82-850: The male first name Ercole , Italian version of Hercules , can refer to: People [ edit ] Ercole (name) , list of people with the name House of D'Este [ edit ] Ercole I d'Este (1431–1505), Duke of Ferrara Ercole II d'Este (1508–1559), Duke of Ferrara, Modena and Reggio Ercole III d'Este (Ercole Rinaldo) (1727–1803), Duke of Modena and Reggio Opera and Film [ edit ] Ercole amante (Hercules in Love), an opera by Francesco Cavalli Ercole su'l Termodonte (Hercules in Thermodon), an opera by Antonio Vivaldi Le nozze d'Ercole e d'Ebe (The Marriage of Hercules and Hebe), an Italian-German opera Le pillole di Ercole ,
164-447: A 1962 Italian comedy film Places [ edit ] Porto Ercole Italian town See also [ edit ] Heracles (disambiguation) Hercules (disambiguation) Hercules' Club (disambiguation) Hercule (disambiguation) Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Ercole . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change
246-429: A Mycenaean market, or Mycenaean overlords of Crete. While Minoan figures, whether human or animal, have a great sense of life and movement, they are often not very accurate, and the species is sometimes impossible to identify; by comparison with Ancient Egyptian art they are often more vivid, but less naturalistic. In comparison with the art of other ancient cultures there is a high proportion of female figures, though
328-728: A genealogy that traced the origin of the House of Navarre to a nephew of Hercules' son Hispalus. The Road of Hercules is a route across Southern Gaul that is associated with the path Hercules took during his 10th labor of retrieving the Cattle of Geryon from the Red Isles. Hannibal took the same path on his march towards Italy and encouraged the belief that he was the second Hercules. Primary sources often make comparisons between Hercules and Hannibal. Hannibal further tried to invoke parallels between himself and Hercules by starting his march on Italy by visiting
410-521: A long period perhaps covering the Upper Paleolithic, Mesolithic and early Neolithic. Prehistoric Celtic art comes from much of Iron Age Europe and survives mainly in the form of high-status metalwork skillfully decorated with complex, elegant and mostly abstract designs, often using curving and spiral forms. There are human heads and some fully represented animals, but full-length human figures at any size are so rare that their absence may represent
492-773: A more elaborate and dramatic re-adaptation of late Renaissance art. By the 18th century, however, Baroque art was falling out of fashion as many deemed it too melodramatic and also gloomy, and it developed into the Rococo , which emerged in France. Rococo art was even more elaborate than the Baroque, but it was less serious and more playful. Whilst the Baroque used rich, strong colours, Rococo used pale, creamier shades. The artistic movement no longer placed an emphasis on politics and religion, focusing instead on lighter themes such as romance, celebration, and appreciation of nature. Rococo art also contrasted
574-674: A rather larger number of copies of them from the Early Medieval period. Early Christian art grew out of Roman popular, and later Imperial, art and adapted its iconography from these sources. Most surviving art from the Medieval period was religious in focus, often funded by the Church , powerful ecclesiastical individuals such as bishops , communal groups such as abbeys , or wealthy secular patrons . Many had specific liturgical functions—processional crosses and altarpieces , for example. One of
656-730: A religious taboo. As the Romans conquered Celtic territories, it almost entirely vanishes, but the style continued in limited use in the British Isles , and with the coming of Christianity revived there in the Insular style of the Early Middle Ages. The Minoan civilization of Crete is regarded as the oldest civilization in Europe. Minoan art is marked by imaginative images and exceptional workmanship. Sinclair Hood described an "essential quality of
738-484: A self-conscious classical revival, developing into Ottonian art . Anglo-Saxon art is the art of England after the Insular period. Illuminated manuscripts contain nearly all the surviving painting of the period, but architecture, metalwork and small carved work in wood or ivory were also important media. Byzantine art overlaps with or merges with what we call Early Christian art until the iconoclasm period of 730-843 when
820-562: A special affinity of the Germanic peoples for Hercules. In chapter 3 of his Germania , Tacitus states: ... they say that Hercules, too, once visited them; and when going into battle, they sang of him first of all heroes. They have also those songs of theirs, by the recital of this barditus as they call it, they rouse their courage, while from the note they augur the result of the approaching conflict. For, as their line shouts, they inspire or feel alarm. Some have taken this as Tacitus equating
