CONTEXTUAL STUDIES

An ancient greek temple

dedicated to the god Zeus, built between 472 and 456 BCE. The ancient greek temple was built by an architect named Libon of Elis in Western Greece. Unfortunately today all that remains of the temple is the base and fallen columns, this is because over the subsequent years the temple has fallen victim to a number of earthquakes. The temple was constructed with Limestone, covered with imitation marble stucco and lime, creating one of the greatest temples in the world.

Born in Pella, son of Phillip II of Macedon and his wife Olympias. Phillip was assassinated in 336 BC and Alexander inherited a powerful yet extremely volatile kingdom.

Died of a fever in 323BC in Babylon, aged 32. Two accounts of his death that differ, some say a fever and others say poison was the reason for the late kings death.

Alexanders body was laid to rest in a gold anthropoid sarcophagus that was filled with honey, which was then placed in a gold casket.

Middle Ages also known as The Dark ages, was a time in civilization when no scientific achievements were made, no great leaders were born and no great art was created. This era was known as an unfortunate blip in time sandwiched between to well known and better eras. Middle ages is referred to as the era that sat still and squandered off the accomplishments of its predecessors. "Middle Ages tells us about the Renaissance that followed rather than the era itself."

Cathedrals and other ecclesiastical structures such as monasteries were built in in devotion towards the church, these constructions were the largest buildings in Europe at this time.

From the 10th to the 13th century the Romanesque was the most common design when it came to architecture, the cathedrals were solid stone and were very substantial. Progression meant that style changed and from the 1200's the Gothic style developed.

The type of garments people wore in the middle ages purely depended on their class. Wool was a very common fabric within the middle ages, it was sometimes knitted at crocheted but more likely woven into garments, depending on how the fabric was used depicted on the weight of the garment.

Linen was almost as common as wool and was available to all classes however linen was very time consuming to make and often found within the garments of poorer classes.

Silk was worn by the wealthier classes and also worn by the church, it was a costly fabric and quite rare.

Trial and error was usually the basis of any engineer or designer back in the middle ages. Engineers were very well respected citizens of this time and were commonly employed by the wealthy people of society, usually kings and queens.

The Trireme, also know as the war ship, was designed and built around 2nd century however is only mentioned as a warship in the 5th century. The Trireme was made up of solid timbers and wood and was crafted carefully in relations to proportions, weight and speed. The maximum speed for the Trireme was 8 knots, which was an incredible achievement at this time, a steady 4 knots could be maintained on this large war machine. In 1880 studies were conducted to determine the dimensions of the ship they discovered that the ship stood at 40m long and just 6m wide, this would make the ship better inclined for speed. Studies shown that the ship would hold a capacity of 200 men, 170 of those men would be in the base of the ship rowing. After 6-8 hours of maintained rowing the Trireme would have reached 80-100km from its original destination.

Mannerism is a style of European art that dates back to 1520, It firstly originated in Florence, Rome which then eventually spread to northern Italy and then Europe. Italian Renaissance founded this movement which then later became one of the biggest movements of its time. Mannerism consisted of graceful, classic work, paintings which you would see in grand places and admired by the knowledgeable of the art world.

Architecture based within the Mannerism movement consisted of three main factors in which architects emphasized, symmetry, proportion and geometry.

Palazzo Del Te is a palace situated in Mantua, Italy. Constructed in 1524-1534 for Fedorico II Gonzaga, by Guilio Romano. It was a lengthy and difficult task which sort after many issues, however 18 months later the shell of the Palazzo Del Te had been erected. What stood was a square shell of a house which wrapped around a private and intimate cloistered courtyard.

For a further ten years Giulio kept a close eye in plasterers, carvers and fresco painters who were labouring until ever inch of the Palazzo had been decorated to a near perfect standard. Their are only a small amount of windows which look over the intimate courtyard, this gives the garden more of a private and secret feel to the outside space. To this day the fresco paintings are still greatly admired, and still remain in good condition.

April the 21st 1509 King Henry ascended the throne at a tender age of 17, a couple of months later King Henry was crowned at Westminster Abbey on June the 24th. His reign is known as one of the most scandalous reigns in history, with his vendetta against the catholic church to his six wives.

(1) Catherine of Aragon 1509-1533 Divorced

(2) Anne Boleyn 1533-1536 Beheaded

(3) Jane Seymour 1536-1537 Died

(4) Anne of Cleves 1540 Divorced

(5) Catherine Howard 1540-1542 Beheaded

(6) Catherine Parr 1543-1547 Survived

The Mannerism era was one of natural forms, especially in fashion.

