Getting an Art History Crash Course in Your Wildwood Apartment

Have you ever gone to a museum and you weren’t quite sure what you were looking at? While it’s a wonderful experience to look at works of art and simply enjoy them for what they are, it can also be gratifying to know the background of the piece, such as the artist, the period in which it was created, and what social trends the piece might be reflecting.

Unfortunately, art history isn’t an exact science, nor is it a simple discipline. Professional art historians spend years in school receiving training in very specific areas of art. To help you get started, here’s a quick overview of the general categories that art history covers:

• Prehistoric art – preliterate art, like rock sculptures, cave paintings, and metalwork
• Ancient art  – art of ancient cultures like China, India, Greece, Rome, and Egypt
• Western art – works after the Roman Empire spread across Europe, Africa, and the Middle East
• Medieval art – 5th through the 15th centuries; includes movements like Gothic and Byzantine art
• The Renaissance – 14th through the 17th centuries; period during which artists like Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo emerged

And of course, numerous artistic periods followed the Renaissance, like Baroque, Romanticism, and Contemporary art, just to name a few. Not sure where to begin? Your best bet is to simply choose an artist or a work of art that you’ve always loved and learn all you can about that period, artistic trends, social influences, and the artist’s contemporaries. You can then branch out and study preceding or succeeding periods of art.

For more information about various topics you can learn about while living at PepperTree Apartment Homes, feel free to browse our complete list of community articles on this website. If you have additional questions about your Wildwood apartment, floor plans, apartment features, or community amenities, you can contact our leasing office and our friendly staff will help you.