Celtic art. The Celts expressed their artistic genius in such arts and crafts as metalwork, sculpture, and ceramics (pottery). Celtic artists excelled in decorating objects. They used beautiful combinations of curved lines and spirals that were based on natural forms such as plants, animals, and birds. The artists did not represent objects in a lifelike way but made them into abstract forms.
In the 400's B.C., the Celts who lived in the Rhine valley began to develop an art with distinctive characteristics. Later, Celtic civilization spread to the areas that are now the Czech Republic, Austria, northern Italy, France, Spain, Britain, and Ireland. The art of the Celts on mainland Europe between 400 and 100 B.C. is called La Tene art. La Tene is an archaeological site on the edge of Lake Neuchatel, in Switzerland.
By 100 B.C., the civilization of the Celts on the mainland of Europe had greatly declined. But in England, Celtic art survived until about A.D. 150. The main forms of Celtic art survived much later in Ireland and Scotland, which were not conquered by the Romans. After the coming of Christianity to these countries, Celtic decoration became extremely intricate. This style survived in Ireland until the late 1100's.