902-455: A special belt tied with the " knot of Hercules ", which was supposed to be hard to untie. The comic playwright Plautus presents the myth of Hercules' conception as a sex comedy in his play Amphitryon ; Seneca wrote the tragedy Hercules Furens about his bout with madness. During the Roman Imperial era , Hercules was worshipped locally from Hispania through Gaul . Tacitus records
SECTION 10
#1733104993520984-465: A strong role model who demonstrated both valor and wisdom, while the monsters he battles were regarded as moral obstacles. One glossator noted that when Hercules became a constellation , he showed that strength was necessary to gain entrance to Heaven. Medieval mythography was written almost entirely in Latin, and original Greek texts were little used as sources for Hercules' myths. The Renaissance and
1066-734: A woman replied to the thirsty hero that she could not give him water because it was the day of the Goddess Women and it was unlawful for a man to taste what had been prepared for her. Hercules, therefore, when he was about to offer a sacrifice forbid the presence of women and ordered Potitius and Pinarius who were in charge of his rites, not to allow any women from taking part". Macrobius states that women were restricted in their participation in Hercules cults, but to what extent remains ambiguous. He mentions that women were not allowed to participate in Sacrum which
1148-539: Is Hercules' defeat of Cacus , who was terrorizing the countryside of Rome. The hero was associated with the Aventine Hill through his son Aventinus . Mark Antony considered him a personal patron god, as did the emperor Commodus . Hercules received various forms of religious veneration , including as a deity concerned with children and childbirth , in part because of myths about his precocious infancy, and in part because he fathered countless children. Roman brides wore
1230-690: Is a general term for the art of the "barbarian" peoples who moved into formerly Roman territories. Celtic art in the 7th and 8th centuries saw a fusion with Germanic traditions through contact with the Anglo-Saxons creating what is called the Hiberno-Saxon style or Insular art , which was to be highly influential on the rest of the Middle Ages. Merovingian art describes the art of the Franks before about 800, when Carolingian art combined insular influences with
1312-748: Is an example of their architecture that has lasted to modern days. Greek marble sculpture is often described as the highest form of Classical art. Painting on the pottery of Ancient Greece and ceramics gives a particularly informative glimpse into the way society in Ancient Greece functioned. Black-figure vase painting and Red-figure vase painting gives many surviving examples of what Greek painting was. Some famous Greek painters on wooden panels who are mentioned in texts are Apelles , Zeuxis and Parrhasius , however no examples of Ancient Greek panel painting survive, only written descriptions by their contemporaries or by later Romans. Zeuxis lived in 5–6 BC and
1394-612: Is another name of the same hero. Hercules' name was also used for five ships of the US Navy , four ships of the Spanish Navy , four of the Argentine Navy and two of the Swedish Navy , as well as for numerous civilian sailing and steam ships. In modern aviation a military transport aircraft produced by Lockheed Martin carries the title Lockheed C-130 Hercules . Operation Herkules
1476-409: Is evidence suggesting there were female worshippers of Apollo, Mars, Jupiter, and Hercules. Some scholars believe that women were completely prohibited from any of Hercules's cults. Others believe it was only the "Ara Maxima" at which they were not allowed to worship. Macrobius in his first book of Saturnalia paraphrases from Varro: "For when Hercules was bringing the cattle of Geryon through Italy,
1558-547: Is evidence that he was also using Varro as a source. There is evidence of Hercules worship in myth in the Latin epic poem, the Aeneid . In the 8th book of the poem Aeneas finally reaches the future site of Rome, where he meets Evander and the Arcadians making sacrifices to Hercules on the banks of the Tiber river. They share a feast, and Evander tells the story of how Hercules defeated
1640-614: Is far from clear; one room in Akrotiri has been argued to be a bedroom, with remains of a bed, or a shrine. Animals, including an unusual variety of marine fauna, are often depicted; the " Marine Style " is a type of painted palace pottery from MM III and LM IA that paints sea creatures including octopus spreading all over the vessel, and probably originated from similar frescoed scenes; sometimes these appear in other media. Scenes of hunting and warfare, and horses and riders, are mostly found in later periods, in works perhaps made by Cretans for