Earthtones were considered greater and more classier than bright colours. Simplicity was key to designers in the 15th and 16th century fashion. Womens garments were elongated, long skirts with pleats that would flow to the floor. Underneath the women would wear stockings, made from silk or cotton. Womens dresses were designed with either a rounded or rectangular neckline which would elongate their neck. The waistline on ladies garments was between the bust and natural line, this would give the impression of a taller frame. Corsets were also very common when it came to ladies underwear, this would bring the waistline in, the corsets would be extremely uncomfortable and sometimes cut into the body. Slippers would be commonly made of silk or leather, this would depend on the occasion.

The European male population wore shirts, doublets and hose with some form of outerwear, for example a robe or gown. The shirts were usually made of linen or for the wealthier classes, silk. A doublet which was worn over the shirt was usually worn paired with a belt, the belt would be worn tightly to create a skirt. Long pointed boots or thigh high boots were worn paired with short braies or breeches. This was the common look for male civilians in the 15th century, depending on the class would depend on the fabrics.

Invented between 1440 to 1450 by a German Goldsmith Johannes Gutenberg. It is regarded as the single most influential and important invention of the second millennium. On a working day the printing press could print upto 3,600 pages per day, this was a remarkable achievement and opened literacy up to the majority of Europe. The printing press opened up the opportunity to allow mass production of books, the invention of the printing press grew so large that by the start of the 16th century it was operating in over 200 cities across Europe. Johannes Gutenburg (1398-1468) was resposible for inducing a sharp rise in literacy, learning and education in the 15th century, his invention made books available for everyone, regardless of class.

Aldum Manutios (1449-1515) was brought up as an Italian humanist. He was oart of a wealthy family and studied Latin within Rome. He became a printer and publisher when he founded Aldine press in venice, this is where his early career began to take off. His publishing legacy includes primarily his invention of italic type but also establishing modern use of semicolon and modern appearance of the comma. Manutios wanted to patent italic font, however was unable to stop printers outside of venice copying it, leading to font popularity world wide.

Early and High Renaissance is commonly amalgamated with the artists of this era, for example Leonardo Da Vinci, Michelangelo or Raphel. This era began around 1490 and lasted up until around 1530, however the dates are uncertain and we can only estimate. The movement focused on the realism of religious figures primarily, the ideals of classical humanism were fully implemented in both painting and sculpture. The paintings focused on purity within the arts and the quality of work to the highest point of development. The Renaissance resided in Rome and was paid for by the popes.

Born in 1451 and later died in 1506, Columbus was Italian born to a middle class family. He was an Italian explorer, navigator, colonizer and citizen of the republic Genoa. October 1492 Columbus spotted land which is known today as America, although he was not the first to discover America, he is in fact the final point of which human contact was made. Columbus is known by historians for the initiation of genocide to hispaniola natives however, Columbus only saw himself and his accomplishments relating to his discovery and the spreading of Christianity.

Baroque, began around 1600 in Rome, Italy. This movement spread quickly around Europe due to its artistic style and creativity. Baroque focused on the exaggeration within the arts, and its intense motion, the aim of this movement was interpreted detail to produce drama. The movement was encouraged by the catholic church who had decided the arts should communicate religious themes, in direct emotional involvement.

Impressionism is a 19th century art movement which originated by the hands of a group of Parisian artists. Their independent exhibitions attracted attention which played a part in making this movement succeed during the 1870's and 1880's. The style of painting consisted of small thin yet visable brush strokes, using thick paint, usually Gouache. This art movement focused purely on the changing qualities of the environment and the passing of time.

Abraham Lincoln a former president of the United States of America. Born in 1809 in the state of Kentucky US. He was married to Mary Todd Lincoln (1842 to his death in 1865) with Four children. Abraham Lincoln was assasinated by John Wilkes Booth, a well known actor of this time, Lincoln was shot on good Friday in 1865, whilst attending the play "Our American Cousin" at Fords theater, just as the American civil war was coming to a close. Abraham Lincoln was the first president to be assassinated, however he fell victim to a failed assassination a few years before. He died early the next morning and the funeral was a period of national mourning.

Designers & Engineers

Grotesque is a group of fonts which features early 20th century to late 19th sans serif designs. The group of fonts were greatly influenced by Didone serif fonts and sign painting. These fonts were often solid, with bold designs which would used for advertisements or newspaper headlines. Styles would sometimes vary, from width with a range from extended to condensed. To modern eyes today these designs can look quite irregular and eccentric, examples include; Akzidenz Grotesk, News Gothic, Franklin Gothic and Monotype Grotesque.

Early 20th century Dada and surrealism was newly born art movement which was about to test the boundaries of modern art. Dada began in 1916 in Zurich, Switzerland then later spreading to Berlin and then the rest of Europe. The beginnings of Dada and Surrealism correspond to World War 1, the movement was about protest and they protested through the art world. Surrealism was an art movement much like Dada however it looked in resolving the previously contradictory conditions of dream and reality. Artists would paint unnerving and illogical scenes, that you would encounter in a dream.

