A.

Etruscan Art

Etruscan art was the form of figurative art produced by the Etruscan
civilization in northern Italy between the 9th and 2nd centuries BC. Particularly strong in
this tradition were figurative sculpture in terracotta (particularly life-size
on sarcophagi or temples) and cast bronze, wall-painting and metalworking (especially
engraved bronze mirrors and situlae).

B. Judaism

Judaism is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish

people.[1] Judaism, originating in the Hebrew Bible (also known as the Tanakh) and
explored in later texts such as the Talmud, is considered by Jews to be the expression of
the covenantal relationship God developed with the Children of Israel. According to
traditional Rabbinic Judaism, God revealed his laws
and commandments to Moses on Mount Sinai in the form of both the Written and Oral
Torah.[2] This was historically challenged by the Karaites who maintain that only the
Written Torah was revealed,[3] and, in modern times, liberal movements such
as Humanistic Judaism may be nontheistic.[4] The Hebrews / Israelites were called
(referred to) as Jews, already, as early as in the Book of Esther. The term Jews replaced
the title "Children of Israel.". [5]
Judaism claims a historical continuity spanning more than 3000 years. It is one of
the oldest monotheistic religions,[6] and the oldest to survive into the present
day.[7][8] Its texts, traditions and values comprise an inheritance to later Abrahamic
religions, including Christianity, Islam and the Baha'i Faith.[8][9] Many aspects of Judaism
have also directly or indirectly influenced secular Western ethics and civil law.[10]
Jews are an ethnoreligious group[11] that includes those born Jewish and
converts to Judaism. In 2007, the world Jewish population was estimated at 13 million,
of whom about 40% reside in Israel[12] and 40% in the United States.[13] The
largest Jewish religious movements are Orthodox Judaism, Conservative
Judaism andReform Judaism. A major source of difference between these groups is their
approach to Jewish law.[14] Orthodox Judaism maintains that the Torah and Jewish law
are divine in origin, they are eternal and unalterable, and should be adhered to.
Conservative and Reform Judaism are more liberal, with Conservative Judaism
promoting a more "traditional" interpretation of its requirements than Reform Judaism.
Their typical position is that Jewish law should be viewed as a set of general guidelines
rather than a set of restrictions and obligations whose observance is required of all
 Jews.[15][16] Historically, special courts enforced Jewish law; today, these courts still exist
but the practice of Judaism is mostly voluntary.[17] Authority on theological and legal
matters is not vested in any one person or organization, but in the sacred texts and the
many rabbis and scholars who interpret these texts.[18]

C. Islamic Art
Islamic art encompasses the visual arts produced from the 7th century onwards
by people (not necessarily Muslim) who lived within the territory that was inhabited by
culturally Islamic populations.[2] It includes fields as varied
as architecture, calligraphy, painting, and ceramics, among others.
Typically, though not entirely, Islamic art has focused on the depiction of
patterns and Arabic calligraphy, rather than on figures, because it is feared by many
Muslims that the depiction of the human form is idolatry and thereby a sin against Allah,
forbidden in the Qur'an.
1. Architecture
Perhaps the most important expression of Islamic art is architecture, particularly
that of the mosque (four-iwan and hypostyle).[11] Through the edifices, the effect of
varying cultures within Islamic civilization can be illustrated. The North African and
Spanish Islamic architecture, for example, has Roman-Byzantine elements, as seen in
the Alhambra palace at Granada, or in the Great Mosque of Cordoba.
The role of domes in Islamic architecture has been considerable. Domes have
been used in Islamic architecture for centuries. The earliest surviving dome is part of
the Dome of the Rock monument, built in 691 CE. Another prominent dome is that of
the 17th century Taj Mahal. And as late as the 19th century, Islamic domes were
incorporated into Western architecture.[12][13]

2. Calligraphy
Calligraphic design is omnipresent in Islamic art, and is usually expressed in a mix
of Qur'anic verses and historical proclamations. Two of the main scripts involved are the
symbolic kufic and naskh scripts, which can be found adorning and enhancing the visual
appeal of the walls and domes of buildings, the sides of minbars, and so
on.[5] Illuminated scripts, coinage, and other "minor art" pieces such as ewers and
incense holders are also often decorated with calligraphy.
3. Pile Carpet
Calligraphic design is omnipresent in Islamic art, and is usually expressed in a mix
of Qur'anic verses and historical proclamations. Two of the main scripts involved are the
symbolic kufic and naskh scripts, which can be found adorning and enhancing the visual
appeal of the walls and domes of buildings, the sides of minbars, and so
on.[5] Illuminated scripts, coinage, and other "minor art" pieces such as ewers and
incense holders are also often decorated with calligraphy.

