Section 1 - Introduction (Discussion on Traditional Art)

"Traditional art is art that is part of the culture of a group of people." In more scene, it is art that has been passed down through generations - recreated later on. For this essay I will be covering different types of traditional art styles through out video games, animations or VFX. Some examples of game franchises that use Traditional art; Red Dead Redemption, Assassin's Creed, Cyberpunk 2077, Mario Wii U, etc. Traditional art can be categorized into 4 sections, depending on the style; light/colour/composition/perspective/volume, and I will be referencing example art styles as well. 

One of the art styles I have chosen is Ancient Art and the influences of Traditional art it has in the game Ryse: Son of Rome (Microsoft Studios, 2013). Ryse is set in Ancient Rome during the reign of Nero, a really interesting time period for the empire (54 AD - 68 AD). Whilst Ancient Art itself lived up until 476 AD, Microsoft Studios managed to recreate many historical events and characters, including some Traditional art. Specifically the recreation of The Great fire of Rome, recreated from the painting - The Fire in Rome (Hubert Robert, 1785) [Figure 1]. While the bulk of the game takes place outside of Rome, in Britannia, there is still a few missions in Rome and we get to see some famous sculptures and architecture. "We envisioned Rome as the capital of an imposing empire. It’s skyline had to feel iconic, yet believable and historically plausible. We set the light to be cold as steel, combined with the red tones of brick and military garments." - Toblas Mannewitz - Art Director.

Few rulers in history were as intimately involved in art, one of them being Roman Emperor Nero. According to Geoffrey Lehmann, Nero may be the “only absolute ruler in history who regarded himself primarily as an artist.” In many ways, Nero’s active pursuit of art contributed to his downfall. Such as him playing the fiddle whilst watching The Great fire of Rome (64 AD), which created a lot of controversy. “Nero fiddles while Rome burns” has become a phrase used to criticise someone who is doing something trivial or irresponsible in the face of an emergency. Nero was blamed for ignoring a serious matter, and neglecting his people while they suffered. 

The Fire in Rome was painted in 1785, as remaining a form of Traditional art, It depicts the fire Rome had encountered in the year 64 AD as a natural force necessary for the Roman Empire to prosper. In the oil painting, seen in [Figure 1], the fire is placed at the centre right below an arch, on top of which a statue of the Emperor Nero lies, which was incredibly symbolic considering the peoples thoughts of him. Prominent buildings, such as The Coliseum and a temple, are being burned in the background while only women and children run down the stairs to escape. The use of contrasting colours in the painting emphasised the fire, as it was composed of bright orange and red, as well as the women and children running away, as they wore coloured clothes in a dark foreground. This triggers pity and sadness within the viewers as the fire represents destruction and the women and children represent innocence.

Another art style I have chosen is Renaissance Art and the influences of Traditional art it has in the game Assassin's Creed 2 (Ubisoft, 2009). As I believe this would be appropriate as this game takes place during a very important time for art and culture in Italy, the Italian Renaissance. Specifically the painting, Mona Lisa (Leonardo Da Vinci, 1503-1519) [Figure 2]. I myself have been to Florence in person (one of the game's settings), where the Mona Lisa was painted and have seen the building it was painted in, Palazzo Gondi [Figure 3], which inspired me to write about the Mona Lisa in this essay. The painting also made a brief appearance in Assassin's Creed Brotherhood (Ubisoft, 2010) but did not appear in Assassin's Creed 2 as that was set during the beginning of the Italian Renaissance (1459 - 1499), although Leonardo himself played a huge role in both games.

The Mona Lisa was painted sometime between 1503 and 1519, when Leonardo was living in Florence (Italy). It was kept at the Palace of Fontainebleau for more than 100 years, until Louis XIV moved it to the Palace of Versailles, where it remained until the French Revolution. In 1797 it went on permanent display at the Louvre and it still hangs there in the Museum in Paris (France). The painting, as seen in [Figure 2], presents a woman in half-body portrait, which has a backdrop of a distant landscape. "Moreover, the sensuous curves of the sitter’s hair and clothing are echoed in the shapes of the valleys and rivers behind her." - Alicja Zelazko.

In a break with the Florentine tradition of outlining the painted image, Leonardo perfected the technique known as "sfumato", which translated from Italian means "vanished" or "evaporated." Creating imperceptible transitions between light and shade - composition that draws the viewers' eyes in for a beneficial result and sometimes between colours, he blended everything "without borders, in the manner of smoke." - Leonardo Da Vinci. 

