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This Paleolithic figurine is the earliest known depiction of a human being.
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Cave painting made in France between 15,000 BCE and 10,000 BCE. This painting is speculated to have been part of a ritual based on the bounty of nature.
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This era started with the beginning of farming. This era shows a large advance in human behavior, particularly the use of domesticated crops and animals. The Neolithic Era ended with the invention if metal tools.
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4.2" tall, made of Reindeer antler. This is an example of Paleolithic era art that
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The Paleolithic Era is the period of time that humans completely evolved into Homo sapiens, as well as used the earliest stone tools. Also known as the Old Stone Age. The making of art originated in the Paleolithic era, most likely because of the development of tools. The large majority of Paleolithic art relates to food and shelter, a theme that would continue for many years.
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The beginning of the middle Stone Age is marked by the first attempts at raising crops and domesticating animals.
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The death mask made of Egyptian Pharaoh Kink Tutankhamun. It demonstrates the way that the Egyptians viewed death and honored the deceased.
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This is a painted panel from the predella of Maesta, by Duccio of Spain. It depicts Jesus sitting on a well in Sichar, and is depicted asking an approaching woman for water.
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Painted by late medieval Italian artist Giotto di Bondone. The painting is a traditional depiction of the Virgin Mary with the baby Christ in her lap, with angels and saints surrounding them. It is often considered the first painting of the Renaissance because of an evolved depiction of naturalism as well as an differences from Gothic art.
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Arnolfini Wedding is an oil painting on oak panel by netherlandish artist Jan van Eyck. It is regarded as one of the most complex pieces of Western art, particularly because of its extensive symbolism as well as attention to detail.
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Johannes Gutenberg introduced Europe to printing with his invention of the Printing Press. It used mechanical movable type and started the Printing Revolution.
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Handscroll by Shen Zhou; ink and color on paper.
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This is a marble statue of a nude man. It is made to represent David from the Bible. It was commissioned to be placed in the Florence Cathedral, but was instead place in a public square. Due to David's role in the Bible, the statue often symbolized the defense of civil rights in Florence. It is widely regarded as one of Michelangelo's most important pieces.
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This is a famous frescos by Italian Renaissance painter Raphael. It was a part of a commission to decorate the Vatican. It is typically viewed as Raphael's masterpiece.
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Qiuseppe Arcimboldo
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Pieter Bruegel the Elder, Netherlands. Focused on depicting peasant life instead of royalty.
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The Baroque period of art was a style that used exaggerated motion and obvious detail to portray tension and grandeur. It began in Rome around 1590 and spread to Europe.
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This piece by Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer is what is known as a "Tronie". A Tronie is a Dutch or Flemish Baroque painting that depicts exaggerated facial expressions.
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This painting by Paolo de Matteis is an example of Baroque artwork.
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By Joseph Ciephore Niece, this is widely considered to be the first photograph, taken with a technology known as Heliography.
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This is the first known photograph of a human. It was taken using a technique known as the Daguerrotype.
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This war photograph by Roger Fenton captures a battlefield littered with corpses. It is widely suspected that he arranged the bodies to appear more dramatic, which is an important step towards the modern reality of easily manipulated media.
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This wallpaper designed by William Morris is an example of a style often found during the Arts and Crafts movement.
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Originating in Great Britain, this artistic movement focused on traditional craftsmanship. It often utilized medieval and romantic styles of decoration. It was a protest of increasing industrialization.
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This Vincent Van Gogh painting is important because it depicts lower class people eating food. Many tradition depictions of food in art are of upper class people.
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This is an oil painting by Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh. It depicts the interior of a cafe at night. Obviously. It is considered one of Van Gogh's masterpieces, and is a seminal part of the Impressionist movement.
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This art style is largely based on natural forms, particularly curves of plants and flowers. It was a "total style" and embraced a wide variety of arts. This included architecture, graphics, furniture, painting, and metal work.
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This oil painting by Henry Ossawa Tanner depicts an African American man giving a banjo lesson to a child. Henry Ossawa is one of the first famous black artists of America.
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Modernism was a philosophy that played a large role in art and design during it's period. Modernism rejected religious belief and placed importance on industrialism and abstraction. Much modernist art is abstracted, and contains simple forms and lines.
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This French silent film, directed by Georges Melies, was very influential due to its use of innovative special effects and emphasis on storytelling. It is regarded as the earliest example of science fiction.
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This manifesto by Italian poet Filippo Tommaso Marinetti highlight the core values of Futurism. It expresses rejection of the past, celebration of machinery, violence, and speed. It pressed for modernization of Italy.
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Art Deco is a visual style that debuted in France after WWI. It was a "total style" that influenced everything from architecture and fashion, to cars and movies. Deco takes influence from many contradictory styles, such as Cubism and traditional Eastern art. It was intended to represent wealth, luxury, and glamour.
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This Paris subway entrance is an example of Art Nouveau. It is highly ornate, and contains various curves. Even the font used is inspired by foliage; a theme that is definitive of Art Nouveau.
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This painting by Giorgio de Chirico depicts an empty public space with two figures. It is considered a predecessor of the Surrealist movement, as it depicts the space with exaggerated geometric proportions.
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This architectural drawing by Sant'Elia depicts a fictional city using long, dynamic lines, and tall concrete buildings.
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Horrifying WWI painting boy James Ensor
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This painting is an example of Art Deco painting. The style is inspired by a refined version of cubism, as well as the influence of neoclassicism. This is telling of what Art Deco is because it is a combination of two very conflicting artistic styles.
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Futurism was an artistic movement that placed great emphasis on speed, technology, war, industry, and particularly transportation. It was a movement that placed great trust in engineering as well as architecture, and is often associated with concept of a "Utopia".
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This Manhattan skyscraper is an excellent example of what Art Deco stood for. It's design reflects all of the glitz and glamour associated with the Art Deco building boom of 1920s New York City.
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This painting by Pablo Picasso is a seminal example of modernist art. The style is commonly referred to as Cubism.
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Fallingwater is one of the most famous example of Modernist architecture. It was very influential, and was constructed with large amounts of concrete and reinforcing steel. It is a great example of modernism because of it's visual simplicity and emphasis on function.
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This magazine cover is an example of futurism in print media.
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One of the most famous pieces by Andy Warhol.
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French artist "ORLAN" completely transformed her appearance using plastic surgery during the 1990s. Using this technique, she transformed herself to appear as the idealization of female beauty from multiple different male artists.
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This installation piece by Kara Walker is a large sugar sculpture carved to resemble the Sphinx's of ancient Egypt.
