art history

There is a raging debate over the fact that whether history is an art or science.
History as an Art:
Those who believe that history is an art advocate the following opinion :—
1) According to Rickman, “History deals with sequence of events, each of them unique while science is concerned with the routine appearance of things and aims at generation and the establishment of regularities, governed by laws.”
2) Colingwood says, “Events of history are the things which the historian looks, not at, but through, to discern the thought within.”
3) Some scholars are of the view that history is neither pure science nor pure art. In other words, a blending of the two. When it discovers facts it is a science and when it settles truths, it becomes an art.
4) Some of the people went to the view that history is a part of literature.
5) Historical data are not available for scientific observation and experiment.
6) History is an art only. It cannot be called science. It is not based upon certain concepts and ideologies.
7) Of course, history is a social science, which contacts with human life and actions.
8) In history, we have a set of the data. It is fully analysed and classified.
History is a science:—
From the following points we can define history as a science.
1) History aims at discovering facts of the past events and interprets them objectively.
2) History uses various traits of enquiry such as observation, classification, formulation of hypothesis and explanation of evidence before reconstructing the past.
3) History follows the trends of enquiry to find out.
4) History seeks to tell the fact by giving a scientific method, hence, it is a science.
5) Is history a science as physics or chemistry or biology are? It is of course a negative question. History is a social science. It deals only with the experiences of human beings and human civilizations.
6) Historical facts cannot be observed.
Then, what is history?
1) History is a unique subject possessing the potentials of both an art and a science.
2) Secondly, history is neither pure science nor art, hence, it is two sides of the same coin.
3) Thirdly, history of course is a social science and an art. In that condition history shows its flexibility and variety.
4) Fourthly, history is a subject of study is less or more completely at the mercy of sources.
5) Fifthly, history is a natural science.

To write Art history term paper you need to have some specialized knowledge. Unless you are a born artist or a professional art critic (either born or made), you will not be able to write a convincing art history term paper. The subject is not like writing essays on topics like, “A visit to the zoo’ or ‘My favorite cold drink!’ Here the challenge is, some noble soul has created, let us say for example, a painting! You need to understand the emotions of the artist first, and if you don’t understand take your friend, guide and philosopher in the field of art and discuss the intricacies of the painting threadbare! You must be able to narrate in your art history term paper, the silence that has been captured by the artist, in the 24” x 36” miracle hanging in front of you teasing your brainwaves. You instantly wish to record in black and white, your inspirations at the first glance of it, but you don’t know how to do that!

Art history term paper requires some special skill; otherwise your position will be just like an inexperienced lover! You have met your eve, you know she is willing, but you don’t know proper words to express your love! “Silence is the sweetest sound on Earth,” said Mr. Boris Pasternak, the noble prize winning author from Russia. Silence is golden, okay, but speech is also silver. To describe a piece of art, to write an art history term paper, you need to develop a special vocabulary, as applicable to the world of art. Just as a chef has mastered the vocabulary related to his great kitchen, you can describe art, through the words related to art only.

Once you understand what you see, you need to translate it into words, in your art history term paper, Art discipline is no ordinary discipline. A small stroke may mean so many things in a painting. The terms and concepts and putting them in your verbal format requires lots of skill. It is better that you draft glossaries of the words related to art and master them thoroughly, with their one or more meanings. This will be a handy tool for many of your voyages through the world of art.

The second most important aspect of the art history term paper is that you need to develop an argument about the object that you see, may be a building, sculpture or a painting. To develop an argument you need to suitably present both the plus and minus aspects of the object. This is not possible without your making specialized and intensive studies of books and guides on the history and current trends in art. There are hundreds of books on the subject, but to begin with, you can go through the book of Sylvan Barnet, ‘A Short Guide to Writing about Art.’

Keep a pad and pencil always with you. All art lovers and artists are strange people. You may get strange ideas for your art history term paper at the most unsuspected moment. Record them immediately, because the ideas once forgotten may not flash again in the curtain of your mind.

Art deco has been popular since the 1920s. Its popularity declined after the Great Depression but has recently begun a rebirth. This style works well in both offices and homes.