1722-605: Is general term used to describe anything that was believed to have belonged to the gods. This could include anything from a precious item to a temple. Due to the general nature of a Sacrum, we can not judge the extent of the prohibition from Macrobius alone. There are also ancient writings on this topic from Aulus Gellius when speaking on how Romans swore oaths. He mentioned that Roman women do not swear on Hercules, nor do Roman men swear on Castor. He went on to say that women refrain from sacrificing to Hercules. Propertius in his poem 4.9 also mentions similar information as Macrobius. This
SECTION 20
#17331049935201804-484: Is more commonly used than Heracles as the name of the hero. Hercules is a multifaceted figure with contradictory characteristics, which enabled later artists and writers to pick and choose how to represent him. This article provides an introduction to representations of Hercules in the later tradition . In Roman mythology, although Hercules was seen as the champion of the weak and a great protector, his personal problems started at birth. Juno sent two witches to prevent
1886-531: Is represented variously as Heracle , Hercle, and other forms. Hercules was a favorite subject for Etruscan art , and appears often on bronze mirrors . The Etruscan form Herceler derives from the Greek Heracles via syncope . A mild oath invoking Hercules ( Hercule! or Mehercle! ) was a common interjection in Classical Latin . Hercules had a number of myths that were distinctly Roman. One of these
1968-545: Is seen as Absolutist in nature. Religious and political themes were widely explored within the Baroque artistic context, and both paintings and sculptures were characterised by a strong element of drama, emotion and theatricality. Famous Baroque artists include Caravaggio or Rubens . Artemisia Gentileschi was another noteworthy artist, who was inspired by Caravaggio's style. Baroque art was particularly ornate and elaborate in nature, often using rich, warm colours with dark undertones. Pomp and grandeur were important elements of
2050-502: Is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles , son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena . In classical mythology , Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. The Romans adapted the Greek hero's iconography and myths for their literature and art under the name Hercules . In later Western art and literature and in popular culture , Hercules
2132-412: Is thought to have had a religious significance; bull's heads are also a popular subject in terracotta and other sculptural materials. There are no figures that appear to be portraits of individuals, or are clearly royal, and the identities of religious figures is often tentative, with scholars uncertain whether they are deities, clergy or devotees. Equally, whether painted rooms were "shrines" or secular
2214-617: The Florence Cathedral . Brunelleschi's dome for the cathedral was one of the first truly revolutionary architectural innovations since the Gothic flying buttress. Donatello created many of its sculptures. Giotto and Lorenzo Ghiberti also contributed to the cathedral. High Renaissance artists include such figures as Leonardo da Vinci , Michelangelo Buonarroti , and Raffaello Sanzio . The 15th-century artistic developments in Italy (for example,
2296-1026: The Mesolithic in Europe figurative sculpture greatly reduced, and remained a less common element in art than relief decoration of practical objects until the Roman period, despite some works such as the Gundestrup cauldron from the European Iron Age and the Bronze Age Trundholm sun chariot . The oldest European cave art dates back 40,800, and can be found in the El Castillo Cave in Spain. Other cave painting sites include Lascaux , Cave of Altamira , Grotte de Cussac , Pech Merle , Cave of Niaux , Chauvet Cave , Font-de-Gaume , Creswell Crags, Nottinghamshire, England, (Cave etchings and bas-reliefs discovered in 2003), Coliboaia cave from Romania (considered
2378-632: The Migration Period , the amulet is theorized to have rapidly spread from the Elbe Germanic area across Europe. These Germanic " Donar's Clubs " were made from deer antler, bone or wood, more rarely also from bronze or precious metals. The amulet type is replaced by the Viking Age Thor's hammer pendants in the course of the Christianization of Scandinavia from the 8th to 9th century. After
2460-519: The Scrovegni Chapel , Padua , is seen as the beginnings of a Renaissance style . Other painters of the 14th century were carried the Gothic style to great elaboration and detail. Notable among these painters are Simone Martini and Gentile da Fabriano . In the Netherlands , the technique of painting in oils rather than tempera , led itself to a form of elaboration that was not dependent upon