4. Pottery
From the eighth to eighteenth centuries, the use of glazed ceramics was
prevalent in Islamic art, usually assuming the form of elaborate pottery.[15] Tin-opacified
glazingwas one of the earliest new technologies developed by the Islamic potters. The
first Islamic opaque glazes can be found as blue-painted ware in Basra, dating to around
the 8th century. Another significant contribution was the development of stonepaste
ceramics, originating from 9th century Iraq.[16] The first industrial complex
for glassand pottery production was built in Ar-Raqqah, Syria, in the 8th
century.[17] Other centers for innovative ceramic pottery in the Islamic world
included Fustat (from 975 to 1075), Damascus (from 1100 to around 1600)
and Tabriz (from 1470 to 1550).[18]
Another innovation was the albarello, a type of maiolica earthenware jar
originally designed to hold apothecaries' ointments and dry drugs. The development of
this type ofpharmacy jar had its roots in the Islamic Middle East. Brought to Italy
by Hispano-Moresque traders, the earliest Italian examples were produced in Florence
in the 15th century.
The Hispano-Moresque style emerged in Andalusia in the 8th century, under
the Fatimids. This was a style of Islamic pottery created in Islamic Spain, after
the Moors had introduced two ceramic techniques to Europe: glazing with
an opaque white tin-glaze, and painting in metallic lusters. Islamic Hispano-Moresque
ware was distinguished from the pottery of Christendom by the Islamic character of its
decoration; the term also includes wares produced by Christians.[19]
The medieval Islamic world also had pottery with animal imagery. Examples are
found throughout the medieval Islamic world, particularly in Persia and Egypt.[20]
D. Indian Art
Indian Art is the art produced on the Indian subcontinent from about the 3rd
millennium BC to modern times. To viewers schooled in the Western tradition, Indian
art may seem overly ornate and sensuous; appreciation of its refinement comes only
gradually, as a rule. Voluptuous feeling is given unusually free expression in Indian
culture. A strong sense of design is also characteristic of Indian art and can be observed
in its modern as well as in its traditional forms.
The vast scope of the art of India intertwines with the cultural history, religions
and philosophies which place art production and patronage in social and cultural
contexts.
Indian art can be classified into specific periods each reflecting particular
religious, political and cultural developments.

1. Rock-Art
The earliest Indian religion to inspire major artistic monuments was Buddhism.
Though there may have been earlier structures in wood that have been transformed
into stone structures, there are no physical evidences for these except textual
references. Obscurity shrouds the period between the decline of the Harappans and the
definite historic period starting with the Mauryas. Soon after the Buddhists initiated the
rock-cut caves, Hindus and Jains started to imitate them
at Badami, Aihole, Ellora, Salsette,Elephanta, Aurangabad and Mamallapuram.
Indian rock art has continuously evolved, since the first rock cut caves, to suit
different purposes, social and religious contexts, and regional differences.

2. Indian Fresco
The tradition and methods of Indian cliff painting gradually evolved throughout
many thousands of years - there are found multiple locations with prehistoric art. The
oldest frescoes of historical period have been preserved in Ajanta Caves from 2nd
century BC. In total there are known more than 20 locations in India with paintings and
traces of former paintings of ancient and early medieval times (up to 8th - 10th century
AD)[1]. The most significant frescoes of ancient and early medieval period are located in
Ajanta Caves, Bagh Caves, Ellora Caves, Sittanavasal.
3. Fold and Tribal Art
Folk and tribal art in India takes on different manifestations through varied
medium such as pottery, painting, metalwork, paper-art, weaving and designing of
objects such as jewelry and toys.
Often puranic gods and legends are transformed into contemporary forms and
familiar images. Fairs, festivals, and local deities play a vital role in these arts.
It is in art where life and creativity are inseparable. The tribal arts have a unique
sensitivity, as the tribal people possess an intense awareness very different from the
settled and urbanized people. Their minds are supple and intense with myth, legends,
snippets from epic, multitudinous gods born out of dream and fantasy. Their art is an
expression of their life and holds their passion and mystery.

4. Visual Art
British colonial rule had a great impact on Indian art. The old patrons of art
became less wealthy and influential, and Western art more ubiquitous. Abanindranath
Tagore (1871-1951), referred to as the father of Modern Indian art introduced reworked
Asian styles, in alignment with a developing Indian nationalism and pan_Asianism to
create a new school of art, which is today known as the Bengal School of art. Other
artists of the Tagore family, such as Rabindranath Tagore(1861-1941)
and Gaganendranath Tagore (1867-1938) as well as new artists of the early 20th c such
as Amrita Sher-Gil (1913-1941) were responsible for introducing Avant garde western
styles into Indian Art. Many other artists like Jamini Roy and later S.H. Raza took
inspiration from folk traditions.