The profession of interior design has a tradition that goes back many years. The tradition of the profession has included both office buildings and private homes where various principles of design were utilized in order to give the rooms a look that boasted of beauty as well as art. When you embark upon redesigning any interior area, it's pertinent to decide the style you plan to incorporate in your plans before you even begin. Art Deco is among the design concepts that have been in use for several decades.

History of Art Deco

Originally, this style was used specifically as a decorative style during the 1920s and 1930s. At that time in history, it was considered not only functional but elegant and ultra modern as well. This style is eclectric in nature and pulls its ideas from many different areas of influence. A few are considered archaic while others are derived from streamlined technology such as aviation. Because of its binding with other techniques that have roots in Cubism as well as Futurism, art deco includes a wide variety of functionality in addition to articulacy. An interior decorator that uses this style is free to incorporate many different ideas within the internal area of your home's space.

The materials that you use for this design scheme includes stainless steel, inlaid wood, and even sharkskin or zebra skin. When the machine age arrived, harder and more metallic materials joined the list of art deco materials. Art deco accomplishes this through repetition and symmetry. Art deco did well during the depression because it was both practical and simple.

Modern Rebirth

The popularity of the art deco decorating style declined not long after the Great Depression, but recently it has begun to experience a renewed vitality by interested home dwellers, and you should indeed feel free to use this style of design whenever you want. If you're looking for classic retro styling, you definitely want to think about art deco. You can see numerous examples of this style of design in buildings including one of the tallest buildings in New York finished in 1931. Although many of the skyscrapers that used art deco have been demolished, they are still able to show you an excellent portrayal of the majesty of art deco.

Using Art Deco

Art deco makes use of strong and sharp angles within each application. The design style of art deco includes groves of thick metal that are then laid within heavy concrete as well as foundations that are full-bodied. If you use it within your home or business, you want to include not just the walls but also the inclusion of art deco furnishings as well. Because its influences include both the Aztecs and Egyptians, you will experience a pyramidal feeling when you visit many buildings that include art deco. A gradual form reduction may give an impression that boasts of vigor and stamina, thus the reason art deco survived when the depression was in existence. It is still capable of having that impact today.

Mosaic art is an ancient art form, going back over 4000 years. It has experienced many changes, though the technique has remained the same. Today, mosaic art has replaced other types of art for consumers and businesses.

Certain parameters are in existence for the purpose of judging the quality as well as the worth of both animate and inanimate objects. For example, a good person should possess both morality and ethics, and a high-quality book should provide beneficial information, be easy to comprehend and well-written. Likewise, any building, including a house, and workplace is judged based upon its visual appearance as well as the construction material's quality.

Using Mosaic Art to Decorate

In addition to using brightly colored paints in varied color combination and marble floors and tiles, there is another idea that will great enhance the appearance of any room—installing mosaic art. With mosaic art, you intermix different colors of stone, glass, and other items in order to form pictures or patterns.

History of Mosaic Art

Mosaic has been in existence since ancient times. It began many centuries ago. In the 3rd and 4th century BC, the Mesopotamians developed a type of mosaic art using baked clay formed into thin cones whose ends were painted in different colors. In a similar fashion, Greeks used pebbles made into a mosaic fashion to decorate their floors while Macedonians decorated buildings and other structures with mosaics made of polychrome pebble. More than the ingredients were varied—the images created were even different among the various civilizations. For example, in 300 and 500 BC, Christian mosaic usually depicted scenes of hunting, depictions of birds, and scenes of animals while 7th Islamic mosaics of the 7th century were usually pictures or scenes of flowers. The technique employed to create mosaic artwork has remained the same over the centuries, though the art itself has experienced a number of changes and been greatly refined.

Mosaic Art Industry

Phoenician Arts is a third generation mosaic arts company whose name is well known in the industry. Thanks to the efforts of this company, there is a new depth to this ancient art form. Phoenician Arts produces hand-made mosaic designs that they carve from genuine marble and other varieties of stones in the semi-precious category. They have also managed to revive and reproduce traditional Greek, Roman, and Byzantine elite mosaics. The Phoenician Arts' mosaics are excellent paradigms of life during primitive as well as contemporary times. It is little wonder that mosaic art has replaced most other forms of art that are in existence today. Currently mosaics are more requested than any other way to augment the visual quality of any place or building.