2542-462: The humanist spirit of the age, art became more secular in subject matter, depicting ancient mythology in addition to Christian themes. This genre of art is often referred to as Renaissance Classicism . In the North, the most important Renaissance innovation was the widespread use of oil paints , which allowed for greater colour and intensity. During the late 13th century and early 14th century, much of
Ercole - Misplaced Pages Continue
2624-399: The 30 cm tall Löwenmensch figurine of about 30,000 BCE has hardly any pieces that can be related to it. The Swimming Reindeer of about 11,000 BCE is one of the finest of a number of Magdalenian carvings in bone or antler of animals in the art of the Upper Paleolithic , though they are outnumbered by engraved pieces, which are sometimes classified as sculpture. With the beginning of
2706-405: The Baroque artistic movement in general, as can be seen when Louis XIV said, "I am grandeur incarnate"; many Baroque artists served kings who tried to realize this goal. Baroque art in many ways was similar to Renaissance art; as a matter of fact, the term was initially used in a derogative manner to describe post-Renaissance art and architecture which was over-elaborate. Baroque art can be seen as
2788-553: The Baroque as it often refused symmetry in favor of asymmetrical designs. Furthermore, it sought inspiration from the artistic forms and ornamentation of Far Eastern Asia , resulting in the rise in favour of porcelain figurines and chinoiserie in general. The 18th-century style flourished for a short while; nevertheless, the Rococo style soon fell out of favor, being seen by many as a gaudy and superficial movement emphasizing aesthetics over meaning. Neoclassicism in many ways developed as
2870-568: The Baroque nature of Rembrandt's art is clear, the label is less use for Vermeer and many other Dutch artists. Flemish Baroque painting shared a part in this trend, while also continuing to produce the traditional categories. Baroque art is often seen as part of the Counter-Reformation —the artistic element of the revival of spiritual life in the Roman Catholic Church . Additionally, the emphasis that Baroque art placed on grandeur
2952-589: The Christian church was a major influence on European art, and commissions from the Church provided the major source of work for artists. In the same period there was also a renewed interest in classical mythology, great wars, heroes and heroines, and themes not connected to religion. Most art of the last 200 years has been produced without reference to religion and often with no particular ideology at all, but art has often been influenced by political issues, whether reflecting
3034-536: The European cultural heritage. Prehistoric art history is usually divided into four main periods: Stone Age , Neolithic , Bronze Age , and Iron Age . Most of the remaining artifacts of this period are small sculptures and cave paintings. Much surviving prehistoric art is small portable sculptures, with a small group of female Venus figurines such as the Venus of Willendorf (24,000–22,000 BC) found across central Europe;
3116-532: The Germanic Þunraz with Hercules by way of interpretatio romana . In the Roman era Hercules' Club amulets appear from the 2nd to 3rd century, distributed over the empire (including Roman Britain , cf. Cool 1986), mostly made of gold, shaped like wooden clubs. A specimen found in Köln-Nippes bears the inscription "DEO HER [culi]", confirming the association with Hercules. In the 5th to 7th centuries, during
3198-645: The Iberian Mediterranean Basin represents a very different style, with the human figure the main focus, often seen in large groups, with battles, dancing and hunting all represented, as well as other activities and details such as clothing. The figures are generally rather sketchily depicted in thin paint, with the relationships between the groups of humans and animals more carefully depicted than individual figures. Other less numerous groups of rock art, many engraved rather than painted, show similar characteristics. The Iberian examples are believed to date from
3280-467: The Roman Empire became Christianized , mythological narratives were often reinterpreted as allegory , influenced by the philosophy of late antiquity . In the 4th century, Servius had described Hercules' return from the underworld as representing his ability to overcome earthly desires and vices, or the earth itself as a consumer of bodies. In medieval mythography, Hercules was one of the heroes seen as
