography on canvas.

Some of the concerns about photography on canvas are how long it takes to complete the procedure, the quality of the artwork, the durability and whether or not it truly is a tasteful piece of art. The answers are very reassuring. It takes a matter of days to produce the gorgeous canvases and the quality is incredibly remarkable. Not only is the artwork tasteful it is a spectacular tribute to color, design and technology that belongs in every art collectors' home or business. Detailing and aesthetic appeal are superb and rival the talents of an artist who sketches or paints by hand.