Phoenician Arts creates mosaic arts for different themes including medallions, pictures of animals, figures and scenes, themes from the kitchen, religious themes, geometric figures, and much more, most of which are used to decorate the indoors and outdoors. In a house and workplace, you can install mosaics in dining areas, living room floor area, above the fireplace, in and archway, and much more. Outdoor mosaics uses include mosaic tables, pools, gardens, and building and home entrances.

Vietnam is a vibrant, tropical country located in the heart of Southeast Asia. This small strip of land shaped like S and lying on the eastern part of the Indo-Chinese peninsula, has been a witness to decades of wars and political isolation. Apart from widespread destruction of agriculture, urban and rural infrastructure as well as industries, erstwhile wars and their aftermath have also affected the art and cultural activities of the Vietnamese people to a very large extent. Until recently, Vietnamese artists were virtually unknown outside the country. A majority of Vietnam s artists were unknown within Vietnam as well.

Vietnamese art has had a rather long history. The Vietnamese people have their origin in the Mongoloid race, which is scattered throughout northern and eastern Asia. Since ancient times, the Vietnamese have had a strong inclination for arts and culture. Painting and sculpture in Vietnam were under the influence of French Modernism and Soviet Socialist Realism for almost a hundred years. Historical influences came from Chinese painting and printmaking along with the Vietnamese painter-poet tradition of landscape and figurative genre painting. Vietnam has longstanding folk traditions. Techniques and styles are often handed down within families from generation to generation in this country.

The first flourishing of Vietnamese art occurred with the emergence of the Dongson culture on the coast of Annam and Tonkin between 500 and 200 BC. The form of bronze architecture and art prevalent at that time was inspired by contemporary Chinese bronze art. The decorative motifs have clear affinities with earlier Chinese bronzes. The exceptional skill of production and decoration in Vietnamese art argues that these pieces represent among the first and finest of Southeast Asian works of art. This is most evident in the huge and glorious bronze drums that can be seen in museums in both Hanoi and Saigon. If there was ever a 'golden' period of the Vietnamese art and architecture, it was that of the former central Vietnamese kingdom of Champa, centered on the Annamite coast. It flowered in the 10th and 11th centuries.

The strong theme of heroism and the long struggle for freedom and independence has invariably crept into Vietnamese art and culture. Moreover, the Vietnam War and its experience in general have helped forge a link among the general mass, soldiers and art and history. The War and its impact on those who participated on either side are brought to the immediate grasp of the public, as they become true first-hand witnesses to the war experience. The artwork and artifacts that a make-up perfect exhibit that provides the opportunity for the mass to physically and personally experience the past.

Artists in Vietnam have had more restricted opportunities for showing new aesthetic tendencies or socially critical art than in most other countries. Re-emerging after decades of turmoil, the country has been busy rebuilding the damage from decades of war, surviving on aid from foreign nations. The Renovation literary movement in Vietnam, which began in 1986, has reached its peak and has not concluded yet. Lacquer practice has held a major role throughout the history of Vietnamese Art and particularly so, in 20th Century Vietnam, when a new approach, through color and form, was employed to develop this ancestral technique in order to promote it as an aesthete that is unique to Vietnam.

The new culture of Contemporary art has seen tremendous growth in recent years, and continues to thrill with bold, intriguing works of art. Dazzling in fluorescent hues of citrus, ruby, azure and violet, some of the renditions of beauty are characterized by nuances of spring, the season of love. Women, as the artist s favored theme, often become the central focus. Contemporary Vietnam artists have thus succeeded in breathing a new lease of life to Vietnamese art that will go a long way in keeping the interests of art connoisseurs alive.

Art theft is an ancient and complicated crime. When you look at the some of the most famous cases of art thefts in history, you see thoroughly planned operations that involve art dealers, art fakers, mobsters, ransoms, and millions of dollars. Here you can read about some of the most famous cases of art theft in the history.