5. Contemporary Art
From the 1990s onwards, Indian artists began to increase the forms they used in
their work. Painting and sculpture remained important, though in the work of leading
artists such as Subodh Gupta,Narayanan Ramachandran, Vivan Sundaram, Jitish Kallat,
Jagannath Panda, Atul and Anju Dodiya, T.V.Santosh, Bharti Kher and Thukral and Tagra,
they often found radical new directions.
E. Chinese Art
Chinese art (Chinese: 中國藝術/中国艺术) has varied throughout its ancient
history, divided into periods by the ruling dynasties of China and changing technology.
Different forms of art have been influenced by great philosophers, teachers, religious
figures and even political leaders. Chinese art encompasses fine arts, folk
arts andperformance arts.
1. Chinese Folk Art
Chinese folk art are artistic forms inherited from a regional or ethnic
scene in China. Usually there are some variation between provinces.
Individual folk arts have a long history, and many traditions are still practiced
today. The general definition of folk art incorporates Chinese art forms that are
not classified as fine arts

F. Japanese Art
Japanese art covers a wide range of art styles and media, including ancient
pottery, sculpture in wood and bronze, ink painting on silk and paper and more recently
manga, cartoon, along with a myriad of other types of works of art. It also has a long
history, ranging from the beginnings of human habitation in Japan, sometime in the
10th millennium BC, to the present.

