HOW TO UNDERSTAND A WORK OF ART

1. Statue of King Chefren
around 2500 BC

2. MYRON
Discus thrower
around 450 BC

3. Aulus Metellus (Orator)
early Ist century BC

4. BENEDETTO ANTELAMI King David around 1180 - 90	Here are some sculptures dating from different centuries (ill. 1 - 11). We can all see that they show people. Do notice however that every piece has been sculpted using a different technique. We can therefore say that each sculpture has been given a different form. Why are there so many differences between them? Well, every period in history is different and this is reflected in art. For example, the first sculpture was created in ancient Egypt - in this civilization distinction between classes was clear. In art people from higher classes were represented differently to those from lower classes. The Pharaoh, who was treated like a god was shown in a so-called "timeless youth", without any signs of aging or imperfections. It is therefore easy to imagine how much the sculpture differed from reality... (ill. 1) The next sculpture "Discus thrower" originates from ancient Greece - the birthplace of democracy. All citizens were equal in the eyes of the law and they owed their positions to personal attributes, especially ones such as physical strength and their achievements in sport. As a strong, beautiful body was of such importance the Greeks attempted to find ideal proportions for their sculptures. Therefore physical similarities were not essential. The faces were always specific and their expressions peaceful, no matter if they were at rest or in action. (ill. 2) Realistic Roman sculptures were of a different form. Illustration 3 shows a clerk in conversation. He isn't idealised. The Romans owed their success in administration, conquest, economy and construction to their realistic and practical view of life. Therefore they didn't see the point in idealising the face in their portraits. For this reason artists tended to show people in everyday situations. If we were to compare only these works of art we should be aware of the amount of knowledge accumulated in the time between the creation of one piece and the next which of course affected the artistic tendencies. Other factors have affected the creation of various sculptures representing the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, Baroque, Romanticism until the present day. The following factors determined the form of the work of art, whether it was a building, sculpture or painting: social relations, religion, scientific knowledge, artistic preferences. Whatever the form, the themes remained the same in a work of art. It wasn't until the twentieth century that big differences arose.	5. MASTER CRAFTSMAN FROM NAUMBURG Ekkehard around 1240 - 50
6. MICHELANGELO BUONAROTTI Moses around 1513 - 15		7. GIANLORENZO BERNINI David 1623
8. ANTONIO CANOVA Paulina Borghese as Venus 1808		9. AUGUSTE RODIN The Thinker 1879 - 89
10. UMBERTO BOCCIONI Only infinite forms in space 1913		11. HENRY MOORE The lying figure 1938

The image of the Madonna has constantly been changing...

There are no two identical people...

It is impossible to mention all subjects and issues in art, although we have decided to select the most typical ones and show them in the GALLERY. You will be able to see here arts from different epochs, made by different artists, grouped according to their subjects.

It happens often that not only is the subject of a painting an inspiration for an artist, but the painting may be the inspiration itself. This what the situation was like with the paintings of Manet (Olympia and Breakfast in the grass) and Diego Velázquez (Mansion maidens). However, the most famous painting that always has and still does intrigue and inspire artists is Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa.

Not only great artists have an individual view of the world. There is an artist inside all of us, we all see the same things differently. To prove this we made an experiment. We asked a few friends to draw a portrait of Karol - are at least two drawings the same?

We can interpret every work of art (especially modern - abstractive) in many ways. You can assure yourself how variously people see and understand the same work of art comparing your interpretation with interpretations of other people. Tell us what do YOU think about this work of art.