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Art As A Form Of Expression In Ancient Art

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Art is an almost limitless vehicle for expression. It takes a wide variety of forms and is always evolving into new avenues of expression over the centuries. People have used art since the beginning. In prehistoric times cave art was used as a form of storytelling using pictograms. For example, cave people used charcoal to draw onto the roofs of caves. To this day, these drawings depict the hunting of animals and record part of the lives of people long ago. This is an example of one of the first purposes of art as a historical record. Throughout time various cultures would use drawings on tablets, walls, and buildings to depict important events and everyday occurrences. Over time, gradually art took on other roles and forms. For example, in ancient Rome villas would depict pleasant scenery. These murals can still be viewed today in the ruins of Pompeii. In addition, both Rome and Greece used sculptures to celebrate and memorialize the human form. Thus, in ancient times art took a big leap by providing an outlet for self expression and pleasure to its admirers. …show more content…
It is interesting to observe that art has been universal in almost every culture in the world. The ancient Chinese had paintings, elaborate buildings, and in fact an entire army made of Terra Cotta figures to resemble various people in the life of the emperor. In Mayan culture the people carved pictures on walls and built elaborate temples. Likewise, in the Egyptian times drawings depicted the lives of the pharaohs. In fact, the Great Sphinx to this day is one of the greatest sculptures in history. The purpose of these sculptures demonstrate that art was used to proclaim the success and superiority of the ruling

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