3362-402: The academics of the time considered them hoaxes. Recent reappraisals and numerous additional discoveries have since demonstrated their authenticity, while at the same time stimulating interest in the artistry of Upper Palaeolithic peoples. Cave paintings, undertaken with only the most rudimentary tools, can also furnish valuable insight into the culture and beliefs of that era. The Rock art of
Ercole - Misplaced Pages Continue
3444-481: The ancients honored him with his own temples, altars, ceremonies, and priests. But it was his wisdom and great soul that earned those honors; noble blood, physical strength, and political power just aren't good enough. In 1600, the citizens of Avignon bestowed on Henry of Navarre (the future King Henry IV of France ) the title of the Hercule Gaulois ("Gallic Hercules"), justifying the extravagant flattery with
3526-553: The application of gold leaf and embossing, but upon the minute depiction of the natural world. The art of painting textures with great realism evolved at this time. Dutch painters such as Jan van Eyck and Hugo van der Goes were to have great influence on Late Gothic and Early Renaissance painting. The ideas of the Renaissance first emerged in the city-state of Florence , Italy . The sculptor Donatello returned to classical techniques such as contrapposto and classical subjects like
3608-471: The appropriation of churches to mosques. Romanesque art refers to the period from about 1000 to the rise of Gothic art in the 12th century. This was a period of increasing prosperity, and the first to see a coherent style used across Europe, from Scandinavia to Sicily. Romanesque art is vigorous and direct, was originally brightly coloured, and is often very sophisticated. Stained glass and enamel on metalwork became important media, and larger sculptures in
3690-670: The art of the Classical period waxed and waned throughout the next two thousand years, seeming to slip into a distant memory in parts of the Medieval period, to re-emerge in the Renaissance , suffer a period of what some early art historians viewed as "decay" during the Baroque period, to reappear in a refined form in Neo-Classicism and to be reborn in Post-Modernism . Before the 1800s,
3772-442: The best known Baroque painters are Caravaggio , Rembrandt , Peter Paul Rubens , and Diego Velázquez . A rather different art developed out of northern realist traditions in 17th-century Dutch Golden Age painting , which had very little religious art, and little history painting , instead playing a crucial part in developing secular genres such as still life , genre paintings of everyday scenes, and landscape painting . While
3854-512: The birth, adventures, and death of the hero under his Roman name Hercules. Conti begins his lengthy chapter on Hercules with an overview description that continues the moralizing impulse of the Middle Ages: Hercules, who subdued and destroyed monsters, bandits, and criminals, was justly famous and renowned for his great courage. His great and glorious reputation was worldwide, and so firmly entrenched that he'll always be remembered. In fact
3936-474: The birth, but they were tricked by one of Alcmene 's servants and sent to another room. Juno then sent serpents to kill him in his cradle, but Hercules strangled them both. In one version of the myth, Alcmene abandoned her baby in the woods in order to protect him from Juno's wrath, but he was found by the goddess Minerva who brought him to Juno, claiming he was an orphan child left in the woods who needed nourishment. Juno suckled Hercules at her own breast until
4018-452: The central questions about Medieval art concerns its lack of realism. A great deal of knowledge of perspective in art and understanding of the human figure was lost with the fall of Rome . But realism was not the primary concern of Medieval artists. They were simply trying to send a religious message, a task which demands clear iconic images instead of precisely rendered ones. Time Period : 6th century to 15th century Migration period art
4100-480: The classical world is viewed. Mapplethorpe's work with black model Derrick Cross can be seen as a reaction to Neo-classical colourism, resisting the portrayal of Hercules as white. Hercules was among the earliest figures on ancient Roman coinage, and has been the main motif of many collector coins and medals since. One example is the Austrian 20 euro Baroque Silver coin issued on September 11, 2002. The obverse side of
4182-747: The coin shows the Grand Staircase in the town palace of Prince Eugene of Savoy in Vienna , currently the Austrian Ministry of Finance. Gods and demi-gods hold its flights, while Hercules stands at the turn of the stairs. Six successive ships of the British Royal Navy , from the 18th to the 20th century, bore the name HMS Hercules . In the French Navy , there were no less than nineteen ships called Hercule , plus three more named Alcide which