The First Theft:

The first documented case of art theft was in 1473, when two panels of altarpiece of the Last Judgment by the Dutch painter Hans Memling were stolen. While the triptych was being transported by ship from the Netherlands to Florence, the ship was attacked by pirates who took it to the Gdansk cathedral in Poland. Nowadays, the piece is shown at the National Museum in Gdansk where it was recently moved from the Basilica of the Assumption.

The Most Famous Theft:

The most famous story of art theft involves one of the most famous paintings in the world and one of the most famous artists in history as a suspect. In the night of August 21, 1911, the Mona Lisa was stolen out of the Louver. Soon after, Pablo Picasso was arrested and questioned by the police, but was released quickly.

It took about two years until the mystery was solved by the Parisian police. It turned out that the 30×21 inch painting was taken by one of the museum employees by the name of Vincenzo Peruggia, who simply carried it hidden under his coat. Nevertheless, Peruggia did not work alone. The crime was carefully conducted by a notorious con man, Eduardo de Valfierno, who was sent by an art faker who intended to make copies and sell them as if they were the original painting.

While Yves Chaudron, the art faker, was busy creating copies for the famous masterpiece, Mona Lisa was still hidden at Peruggias apartment. After two years in which Peruggia did not hear from Chaudron, he tried to make the best out of his stolen good. Eventually, Peruggia was caught by the police while trying to sell the painting to an art dealer from Florence, Italy. The Mona Lisa was returned to the Louver in 1913.

The Biggest Theft in the USA:

The biggest art theft in United States took place at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. On the night of March 18, 1990, a group of thieves wearing police uniforms broke into the museum and took thirteen paintings whose collective value was estimated at around 300 million dollars. The thieves took two paintings and one print by Rembrandt, and works of Vermeer, Manet, Degas, Govaert Flinck, as well as a French and a Chinese artifact.

As of yet, none of the paintings have been found and the case is still unsolved. According to recent rumors, the FBI are investigating the possibility that the Boston Mob along with French art dealers are connected to the crime.

The Scream:

The painting by Edvard Munchs, The Scream, is probably the most sought after painting by art thieves in history. It has been stolen twice and was only recently recovered. In 1994, during the Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway, The Scream was stolen from an Oslo gallery by two thieves who broke through an open window, set off the alarm and left a note saying: thanks for the poor security.

Three months later, the holders of the painting approached the Norwegian Government with an offer: 1 million dollars ransom for Edvard Munchs The Scream. The Government turned down the offer, but the Norwegian police collaborated with the British Police and the Getty Museum to organize a sting operation that brought back the painting to where it belongs.

Ten years later, The Scream was stolen again from the Munch Museum. This time, the robbers used a gun and took another of Munchs painting with them. While Museum officials waiting for the thieves to request ransom money, rumors claimed that both paintings were burned to conceal evidence. Eventually, the Norwegian police discovered the two paintings on August 31, 2006 but the facts on how they were recovered are not known yet.

There are no culture which does not appreciate beauty of silver has not been touched by the artistic work of silver. It was during Renaissance the silver-smiths hit the heights of its craftsmanship. During the pre-Christian era, silver was higher in worth than gold was, and the Bible mentions silver in several areas as having value and worth. During the Baroque period, the royalty of England prospered in silver from coins to silver crafted cups. The Rococo styles brought out beautiful silver art, as did the Art Nouveau period while at its peak period. Russia has a uniqueness of richness in silver artworks and silver inlays.

There are no culture which does not appreciate beauty of silver has not been touched by the artistic work of silver. Although the exact period that silver had begun to be used, but presence of silver in Egypt dates back to 2500 B.C. These silver decorations were done in stone, resembling to be the first forms of silver-smith. It was during Renaissance the silver-smiths hit the heights of its craftsmanship. This was the time period that silver craftsmanship became more intricate designs.

