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This is art produced by prehistorical cultures that continues until cultures develop a system of writing and methods of record keeping.
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This art began in 2,500,000 BC and is known as the "old stone age". It is seen in caves and the images are typically of animals and some human interaction.
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This is known as the "middle stone age". Following Paleolithic Art, Mesolithic Art makes use of only the color red and does not show any realistic figures.
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This period is known as the last part of the stone age. The sculptures made became bigger, as people did not have to carry the pottery around, and it was used to store harvested food. The infamous Stonehenge was produced during this period, as it is known that the neolithic culture would work in hundreds for extended periods of time.
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Ancient Greek Art was known to produce naturalistic, yet idealized depictions of the human body. Painted pottery was also prevalent, and black figures, red figures, and white figures were shown on these works. It is clear that there was a huge stylistic development at this time.
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At this time, Greek art was no longer based on geometric designs; instead, it became more naturalistic. The art would illustrate epic tales, faces on sculptures were animated, and the bodies of sculptures showed a heightened attention to proportion and anatomy.
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Kouros (Attica, Greece). Marble, 6' 1/2" high. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
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Art showed a representation of vitality of life, permanence, clarity, and harmony. Work was proportional and the red figure technique replaced the previous black figure technique. Because of this, advances in portraying the human body were made, such as portraying people as clothed, naked, at rest, or in motion.
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Terracotta volute-krater (bowl for mixing wine and water). Attica, Greece. 25 inches.
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Laocoön and His Sons. Vatican Museums, Vatican City, Rome, Italy. Marble sculpture, 6 ft 10 in x 5 ft 4 in x 3 ft 8 in.
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The death of Alexander the Great marks the beginning of this period. The art was characterized by a sense of history and artists copied and adapted earlier styles. Art now depicted ethnic people, children, and the elderly and was used to decorate the town houses and country villas of Romans.
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The period where Christianity flourished in Europe. The art had its own aesthetic value and a majority of the art was religious, as it was made for cathedrals, churches, and ritual items.
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Art at this time expressed the Christian faith. The production of this art was in the form of sculptures, illuminated manuscripts, stained glass, metalwork, and mosaics. The colors were rich and would typically feature the use of gold and silver. The works of art were elaborate, as well.
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The Theotokos and Child with John II and Empress Irene. Hagia Sophia, Istanbul. Mosaic, 2.47 m x 2.76 m.
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This art was developed in Constantinople, which was the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire at the time, and the style combined Roman and Oriental arts. The use of human or animals in the artwork was forbidden, as it was believed to be idolatry. This was frowned upon in the Ten Commandments.
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Apse from San Martín at Fuentidueña. Segovia, Castile-León, Spain.
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In this period, painted frescoes of Biblical scenes decorated churches and cathedrals. The styles were heavily influenced by Italy and Southern France. Sculptures depicted biblical history and church doctrines, and were seen on columns and around the doors of churches. Paintings were seen on the interior of churches as murals.
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This art evolved from Romanesque art. Sculptures were of saints and the Holy Family and decorated doorways of cathedrals. The figures of these sculptures have individualized faces and figures, flowing draperies, natural poses and gestures. Plants also are sculpted realistically and are seen on the capitals of columns. Paintings, as well, depicted relaxed and natural figures. They were seen on altar pieces and showed scenes from the New Testament and had an emphais on curving lines and detail.
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Stained glass window. Troyes Cathedral, Troyes, France.
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This is a time of rebirth and celebration of humanism in Italy, following the Middle Ages. Artists had the ability to "rise", through apprenticeships and owning their own businesses. Various perspectives were prevalent at this time, such as orthogonal lines (diagonal lines that connect corners of forms to the vanishing point), horizon line (where sky meets land), and vanishing point (point at which all orthogonal lines meet and where all objects disappear).
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The emergence of this period was centered in Florence, Italy. Popular figures include the Medici family, Brunelleschi and Donatello. The figures in the art were more realistic, due to their postures, poses, and emotion.
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January, from Les Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry. Herman, Paul and Jean de Limbourg. Musée Condé, Chantilly, France. Manuscript.