SECTION 50
#17331049935204264-421: The concerns of patrons or the artist. European art is arranged into a number of stylistic periods, which, historically, overlap each other as different styles flourished in different areas. Broadly the periods are, Classical , Byzantine , Medieval , Gothic , Renaissance , Baroque , Rococo , Neoclassical , Modern , Postmodern and New European Painting . European prehistoric art is an important part of
4346-473: The confusion and anguish associated with the end of the Middle Ages. Albrecht Dürer introduced Italian Renaissance style to Germany at the end of the 15th century, and dominated German Renaissance art. Time Period : In European art, Renaissance Classicism spawned two different movements— Mannerism and the Baroque . Mannerism, a reaction against the idealist perfection of Classicism, employed distortion of light and spatial frameworks in order to emphasize
4428-466: The emotional content of a painting and the emotions of the painter. The work of El Greco is a particularly clear example of Mannerism in painting during the late 16th, early 17th centuries. Northern Mannerism took longer to develop, and was largely a movement of the last half of the 16th century. Baroque art took the representationalism of the Renaissance to new heights, emphasizing detail, movement, lighting, and drama in their search for beauty. Perhaps
4510-466: The end of the period includes new media such as prints. The Renaissance is characterized by a focus on the arts of Ancient Greece and Rome , which led to many changes in both the technical aspects of painting and sculpture, as well as to their subject matter. It began in Italy , a country rich in Roman heritage as well as material prosperity to fund artists. During the Renaissance, painters began to enhance
4592-701: The finest Minoan art, the ability to create an atmosphere of movement and life although following a set of highly formal conventions". It forms part of the wider grouping of Aegean art , and in later periods came for a time to have a dominant influence over Cycladic art . Wood and textiles have decomposed, so most surviving examples of Minoan art are pottery , intricately-carved Minoan seals , .palace frescos which include landscapes), small sculptures in various materials, jewellery, and metalwork. The relationship of Minoan art to that of other contemporary cultures and later Ancient Greek art has been much discussed. It clearly dominated Mycenaean art and Cycladic art of
4674-528: The first examples of trompe-l'œil , pseudo-perspective, and pure landscape. Almost all of the surviving painted portraits from the Ancient world are a large number of coffin-portraits of bust form found in the Late Antique cemetery of Al-Fayum . They give an idea of the quality that the finest ancient work must have had. A very small number of miniatures from Late Antique illustrated books also survive, and
4756-503: The idea that Minoans had only goddesses and no gods is now discounted. Most human figures are in profile or in a version of the Egyptian convention with the head and legs in profile, and the torso seen frontally; but the Minoan figures exaggerate features such as slim male waists and large female breasts. Ancient Greece had great painters, great sculptors, and great architects. The Parthenon
4838-456: The infant bit her nipple, at which point she pushed him away, spilling her milk across the night sky and so forming the Milky Way . She then gave the infant back to Minerva and told her to take care of the baby herself. In feeding the child from her own breast, the goddess inadvertently imbued him with further strength and power. The Latin name Hercules was borrowed through Etruscan , where it
4920-717: The interest in perspectival systems, in depicting anatomy, and in classical cultures) matured during the 16th century, accounting for the designations "Early Renaissance" for the 15th century and "High Renaissance" for the 16th century. Although no singular style characterizes the High Renaissance, the art of those most closely associated with this period—Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Michelangelo, and Titian—exhibits an astounding mastery, both technical and aesthetic. High Renaissance artists created works of such authority that generations of later artists relied on these artworks for instruction. These exemplary artistic creations further elevated
5002-471: The invention of the printing press brought a renewed interest in and publication of Greek literature. Renaissance mythography drew more extensively on the Greek tradition of Heracles, typically under the Romanized name Hercules, or the alternate name Alcides . In a chapter of his book Mythologiae (1567), the influential mythographer Natale Conti collected and summarized an extensive range of myths concerning