Also known as the First World War started in 1914 and lasted for four years, ending in 1918. The first world war and its aftermath cause major changes in power, destroying and transforming some of the most powerful empires. Over a million combatants and 7 million civilians died in the result of the First World War (including victims of genocide). The majority of the war took place in Europe, however some other continents were affected;Africa, the Middle East, the Pacific Islands, China and off the coast of South and North America.

Van Der Rohe was a German American architect, born in 1886-1969. He often looked for modernism with architecture, the look he always strove to achieve was described as extreme clarity and simplicity. His buildings would make use of modern materials such as industrial steel and plated glasss was used to define interior space and create a free flowing atmosphere. He often reffered to his buildings as "skin and bone" architecture and stuck by the rule "less is more". Some of his buildings include; Barcelona Pavilion, Tugendhat House, Crown Hall

and Farnsworth House

D-Day marks the day of invasions on Normandy soil. On the 6th of June 1944 the largest seaborne invasion in history took place. This operation began the liberation of german occupied ground from Nazi control. 338,000 troops of British and French arm patrolled across the northern coast of France as a part of this mission.

Christian Dior

Jan Van Krimpen was born in 1892 and later died in 1958. He was a dutch typographer and type designer. From the age of 19 Krimpen worked as a printing house, as well as working for other firms, this was to gain experience and knowledge of the industry. Krimpens type designs are elegant book typefaces, orignally made from print. However now, most of his typefaces have been digitized, such as; Romulus, Haarlemmer, Spectrum. These designs are rarely used in publications. Krimpens interest in type had a traditional Dutch baroque look although he did avoid direct revivals of old type.

Colosseum

Made from concrete and sand, construction of

this amazing architecture began 72 AD and was

completed around 80AD. The Colosseum situated in the center of Rome the oval amphitheater is the largest ever built, back when first built the Colosseum could hold 50,000 anywhere to 80,000 spectators at one time this came in handy for gladiatorial contests, public executions, animal hunts and re-enactments.

Roman

Event

Cathedrals and Churches

Architecture

500 BC - 476 AD

Assassination of Julius Caesar

Born in July 100 BC

Died March the 15th 44BC

The build of the great city of Rome began as early as the 8th century by its first king Romulus. Rome grew into a very powerful city over the next couple hundred years, the city became that great in AD 117 the Roman empire accumulated the whole of Italy and all the land surrounding the Mediterranean and a large portion of Europe including, England, Wales and parts of Scotland.

Artists And Dates

His death was a result in conspiracy,

lead by Roman senators, Galus Cassius Longinus and Marcus Junius Brutus to which they stabbed their Roman leader several times resulting to Caesars tragic death, his death is still considered political.

Practically every piece of art work within the Roman

period was done anonymously, back then artists and architects were considered tradesmen rather than creative thinkers.

Gothic Church

Arellius was an active artist within Rome around the 1st century, he was well known and held in high esteem for his profession and his talent of painting.

Event

Middle Ages

The Black Death

harbor of disease, the rat.

Pacuvious was a known as the greatest of

tragic poets within ancient Rome, prior to

Lucius Accius. Pacuvious was born in Brundism which quickly became a Roman

colony in 244BC, Pacuvious also obtained recognition as a painter, his work was

displayed in the Temple of Hercules.

In the 14th century The Plague was a deadly virus

that infected 60% of Europe's civilization killing 50 million between the years of 1346-53. The deadly

bacteria festered in rats however many rats were immune to The Plague, flees on rats were the transmitters of this disease, they would bite the rat and then infect human skin with the virus.

There was two kinds of The Plague, Mnemonic and Septicemic.

Temple Of Zeus

Artists And Dates

Typeface

Gaivis Fabius Pictor made some of the earliest Roman paintings that survived, some works are believed to of been painted in 304 BC, these paintings were preserved until the

reign of the emperor Caius, when the temple was destroyed by fire.

Donatello 1386-1466

Fashion, Textiles and Interiors

Apprentice to Ghiberti in Florence, he produced sculptures in marble, bronze terracotta and wood. Donatello also invented a technique called 'schiacciato' also known as shallow relief, this created effects of spacial depth. Works include, St. George, statue of David and Equestrian monument of Gattamelata.

Mnemonic version of the plague is an organism which settles in the lungs and over a period of 4 to 5 days the lungs begin to liquify which results in coughing up the lungs internally.

Septicemic version the bacteria inhabits your body affecting your bodies ability to clot, essentially this results in bleeding to death from everywhere, at the same time.

Roman Cursive (in Latin means running) was a form of hand writing commonly used around 1st century BC and 3rd century AD, it was also known as Majuscle Cursive. This font was used in everyday life and consisted of letters joining, making for a quicker and easier way of script, it was used by many from Merchants and school children to Roman emperors writing commands.

The more formal type face was based on Roman square capitals, this type of font would be seen on more important documents.

Giotto Di Bondone 1266-1337

The plague was an extremely contagious disease, caring for loved ones within the same household would essentially mean you too would catch The Plague and would either be dead or dying within a matter of days.

