Pierre Mignard, Clio, muse of heroic poetry and history, 17th century

Also see articles: History of painting, Western painting

'Western Art' redirects here. Pierre Mignard (1612&mdash1695 called "Le Romain" to distinguish him from his brother Nicolas was a French painter. CLIO is the Cryogenic Laser Interferometer Observatory, a prototype detector for gravitational waves In Greek mythology, the Muses ( Ancient Greek, hai moũsai: perhaps from the Proto-Indo-European root * men- "think" are An epic is a lengthy Narrative poem, ordinarily concerning a serious subject containing details of heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation History is the study of the past particularly the written record Those who study history as a Profession are called Historians Etymology As a means of recording the passage of Time, the 17th Century was that Century which lasted from 1601 - 1700 in the Gregorian calendar The history of Painting reaches back in time to artifacts from pre-historic humans and spans all cultures See also Western art, History of painting, Western art history, History of art, Art history, Painting, Outline of painting For art of the American West, see Artists of the American West

Western art is the art of Europe, and those parts of the world that have come to follow predominantly European cultural traditions such as the Americas.

Written histories of Western art often begin with the art of the Ancient Middle East, Ancient Egypt and the Ancient Aegean civilisations, dating from the 3rd millennium BC. The Ancient Near East refers to early Civilizations within a region roughly corresponding to the modern Middle East: Mesopotamia (modern Iraq Ancient Egypt was an Ancient Civilization in eastern North Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now Aegean civilization is a general term for the Bronze Age Civilizations of Greece and the Aegean. The 3rd millennium BC spans the Early to Middle Bronze Age. It represents a period of time in which Imperialism, or the desire to conquer grew to prominence Parallel with these significant cultures, art of one form or another existed all over Europe, wherever there were people, leaving signs such as carvings, decorated artifacts and huge standing stones. However a consistent pattern of artistic development within Europe becomes clear only with the art of Ancient Greece, adopted and transformed by Rome and carried, with the Empire, across much of Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. The term ancient Greece refers to the period of Greek history lasting from the Greek Dark Ages ca Rome ( Roma ˈroma Roma is the capital city of Italy and Lazio, and is Italy's largest and most populous city with more than 2 North Africa or Northern Africa is the Northernmost Region of the African Continent, separated by the Sahara from Sub-Saharan The Middle East is a Subcontinent with no clear boundaries often used as a synonym to Near East, in opposition to Far East.

The influence of the art of the Classical period waxed and waned throughout the next two thousand years, seeming to slip into a distant memory in the Medieval period, to re-emerge in the Renaissance, suffer a period of what some early art historians viewed as "decay" during the Baroque period,^[1] to reappear in a refined form in Neo-Classicism and to be re-born in Post-Modernism. The Renaissance (from French Renaissance, meaning "rebirth" Italian: Rinascimento, from re- "again" and nascere Baroque art redirects here Please disambiguate such links to Baroque painting, Baroque sculpture, etc Neoclassicism (sometimes rendered as Neo-Classicism or Neo-classicism) is the name given to quite distinct movements in the decorative and Postmodernism literally means 'after the modernist movement' While " Modern " itself refers to something "related to the present" the movement of modernism

The other major influence upon Western art has been Christianity, the commissions of the Church, architectural, painterly and sculptural, providing the major source of work for artists for about 1400 years, from 300 AD to about 1700 AD. Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings The history of the Church was very much reflected in the history of art, during this period.

Secularism has influenced Western art since the Classical period, while most art of the last 200 years has been produced without reference to religion and often with no particular ideology at all. Secularism is generally the assertion that governmental practices or institutions should exist separately from Religion or religious beliefs An ideology is a set of beliefs aims and Ideas especially in politics On the other hand, Western art has often been influenced by politics of one kind or another, of the state, of the patron and of the artist.

Western art is arranged into a number of stylistic periods, which, historically, overlap each other as different styles flourished in different areas. Broadly the periods are, Classical, Byzantine, Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, Modern. The Renaissance (from French Renaissance, meaning "rebirth" Italian: Rinascimento, from re- "again" and nascere Baroque art redirects here Please disambiguate such links to Baroque painting, Baroque sculpture, etc Each of these is further subdivided.

