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Some artists seek to create a beautiful
object, others use art to reveal something
about the world. In the past, art also served
a religious, or magical, or mystical purpose.
Styles of art vary widely, and artists from
different cultures have shown the human
form in many different ways.Art
The first art This carving of
a pregnant woman, found in
Austria, was made 25,000 years
ago. Her hair is shown in detail,
yet she has no facial features.Tomb art Egyptian painters showed
each part of the body from its most
distinctive angle. Heads and limbs
were viewed from the sides, with
eyes and torsos shown from the front.Indian art This painting, made in
1770, is not a realistic image, but
follows set rules. The athletes’
heads are shown in profile
while their chests face out.Self-portrait Dutch artist
Rembrandt van Rijn (1606–69)
painted 60 self-portraits to
experiment with techniques
and to document his life.Royal portrait German artist,
Hans Holbein, was court painter
to Henry VIII of England. His 1539
portrait of Henry’s son, Edward,
shows the clothing in great detail.Mona Lisa With her mysterious
half-smile, this is the world’s
most famous work of art. It
was painted in 1503–7 by
Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci.Self-image Mexican artist,
Frida Kahlo (1907–54)
painted self-portraits using
scenes drawn from fantasy.Art Deco Polish artist Tamara de
Lempicka (1898–1980) belonged
to the Art Deco movement, which
saw art as purely decorative.New forms Spanish artist
Pablo Picasso (1881–1973) took
the human form apart and
reassembled it in startling ways.Emotion art In The Scream (1893),
Norwegian Edvard Munch aimed
to express emotion rather than
depict a real scene.254_255_Artitsts.indd 254 03/01/19 12:11 PM