Italian born, married with six children. Bondone was apprentice to Cimabue, in 1300 he was commissioned by pope Benidict XI to paint a mosaic over the entrance to St. Peters

(The Navicella). He also painted the Last Super which is known all over the world.

Tunica, a short woolen under garment with short sleeves, to wear this garment with long sleeves was considered effeminate and was avoided bu society as a whole.

Toga, meant as a public display garment, usually made from white or wool of expensive linen, togas were used state titles and class. Married women were expected to wear loose

fitting togas.

Designer

and Engineers

Event

Fra Angelico 1395-1455

Greek and Hellenistic

Typeface

Death of Alexander The Great

Italian born and son of wealthy parents, he and his brother were trained as manuscript makers and illuminators. Angelico specialised

in pietistic painting (demonstrating in

religious arts).



Fashion & Textiles

& Interiors

Greek and Hellenistic era marks the transformation of Greek society which changed the local, introverted inner city states to an open, exuberant culture which permitted the entire eastern Mediterranean, and southwest Asia.

Black Letter aka Old English

Romans were famous for their advances in engineering, although some of their advances were improvements of already invented concepts. Roads were common within this era, however the Romans proved their ability of great engineering by improving the quilty which lasts to this day and many of those roads are still in use today.

Black Letter, also refered to as Gothic Script and Fraktur is a font descending from the Carolingian font. In the 12th centruy reading became increasingly popular and Carolingian font was too difficult and time consuming to be writing in the masses, so Black letter was invented and used to replace Carolingian. Black letter was the first font used in the Gutenburge bible, which was also the first book printed in Europe (making it the first typeface to used on the printing press). Black letter was a common font within German literature and was used up until the 20th century.

Today the Black Letter font is far less common and is usually used within a niche market and advertising rather than used as a body of text. Gothic script can be found on Corona beer labels, here it is used as a logo. It can be seen as logos for heavy metal bands for example Motorhead and can also be seen advertising Disney land.

Artists And Dates

Pythokritos of Lindos, sculptor of

Nike of Samathrace discovered in 1863 in honor of the goddess Nike, but to honor a sea battle. The sculpture stands at 244cm made from Parian Marble and can been seen in the Louvre, Paris.

Designer and

Engineers

TRIREME

Zeuxis, born in Heraclea 464 BC

The historical records show Zeuxis was known for his realism technique however non of his work survived. .

Architecture

Palazzo del Te

Typeface

Agesander Athendorus, known for his

sculpture Lacoon and His Sons. Made from marble the sculpture stands at 2m (6'7) and can be found in Vatican City. The sculpture is known for showing human agony in Western art.

Fashion Textiles and Interiors

The Greeks were the

first Europeans to es-

tablish an alphabet, from

this the alphabet spread

to the remaining parts of

Europe. The greek alphabet came from the

Phoenician period which they later adapted into their own.

Event

Women, loose fitting clothes were the fashion in Hellenistic greek. The name Tunics were given to these garments, during the colder weather the clothing of choice was a peplos, and outer garment made of wool, and would be adorned with clasps at the shoulders.

Men, the clothing was similar in style, some clothing was considered unisex. Men wore a garment called chilton which is very similar to peplos which women wore, this varied in length,

men wore it at the knees and

women at the ankles.

King Henry VIII Ascends throne

Mannerism

Designer and Engineers

Artists And Dates

Libon of Elis the 5th century BC architect of ancient Greece, born in Elis. He designed and created Doric Temple of Zeus at Olympia. It is said that his work of the Temple of Zeus inspired the technique and design of partheon.

King Henry VIII is the 12th great granduncle to our current queen, he died on the 28th 1547 of January at Whitehall Palace

which ended his 37 year reign, he was then succeeded by his legitimate son, Edward VI.

Bronzino 1503-1572

Italian born and apprentice to Pontormo, mainly subjected himself to portraits and religious subjects and was known for his great detail within his works such as, Venus, Cupid, Folly and Time.

Portormo 1494-1557

Italian born, most commonly known for being a painter. His work was known for twining poses, coupled and ambiguous figureswho were often floating in uncertain environments, unhampered by the force of gravity. His works are displayed across the world, Visitation and Joseph in Egypt are one of his most famous.

Great Pyramids

Alessandro Allori 1535-1607

Italian born, after his father died he was trained in art by a family friend Agnolo Bronzino often referred to as his uncle. Allori focused on a polished, unnatural, marble form on his subjects when painting he aimed for a cold statuary style with his paintings. His works include, Grand Dutchess Bianca and Christ with Mary and Martha.