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Isaac, Jacob, and Esau. Lorenzo Ghiberti. Florence, Italy. Gilded bronze. 79.4 cm square.
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The Last Judgement. Michaelangelo. Fresco, 539.3 in x 472.4 in. Sistine Chapel, Vatican City, Rome, Italy.
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Three popular artists came from this period: Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519), Michaelangelo (1475-1564), and Raphael (1483-1520). Collectively, these three artists were able to convey emotional expression, the human body, and the "Classical spirit", which is harmonious, beautiful, and serene. Realism, linear perspective, and shading were mastered in this period.
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This style originated in Florence and Rome and eventually spread to northern Italy, and central and northern Europe. It is a reaction to classicism and naturalism, seen in High Renaissance art. Intricate figures were portrayed, especially of the nude body in complex and artificial poses. Their limbs are somehow graceful, yet elongated, for instance. The painting styles showed an emotionally agitated style and exaggerated muscle tones.
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Madonna of the Long Neck. Parmigianino. Uffizi, Florence, Italy. Oil on wood. 2.2 m x 1.3 m.
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Baroque translates to "irregular pearl" in Portuguese. This is fitting considering that Baroque Art is anything classified as irregular from the established rules and proportions of art. There is 3 characteristics: dynamic, diagonal line, and moral instruction. The art was made to stimulate the viewer's emotions.
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Classicism followed ancient Greek and Roman art principles, making use of harmony, restraint, and form. Artists used figures that were glorified and imitated actions that would be seen in the natural world. Simplicity, precision, and clear form were also used.
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Crucifixion of Saint Peter. Caravaggio. Santa Maria del Popolo, Rome, Italy. Oil on canvas. 91 in x 69 in.
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A Dance to the Music of Time. Nicolas Poussin. Wallace Collection, London, England. Oil on canvas. 32.5 in x 41 in.
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This art originated in Paris, yet was eventually seen in France, Germany,and Austria. Art was colorful, rich, and made use of pastel colors. It was viewed as light, elegant, and made use of curving and natural forms. The brushstrokes are delicate and have a light tone. Sculptures were natural, had an intimate scale, and varied surface effects.
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This art term is interchanged with "classicism". This style, too, describes a revival of Greek and Roman art that occurred in Europe and America. The forms of Greek and Roman art coincided with the principles of order and reason of the European Age of Enlightenment. Neoclassicism is also viewed as a reaction against Baroque and Rococo art.
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Cupid a Captive. François Boucher. Wallace Collection, London, England. Oil on canvas. 164.5 x 85.5 cm.
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The Death of Socrates. Jacques Louis David. Metropolitan Museum, New York. Oil on canvas. 51 in x 77 1/4 in.
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This art style has the ability to evoke a feeling of needing to act and make a change. It places emotion and intuition before, or on an equal footing, with reason. Themes that were bizarre or extremely heroic were seen in the art, as well as the use of bold contrasts of light and shade.
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Wanderer above the Sea of Fog. Caspar David Friedrich. Kunsthalle Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany. Oil on canvas. 37.3 in x 29.4 in.
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Realism pieces of art include scenes of the rural and urban working class life, street life, cafes and night clubs, as well as the body, nudity, and sensual subjects. It moved from the "ideal" to "ordinary", moving away from the depicting of aesthetics. It influenced impressionism, which makes use of rapid, spontaneous and loose brushstrokes. This style sought to capture fleeting moments, so sketches and careful completion were typically not used. Light and color was used to unify a photo.
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It is difficult to determine what defines modern art, due to the fact that today's, new art, can be deemed as "modern". However, it has specific defining characteristics. These include new types of art (such as collage art or animation), use of new materials ("found objects", being fragments of newspaper or other items), expressive use of color, and new techniques. Important movements include impressionism and cubism, for instance.
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Sunshine, Brittany. Nathaniel Hill. Oil on canvas. 18 in x 12 in.
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Artists of this time rejected the limitations of impressionism. Instead, they created personal, spiritual expressions. Abstract form and patterns were used to describe the world around them. This shows the rejection of depicting the observed world. It was valued among the artists to use their memories and emotions to connect with their viewpoints of the world.
