Good day to all those who are interested in each aspect of art: be it painting, sculpture, music or literature. The rest shouldn’t get sick either.
Today I will take you through the halls of my museum and show you exactly how painting is presented in games and how it inspires developers to create similar works.
On the occasion of the opening, we have a free day, so no tickets are required
Never outdated Ancient Greece
The first halls we walk through take us back to antiquity. The halls of ancient Egypt and the East are closed for reconstruction, but we have the opportunity to walk through ancient Greece.
Painting on canvas in Greece arose quite late, unlike, for example, sculptures. But this does not mean that the Greeks did not draw at all; on the contrary, they decorated with their creations not only vases, but also the walls of houses, palaces and temples. They painted the drawings with mixed paint using wet plaster. When someone talks about antiquity, an ignorant person usually imagines the absence of colors, because most of the surviving sculptures are white. However, this is a misconception, because the Greeks loved colors. Almost all of their statues were colored, houses, palaces, temples and also paintings on the walls of buildings.
The Greeks painted a lot of things, from patterns to mythological subjects. But, of course, preferences were given to people. They tried not just to say that this is a person, but to show his ideal. For this reason, he always looked in great physical shape and was handsome. From ancient Greece, the idealization and aestheticization of people went further through the eras.
Here, for example, are beautiful maidens in Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey
But men are in excellent physical shape
Despite the beauty of man, the drawings of the Greeks were flat. To give their paintings life and volume, they add thick lines to the folds of clothing, which begin to resemble shadows. True, working with shadows did not go beyond clothing or equipment for the time being. People themselves were noticed somewhere in the 5th century, which is strange, given the love of ancient Greece for people. Now the athletic form of men and their beauty stands out with darker stripes. The volume and shape of the human body is set.
Shadows that show not only the ideal of a person, but also his faithful steed
And here are athletic kids frolicking with animals
Ordinary subjects in Greek paintings are not so remarkable as to warrant attention to them now. Let’s take a better look at how people illustrated myths.
The first such plot that any Greek can stumble upon is the legend of the defeated Typhon.
What is it about?
According to one version, Typhon appeared as a result of the union of Gaia and Tartarus himself. She was so angry with Zeus that she decided to give birth to something so terrifying and strong that a monster was born, which they called Typhon.
According to another version, it appeared as a result of the split of the earth. Zeus’s wife, Hera, was very angry because of the birth of Athena, which occurred without any participation of her wife. Hera stamped her foot on the ground in rage and a terrible dragon entered the world.
In any case, Typhon appeared, and with him came a threat to all living things.
He looked truly frightening: half man, half dragon of incredible size. Typhon was so big that he could touch the sunrise with one hand and the sunset with the other.
And this monster came out to destroy what Zeus ruled.
Of course, you have to go out and fight the monster. But what’s going on? All the gods take their children in fear and begin to hide. Zeus himself also joins them. Most likely, if it weren’t for the wise Athena, who stopped his father and reminded him that he was, in fact, a great and powerful god, the world would have ceased to exist. But the Thunderer came to his senses and went out to battle Typhon.
Their battle was very long and grueling. Everything was so bad for Zeus that the other gods decided to come out of their closets and help in the battle. True, in the end it was not strength that won, but cunning. The Moiras, goddesses of fate, also came to the aid of the Thunderer. They convinced Typhon that the fruits of the "ephemeral" plant give physical strength. The monster, without a second thought, swallowed the fruit and collapsed to the ground, exhausted. Zeus took advantage of this, grabbed Typhon and drove him into Tartarus.
Despite Typhon’s greatness, he ultimately did not fight alone. For example, his wife came to his aid – Echidna. Of course, she, like Typhon, lost to Zeus. However, the Thunderer released this “snake”. True, she was eventually killed anyway on Hera’s orders.
But Harpies, who also took part in the battle. According to one version, they are the children of Echidna and Typhon.
That’s all assembled, it turns out. Really enjoyable family fun.
And here is another remarkable plot that can be observed in many temples in the vastness of ancient Greece.
The Legend of Cupid and Psyche based on Apul’s work "Metamorphoses" .