Typeface

Fashion, Textiles & Interiors

Italic

The earliest known Egyptian pyramids to date are situated at Saqqara, northwest of Memphis. The earliest pyramids among these is the Pyramid of Djoser, which was constructed in 2630-2611 BC. The 'pyramid' was design by the architect Imhotep, who had the idea of creating a step-like monument to honor pharaohs and give the impression of 'stepping up' to heaven. The most famous Egyptian pyramids are those found in Gaza, they are the largest structures ever built and considered one of the seven wonders of the world.

Designers & Engineers

Event

Egyptian

Printing Press

Death of Tutankhamun

One of the earliest and most iconic movements would be Egyptian (3500 - 539 b.c.) From their amazing infrastructure to their ever progressing civilization the Egyptians paved the way to our society today. Egyptian art was mainly based on after-life, their art was mainly exhibited on the walls of tombs, decorated for the deceased.

He reigned egypt from 1332-1323 and is one of the most well known egyptian pharoahs in history. His tragic death has sparked debates across the world throughout history, many studies have been conducted to determine his cause of death however none have come back conclusive.

His tomb was discovered in 1922 by Howard Carter and George Herbert. His intact tomb received worldwide press and sparked renewed public interest in ancient Egypt.

Artists And Dates

CONTEXTUAL STUDIES

Tutankhamun's mummy

Born 1341 BC

Died 1323 BC

aged 18

Imhotep (27th century) was and egyptian polymath, this means he was a man of many skills, he worked under the Third Dynasty king Djoser as chancellor to the Pharaoh and high priest of the sun god Ra.

Anubis, the Egyptian god associated with mummification and the afterlife. He was depicted as a protector of graves as early as the First Dynasty (c. 3100 - c. 2890 BC) Anubis was also and embalmer and considered the god of funerals. .

Horus, one of the most well known and respected gods within ancient Egypt religion, dating back to (ca. 2400-2300 BC). Horus was known as the god of the sun and kingship.

Typeface

Tempietto

Architecture

Fashion Textiles and Interiors

In ancient Egypt hieroglyphics was the type face used. This typeface dates back to 391 AD, the script was developed about 4000 years before christ.

Small temple known in Italian as Tempietto, designed and built by Donato Bramante. Bramante was an italian architect born in 1444 and later died in 1514, he single handedly introduced Renaissance architecture to Mila and Rome in around 1503. Later on around 1510 he began to create Tempietto, which is known today as a masterpiece of High Renaissance Italian architecture. It was built as a small commemorative tomb, although it was of small scale tomb had rigorous proportions and classical symmetry with its slender tuscan columns and circular building.

Because of the hot climate in ancient Egypt light clothing made from plant fibers, linen and occasionally cotton these options were mostly favored.

Sewing needles have been dated back to around 40,000 years ago.

Designer and Engineer

Event

Early And High

Renaissance

Christopher Columbus

The step pyramid is architectural structure, these were the earliest pyramids recorded in ancient Egypt. During the Third Dynasty the architect Imhotep designed the step pyramid as a tomb for the Pharoah, Djoser.

Artists And Dates

Michealangelo (1475-1564)

Sculptor, Painter, architect and poet.

Michealangelo influence western art and is considered one of the greatest artists of all time. Is also the best documented artist of the 16th century, given the amount of work and sketches that still survive today.

Raphael (1483-1520)

Italian born, Raphael was a painter and an architect. His work was mostly admired for his clarity of form and his ease of composition. He was greatly influenced by his colleges, Da Vinci and Michealangelo. Works include; Baronci altarpiece, Mond Crucifixion and Brera Wedding of the Virgin.

Leonardo Da Vinci (1452-1519)

Italian, born in Vinci, Italy. Da Vinci was classed as a Polymath with a large field of interests from painting to architecture, to science and music. He was also an inventor, credited with inventing the parachute, helicopter and tank. Considered a universal genius and one of the greatest painters of all time. Works include; Mona Lisa, The last Supper and The Vetruvion man.

Typeface

Fashion, Textiles & Interiors

Garamond

Rachel Tobin

Graphic Design Level 3/ Year 2

Sharon Drysdale

An Introduction To Contextual Studies.

The designers and architects of the Early and High Renaissance era rejected the idea of gothic architecture and interiors. They went for a simplistic and more balanced proportions of classicism. Introducing rounded arches and domes to their designed which were usually made from stone to create depth. Renaissance architecture lends itself more to feature classical motifs, for example, Columns within a building, Pilasters, Peniments and Blind Arches. Early and High Renaissance buildings relate to one an other, by looking at their amazing architecture you are able to see the resemblance of each piece by comparing features of that particular building. From the colour, to the shape to the features each piece of amazing architecture from that era has.

Garamond is a name given to many serif typefaces within the 16th century. A man by the name of Claude Garamond, a French artisan born in 1510 and later died in 1561. Garamond worked as an engraver of punches for many years and later went on to creating one of 16th centuries most used fonts. He worked in the tradition which is now called old-style serif letter design, which focuses around relatively organic structure which resembles handwriting with a pen however more upright. The Garamond font has some interesting characteristics which can be recognized, which also separates itself from the rest within this era. The small eye of the 'e' and the bowl of the 'a", the M is slightly splayed whilst the 'x' is lower than the average. Since 2010 many remakes of the Garamond font have been developed, among some of these are Roman regular and versions of adobe Garamond.