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This art had an emphasis on emotions, feelings, ideas, and subjectivity, rather than realism. Furthermore, there was a heavy emphasis on the meaning behind the use of form, lines, shapes, and colors. The work created by these artists of the time is personal and expresses the artists's ideologies. Symbolism had a French, Russian, and Belgian origin.
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Portrait of Doctor Gachet. Vincent van Gogh. 23.4 in x 22 in. Oil on canvas.
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Death and The Masks. James Ensor. Musée des Beaux-Arts de la Ville de Liège, Liège, Belgium. Oil on canvas. 31.1 in x 39.37 in.
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Lady in Blue. Paul Cezanne. Oil on canvas. 90 cm x 73.5 cm.
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This period is known as "the call to order" or "the return to order". It began during the First World War in France and Italy and spread once peace was declared. It called for stability and the value of tradition. The pieces of art followed three genres: female nudes, figure composition, and still life.
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This artistic style relies on depicting subjective emotions, rather than objective reality. It accomplishes this through the use of distortion and exaggeration, as well as vivid, violent, and dynamic elements. The brushwork is rapid and lines are jagged and distorted. Nature is no longer literally represented; instead, fear, horror, or the celebration of nature with hallucinatory intensity is represented. The themes are overall extremely dramatic and are intended to cause intense feelings.
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This style, created by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, emphasized the flat, two-dimensional surface of the painting. Perspective and chiaroscuro were rejected and fragmented objects were seen. Geometric forms were used, as well as multiple or contrasting vantage points.
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Girl with a Mandolin. Pablo Picasso. Museum of Modern Art, New York. Oil on canvas. 100.3 cm x 73.6 cm.
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Large Blue Horses. Franz Marc. Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota. Oil on canvas. 105.7 cm x 181.1 cm.
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This period occurred during a time of global economic depression and racial conflict. The artists of this period created realistic images of the lower and working classes (also known as the "masses"), by envisioning themselves in the position of these workers. They felt that their work was a weapon to fight capitalist exploitation of workers.
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This is a movement in decorative arts that developed as a major style in western Europe and the United States. The art was intended to look sleek and possess an anti-traditional elegance that would symbolize wealth and sophistication. Simple, clean shapes, often geometric, were used. Intense color schemes were prominent, such as silver, black, chrome, yellow, and red. This style attempts to infuse functional objects with artistic touches.
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This term typically refers to any painting or sculpture created in a realist style, that contains a socialist message. In short, it is a political type of realist painting. It has been referred to as "Communist Art" and is a style seen in Russia. The art consisted of four tenets: orientation towards the people, ideological narrative, class content, and the role of infusing workers with the spirit of communism.
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Surrealism made use of one's conscious and unconscious mind, allowing the viewer to experience a realm of dreams and fantasy. It is difficult to summarize consistencies seen in the work of artists, being that each artist had their own means of self-exploration. Sigmund Freud's psychoanalytical approach was prevalent in the surrealist work: there is hidden meaning to be found. Popular artists include Salvador Dali and Pablo Picasso.
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Large Bather. Pablo Picasso. Musee de I'Orangerie, Paris, France. Oil painting.
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The Treachery of Images (also known as This Is Not a Pipe and The Wind and the Song). René Magritte. Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, California. Oil on canvas. 25 in x 37 in.
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Normandie Poster. A.M. Cassandre. Advertisement for a French Line Transatlantic Cruise.
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American Tragedy. Philip Evergood. Oil on canvas. 29.5 in x 39.5 in.
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Weeping Woman. Pablo Picasso. Tate Collection, London, England. 60 cm x 49 cm. Oil painting on canvas.
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This artwork was prevalent in America in the late 1940s and became a dominant trend in Western painting during the 1950s. It is clear that this art is not structured and is free, spontaneous, and depicts personal emotions. It has two styles: action painters, who used an expressive style known as gestural painting (using energetic and expressive brushstrokes), and color field, which expressed reflection and mood.
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New York, N.Y.. Franz Kline. Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York. Enamel on canvas. 135.6 cm x 172.7 cm.
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Young Steel Workers. Ivan Bevzenko. Ukraine. Oil on canvas. 80 cm x 156 cm.
