Interior Design Guide

Folk art encompasses art produced from an indigenous culture or by peasants or other laboring tradespeople . In contrast to fine art , folk art is primarily utilitarian and decorative rather than purely aesthetic. Folk Art is characterized by a naive style, in which traditional rules of proportion and perspective are not employed. As a phenomenon that can chronicle a move towards civilization yet rapidly diminish with modernity, industrialization , or outside influence, the nature of folk art is specific to its particular culture. The varied geographical and temporal prevalence and diversity of folk art make it difficult to describe as a whole, though some patterns have been demonstrated. Characteristics : Characteristically folk art is not influenced by movements in academic or fine art circles, and, in many cases, folk art excludes works executed by professional artists and sold as "high art" or "fine art" to the society's art patrons. ...

  Ancient art refers to the many types of art produced by the advanced cultures of ancient societies with some form of writing, such as those of ancient China , India , Mesopotamia , Persia , Palestine , Egypt , Greece , and Rome . The art of pre-literate societies is normally referred to as Prehistoric art and is not covered here.  Although some Pre-Columbian cultures developed writing during the centuries before the arrival of Europeans, on grounds of dating these are covered at Pre-Columbian art , and articles such as Maya art and Aztec art . Olmec art is mentioned below.     Middle East, Mediterranean, and India : 1 Egypt 2 Mesopotamia 3 Summerian 4 Babylon 5 Assyria 6 The Minoan Civilization 7 The Mycenaean Civilization 8 Greek art 9 India 10 Persia (Iran) 11 Rome East Asia : 1 Japan 2 China Central America (Mexico) : 1 Olmec art