Styles & Periods

• Artists
• Styles & Periods
• Associations
• Glossary
• Projects
• Purchase Guides

Near Eastern Art

Where nomadic artists of the Paleolithic periods invented representation in the form of fertility figures and animal paintings, the Sumerians codified these symbols into the nature gods who served as organizing principles for their society. Predating the Egyptian pyramids, Mesopotamian temples are characterized by ziggurats (stepped platforms with sloped ramps). Many of the roots of Western civilization sprang up from the fertile river valley of the fourth millennium B.C.E. in Mesopotamia. The ancient Sumerians used the wheel and the plow, developed the earliest known script, and may well have developed the world's first formal religion; their imprint on our artistic traditions, and the imprint of the Assyrians and Persians, is no less profound. In Sumerian statuary, exaggerated eyes suggest awe of the divine, and humans are typically depicted with hands folded in prayer or holding goblets used in rituals. While the composite, rather than optical, approach continued to be the traditional mode, Babylonian artists experimented with techniques, such as foreshortening and tiered landscaping. Animals are composite as well; Lamassu, the winged human-headed bull, is one such example. In the art of the Hittites, Elamites, and Assyrians, as well as the Sumerians and Babylonians, art serves in a narrative capacity, often to catalogue in great detail the exploits of the leaders of this politically turbulent area.

Feeling inspired? Try out these fine products…

At Least 29% Off Watercolor Pencil Sets in Tins by Derwent Consistent color & great versatility	Up to 38% Off Kozo Sketch Pad by Yasutomo Unique paper for sumi-e and watercolor	Up to 28% Off Compendium of Acrylic Painting Techniques by Search Press 300 tips, techniques and trade secrets
From $22.36 Field Guide to Color by Roost Books An interactive workbook for understanding how color works.	From $7.19 Kimberly Graphite Drawing Kit #25 by General's Drawing pencils for every Art Form	At Least 44% Off Peggy Harris Decorative Painting Brush Sets by Silver Brush Paint your own kingdom