SECTION 60
#17331049935205084-596: The link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ercole&oldid=1159993301 " Categories : Disambiguation pages Human name disambiguation pages Disambiguation pages with given-name-holder lists Italian masculine given names Masculine given names Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Hercules Hercules ( / ˈ h ɜːr k j ʊ ˌ l iː z / , US : /- k j ə -/ )
5166-406: The monster Cascus, and describes him as a triumphant hero. Translated from the Latin text of Vergil, Evander stated: "Time brought to us in our time of need the aid and arrival of a god. For there came that mightiest avenger, the victor Hercules, proud with the slaughter and the spoils of threefold Geryon, and he drove the mighty bulls here, and the cattle filled both valley and riverside. Hercules
5248-630: The name of Hercules in their title were not intended to be movies about Hercules. Western art Art of Central Asia Art of East Asia Art of South Asia Art of Southeast Asia Art of Europe Art of Africa Art of the Americas Art of Oceania The art of Europe , also known as Western art , encompasses the history of visual art in Europe . European prehistoric art started as mobile Upper Paleolithic rock and cave painting and petroglyph art and
5330-558: The oldest cave painting in central Europe ) and Magura, Belogradchik, Bulgaria. Rock painting was also performed on cliff faces, but fewer of those have survived because of erosion. One well-known example is the rock paintings of Astuvansalmi in the Saimaa area of Finland. When Marcelino Sanz de Sautuola first encountered the Magdalenian paintings of the Altamira cave, Cantabria, Spain in 1879,
5412-740: The other being the Temple of Hercules Custos, likely renovated by Sulla in the 80s BCE. In Roman works of art and in Renaissance and post-Renaissance art, Hercules can be identified by his attributes, the lion skin and the gnarled club (his favorite weapon); in mosaic he is shown tanned bronze, a virile aspect. In the twentieth century, the Farnese Hercules has inspired artists such as Jeff Koons , Matthew Darbyshire and Robert Mapplethorpe to reinterpret Hercules for new audiences. The choice of deliberately white materials by Koons and Darbyshire has been interpreted as perpetuation of colourism in how
5494-493: The painting in Italy was Byzantine in character, notably that of Duccio of Siena and Cimabue of Florence, while Pietro Cavallini in Rome was more Gothic in style. During the 13th century , Italian sculptors began to draw inspiration not only from medieval prototypes, but also from ancient works. In 1290, Giotto began painting in a manner that was less traditional and more based upon observation of nature. His famous cycle at
5576-470: The prestige of artists. Artists could claim divine inspiration, thereby raising visual art to a status formerly given only to poetry. Thus, painters, sculptors, and architects came into their own, successfully claiming for their work a high position among the fine arts. In a sense, 16th- century masters created a new profession with its own rights of expression and its own venerable character. Early Netherlandish painting developed (but did not strictly invent)
5658-450: The realism of their work by using new techniques in perspective , thus representing three dimensions more authentically. Artists also began to use new techniques in the manipulation of light and darkness, such as the tone contrast evident in many of Titian 's portraits and the development of sfumato and chiaroscuro by Leonardo da Vinci . Sculptors , too, began to rediscover many ancient techniques such as contrapposto . Following with
5740-459: The round developed, although high relief was the principal technique. Its architecture is dominated by thick walls, and round-headed windows and arches, with much carved decoration. Gothic art is a variable term depending on the craft, place and time. The term originated with Gothic architecture in 1140, but Gothic painting did not appear until around 1200 (this date has many qualifications), when it diverged from Romanesque style. Gothic sculpture
5822-518: The same periods, even after Crete was occupied by the Mycenaeans, but only some aspects of the tradition survived the Greek Dark Ages after the collapse of Mycenaean Greece . Minoan art has a variety of subject-matter, much of it appearing across different media, although only some styles of pottery include figurative scenes. Bull-leaping appears in painting and several types of sculpture, and
5904-401: The shrine of Hercules at Gades. While crossing the alps, he performed labors in a heroic manner. A famous example was noted by Livy, when Hannibal fractured the side of a cliff that was blocking his march. In ancient Roman society women were usually limited to two types of cults: those that addressed feminine matters such as childbirth, and cults that required virginal chastity. However, there