Psyche, the youngest of the daughters of one king, was a girl of incredible appearance. She was so beautiful that she was compared to Venus. Of course, the goddess found out that her unearthly beauty was being given to some person. She got angry and decided to teach the girl a lesson by sending her son Cupid. He had to connect Psyche with a pitiful and insignificant man. But the cards lay out in such a way that he himself fell in love with the girl. It got to the point that the young man drove away all suitors for his hand and heart.
Time passed, and Psyche still sat in https://dream-vegas.co.uk/bonus/ the girls. Her father was seriously worried about this. One day he turned to the Oracle, and she told him that his daughter would have an extraordinary fate. Well, the king had no choice but to live up to this prediction. For this reason, he sent Psyche to the top of the cliff to await her fate. And so it happened: the wind Zephyr rushed to her and took her to a huge castle to the Amur. The wealth of the castle was so incredible that it exceeded the fortune of Psyche’s father.
The girl’s pleasure was running its course. The only misfortune was that her husband appeared only at night. Prompted by her sisters, she decided to find out her mysterious betrothed. While Cupid was sleeping, Psyche lit a lamp and brought it to the young man. Struck by his incredible beauty, she dripped oil onto his skin. The husband became very angry with the girl and left her. However, the beauty decided not to leave the matter so easily. Psyche went in search of her husband. The journey took her to the chambers of Venus herself. Despite the machinations of the goddess, as a result, Psyche and Cupid reconciled and lived together.
Unlike the fresco, which clearly shows the battle between Zeus and Typhon, here it is so difficult to immediately say what the plot is about.
But how the developers of the game AC: Odyssey are helping to push this idea?
Let’s take a closer look at the mural.
The first thing that catches your eye is little boy with wings over a girl and a man. The legend of Cupid gave rise to the stereotype of “Cupid” – a kind of god of love. He moves around the world on wings and connects the destinies of people with his arrows.
Here’s another interesting detail – man on donkey. Of course, an ignorant person will not pay attention to this, but it can play its role. The fact is that the work “Metamorphoses” is a short story. Their plot revolves around Lucius, a man who was turned into a donkey by a witch. Because of this circumstance, he has to roam between different families and observe their lives.
You can also catch on to the fact that one of the girls is standing with some veil on head. It turns out that wearing a veil to a wedding dates back to ancient Greece. The only discrepancy that can be observed here is the color of the dress – it is blue, not white. The fact is that girls wore white dresses to weddings because they were a symbol of innocence and chastity. However, you should not think: if the color of the dress is not white, then the girl is no longer innocent. Blue color in ancient Greece was an attribute of the sky gods, Zeus and Hera. It meant devotion and fidelity (Despite the fact that Zeus excelled in the concept of "loyalty")
Well, the last but not least important detail is the man who stands behind the donkey. It would also be possible to ignore him if it weren’t for laurel wreath on his head. The fact is that this accessory is associated with the patron of art – Apollo. This wreath was awarded not only to those who particularly distinguished themselves at the Olympic Games, but also to people who were recognized in poetry. The presence of bay leaves and taking into account some other facts may suggest that this man is a writer.
This is what the world of painting in ancient Greece was like. We could still walk along it, but no less interesting works await us further. Therefore, they suggest not to linger here any longer, but to move forward.
From the Middle Ages to the Baroque
Painting, like any other component of culture, develops. People’s understandings about the world order change one after another. New views and a new worldview are on the agenda. The time of antiquity with polytheism and anthropocentrism has come to an end, and in its place came monotheism and slavery of people before the Almighty. The Middle Ages have arrived.
Speaking about this time, the first thing that may come to mind is icons. Those for whom such an associative series has worked will not be mistaken. Indeed, icon painting became an important part of the art of that time. But this will be an incomplete picture of the era. In the Middle Ages, stained glass was also an important element in the narrative of the lives of saints and God.
They began decorating monastery churches already in the 10th century. Later, stained glass windows were made for city cathedrals, the main churches of the diocese and the residence of its bishop. Multi-colored glass showed both episodes from the Bible and saints. Due to the fact that not all people could read at that time, learning the history of Christianity through stained glass was important. In addition to messages, glass painting also conveyed impressions to people. The light penetrating through the windows spilled over the temple, altar, icons and statues in all colors, creating an incredible picture.
