Art is an integral part of our living. It depicts who we are and what we believe in. It also depicts the path we are on and the progress we have made. How? I will show you using a fascinating part of art history– Egyptian Art.

1. Art was a way to show what they believed in just like in ancient Egypt. In ancient Egypt, art was not created for appreciation but to benefit a divine or deceased person. Art was used to show that the king was a god. The earliest work of art called 'Palette of Narmer' was created around 5000 years ago for the first king of the first dynasty. It depicted Narmer's victories. Also, there was the use of paintings to enable a pleasant life for a dead person. Pyramids were also, designed to serve as a gigantic stairway by which the soul of the deceased pharaoh could ascend to the heavens.
2. Art also showed the value of change. It started with reliefs and the use of no perspective. Two dimensional reliefs on stones and slates, wall paintings and sculptures were also created. In the 4th dynasty, wall paintings of daily living, birds and plants were created due to their belief of 'life after death'. Most exciting of all was that pyramids were built. Ancient Egyptian architects used sun-dried and kiln-baked bricks, fine sandstone, limestone and granite to build the pyramids. They carefully planned all their work and fit the stones precisely together, since there was no mud or mortar.

Everything has an history.

A past that has helped to mold it to what it is now. A past that encourages us to know more and to do more. So is it with art. From Europe to Asia to America to Africa to Australia.

From Stone Age(cave paintings, fertility goddesses and megalithic structures) to Metal Age to Mesopotamian Art(warrior art and narration in stone relief) to Egyptian Art(pyramids and tomb painting) to Greek Art(Greek idealism) to Roman Art(Roman realism).

From Medieval Art(Early Christian art, Byzantine art, Anglo-Saxon art, Viking art, Ottonian art, Romanesque art, Gothic art and Islamic art) to Renaissance Art(rebirth of classical culture) to Baroque Art(art as a weapon in religious wars) to Neoclassicalism(art that recaptures Greco-Roman grace and grandeur) to Romantic Art(the triumph of imagination and individuality) to Academic Art to Realism(celebrating working class and peasants) to Impressionism(capturing fleeting effects of natural light) to Post-Impressionism(a soft revolt against Impressionism) to Fauvism and Expressionism(harsh colors and flat surfaces, emotion distorting form) to Cubism to Dadaism to Surrealism and then, Contemporary Art.

The use of stone, wood, bone, clay, Amber, copper, bronze, iron, brick, lintel, arc, concrete, gold, tree barks and many others. Art seemed to have explored every continent, technique and material you could ever imagine. It will, however, surprise you to know that people are still inventing newer ways to express themselves.

From the use of acrylic to charcoal to food and everyday items. This only proves the uniqueness of art and how art represents different things in our lives. So whether in its history, present or future, one thing stands unchanged. That although art, as defined in the dictionary, is expressing and applying creative skill and imagination appreciated for its beauty or emotional power. It is mainly what it means to you.

So tell me, what does art mean to you?