The Romanesque Period (1000-1300): Sharing Information Through Art 

Birth or beginnings:

  Art historians often see the Romanesque period as the beginning of art history. During the emergence
of Christianity in about 1000 A.D., Romanesque art flourished. During this period, a tiny fraction of the
European population could read and write. Typically. pastors of the Christian church belonged to this
minority; thus, they required another approach to communicate the message of the Bible.

Key Ideas:

Christian artifacts, tales, deities, saints, and rites dominated the subject matter of the vast majority of
Romanesque paintings. Romanesque paintings intended to educate the public about the ideals and
beliefs of the Christian Church had to be straightforward and easy to understand. Due to their Christian
intent, Romanesque artworks are almost always symbolic. The scale of the figures in the paintings
indicates their relative significance, with the more significant characters looking considerably bigger.
Human features are often deformed, and the tales conveyed in these paintings typically have
considerable emotional importance. Romanesque paintings often include legendary animals such as
dragons and angels and are nearly exclusively seen in cathedrals.

Key artists:

Last Judgment by Gislebertus in the west tympanum at the Autun Cathedral

The Renaissance Era (1420-1520): The Reawakening of an Art Era That Never Really Existed

 Birth or beginnings:
   Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci are two of the most well-known painters from the Renaissance
period. The art and philosophy of the ancient Romans and Greeks influenced this period, which
continued to find its inspiration in the person. One might see the Renaissance as a cultural rebirth.

Key Ideas:

Renaissance paintings maintained the same three-dimensional viewpoint. Renaissance artists breathed
fresh life into frescos created some 3000 years previously. Humans were shown in a far more subtle
manner, and the complexity of scenes increased. Artists of the Renaissance portrayed three-dimensional
human figures and faces with a strong focus on realism. The transition from tempera to oil paints
occurred throughout the Renaissance Period. Traditionally, the Renaissance is regarded as the beginning
of great Dutch landscape paintings.

Key artists:

The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci

Mannerism (1520-1600): A Window into the Future of Kitsch 

Birth or beginnings:

  Not all artwork created during this period would be considered "kitsch" now. Today's definition of
kitsch is often contrived, poorly produced, and lacking in 'classical taste. Instead, the relative
exaggeration that defined this period's art is why we refer to it as kitsch. As a result of the newly
discovered freedom of human expression during the Renaissance, artists started experimenting with
their creative style or way.

Key Ideas:

Michelangelo himself is not immune to the hyperbole that characterizes this age. Some art historians do
not regard some of his later pieces as Renaissance-era artworks. In mannerist paintings, the portrayal of
emotions, human movements, and even clothing is purposefully exaggerated. The slight S-curve of the
human body, which is characteristic of the Renaissance style, is converted into an unnatural bodily bend.
This is the first European style to draw painters from over Europe to its origin in Italy.

Key artists:
 Assumption of the Virgin (Poppi Altarpiece) by Andrea del Sarto

he Baroque Era (1590-1760): The Glorification of Power and the Deception of the Eye

Birth or beginnings.

   During the Baroque period, art continued to emphasize people's lives above the divine's power. Kings,
princes, and even popes started glorifying their authority and status rather than God's via art. The
extravagance that characterized Mannerism extended throughout the Baroque period, with paintings
depicting more fantastical and spectacular situations.

Key Ideas:

Often, Baroque paintings depicted kings rising into the sky, interacting with angels, and becoming closer
to the divinity and might of God. Although the subject matter does not shift away from religious
symbolism, these compositions have a clear evolution of human self-importance. Man is becoming the
dominant force. New materials that celebrate wealth and prestige, such as gold and marble, are coveted
for sculptures. The natural contrasts between light and dark, warm and cold hues and symbols of good
and evil are exaggerated. The number of art academies expanded as art became a means of displaying
one's riches, power, and social standing.

Key artists:
 The Rokeby Venus by Diego Velázquez

The Rococo Art Period (1725-1780): Light and Airy, a French Fancy

Birth or beginnings:

  Rococo paintings are representative of the French nobility of the period. The term's origin is the French
word rocaille, meaning "shellwork." The solid shapes that defined the Baroque era were replaced with
air, light, and yearning. This era's paintings were no longer robust and imposing but relatively light and
frivolous.

Key Ideas:

In other cases, the colors were lighter and brighter to the point of being almost translucent. Although
certain painters, like Tiepolo, made frescos for various churches, many works of art from this era
overlooked religious subjects. Like the mentality of the French elite of the time, Rococo art is wholly
divorced from social realities. This time was defined by the shepherd's idyll, symbolizing a carefree
existence devoid of economic and social obligations.

Key artists:
 Madame Marsollier and Her Daughter by Jean-Marc Nattier

Classicism (1770-1840): Throwing It Back to Classic Times

Birth or beginnings:

 Like the Rococo period, the Classical period started in France in about 1770. In contrast to the Rococo
period, Classicism resorted to older, more creative severe expression techniques. Classicism, like the
Renaissance, influenced ancient Roman and Greek art.

