Overview of Art History
RENAISSANCE + BAROQUE
40,000 B.C. – 2300 B.C.
Prehistoric Era
Prehistoric art refers to
artifacts from ancient
civilizations such as
Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece
and Rome.
Artists employed resources
from their natural
environments such as clay,
rocks, minerals, animal hair,
bones, wood, fat and blood to
create images.
Mesopotamia
An ancient empire in what
is known as modern day
Iraq.
Generally, art was made
by carving stone relief used
to decorate imperial
monuments. The reliefs
depict royal affairs, such as
hunting and war.
Animal forms, particularly
horses and lions, were
represented in great detail,
while human figures were
of less significance.
Egypt
Egyptian art was expressed
through painting, sculpture,
and jewelry.
The artwork embodies a
unique style and makes use
of an ancient form of
symbolism.
Much of the remaining art
comes from tombs and
monuments.
Greece
Sculpture and architecture
from Greek civilization have
influenced other’s
throughout history.
Known for their architectural
monuments as well as
sculptural masterpieces, the
Greek’s were also expert
craftsman. They crafted and
painted beautiful vessels
used for everyday life.
Rome
Greatly influenced by
Greek culture, the Ancient
Romans excelled in
painting, sculpting, and
architectural design.
Mythological subject
matter predominated art at
this time.
200 – 1400
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages marks a
period in between Classical
and Modern history (hence
“middle”).
It was at this time that
Christianity was being
spread throughout Europe,
and so the art and
architecture follows a
religious tradition.
Medieval
Medieval is a term used to
describe the art created
over a span of 1,000 years
during the middle ages.
Art was largely produced
at this time with a variety
of medium including
illuminated manuscripts,
paintings, sculptures,
stained glass, metal works,
mosaics and even textiles.
Byzantine
With the spread of
Christianity throughout
Europe, art and architecture
during the Byzantine era
followed a religious theme.
Paintings, mosaics, and
sculpture were common
forms of artistic expression.
Also important at this time
were illuminated bible
manuscripts.
Romanesque
Following tradition at this
time, the Romanesque
period is marked by
lavishly decorated
architecture, manuscripts
and embroidery.
Gothic
Developing in France out
of the Romanesque period,
Gothic art begin with the
construction of
monumental architecture.
Very ornately designed
cathedrals with luminous
stained glass windows
were commonly
constructed at this time.
1400-1600
Renaissance
Known as a period of “rebirth”, this
was a time when artists looked back
to ancient traditions while applying
new scientific knowledge.
1400-1600
Renaissance
The development two concepts significant of this period that forever
changed the way that artists render the natural world on a two
dimensional surface
LINEAR PERSPECTIVE A GREATER
UNDERSTANDING OF HUMAN
Some of the most influential
artists of this time include Michaelangelo
Giotto di Bondone
Giotto
Michaelangelo
Leonardo Da Vinci
Raphael Sanzio
Raphael
Sandro Botticelli.
Da vinci Botticelli
Common forms of artistic expression during
the Renaissance include
painting, fresco and sculpture.
The artists of the Michaelangelo
Renaissance were mainly
interested in capturing
the essence and
beauty of nature. Raphael
Da vinci Botticelli
1600-1775
Baroque
The Baroque period can be
characterized as art that
conveys a religious theme,
through movement and
emotion.
Dramatic biblical depictions
are common in frescoes and
paintings.
Carlo Innocenzo Carlone
Baroque
During the Baroque period,
artists commissioned to paint
portraits were interested in
depicting the wealth and
social status of the patrons.
Artists use of symbolism and
focus on the detailed
rendering of clothing helps us
to understand the importance
of the figures being depicted.
Ruebens
Mannerism
Following in traditions
developed by Renaissance
and Baroque artists,
Mannerism is a period in
which artists created
images of elongated and
slightly disproportionate
figures.
Pontormo
Keeping in tradition with
Rococo Baroque art, Rococo was a period
of ornate interior design and
decorative arts.
From the beautiful frescoes to the
lavish furniture, Rococo was a
period of royal luxury.
Thomas Gainsborough
THANK YOU
Ruebens
1700-1800
Neoclassicism
A reformation of art and
architecture, Neoclassical
art sought to bring back
classical elements of the
ancient Greeks and
Romans.
Art was now moving away
from the decorative and
ornate Baroque and
Rococo styles. David
1700-1800
Romanticism & Realism
Romanticism marks a
period in which artists
sought to remove
themselves from social and
political influences.
