In 1879, the first cave paintings were discovered in Altamira. These paintings were at first rejected because they were simply “too good.” Then, in 1940, four boys and a dog named “Robot” were playing in Lascaux, France. Robot fell into a hole in the ground, and when the boys rescued him, they discovered nearly 110 caves with over 2000 animal paintings inside. These were painted in the Upper Paleolithic era, before agriculture and domesticated animals. In this era, there were other types of art other than cave paintings; sculptures of corpulent women, called venuses, were also made of red ocher, a type of clay mixed with iron oxide (rust).

Next came the Neolithic era. This is when agriculture and civilization began. The original settlements were in Jericho, known for its walls falling down in the famed Bible story, and Çatal Hüyük in Turkey. Art in this time was primarily

Next we find art in Ancient Greece. Much of Grecian art is found in architecture. Probably the best known building in Greece is the Parthenon, which sits on the Acropolis in Athens. The ruler Peracles had the Parthenon built in 447 BC by Phidias, who sculpted the entire Acropolis. The Grecians had two types of columns used in their architecture: the ionic, and the doric orders. The ionic order was very plain and geometric while the doric was made up of spirals, making it very appealing to the eye. There was also much sculpture in Greece. One of the best known pieces of sculpture is Myron’s Discobulus (Discus Thrower). There were three periods of Greek time: 1, Archaic (600-400 BC), 2, Classical (480-323 BC), and 3, Hellenistic (323 BC- the death of Alexander the Great).

Next we find art in the Italian renaissance. Giotto was a painter in this time. He invented modern painting. He is best known for his frescos on a church in Assissi and in the arena chapel at Padwa. His most famous painting is “The Lamentation of Christ.” Painting in the Italian renaissance began showing human emotion and expressions unlike past painting. During what is known as the “high Italian renaissance” Leonardo da Vinci was an artist. Da Vinci created many things like flying machines, yet was never able to build them, and he painted many paintings such as the Mona Lisa. He also painted the Last Supper. There was another painter named Raphael. He was considered the greatest painter of the western world until the 20th century when people began calling him “too sweet.” Raphael painted The Transfiguration and The School of Athens. Michaelangelo also painted in this era. He also was a sculptor, architect, and scholar. He designed the Dome of St. Peter, which is what our U.S. Capitol dome is based on. He sculpted David, The Pieta, and Moses. He is also famed for his painting on the ceiling of the Sistene Chapel.

Art has devolved into something that is not even true art. Art in the past required lots of skill and emotion. Art today only requires a canvas and paint. You need no skill. It all began w

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