Silver is a highly versatile metal that has been known to be used in manufacture of coins, large statues art of filigree in fine wires and used in inlay in precious stone, paintings, worked in gems or ivory and even Faberge to create decorative pieces and jewelry for personal adornment. Silver has played many roles throughout every culture and is highly valued even today.

During the colonial era in America, silver-smiths were part of the American history with many notable craftsmen make a niche in working with the silver. During the pre-Christian era, silver was higher in worth than gold was, and the Bible mentions silver in several areas as having value and worth. Apart from Americans, European countries have had their own historic connection with Silver.

During the Baroque period, the royalty of England prospered in silver from coins to silver crafted cups. The Rococo styles brought out beautiful silver art, as did the Art Nouveau period while at its peak period. Russia has a uniqueness of richness in silver artworks and silver inlays. The Jewish religion has an intertwined connection that could be even more special than the Russian silver connection.

Silver Judaica is one of the oldest functioning art forms relating to the first Synagogues of Jerusalem. Silver Judaica can not only be categorized as an art, but as an important religious aspect of Judaism and gains even more significance as time goes by. Every Jewish ceremony has a specific silver item beautifully crafted for one of the many Jewish religious celebrations.

Throughout many of the countries today, silver is now less expensive as compared to gold, but this does not mean that silver is not desired. It retains its own unique place today as it has been in the past. Silver jewelry alone is high in value and continues to be placed in the categories of investments close to the levels of gold and platinum used as investments and as the raw material of most of the artistic mediums.

Pinup, glamour, and 'cheesecake' began to gain popularity in the 1930s. It was a time when the image of a pretty girl flourished. Glamour photography has changed over time as the female form, portrayed in art and photography, became more provocative.

During World War II pin-up pictures of scantily clad movie stars were extremely popular among US servicemen. Whether it was a painted calendar, advertisement, or the photo pinups that the G.I.s pinned on their locker doors,and which later adorned the noses of their bomber planes in WW2.

Famous illustrators like Petty, Rolf Armstrong, and Gil Evgren began creating some of the most memorable, technically exquisite ́Americana` ever produced! Calendars, magazine covers and matchbooks became a personal view into the life of the girl next door.

However, until the 1950s, the use of glamour photography in advertising or men’s magazines was highly controversial or sometimes even illegal. Magazines featuring glamour photography were sometimes marketed as "art magazines" or "health magazines".

Pinup art continued to grow in popularity, and sophistication through the 1950s. Movies were made about Pinup Artists and models, and most actresses of the time were considered pinups first then actresses. Marilyn Monroe was Earl Morans' favorite model before and after she became a movie star! Numerous celebrities posed for pinup and glamour artists.

Playboy was instrumental in changing the world of glamour photography as the first magazine that focused on nude models and was targeted at the mainstream consumer. In December 1953, Hugh Hefner published the first edition of Playboy with Marilyn Monroe on the cover and nude photos of Monroe inside.

Monroe's star status and charming personality helped to diminish the public outcry. When asked what she had on during the photoshoot, she replied "the radio". After Playboy broke through, many magazines followed and this was instrumental in opening the market for the introduction of glamour photography into modern society.

In part two of our four-part discussion with Vinyl Record Day Founder and vinyl businessman Gary Freiberg (http://www.RockArtPictureShow.com & http://www.VinylRecordDay.org), we focus our attention on the history of album cover art.

CDs and computer files fail to give an artist or group a proper canvas in which to display their visual art, to help create an image of who the group is. After all, not everyone buys a record strictly for the music.

“Album cover art historically catered to recognizing some customers will purchase an album just for the cover art,” said Gary Freiberg. “Now this commercial pursuit, perhaps the most creative product packaging there has ever been, has become an American art form with significant social importance.”

“Album cover art is a unique depiction of the evolution of our society,” explained Gary. “Since it was first introduced in 1939-40 it has evolved both in format and subject matter. Initially album covers were drawn illustrations; Alex Steinweiss, the creator of the art form, has a strong European poster influence. Steinweiss covers are among the few that are “signed” by the artist; his name is typically along the right side edge on the front of the album cover he designed. In the fifties technology advancements in photography replaced illustrated covers with head shots and scenes depicting “typical” life at the time, everyone was white, wore a tie or cocktail dress and had perfect children. It was Sgt. Pepper that changed it all graphically, creativity zoomed after that release and compared to what had been, the gloves came off on what was acceptable.”

