Painting in Ancient and Medieval Times The Cro-Magnon peoples of prehistoric times were highly developed artists. On the walls and ceilings of several caves in Spain and southern France have been found remarkable paintings of the animals upon which the food supply of the cave man depended. They are drawn with sensitivity and accuracy. Specialists have deduced that the cave man probably believed that picturing animals so realistically gave him a magic control over them and promised success in hunting.
Egypt produced a great civilization three thousand years before the Christian Era . Its tombs and temples were ornamented with paintings of great distinction. A painting from a tomb at Thebes shows floral offerings being made to the hawk god, Mentu. In contrast to the realistic drawings of the cave men thousands of years earlier, this is highly stylized. Yet the figures are drawn with great delicacy and refinement. Repeating the figures and plants gives a feeling of rhythm. The many variations among the figures give subtlety and richness. Very little painting has survived from the classical age of Greece and Rome. Decorated vases of the Greeks and wall paintings from Pompeii and Herculaneum are among the remains . Some of the best examples of classical painting come from Egypt. The portrait above, right, is from a tomb. At the time it was made (2nd century AD) Egypt was being ruled by Rome, but the artist who painted the portrait was a Greek. It is a realistic painting, done with simplicity and power.
Christianity spread slowly throughout the Western world, becoming the official religion of the Roman Empire in the 4th century. By that time, however, the empire was falling apart and the capital was moved to Byzantium. There a stiff and formal style of art, called Byzantine, developed and lasted for hundreds of years. Examples of it may be seen in Istanbul and in some Italian cities, particularly Ravenna, which for a time was the capital of the Byzantine empire in Italy. During the Middle Ages, which extended from about the year 500 to about 1500, the church was the only stable institution in Western Europe. The monasteries alone kept culture and learning alive. Many monks were fine artists and craftsmen. The manuscripts they copied and decorated, called illuminated manuscripts, are the most beautiful examples of the period's art .
Beginning with the 12th century, life became more secure.
Towns grew and trade and industry prospered. These towns became centers not
only of wealth but of art and learning as well. In northern Europe a style of
art developed which we call Gothic. It is best known for its magnificent cathedrals.
The stained-glass windows are the glory of the cathedrals. They are really paintings in glass.