Key Ideas:

The atmosphere conveyed by these artworks was unquestionably severe. The meanings of the various
colors were forgotten. The artwork created during this period was exported to other countries and
utilized to inspire emotions of patriotism in the people living in other countries. The Louis XIV, Empire,
and Biedermeier styles are all components of the Classical art movement.

Key artists:
 The Death of Nelson by Benjamin West

Romanticism (1790-1850): A Break from the Severity of it All

Birth or beginnings:

  According to the dates, this artistic movement flourished at about the same time as Classicism.
Romanticism is often seen as an emotionally driven response to the severe aspect of Classicism. In
contrast to the strictness and realism of the Classicism period, Romantic paintings were far more
expressive.

Key Ideas:

The investigation centered on the intangible; emotions and the subconscious. During this time, people
began hiking to explore the natural surroundings. However, they were not interested in uncovering the
natural world's underlying essence but in how it made them feel. Art during the period of Romanticism
lacked a distinct or precisely recognized aesthetic. While English and French artists valued emphasizing
the effects of lighting and shadows, German painters sought a more thorough approach. The worldviews
of Romantic painters were often questioned and sometimes mocked.

Key artists:
 Grande Odalisque by Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres

Realism (1850-1925): Objectivity over Subjectivity

Birth or beginnings:

   As Romanticism was a response to the preceding age of Classicism, so was Realism's reaction to
Romanticism. In contrast to the gorgeous and intensely emotional subject matter of Romantic paintings,
Realist painters depicted both the beautiful and the ugly, as well as the good and the bad. Realist artists
show the world as it is without embellishment.

Key Ideas:

These painters' endeavor to depict the world, its inhabitants, environment, and animals as they are. As
stated by Gustave Courbet, there is an emphasis on the "duty of art to the truth." Similar to
Romanticism, Realism was not universally admired. Some commentators have remarked that, despite
the artist's promises of Realism, the sensual scenarios in the paintings are nevertheless lacking in
eroticism. Art, according to Goethe, should be ideal rather than actual. Schiller also refers to Realism as
"mean," meaning that many works depict harshness.

Key artists:
 The Horse Fair by Rosa Bonheur

Impressionism (1850-1895): Heralding the Era of Modern Art

Birth or beginnings:

  Historians often portray the Impressionist movement as the beginning of the modern era. It is stated
that Impressionist painting ended classical music and other traditional forms of art. After Cubism,
Impressionism is undoubtedly one of the most identifiable art eras. Impressionism, exemplified by
Claude Monet and Vincent van Gogh, departed from the smooth brushstrokes and solid color regions
that defined many preceding painting styles.

Key Ideas:

Initially, Impressionism was a cuss word in the art world, with critics feeling that these painters merely
splashed paint on a canvas without expertise. The brushstrokes were a marked departure from those
that came before them, sometimes becoming wildly chaotic. Distinct forms and lines vanished into a
swirl of hues. In the pointillism style of Impressionist paintings, tiny dots of different colors were put
together. Frequently, the themes in Impressionist paintings were only discernible from a distance.
During the Impressionist period, the image moved from the studio to the open air or en Plein air. This
change contributed significantly to the Impressionists' ability to depict the intricate and ever-changing
hues of the natural world.

Key artists: 
 The Cradle by Berthe Morisot

Symbolism (1890-1920): There is Always More Than Meets the Eye

Birth or beginnings:

  During this time, Symbolism started to gain traction in France. Artists grew interested in the physical
manifestation of emotions and ideas. Death, illness, sin, and ardor were the preferred subjects of the
Symbolist movement. Art historians feel that the most transparent shapes anticipated the Art Nouveau
period.

Key ideas:

The focus on emotions, sentiments, ideas, and subjectivity rather than reality unifies the numerous
artists and styles associated with Symbolism. Symbolism originated in France in the late 19th century.
Their paintings are very personal and expressive of their views, most notably their faith in the ability of
art to shed light on hidden realities.

Key artists:
 Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going?

by Paul Gauguin

Art Nouveau (1890-1910): The Pure Gold of Gustav Klimt

Birth or beginnings:

  Although Gustav Klimt was not the most significant artist of the Art Nouveau period, he is one of the
most well-known. His work epitomizes the Art Nouveau era with its soft, curving lines, an abundance of
flowers, and stylized human forms. This style is referred to as the Secession style in several nations.

Key Ideas:

The artwork that was created during the Art Nouveau period is known for its extensive use of symmetry,
as well as its youthful vitality and sense of play. The ornamental components of Art Nouveau are what
many critics find objectionable, even though Art Nouveau contains a significant amount of political
meaning. Artists of the Art Nouveau era strove, via their work, to reintroduce elements of nature into
the urban environments of the time.

