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Period: 30,000 BCE to 10,000 BCE
Pre-Historic
The time in which drawing was first ever recorded. Art found in caves in Altmara, Spain and Lascaux, France. -
Period: 3000 BCE to 2600 BCE
Ancient Egypt
Early Egyptians decorated the walls of their temples and tombs by carving hieroglyphics, religious deities. Traces of Egyptian papyrus were found near the Nile River. -
Period: 800 BCE to 150 BCE
Ancient Greece
Decorated vases and pottery with art depicting ancient battles and myths. Used a graceful, decorative, and realistic technique of drawing. -
Period: 400 to 1400
Middle Ages
Drawings were used express religious messages and stories of the Bible. Monks during this time often used drawings to illustrate Bibles and prayer books for royal and wealthy families. Since paper was not invented yet, drawings were done on wood, slate and wax, thus very few survived. -
Period: 1300 to
Renaissance
Began in Italy. The use of paper allowed drawing to be the starting point of all artists before training in painting, sculpture, or architecture. Began using pencil and charcoal to depict the real world. -
Period: to
Baroque
New styles of drawing known as water color and ink washes appear. Counter-Reformation allowed new techniques of drawing to emerge, which introduced open composition. Artists start to use sketchbooks. -
Period: to
Rococo Period
Time during late Baroque period. Was created due to the new innovations in conveying movement through playful lines. A famous Rococo Period artist is Peter Paul Rubens, who used the open-composition style to express a figure in movement. -
Period: to
1800s
Innovation causes advancements in art. Pencils were the go-to drawing tools. Art often captured movement and everyday activities. Examples included everyday scenes, ballet dancers, horse races, and dreams. -
Period: to
1900s
Because of the move away from traditional scenes in the 1800s, the 1900s became pioneer for expressionism. Some art movements that were prevalent were Impressionism, Cubism, Expressionism, and Fauvism. They experimented with abstract, though provoking art. -
Period: to
Constructivism
Art and philosophical movement in Russia during the 1900s. The movement was created to go against autonomous art and create "construct" art. Used for social purposes during World Wars and often used as propaganda. Influential to 20th century art and modern expressionism.