Architecture

Designers & Engineers

Van Der Rohe

Nicco Fontana Tartaglia

Nicco was an Italian born mathematician born in 1500 and later dies in 1557. He is known for a variety of different things, engineering and surveyor also comes under the umbrella of his achievements.

He published many books, mainly surrounding the topic of arethmatics and mathematics. Tartaglia major work involves the first translation of the elements into modern language, which was used by scientist, engineers and mathematicians across the globe.

Event

Abstract Expressionism

D-Day

Abstract Expressionism was a movement which came around the 1940's. This movement originated in America and was also known as 'Post-World War II' art movement. Abstract Expressionism was the first American art movement to achieve international influence thus putting New York at the center of the Western art world, this role was normally filled by Paris.

Artists And Dates

Soldiers leaving boat

6th June 1944

Jackson Pollock 1912-1956

A major figure in within the abstract expressionism movement, was mostly known for his dripping paint technique.

4,414 troops who fought for liberation confirmed dead, over 10,000 casualties and around 7,000 ships were accounted for on this day in 1944.

Mark Rothko 1903-1970

American painter of Russian and jewish descent, although Rothko never labeled himself to any movement, his work was always considered Abstract expressionist.

Trevi Fountain

Architecture

Hans Hoffman 1880-1966

German Born, American abstract expressionist who mainly focused his attention to painting. known famous for his paintings of 'The Golden wall and 'Fruit Bowl With Apples.'

Typeface

Fashion, Textiles & Interiors

Jan Van Krimpen

Baroque architecture had a new emphasis on bold, massings, colonnades and domes. Light and shade were huge factors in architecture during this movement. Trevi Fountain situated in Rome, Italy, designed and built in 1762 by Nicola Salvi and then later completed by Pietro Bracei. The iconic fountain stands at 26.3 meters tall and 49.15 meters wide. This is the largest Baroque fountain in the city and ones of the most famous fountains in the world, it has also featured in many films. During the Baroque movement competitions had become the rage, architects and designers would compete against each other in a bid to design the most iconic and creative buildings during this time.

Christian Dior was a French fashion designer, born in 1905 and later died in 1957 due to a heart attack, the reason as to why he had the heart attack is still disclosed. In 1946 Dior was invited by a successful entrepreneur and the richest man in France to design for Philippe et Gaston, this was a fashion house established in 1925. Dior refused this offer as he wished to start a new 'fresh faced' brand of his own. December the 8th 1946, with backing, Dior founded what is now one of the largest fashion houses in the world.

Designers & Engineers

Event

Baroque

Death of William Shakespeare

Philo Taylor Farnsworth

Born in 1564 later died in 1616, William shared his life with Anne Hathaway whom he matter aged 18, together they shared three children Hamnet, Susanna and Judith. He was widely known as the greatest English writer of all time, he was also a poet, play writer and actor. Critics would regard William Shakespear as "Englands national poet and the Barel of Avon".

His life work, including collaborations consists of approximately 38 plays, 154 sonnets and two long narrative poems. All of his work had been translated into every major living language, and preformed more often than any other play writer in history. His death is greatly speculated, after signing his will just a month before he died, he mentioned within his testament of being "in perfect health". Some say he caught a fever, which although isnt impossible, historians still speculate.

Farnsworth was born in 1906 and later died in 1971 of pneumonia. He was an American Inventor and Television pioneer, with over 169 United States and foreign patents. He is credited with the invention of the first fully electric Television and made many contributions towards its publicity. His early life paved his career, in 1921 Farnsworth has already worked out the principle of the image dissector (Television). Just before his 15th birthday he had built a working prototype of his invention, the invention that most of the population use today.

Artists And Dates

Paolo De Matteis (1662-1728)

Italian painter, borin in Cilento. Trained

with Francesco di maria. Matteis travelled and worked across Europe painting relgious themes for churches. Works include; Adoration of the Shepherds, Danae and Assumption of the virgin.

Sir Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640)

Flemish Baroque painter, proponent of Baroque style which means he was passionate about the movement, colour and overall style. Works include; Portrait of young scholar, Fall of Phaeton and Decent from cross.

Architecture

Caravaggio (1571-1610)

Trained in Milan under Simone Peterzano his paintings document his realistic observation of the human state both physical and emotional, with a dramatic use of lighting. Works include; The musicians, The calling of saint Matthew and Saint Jerome.