5986-544: The technique of oil painting to allow greater control in painting minute detail with realism— Jan van Eyck (1366–1441) was a figure in the movement from illuminated manuscripts to panel paintings . Hieronymus Bosch (1450?–1516), a Dutch painter, is another important figure in the Northern Renaissance . In his paintings, he used religious themes, but combined them with grotesque fantasies, colorful imagery, and peasant folk legends. His paintings often reflect
6068-607: The time of Evander, by accrediting him with erecting a statue in the Forum Boarium of Hercules. Scholars agree that there would have been 5–7 temples in Augustan Rome. There are believed to be related Republican triumphatores , however, not necessarily triumphal dedications. There are two temples located in the Campus Martius. One, being the Temple of Hercules Musarum, dedicated between 187 and 179 BCE by M. Fulvius Nobilior. And
6150-582: The unsupported nude—his second sculpture of David was the first free-standing bronze nude created in Europe since the Roman Empire. The sculptor and architect Brunelleschi studied the architectural ideas of ancient Roman buildings for inspiration. Masaccio perfected elements like composition, individual expression, and human form to paint frescoes, especially those in the Brancacci Chapel , of surprising elegance, drama, and emotion. A remarkable number of these major artists worked on different portions of
6232-487: The vast majority of artwork with figures was destroyed; so little remains that today any discovery sheds new understanding. After 843 until 1453 there is a clear Byzantine art tradition. It is often the finest art of the Middle Ages in terms of quality of material and workmanship, with production centered on Constantinople. Byzantine art's crowning achievement were the monumental frescos and mosaics inside domed churches, most of which have not survived due to natural disasters and
6314-527: Was also mentioned in the Fables of Gaius Julius Hyginus . For example, in his fable about Philoctetes he tells the story of how Philoctetes built a funeral pyre for Hercules so his body could be consumed and raised to immortality. According to Livy (9.44.16) Romans were commemorating military victories by building statues to Hercules as early as 305 BCE. Also, philosopher Pliny the Elder dates Hercules worship back to
6396-595: Was also strongly influenced by the more local Etruscan art of Italy. Roman sculpture , is primarily portraiture derived from the upper classes of society as well as depictions of the gods. However, Roman painting does have important unique characteristics. Among surviving Roman paintings are wall paintings, many from villas in Campania , in Southern Italy, especially at Pompeii and Herculaneum . Such painting can be grouped into four main "styles" or periods and may contain
6478-497: Was born in France in 1144 with the renovation of the Abbey Church of S. Denis and spread throughout Europe, by the 13th century it had become the international style, replacing Romanesque. International Gothic describes Gothic art from about 1360 to 1430, after which Gothic art merges into Renaissance art at different times in different places. During this period forms such as painting, in fresco and on panel, become newly important, and
6560-671: Was characteristic of the period between the Paleolithic and the Iron Age . Written histories of European art often begin with the Aegean civilizations , dating from the 3rd millennium BC. However a consistent pattern of artistic development within Europe becomes clear only with Ancient Greek art , which was adopted and transformed by Rome and carried; with the Roman Empire , across much of Europe, North Africa and Western Asia . The influence of
6642-406: Was said to be the first to use sfumato . According to Pliny the Elder , the realism of his paintings was such that birds tried to eat the painted grapes. Apelles is described as the greatest painter of Antiquity for perfect technique in drawing, brilliant color and modeling. Roman art was influenced by Greece and can in part be taken as a descendant of ancient Greek painting and sculpture, but
6724-602: Was the German code-name given to an abortive plan for the invasion of Malta during the Second World War . A series of nineteen Italian Hercules movies were made in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The actors who played Hercules in these films were Steve Reeves , Gordon Scott , Kirk Morris, Mickey Hargitay , Mark Forest, Alan Steel, Dan Vadis , Brad Harris , Reg Park , Peter Lupus (billed as Rock Stevens ) and Michael Lane. A number of English-dubbed Italian films that featured
#519480