However, stained glass art ceased to be exclusively ecclesiastical in nature in the 15th century. Then aristocrats began to order such beauty and exotica. Biblical themes gave way to secular ones.
Here, for example, are the windows in the royal castle of Vizima. As you can see, the stained glass windows show us not a biblical story, but a completely worldly one. The ruler is located in the center, opposite him the court jester conducts his performance. To the left of the lord, musicians perform songs, and to the right of the jester, guards stand to protect order.
Moving further through the halls of our museum, you can stumble upon works of the late or northern Renaissance.
After the Middle Ages, the art world experiences a turning point. People begin to think about their purpose and understand that it is time to move away from servility before God. Again there is a need for anthropocentrism and a person at the head, as was the case in ancient times. However, the Renaissance, several centuries later, resorted to a religious theme. But instead of depicting it with bright colors, artists resort to darkness.
Here, for example, is one of the frescoes, which, with its absurdity, wildness and unusualness, is reminiscent of one real-life artist – Hieronymus Bosch.
He was a radical Christian who loved to twist biblical stories in his works in such a way that riddles and disputes between experts still circulate.
It’s difficult to say where Bosch drew inspiration from when creating his images, but we can say with confidence that the artist had plenty of imagination. He knew how to combine bright visuals with moralizing content.
Here is a praying nun with the head of some creature and an incomprehensible miracle on a horse
But the left wing of the triptych “The Temptation of St. Antony" by Hieronymus Bosch
After passing through a few more halls, we find ourselves at the threshold of the Baroque era. This time was characterized by fatalism. The crisis of Renaissance ideas is coming. The year 1666 is approaching and with it the end of the world. Plague, famine, pestilence. Eternal wars. People are again turning to the ideas of Christianity, but this time God is not kind, but a tyrant. He sends endless torment to a person.
Because of this kind of thinking, people start to “live one day at a time.”. That’s why Baroque is always pomp, tension and luxury.
It was during this era that such a concept as a ceremonial portrait appeared. Artists were commissioned to paint paintings depicting aristocrats, military leaders, rulers and any other significant or wealthy personalities. Vivid details appear that indicate the person’s occupation or his affiliation with high society. People in ceremonial portraits are always luxuriously dressed. The color palette consists of rich colors.
For example, in the royal castle in Vizima you can find such a painting. The first thing that catches your eye is the size of the work. Such a large format of canvas for a portrait is chosen for a reason. Artists have different methods to show the significance and importance of an individual. The size of the painting also plays a role. If small portraits can be carried with you and, as it were, brought closer to you, then grandiose ones can only be viewed from a distance. Framing the canvas is also important. As a rule, only the best and most expensive frames were chosen for aristocrats.
The next thing you need to pay attention to is the child’s clothing. Before us is not just some peasant’s daughter. She belongs to high society, and this is emphasized by the pomp and bright color of her dress. Plus, we see the expensive texture of the clothes, which also matters.
Well, and finally – facial expression. This, one might say, is one of the ways to convey the importance of the model. The artists tried, among other things, to capture a person’s emotions, which would help not only reveal the character of the individual, but also emphasize his individuality. And little Ciri’s overabundance of feelings can be attributed to the fact that the heroes of the Baroque era all loved to dramatize a little.
What? You accidentally looked into the wrong room and are now confused? It’s okay, it’s just a room with “grandmother’s” art, which contains the one and only exhibit..
Eh, beautiful carpet. But let’s not linger here and continue to move on.
What, back to antiquity?
Art in different centuries has always jumped from one extreme to another. Either people praised “man”, then they moved on to “God”. This went on for several centuries. Therefore, in response to eccentricity and some kind of fatal religiosity, anthropocentrism came again, and with it classicism.
People removed all the pomp and replaced it with rigor, restraint and the cult of reason.