Typeface

Fashion, Textiles & Interiors

Early 20th century a German towns in Berlin were growing rapidly, and the need for housing was at an all time high. Horse shoe estate was built in 1925 and construction took place up until 1933, the estate is internationally known as a milestone for modern housing. Designed by architect Bruno Taut, the horse shoe estate won many awards for its outlandish design, since 2010 the estate has been listed as a garden monument. It is also regarded as the most outstanding example of innovative German town planning during the 1920's.

Calson

Mantua

This new style arose in the 1680's, instead of two separate pieces, mantua was full garment which hung from the shoulders down to the floor. Gradually developed into a draped and pleated dress and eventually evolved into a dress worn looped and draped. The design of the dress changed over time, its neckline became more square, contrast to the broad neckline before it. This dress was designed for the modest and to show off beautiful materials in which it was made with. Satins and Silks were commonly used for this design, and over a century and a half this dress design was the garment to be seen in. Evolving so much the dress become more extravagant with pleats, bows, ruffles and frills.

Caslon type was part of a group of serif typefaces designed by William Caslon who was born in 1692 and later dies in 1766. William was a London based engraver of punches who worked in the tradition of what is now considered old-style serif. Calson font was influenced by the imported Dutch Baroque typefaces that were popular in that time.

Event

Dada and

Surrealism

World War 1

Designers & Engineers

Isaac Newton

Architecture

The Crystal Palace

Artists And Dates

Isaac Newton was born in 1942 and later died in 1726. Newton studied at Cambridge university after taking great interest in Galileo and his discoveries, this was the starting point of one of the most influential and intelligent physicists in history. Beginning of 1668 Newton began designing a telescope using mirrors to reflect objects so they appear bigger. The reflective telescope consisted of a concave primary mirror and a flat diagonal secondary mirror. Alloy (speculum) of tin and copper as the most suitable material to create the mirror, the telescope consisted of a spherical shape apposed to parabola, this was to simplify construction and usability. Newton invented the telescope because he suspected it would prove his theory that white light is composed of a spectrum of colours. Although this was the earliest known functioning telescope Newton was not the first to come up with the idea of using mirrors to reflect an object. Galileo Galilei and Giovanni has also thought of this idea previously.

Salvador Dali (1904-1989)

Spanish born. Master in, painting, photography, sculpture, writing and film. Work includes; The Persistence of Memory, Swans Reflecting Elephants and many more

Constructed in 1851 by Sir Joseph Paxton, the palace stood at 1,851 foot long and 128 foot high (990,000 squared feet). This magnificent building was made of cast iron and glass, originally situated in Hyde Park, London. In 1848 this monumental building was erected by Cast plate glass this drove production of large sheets of cheap but strong glass into the perfect design for Crystal Palace. It was regarded as one of the greatest areas of glass ever seen, the walls were transparent as were the ceilings, this building did not require interior lighting. Crystal Palace took 2 million pounds to design and build, however in 1936 it was tragically destroyed by a fire.

Man Ray (1890-1976)

Focused mainly on the field of photography. American born. Works include; Le Retour a La Raison, Emak-Bakia and The Starfish.

Architecture

N.Y World Building

Event

Max Ernst (1891-1976)

German born, worked in the fields of painting, sculpture and poetry. Was a pioneer of the Dada movement.

Typeface

Impressionism

Death of Abraham Lincoln

Fashion, Textiles & Interiors

Rudolf Koch

Construction of the N.Y world building began in 1889-1890 under the watchful eye of architect George B. Post, it was situated 53-63 Park Row. Park Row was a well known area in which newspaper companies would build their offices and many of the high rise buildings belonged to them. Very quickly a race began on who could build and own the tallest building in Park Row, the N.Y world building, sometimes referred to as the Pulitzer building (after the newspapers owner Joseph Pulitzer) won this race and held its title for five years. The building stood at 20 stories high (284 foot) and was the cities first building to surpass such great height. The world building was demolished in 1955 for the expanded car ramp entrance to the Brooklyn Bridge.

Candace Wheeler

Artists And Dates

Candace Wheeler was an American born Interior designer. Born in 1827 she lived a very happy childhood but often accused her father for being a hundred hears behind. This lead to her can do attitude within the industry. Wheeler was the first woman to make it within interior design, she helped encourage a new style and was ofter credited as the 'mother' of interior design. Candace helped open a new window of opportunity for women in the interior design industry, and making decorative art affordable.

Rudolf Koch born in 1876 and later died in 1934. Koch was a German type designer, a master of lettering, calligraphy, typography and illustration. His most commonly used type faces are Neuland which was designed in 1923 and Kubel which was designed in 1927.

Event

Designers & Engineers

Post

Impressionism

Claude Monet (1840-1926)

A French born artist, Monet is considered one of the most consistent artists of this movement, his composition and attention to detail became greatly recognized. His works include; Impressionism, Water lilies, Haystacks, Poplars and many more.

