In some ways, sculptures are like three-dimensional paintings. While paintings can provide us with lovely portraits to view, sculptures are like paintings that some to life. The depth of sculptures, such as wall art sculptures, creates a truly realistic work of art. To appreciate sculptures today fully, it is important to have an understanding about their development throughout history.

Before humans began creating written accounts of history, they created sculptures. This included ancient civilizations in Egypt and various regions throughout Mesopotamia. Interestingly, the first sculptures were not merely works of art, as ancient peoples also used them in religious ceremonies. Sculptors used complex methods and styles, which produced outstanding works of art that had literal and figurative meanings.

Sculptures also flourished in ancient Asian regions, such as China, India, and Japan.

The ancient Greeks further developed sculptures by making them vertical and self-supporting. During the classical and Hellenistic time periods of Greek art, sculptures would create their artistic vision of an ideal human body. The works of the Greeks were so outstanding that they influenced art in Europe for hundreds of years. The ancient Romans virtually duplicated the Greeks' sculptures, and then further developed them. They did this by making their sculptures representations of a particular person, rather than of a general human form. Some of today's wall art sculptures honor the tradition of ancient Greek and Roman sculptures.

During the Romanesque and Gothic periods, sculptures in Europe became vital components of religious structures. In fact, sometimes a single cathedral included thousands of sculptures that represented something or told a story! During the Romanesque period, churches throughout countries such as France, Germany and Spain, included amazing sculptures. Meanwhile, much of the sculptures during the Gothic period were created namelessly, though individual Italian sculptures became famous during the 1200s.

Next, several Italian sculptures became renowned during the Renaissance period. The hub of the sculptors' art existed in Florence. That is where the top sculptures found customers in the public, private, and religious sectors. Several master sculptors created their masterpieces in Florence, with some of the most renowned aritsts being:

-Cellini

-Della Robbia (family)

-Donatello

-Ghiberti

-Michelangelo

-Pollaiuolo (brothers)

In addition, Renaissance sculptures also flourished in other European regions, such as modern-day Belgium, France, and Germany. Today's wall art sculptures have preserved many of the styles that sculptors produced during this period.

During the period after the Renaissance era, different types of sculptures thrived in different regions. In France, secular and formal art thrived during the 1500s and 1600s. Meanwhile, the Italian sculptor Bernini epitomized the high baroque period, through his ability to create original, detailed, and exciting sculptures. On the other hand, sculptors such as France's Puget more steadily created Baroque works than other sculptors did during that time. Today, various wall art sculptures also resemble these sculptors' masterpieces.

The history of sculptures is both long and complex. Today's wall art sculptures provide home decorators with both traditional and contemporary designs, some of which make old sculpture styles new again!