Freiberg continues, “However; regardless of the graphic method, album cover art has always depicted our social values, racial attitudes, lifestyles, fashion and political views in a way that is only seen in the art form. It reflected who we were, who we were supposed to be, and at times, led who we became.”

Discussing the roots of album cover art Gary Freiberg adds, “When Alex Steinweiss was hired by newly formed Columbia Records to be their art director, he was the first in the industry to create advertising material to promote a company’s musicians. His background was in poster art and was heavily influenced by French and German artists. Steinweiss had a logical idea; he suggested discerning different artists and their music by having art on the paper packaging in place of the plain brown paper packaging that was customary when individual records were first introduced. The brown wrapped records promoted the record company; there was no promotion for the artist or the music other than the hole in the center that allowed reading what the record was. The idea had merit since there were no record stores, records were sold in the back of appliance stores. Steinweiss argued an art cover would make the customer stop, pick up and want to look at the record. Thus a better likelihood they would buy it. One of the first attempts, a record of Beethoven ‘hits’ had an 800% increase in sales.”

“History has shown this was pure genius, not just because it revolutionized the marketing of music, but for the accidental visual recording of a society that dramatically changed in the forty year tenure of album cover art.”

Continuing, Freiberg says, “Steinweiss may have been the catalyst to change the visual representation in album cover art but it was the record companies that brought the social changes into visual form. Several record companies, Specialty Records, who gave Little Richard, Larry Williams and others their break, the Jazz label Bluenote and later Motown, were particularly influential in promoting civil rights when this country was experiencing race relation changes that had been building for years.”

“Like Specialty, Bluenote was distinctive in that they did not hide their black artists on the album cover. It was common, with some exception, for record companies to hide black artists from public view,” said Gary.

“Were they racist or just reflecting society?” Freiberg rhetorically asked. “Having a black artist on the cover was very socially controversial at the time.” He then quickly adds, “But doing so was a reflection of what was happening in society at large and was a part of the puzzle that coalesced into legislation changing racial equality.”

Asked about the influence of the respected Bluenote label, Freiberg explains what made this company revered among record companies.

“They had a very, very unique and cohesive integration; the recording, the pressing and album cover art were all combined to present the product. There leadership was not confined to who they put on the album cover. Designer Reed Miles was the primary graphic artist and he wanted to know the mood and the intent of each one of the records that Bluenote produced. His goal was to then integrate the cover art so that it would reflect and be consistent with the mood of the music. It was a step forward that other companies emulated but perhaps not until Sgt. Pepper accomplished.”

In our next article, we will discuss the Beatles’ majestic and historic Sgt. Pepper album with Gary and why it is so popular and innovative, as well its role in the historic album covers of all time.

After the Second World War there followed a huge transitional period across Europe and the United States. Major reconstruction was the order of the day across Europe and, slowly, an increasing prosperity and abundance was enjoyed by the populous in these territories. It was the dawn of a new era, but it wasn’t until the 1960s that the emerging “consumer” society gave rise to a demand in goods that were simply unobtainable until then.

British pop art can trace its roots back to the mid 1950s. A small independent group comprising notable artists at that time together with critics in the art world put together an exhibition which was held at the Whitechapel Art Gallery in 1956. This exhibition was a focus on the topic of cheap consumer products and the role that they played in modern life. Although it didn’t seem like it then, the exhibition was a major step forward in the art world and a huge departure from what had gone before it. The erstwhile critic, Lawrence Alloway (1926-1992) hailed it as the birth of something new and in 1958 he christened this distinctive style of art as “Pop Art”.

Key figures in the British pop art scene that followed were Richard Hamilton (b. 1922) whose work depicted cars, pin-up models and electric appliances, amongst others. Peter Blake (b. 1932), on the other hand, concentrated on comic strips and pop singers while the magazine collector Eduardo Paolozzi (b. 1924) produced impressive collage prints by recycling and integrating old advertisement material with comic-strip images.