Section 2 - Main Body (Traditional development of Art in Games/animation/VFX)

For the Main body of this essay I will be focusing on Renaissance Art as I know the most about this over the other option.

Alongside Da Vinci's art, Renaissance Art in Assassin's Creed 2 is primarily presented in the different environment lighting/colour palettes for different cities in game, that being Renaissance Watercolour. The reason the developers added unique colour palettes to each city is so the players can differentiate each city apart from each other without focusing on familiar landmarks. It is also so they feel a different emotion for each city. Florence is vanilla and washed out - giving the player a feeling of satisfaction and calmness. Venice is colourful and saturated - giving the player a feeling of passion, comfort, anger and power. Forlì is grey - giving the player a feeling of sadness, depression and discomfit. Tuscany and Monteriggioni have tinges of yellow/green/orange (depending on the time of day) - giving the player a feeling of happiness, excitement and enthusiasm. This can be seen in [Figure 4].

It was important to the developers that they chose an art technique from the Italian Renaissance such as Renaissance Watercolour, so it would remain a form of Traditional art and match the setting. Digital art plays a role in recreating the art style of Renaissance Art, as it's purely computer-generated. There are many ways the developers could've recreated the art style, such as; fractals and algorithmic art, taken from other sources - scanned photograph, an image drawn using vector graphics software - using a mouse, graphics tablets, etc. Compared to the new techniques of producing art, Renaissance Watercolour in the 15th century was done on canvases or elsewhere. During the Italian Renaissance, artists created watercolour paintings with paint made out of pigment particles mixed with a binding like gum or animal glue in water. 

Another example of Renaissance Art being an influence in Assassin's Creed 2 is having the player being able to buy paintings that existed during that time period. The art reinforces the game's 15th-century setting, as all of the art you purchase is current to the time period in which the game takes place, (1459 - 1499). Creating a strong sense of place has always been one of Ubisoft’s greatest strengths. Their dedication to not just recreating historical environments, but then providing some of the history and culture surrounding them through the use of Traditional art. For Assassin’s Creed 2, presenting a broad cross-section of paintings created by Italian artists, immerses the player in the era and makes the game world feel alive. Some of the paintings the player can collect include; Portrait of a Musician, Francesco Delle Opere, The Births of Venus, etc. Once again it was extremely important that the developers did their research for these paintings as to keep the game historically accurate and to remain a form of Traditional art.

Section 3 - Conclusion

One of the things I've learnt from writing this essay is that it is important to study traditional/different art styles for digital artists or games designers because everything starts with traditional art and a broad understanding of different art styles - helps to create a more well-rounded artistic direction for video game media. It's important to have fundamental knowledge on different art styles, in order to accommodate the specific needs of the project or client. Graphic design in and outside of games needs to be more flexible and apply to different fields and genres, depending on the current needs. For example, if a team of games designers are making a game that is inspired by a certain time period then they will have to recreate the art style used at that time to match the setting. Otherwise; environment lighting, lighting in level design, paths, character composition, animations, etc - will look out of place. And that is why studying these art styles will improve the game, animation or VFXs dramatically. As doing so is what keeps it traditional.

Another thing I've learnt from writing this essay is that it is also important to implement different art styles or take influence from them in Games, Animation or VFX, as because having a particular art style sets your game apart from other games. It gives your game its own unique atmosphere and style. After all, it's good to have a game be as appealing as possible, to as many people as possible. And It's necessary for a certain style to be imitated enough to become its own style. So arguably there is no evolution without repetition and iteration and it is necessary to be inspired by other styles, but still put your own creative spin and energy into it. Different art styles are important because there are a variety of games, genres and things like budget to consider, so one art style is not universal and may not fit the needs or requirements of the current project. 

This further applies to video game concept art, as it's one of the most important aspects of game development. It's responsible for setting the tone and style of a game and can be used to communicate the game's vision to the rest of the development team. Concept art allows developers to get a sense of the game world. It can give them an idea of the environment and how it works. This is especially important for games in large open worlds where exploration is a crucial component. Which is why studying/taking influence from else where is crucial. This also applies to both things I've learnt from writing this essay (above).

To summarise my findings, the main things I have learnt through out writing this essay is that there are many different unique and satisfyingly appealing art styles out there that remain traditional in their own way. And that we've all experienced the beauty of art, not just in video games but in our lives. As said before, "Traditional art is art that is apart of the culture of a group of people" and what keeps it traditional is the people that choose to respect it. 

- Leo Sheldon

Section 4 - Bibliography