A History of Western Art is a blog discussing the art history of major western artists.

The blog is intended to serve as a resource for undergraduate and graduate students, as well as a guide for teachers and professors in both the United States and abroad. It is also meant for historians, artists, connoisseurs, curators, collectors and anyone interested in learning more about the history of art in Western culture.

Welcome to A History of Western Art.

This site is dedicated to the history of art from the earliest cave paintings of our ancestors, to the renaissance, cubism and beyond.

I will be adding content on a regular basis and I would love to hear your feedback on the content and whether there is anything in particular you would like me to cover.

The site is currently in its very early stages, but I hope it will grow into a valuable resource for students, teachers and those with an interest in the subject of art history.

Throughout the ages, artists have been inspired by their surroundings and the events that happen around them. Sometimes they even use their art as a form of documentation or propaganda. The art that results from this inspiration is always unique and personal to the artist, but it is often possible to tell what inspired the work. The following blog series will look at various works of art and how they were influenced by their time period.

The first in this series focuses on Diego Velazquez’s Las Meninas (1656).

When looking at Velazquez’s Las Meninas for the first time, it can be difficult to make sense of what you are seeing. It seems like an ordinary court scene: a girl stands in front of a canvas with two dogs at her feet and two young men in attendance behind her. But who are these people? Who are the couple reflected in the mirror on the back wall? And who is the artist himself?

In order to understand this painting, we need to understand its context. Velazquez was born in 1599, during Spain’s golden age, a time when its empire reached across Europe and into South America. As a result of this immense wealth and power, Spain was able to support an enormous patronage system involving hundreds of artists who were

The phrase “Western art” describes the art of Europe and the Americas. It includes what was known as “Old Master” painting and sculpture, especially before about 1800. It also includes more contemporary artists working in more recent styles such as Impressionism, Post-Impressionism, Cubism and Surrealism.

The West has a very long tradition of making art. The history of Western art is often told as a chronology of masterpieces created during each century. It can thus be framed as a story of high culture, epitomized by the Wonders of the World. On the other hand, vernacular art expressions can also be integrated into art historical narratives, referred to as Folk Arts or “popular arts”.

In the latter cases art objects may be referred to as archeological artifacts. One way to examine how art has developed over time is to look at the subject matter or meaning of works, at form and style, at the materials used or at the role or function of works in society

When you listen to Guthrie Govan play guitar, you quickly realize that he’s one of the most talented players ever to pick up an instrument. Guthrie’s approach to playing is so fresh and unique, it’s hard to believe that he’s only been playing for about 25 years. His brilliant solo album Erotic Cakes was released in 2006 and has been hailed by many as a landmark release in the genre of instrumental guitar music. A highly sought-after teacher and clinician as well, Guthrie spends his time between his home in London and various locations around the world, where he teaches and performs.

Guthrie has appeared on over 100 albums with artists as diverse as Steven Wilson (Porcupine Tree), Hans Zimmer (The Lion King), John Wetton (Asia), Gus G (Firewind), Gary Husband (Level 42) and the Hives. He is also the current guitarist with legendary UK rock band Asia.

Guthrie Govan is a British guitar player, famous for his work with bands such as the Aristocrats, Asia and Steven Wilson’s solo band. He has been voted ‘Best Guitarist’ in polls by Total Guitar and Guitarist magazines five times.

Govan started playing guitar at the age of four when his father, who was also a guitarist, bought him his first instrument. His first musical influence was guitarist Brian May of Queen, and listening to records by Frank Zappa and Van Halen encouraged him to begin improvising on the guitar. He attended the Purcell School of Music where he studied classical music, which he credits with giving him an insight into music theory and a good technique.

He has praised jazz fusion guitarist Allan Holdsworth as a major influence: “I remember being really impressed with the sound of Allan Holdsworth’s album Atavachron when I was about fifteen or sixteen years old. He had a very different fretting-hand technique to most other players I’d heard before, but it looked fairly natural and effortless for him.”

Guthrie Govan is an English guitarist known for his work with the bands The Aristocrats, Asia, GPS, The Young Punx and The Fellowship as well as Erotic Cakes, a band formed by Govan and fellow guitarist John Petrucci. He is also noted for his guitar tuition DVDs Creative Guitar 1 and 2.

Govan has been featured on the cover of Guitar World magazine (August 2007), where he was voted number 8 in the readers poll of “The 10 Greatest Shredders of All Time”.[1] In June 2011 he was voted number 44 in the top 100 Brits in Rock in Total Guitar magazine.[2]

In 2011 he released a solo album titled “Erotic Cakes”. The album features him on guitar and vocals and other musicians include Bryan Beller, Marco Minnemann and Nick D’Virgilio.