As for the US, during the 1950s the art world was dominated by “Abstract Expressionism”. It was until the early 1960s when art critics and American artists alike began to embrace Pop Art and give this new style of art their own inimitable American “take”. In 1962, an exhibition entitled “New Realists” was held at the Sidney Janis Gallery in New York. This was ground-breaking in America, not least because the exhibition featured work from artists including Andy Warhol (1928-1987), Roy Lichtenstein (1923-1997), Claes Oldenburg (b. 1929), Jim Dine (b. 1935) and James Rosenquist (b. 1933). Of these, Warhol, Lichtenstein and Oldenburg went on to become key figures on the pop art world. Warhol became a household name.

Indeed, Warhol’s fame elevated in 1962 after his “Campbell’s Soup Cans” work was produced and featured in separate works - firstly as individual “cans” and then the same cans aligned in immaculate rows. Marilyn Monroe and Jackie Kennedy, possibly the biggest 60s female icons at the time, were also given the “Warhol treatment” in which he silk screened their images, altered the colours and reproduced them in repeated patterns.

Roy Lichtenstein was very much a “comic-strip” artist and produced masses of works using imagery from comics. Starting out in 1960, he painted vastly-inflated images of comic-strip frames formed from the dots of colour newsprint. During the same year, Oldenburg set about carving his own niche in the pop art world, creating large, painted plaster sculptures of sandwiches and cakes ! These were soon followed by huge plastic appliances that were softened to allow them to give a distinctive “droop”. All of it was designed explore the nature of “consumer culture” that was sweeping the nations on both sides of the Atlantic.

With mass consumer commercialism on the rise at an alarming pace (and seemingly with no end in sight) “Pop Art” remains very much alive and is perhaps even more poignant and thought-provoking today as it was even in the mid twentieth century.

There are millions of people all across the world who practice martial arts. Some are masters of the arts while others are first-time students, but one thing that all martial arts pupils share is a respect for its history. This is because they respect how spiritual and sacred all forms of martial arts are.

The history of martial arts goes back thousands of years. Its history is one that is full of various different martial art styles and techniques, one in particular being Tai Chi Chuan.

One of The Oldest - Tai Chi Chuan

Better known in its short forms, Tai Chi, or Chinese boxing, it is one of the most ancient, historical, and distinctive Chinese forms of martial arts. This art focuses on the importance of breathing techniques and non-aggressive self defense techniques. Its masters can effortlessly fend off attackers by using graceful movements that redirect the energy or force of the attacker. But be aware it takes years to master just the breathing techniques of Tai Chi.

Tai Chi is specifically designed to provide relaxation in the process of body conditioning exercise, which teaches its students the mental power and peace of meditation. This is why Tai Chi differs so greatly from so many of the other martial art forms.

Any history lesson in martial arts needs to include Tai Chi because it was one of the very first art forms to be accepted and practiced worldwide. It closely resembles kung fu in that it may be used with or without weapons.

Kung Fu

When talking about the history of martial arts one can also not forget kung fu, a martial art that focuses on exercise and a spiritual transcending. The various different movements that are employed in this martial art form are mostly imitations of the fighting styles of animals, and have such names as:
* Dragon
* Horse
* Snake

Kung Fu is spectacular to watch in action. If you ever get a chance go watch a sparring tournament.

Karate is another of the martial art forms that needs to be included in the history of self-defense arts, and karate can be considered as a form of self defense, a form of physical fitness, or even a way of life. It is one of the most commonly practiced self defense tactics in the world, and there are basically three main components that are included in typical karate training, which are:
* Kihon
* Kata
* Kumite

Karate classes can be great for kids and adults alike who are interested in getting in shape, learning discipline and respect. If you have that competitive edge you can also enter sparring tournaments to test your skill against other karate students.

Regardless of which particular martial art form you are interested in practicing, the most important thing is that you understand the history behind martial arts in general, so that you can truly understand and respect the dynamics of the many ancient forms of martial arts. It will also give you an idea as to which art you would like to pursue next and why.