In painting, classicism was reflected in the subject matter of the paintings. Artists took legends, myths and stories as a basis and showed them in their works. If you didn’t understand history as such, you couldn’t read the picture. People did not take everything in a row, but chose exclusively those stories in which morality boiled down to duty, honor and service to society.
Assassin’s Creed Unity. Jacques Louis David "Funeral of Patroclus"
Assassin’s Creed Unity. Jacques Louis David "Funeral of Patroclus"
Walking around 18th century France in the game, you can stumble upon many works. The paintings are so impressive that you get the feeling that they are replicas of real-life paintings. In fact, it is true. The developers, when creating a certain era, did not just draw inspiration from history, they tried to reflect its features in order to immerse players in that time as accurately as possible.
One of the artists that Ubisoft people approached was Jacques Louis David. Pieces of his painting “The Funeral of Patroclus” are scattered throughout the world of AC Unity.
This work is so intense that it is difficult to understand what, in principle, is happening on the canvas. And an ignorant person will never guess the meaning of the painting, because, as was written above, in classicism painting was subject-matter. If you don’t know the plot, you don’t understand the artist’s work.
But we are not here to leave questions open, so let’s “read” what Jacques Louis David portrayed.
Story.
The plot was taken not from the sky, but straight from Homer’s Iliad. During the 4th battle in the Trojan War, Patroclus, a faithful friend of Achilles, dies. Hector delivers the final, fatal blow to him. Achilles learns of the death of his comrade and is angry. He decides to take revenge on Hector for his fallen friend and challenges him to a fight. The battle lasts a long time, but in the end Achilles wins.
Dejected Achilles returns back to camp to prepare for Patroclus’ funeral. In a fit of emotion, with tears in his eyes, he promises his comrade that Hector’s corpse will be torn to pieces by dogs, and 12 captive youths will be sacrificed to repose his friend’s soul.
With these thoughts he goes to bed for the night, where the ghost of his fallen comrade comes to him. He asks that his body be transferred to the fire as quickly as possible, since it is difficult for him to enter the kingdom of the dead. Plus, Patroclus predicts the death of a brave warrior, so he leaves one more wish: that their bones be buried together.
Naturally, Achilles is not going to refuse his friend, so the next morning all preparations for the funeral take place.
Agamemnon gathers people and orders wood for the funeral pyre. Achilles tells his warriors to put on their armor and harness their chariots.
Throughout the entire journey to the kingdom of the dead, Achilles held the head of Patroclus. He cut off his hair and put it in his friend’s hands. The sobs of those present continued all day.
Sheep, bulls, horses and dogs were sacrificed to the fire.
As Achilles said, Hector’s body was handed over to the dogs, but they did not eat him. (Selective gourmets, apparently. They don’t prefer hero meat)
All the time he sat by the fire and watched the flames devour his friend.
This is the story David shows us. And without his knowledge, it will be difficult for viewers to understand what is happening in the picture. However, this is not the only work of the artist that can be found in the game.
In addition to subject painting, Jacques Louis David also painted portraits to order. One of these unfinished works is “Portrait of Louise Trudin”. It was commissioned from the artist by Louise’s sons-in-law. Since the 17th century, the Trudin family has provided France with major civil servants, so they had their weight in society. The sons-in-law invited David and other major artists to their Parisian salon to fulfill their request.
In general, why, out of all kinds of artists, is much emphasis given to the works of David?? In fact, the developers chose it for a reason.
The events unfolding in the game cover the great French Revolution of 1789-1794. To convey this period as it was, the people at Ubisoft turned to various sources, including artistic figures. Jacques Louis David not only lived at that time, he directly took part in the revolution. The events of that period drew the artist into their whirlpool. He began to act as a politician. In 1793, David became a member of the Convention, he took part in condemning the king to execution. The artist organized massive popular revolutionary celebrations in Paris. And even created the National Museum in the Louvre.
Conclusion
Well, dear visitors, thank you for taking part in an educational tour on the reflection of painting in video games. We jumped through large periods of time to look at the development of painting, and as it turned out: in addition to the fact that each era of art tries to outdo the previous movement, it also tends to repeat itself in these attempts. However, this does not prevent it from having weight and significance both for other standard areas of art and for video games.