1. Jōmon art
The first settlers of Japan, the Jōmon people (c 11000?–c 300 BC), named for
the cord markings that decorated the surfaces of their clay vessels, were nomadic
hunter-gatherers who later practiced organized farming and built cities with population
of hundreds if not thousands. They built simple houses of wood and thatch set into
shallow earthen pits to provide warmth from the soil. They crafted lavishly decorated
pottery storage vessels, clay figurines called dogu, and crystal jewels.
2. Yayoi art
The next wave of immigrants was the Yayoi people, named for the district
in Tokyo where remnants of their settlements first were found. These people,
arriving in Japan about 350 BC, brought their knowledge of wetland rice
cultivation, the manufacture of copper weapons and bronze bells (dōtaku), and
wheel-thrown, kiln-fired ceramics.
3. Kofun art
The third stage in Japanese prehistory, the Kofun, or Tumulus, period (c
AD 250–552), represents a modification of Yayoi culture, attributable either to
internal development or external force. In this period, diverse groups of people
formed political alliances and coalesced into a nation. Typical artifacts are bronze
mirrors, symbols of political alliances, and clay sculptures called haniwa which
were erected outside tombs.
4. Asuka and Nara art
The earliest Japanese sculptures of the Buddha are dated to the 6th and
7th century.[1] They ultimately derive from the 1st-3rd century CE Greco-
Buddhist art of Gandhara, characterized by flowing dress patterns and realistic
rendering, on which Chinese and Korean artistic traits were
superimposed.[2] These indigenous characteristics can be seen in early Buddhist
art in Japan and some early Japanese Buddhist sculpture is now believed to have
originated in Korea, particularly from Baekje, or Korean artisans who immigrated
to Yamato Japan.[3]Particularly, the semi-seated Maitreya form was adapted into
a highly developed Korean style which was transmitted to Japan as evidenced by
the Kōryū-ji Miroku Bosatsu and the Chūgū-jiSiddhartha statues. Although many
historians portray Korea as a mere transmitter of Buddhism, the Three
Kingdoms, and particularly Baekje, were instrumental as active agents in the
introduction and formation of a Buddhist tradition in Japan in 538 or 552. [4] They
illustrate the terminal point of the Silk Road transmission of Art during the first
few centuries of our era. Other examples can be found in the development of
the iconography of the Japanese Fūjin Wind God,[5] the Niō guardians,[6] and the
near-Classical floral patterns in temple decorations.[7]
5. Heian art
In 794 the capital of Japan was officially transferred to Heian-kyō
(present-day Kyoto), where it remained until 1868. The term Heian period refers
to the years between 794 and 1185, when the Kamakura shogunate was
established at the end of the Genpei War. The period is further divided into the
early Heian and the late Heian, or Fujiwara era, the pivotal date being 894, the
year imperial embassies to China were officially discontinued.
6. Kamakura art
 The Kei school of sculptors, particularly Unkei, created a new, more
realistic style of sculpture. The two Niō guardian images (1203) in the Great
South Gate of the Tōdai-ji in Nara illustrate Unkei's dynamic supra-realistic style.
The images, about 8 m (about 26 ft) tall, were carved of multiple blocks in a
period of about three months, a feat indicative of a developed studio system of
artisans working under the direction of a master sculptor. Unkei's polychromed
wood sculptures (1208, Kōfuku-ji, Nara) of two Indian
sages, Muchaku andSeshin, the legendary founders of the Hossō sect, are among
the most accomplished realistic works of the period; as rendered by Unkei, they
are remarkably individualized and believable images. One of the most famous
works of this period is an Amitabha Triad (completed in 1195), in Jōdo-ji in Ono,
created by Kaikei, Unkei's successor.
7. Muromachi art
Because of secular ventures and trading missions to China organized by
Zen temples, many Chinese paintings and objects of art were imported into
Japan and profoundly influenced Japanese artists working for Zen temples and
the shogunate. Not only did these imports change the subject matter of painting,
but they also modified the use of color; the bright colors of Yamato-e yielded to
the monochromes of painting in the Chinese manner, where paintings generally
only have black and white or different tones of a single color.
8. Azuchi-Momoyama art
The most important school of painting in the Momoyama period was that
of the Kanō school, and the greatest innovation of the period was the formula,
developed by Kano Eitoku, for the creation of monumental landscapes on the
sliding doors enclosing a room. The decoration of the main room facing the
garden of the Juko-in, a subtemple of Daitoku-ji (a Zen temple in Kyoto), is
perhaps the best extant example of Eitoku's work. A massive ume tree and twin
pines are depicted on pairs of sliding screens in diagonally opposite corners,
their trunks repeating the verticals of the corner posts and their branches
extending to left and right, unifying the adjoining panels. Eitoku's screen,
'Chinese Lions', also in Kyoto, reveals the bold, brightly colored style of painting
preferred by the samurai.
G. Korean Art
Korean art is art originating or practiced in Korea or by Korean artists, from
ancient times to today. Korea is noted for its artistic traditions in pottery, music,
calligraphy, and other genres, often marked by the use of bold color, natural forms, and
surface decoration.
1. Korean Calligraphy
Korean calligraphy is seen as an art where brush-strokes reveal the
artist's personality enhancing the subject matter that is painted. This art form
represents the apogee of Korean Confucian art.
Korean fabric arts have a long history, and include Korean
embroidery used in costumes and screenwork; Korean knots as best represented
in the work of Choe Eun-sun, used in costumes and as wall-decorations; and
lesser known weaving skills as indicated below in rarer arts. There is no real
tradition of Korean carpets or rugs, although saddle blankets and saddle covers
were made from naturally dyed wool, and are extremely rare. Imperial dragon
carpets, tiger rugs for judges or magistrates or generals, and smaller chair-covers
were imported from China and are traditionally in either yellow or red. Few if
any imperial carpets remain. Village rug weavers do not exist.
Korean paper art includes all manner of hand-made paper (hanji), used
for architectural purposes (window screens, floor covering), for printing,
artwork, and the Korean folded arts (paper fans, paper figures), and as
well Korean paper clothing which has an annual fashion show in Jeonju city
attracting world attention.
In the 1960s Korean paper made from mulberry roots was discovered
when the Pulguksa (temple) complex in Gyeongju was remodelled. The date on
the Buddhist documents converts to a western calendar date of 751, and
indicated that indeed the oft quoted claim that Korean paper can last a thousand
years was proved irrevocably. However after repeated invasions, very little early
Korean paper art exists. Contemporary paper artists are very active.
2. Korean Painting
Contemporary Korean painting demands an understanding of Korean
ceramics and Korean pottery as the glazes used in these works and the textures
of the glazes make Korean art more in the tradition of ceramic art, than of
western painterly traditions, even if the subjects appear to be of western origin.
 Brush-strokes as well are far more important than they are to the western artist;
paintings are judged on brush-strokes more often than pure technique.

H. Ancient American Art

Visual arts of the United States refers to the history of painting and visual art in
the United States. In the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, artists primarily
painted landscapes and portraits in a realistic style. A parallel development taking shape
in rural America was the American craftmovement, which began as a reaction to
the industrial revolution. Developments in modern art in Europe came to America from
exhibitions in New York City such as the Armory Show in 1913. Previously American
Artists had based the majority of their work on Western Painting and European Arts.
After World War II, New York replaced Paris as the center of the art world. Since then
many American Movements have shaped Modern and Post Modern art. Art in the
United States today covers a huge range of styles.

I. African Art
African art constitutes one of the most diverse legacies on earth. Though many
casual observers tend to generalize "traditional" African art, the continent is full of
people, societies, and civilizations, each with a unique visual special culture. The
definition also includes the art of the African Diasporas, such as the art of African
Americans. Despite this diversity, there are some unifying artistic themes when
considering the totality of the visual culture from the continent of Africa.[1]