Artists were interested in
creating images that
engage strong emotion
within the beauty of a
natural environment. Turner
Realism
In response to the emotion
of Romanticism, artists
instead began to create
images that depicted
objective reality.
A focus on real-life scenes
characterizes the realist
style.
Sargent
1886-1906
Impressionism
Developing out of France,
this period is characterized
by vivid colors and loose,
visible brushwork.
Artists began to investigate
the changing properties of
light in everyday subject
matter.
Monet
Degas Renior
Manet
Morisot Cassatt
Post Impressionism
Post Impressionist such as
Vincent Van Gogh, continued to
develop images with vivid
colors, dynamic brushwork and
real-life subject matter.
The Post Impressionists took
these ideologies further as they
experimented with the
expressive qualities of paint
application and an emphasis of
geometric forms.
Lautrect
Seraut
Gaugin
Cezanne Van Gogh
Modern Art Movement
1880-1970
Expressionism
Fauvism
Cubism
Futurism
Dada
Surrealism
Abstract Expressionism
Action Painting
Color Field
Pop Art
Minimalism
Op Art
1900-1910
German Expressionism
Munch
Beginning as a cultural
reform of art and poetry in
Germany, this period in art
history is coined as “avant-
garde”, or experimental
and innovative.
Artists became interested
in depicting an emotional
experience rather than Kandinsky
reality based imagery.
1905-1907
Fauvism
French for the wild
beasts, Fauvism
became a period where
artists kept in tradition
with Impressionist
style, while exploring
color and painterly
qualities within their
work.
Matisse
1908-1914
Cubism
Picasso
Pablo Picasso and Georges
Braque are the creators of
this unique artistic style.
Characterized by broken,
reassembled and abstracted
forms, cubism transformed
art into a unique modern
style.
1909-1918
Futurism
Originating in Italy, this
style of art sought to
transform how we see old
forms in new innovative
ways.
The Futurists explored
every medium of art,
including interior design
and theatre.
Boccioni
1916-1923
Dada
A cultural movement rooted in
Switzerland, Dada was a
response to the seriousness of
war.
Rejecting traditional standards
of art, Dada artists found art and
humor in the meaningless
objects of everyday life.
Dada art is characterized as
Anti-war and Anti-art.
Dada was a foundation for
future art movements such as
surrealism and pop art.
Duchamp
1924-1940
Surrealism
Characterized by it’s
dreamlike qualities,
Surrealism became a way
for artists to create a Dali
unique world of an
imagined reality.
Artists such as Salvadore
Dali experimented with
reality and psychological
elements.
Abstract Expressionism
Diebenkorn
A post-WW2 movement,
Abstract Expressionism is
known for it’s spontaneous
and subconscious style.
Instead of working with
representational forms, the
Abstract Expressionists’
work interprets emotional
intensity.
O’Keeffe
1950-
Action Painting
Also known as “Gestural
Abstraction”, this unique
style of painting explores
the application and
expression of medium.
Jackson Pollock is known
as the quintessential Action
painter. Drips, drizzles and
splatters are characteristics
of his unique style of
painting.
Pollock
1950-
Color Field Painting
Originating in NY city, this
abstract form of painting is Rothko
known by it’s application
of flat fields of color.
A focus on a refined and
consistent application of
paint is characteristic of
this style.
Frankenthaler
1950-
POP Art
Lichtenstein Warhol
Emerging in Britain in the
1950’s, Pop art explored
the influences of Popular
culture such as advertising,
comic books and cultural
objects.
Pop art was innovative in
that it was a the first style
of art to emerge that used
mass-produced imagery in
a fine arts context.
1960-
Minimalism
A post-WW2
movement,
Minimalism became an
expression of the basic
and simplified form.
Minimalism is known
as a reaction against
the Abstract
Expressionists.
Mondrian
Riley
1964-
OP Art
The art of optical illusion.
Artists such as Vasarely
and Riley sought to explore
the illusion of space while
experimenting with line,
shape, pattern and color .
The result is an impression
of movement, vibration,
swelling, warping and
hidden imagery.
Vasarely
1970 - Present
Post Modern Art Stella
Today art continues to
transform.
Artists work in a variety
of medium including
drawing, painting,
sculpture, mixed-media,
collage, printmaking,
photography, ceramics
and installation art to
name a few.