Robert Peary

John Von Neumann

Pierre Auguste Renoir (1841-1919)

Known for his talent and love of painting, Pierre was a french born artist who established his work on feminine beauty and sensuality. He is known for his vibrant light within his paintings and saturated colours, he focused on intimate situations. Works include; Two sisters, Girl at the piano, Girl braiding hair and many more.

This movement began around 1885, it was a reaction against impressionism and its depiction of natural light and colour. This new movement had a broad emphasis on abstract qualities and broke the boundaries of its predecessor Impressionism. Many artists were not happy with the way the art world was moving forward with Impressionism and its lack of form within the subject therefore Post Impressionism was given its name by an art critic Roger Fry in 1910. Post Impressionism was rejecting the Impressionists limitations.

Robert Peary born in 1856- 1920 was an American geographic. He was credited with being the first person to reach the north pole on April the 6th 1909. He finished college with a civil engineering degree and went on to work at Washington DC. Later on in life he joined the US Navy, which is where he gained the skills he would later use on his expedition to the North Pole. A competing claim was made by Frederick Cook who said he had reached the North Pole a year earlier, this was debated widely in newspapers in 1913. However modern day historians believe that Cook did not reach the pole, based on the evaluations of Pearys records.

Artists And Dates

John Von Nuemann born in 1903 and later died in 1957. He was a Hungarian born mathmatition, physicist, inventor and computer scientist. He made many contributions to a number of fields. He was a founding figure in computing, he later developed an interest in nuclear weapons which began in the late 1930's. His area of interest focused mainly around explosives. His principle contribution to the atomic bomb was in the design concept of the explosive lenses.

Edgar Degas (1834-1917)

A French born artist who focused on the studies of painting, sculpture and drawing. Edgar identified greatly with the study of dance, most his work is painted around that subject. He is regarded as one of the founders of impressionism, although he rejected the term and preferred to be called a realist. Works Include; The Bellelli family, A Cotton Office, The Dance Class, Dancers and several more.

Typeface

Paul Cezanne (1839-1906)

A French artist who laid the foundations of the transition from 19th century conception of art to the new and radically different 20th century art world, works include; Femme au Chapeau Vert, Les joueurs de cartes, The Artist's Father, Reading "L'Événement" and may more.

Fashion, Textiles & Interiors

Slab Serif

Georges Seurat (1859-1891)

A French painter who was noted for his innovative use of drawing such as chromoluminarism and pointillism, works include; Circus side show, The suburbs, View of fort samson and others.

Corsets, bonnets, top hats, bostles and petticoats were the most fashionable garments within this movement. The female fashion was dominated by full skirts which would be commonly bell shaped. Short frilled sleeves were worn during the evening, creating a classy and extravagant look, whilst long sleeves were worn during the day for a modest look. Woman's fashion didn't change all too much, however men's fashion took a turn within the 19th century. A radical change took part when it came to mens fashion, long tails were still common however the front of the coat would be considerably shorter, quilted shoulders and a square waist would be a common design to improve the fit of the coat. Later on in the 19th century long trousers were adopted as appose to the breaches, these were only worn at court. The tall hat developed into a top hat and could be worn during the day or to an event at night.

In the 19th century the Slab Serif became very popular. It is characterized by being a lot thicker than the original serif. Rockwell is a form of slab serif which has a geometric design with minimal variation in stroke and width. Slab serif also has a display orientated serif, which is often extremely bold and is intended to grab the readers attention, usually seen on advertisements such as posters.

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864-1901)

French Painter, print maker and illustrator, in 2005 his early painting of a young laundress sold for 22.4 million, this set a new record within the art world.

Fashion, Textiles & Interiors

Typeface

Alessandro Volta

Alessandro Volta was an Italian born Inventor, Physicist, Chemist and a Pioneer of Electricity and Power. Born in 1745, Volta is credited with inventing the first electrical battery and the discovery of Methane. Volta proved that electricity can be generated chemically, this contradicted other theories. The early battery was the first to contain electrochemical cells and is made of two main components (electrodes) Zinc and Copper. Volta held the chair of experimental physics at the university of Pavia for nearly 40 years and was widely idolized by his students. Despite his great success and numerous awards, Volta was a very domesticated individual and during his later years became very secluded especially nearing his death when he became very ill, he later died in 1827.

1900-1909, this decade marked the flowering of Parisian Haute Couture. New styles featured slim form-fitting gowns with high or undefined waists. The length of these garments would brush the ankle and the jackets would be long and tunic-like. Vogue played a large part in western fashion and described the new look as, "straighter and straighter ... less bust, less hips, and more waist...how slim, how graceful, how elegant...!"

Designers & Engineers

Thomas Edison born in 1847-1931 was an American inventor and businessman. He developed devices which greately influenced the world as we know it. He invented the Phonograph, the motion picture camera and the long-lasting practical light bulb. Although he was not the first to invent the light bulb, he was however the first to create a mass production on such a large scale to produce the process of invention. He was a prolific inventor holding 1,093 patents in this name, all over the world.