Key artists:
 The Slav Epic by Alphonse Mucha

Expressionism (1890-1914): Bringing a Political Edge to the Debate

Birth or beginnings

  The necessity of expressing one's subjective emotions is seeing somewhat of a renaissance during the
period known as the Expressionism painting movement. The painters who participated in this movement
had little interest in Realism or depicting things as they seem on the surface. Consequently, certain
expressionist paintings, which are often antiquated and a bit wild, have a certain undercurrent of
hostility to them.

Key Ideas:

The term "Expressionism" came from Germany and was developed in response to the Impressionist
movement. Expressionist paintings had a tense and unsettling quality to them during the early stages of
the First World War. The paint was the vehicle used to disseminate these politically charged concepts
intended to critique power structures and the preexisting social order. The politicization of art was only
starting to take hold.

Key artists:
 Naked Man with Rat by Lucian Freud

Them Back Together Again

Birth or beginnings:

The Cubist movement began with two painters, Pablo Picasso, and Georges Braque, and was
characterized by fragmentation, geometric forms, and numerous viewpoints. The three-dimensional
planes of commonplace things were disassembled and reassembled in a manner that simultaneously
exhibited the object from multiple sides. Cubism was a rejection of all the norms of conventional
western painting and had a significant impact on subsequent art movements

Key Ideas:

The cubist style rejected the conventional methods of perspective, foreshortening, modeling, and
chiaroscuro and disproved the time-honored theory that art should reflect nature. The cubist style
emphasized the flat, two-dimensional surface of the image plane.

Key artists:
 Cubist Self-Portrait by Salvador Dali

Surrealism (1920-1930): Things Just Get More Bizzare

Birth or beginnings:

  The Surrealists saw the dream world as the source of all truth as if the illogical character of Dadaism
was not already absurd enough. Salvador Dali is one of the most well- known Surrealist painters, and
you are likely familiar with his work Melting Watch (1954).

Key Ideas:

Many surrealist painters painted straight from their dreams, consistent with the psychoanalytical
underpinnings of the surrealist movement. Surrealism was a direct criticism of the engrained notions
and beliefs of the bourgeoisie, and it sometimes dealt with complex topics, secret desires, and taboos. It
is easy to assume that this manner of artistic expression would not have been well received when it first
appeared, yet it has had a significant impact on the world of contemporary art.

Key artists:
 The Persistence of Memory by Salvador Dali

Europe

Birth or beginnings:

It is believed that the first art movement to arise in a region other than Europe was called abstract
expressionism. Abstract expressionism was a movement that originated in North America and
emphasized color-field painting as well as action painting. Instead of using a canvas and a brush, painters
would dump buckets of paint onto the ground and then use their fingers to take pictures.

 Key Ideas:

This art movement was distinctive from many before it because it included well-known painters such as
Marc Tobey and Jackson Pollock. Sometimes the paint was applied in such a thick layer that the final
work would take on a different shape from any painting that had come before it. The practice of abstract
expressionism became widespread throughout Europe. Some always disagree with a work of art, and at
the height of the cold war, some conservative Americans referred to it as "un-American."

Key artists:
 Blue Nudes by Henri Matisse

Pop-Art (1955-1969): Art is Everything

Birth or beginnings:

  For Pop-Art painters, everything in the world constituted art. Everything is art, including ads, tin cans,
toothpaste, and toilets. Pop-Art originated concurrently in the United States and England and is
distinguished by uniform blocks of color and distinct lines and curves. Photorealism and serial prints
have an impact on painting and graphic art. David Hockney is one of the most well-known English Pop
painters, even though just a handful of his lifetime works belong to this trend.

Key ideas:

Everything in the world was considered art by artists who practiced Pop Art. Everything, including
advertisements, tin cans, toothpaste tubes, and toilets, can be considered art. Pop art is characterized
by distinct lines and curves, as well as uniform blocks of color that are juxtaposed with each other. Pop
art emerged simultaneously in the United States and England. To some extent, painting and graphic art
have been influenced by photorealism and serial printing. Even though just a tiny number of David
Hockney's works may be classified as Pop art, he is considered one of the most famous painters to
emerge from the English Pop movement.

Key artists:
 Drowning Girl by Roy Lichtenstein

Neo-Expressionism (1980-1989): Modern Art

Birth or beginnings:

  Neo-Expressionism was a movement that began in the 1980s and included large-format paintings that
were symbolic and affirmative of life. This new trend originated in Berlin, and the designs often
emphasized cityscapes and the lifestyle of large metropolitan areas. The term "Neo-Expressionism"
derived from the Fauve art movement, and while the painters who practiced this style in Berlin split in
1989, several artists in New York have continued to paint in this manner.

Key ideas:

  Neo-Expressionist artists depicted their subjects in an almost raw and brutish manner, newly
resurrecting in their frequently large-scale works the highly textural and expressive brushwork and
intense colors that had been rejected by the art movements that immediately preceded Neo-
Expressionism. Neo-Expressionist artists depicted their subjects in an almost raw and barbaric manner.

Key artists:
The Upper Room: Mono Gris by Chris Ofili