Ancient Classical art

Main article: Ancient art

Egypt, Greece, Rome,Early Christian

Ancient Egypt, a civilization with very strong traditions of architecture and sculpture (both originally painted in bright colours) also had many mural paintings in temples and buildings, and painted illustrations on papyrus manuscripts. The history of art usually refers to the History of the Visual arts, such as Painting, Sculpture and Architecture. --> In the history of art prehistoric art is all art produced in preliterate cultures (prehistory beginning somewhere in very late geological history Arts of the ancient world refers to the many types of Art that were in the Cultures of Ancient societies such as those of ancient China, Eastern art history is devoted to the arts of the Far East and includes a vast range of influences from various cultures and religions Islamic art encompasses the arts produced from the 7th century onwards by people (not necessarily Muslim) who lived within the territory that was inhabited by culturally See also Western art, History of painting, Western art history, History of art, Art history, Painting, Outline of painting The history of Painting reaches back in time to artifacts from pre-historic humans and spans all cultures Art history is the Academic study of objects of Art in their Historical development and stylistic contexts i Medieval art covers a vast scope of time and place over 1000 years of Art history in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. The Renaissance (from French Renaissance, meaning "rebirth" Italian: Rinascimento, from re- "again" and nascere Mannerism is a period of European art which emerged from the later years of the Italian High Renaissance around 1520. Baroque art redirects here Please disambiguate such links to Baroque painting, Baroque sculpture, etc Neoclassicism (sometimes rendered as Neo-Classicism or Neo-classicism) is the name given to quite distinct movements in the decorative and Romanticism is a complex artistic literary and intellectual movement that originated in the second half of the 18th century in Western Europe, and gained strength during the Realism is a visual art style that depicts the actuality of what the eyes can see History of Modern art Roots in the 19th century Although modern Sculpture and Architecture are reckoned to have emerged at the end of the nineteenth Contemporary art can be defined variously as art produced at this present point in time or art produced since World War II. Arts of the ancient world refers to the many types of Art that were in the Cultures of Ancient societies such as those of ancient China, Ancient Egypt was an Ancient Civilization in eastern North Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now The term architecture (from Greek αρχιτεκτονικήarchitektoniki) can be used to mean a process a profession or documentation A mural is a Painting on a wall ceiling or other large permanent surface Papyrus (/pəˈpaɪrəs/ (Rhymes -aɪrəs)is a thick paper-like material produced from the Pith of the papyrus plant Cyperus papyrus A manuscript is any Document that is Written by hand as opposed to being printed or reproduced in some other way Egyptian wall painting and decorative painting is often graphic, sometimes more symbolic than realistic. A mural is a Painting on a wall ceiling or other large permanent surface Artists as contemporary as Pablo Picasso have been directly inspired by Egyptian painting and sculpture. Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Martyr Patricio Clito Ruíz y Picasso (October 25 1881 &ndash April 8 1973 Egyptian painting depicts figures in bold outline and flat silhouette, in which symmetry is a constant characteristic. A silhouette is a view of some object or scene consisting of the outline and a featureless interior with the silhouette usually being black Egyptian painting has close connection with its written language - called Egyptian hieroglyphs. Ancient Egyptian art refers to the style of painting sculpture crafts and architecture developed by the Civilization in the lower Nile Valley from 5000 Egyptian hieroglyphs (ˈhaɪərəʊɡlɪf from Greek grc-Grek ἱερογλύφος " sacred carving " also hieroglyphic = grc-Grek The Egyptians also painted on linen, remnants of which survive today. Linen is a Textile made from the Fibers of the Flax plant Linum usitatissimum. In fact painted symbols are found amongst the first forms of written language, and religion. However it is Ancient Egypt's mysterious and compelling architecture that has had the most impact on modern art historians. Ancient Egypt was an Ancient Civilization in eastern North Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now The Great Pyramids, the Great Sphinx of Giza, and the smaller pyramids and tombs of Ancient Egypt are among the Seven Wonders of the World. The Egyptian pyramids are pyramid shaped structures located in Egypt, and were built as a tomb for dead pharaohs The Great Sphinx of Giza (أبو الهول "The Father of Fear" is a half-human half-lion Sphinx statue in Egypt, on the Giza Plateau at the Ancient Egypt was an Ancient Civilization in eastern North Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now

To the north of Egypt was the Minoan civilization on the island of Crete. This article is about the country of Egypt For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Egypt topics. The Minoan civilization was a Bronze Age civilization which arose on the island of Crete. Crete ( Greek: Κρήτη transliteration: Krētē, modern transliteration Kriti) is the largest of the Greek islands and the The wall paintings found in the palace of Knossos are similar to that of the Egyptians but much more free in style. A mural is a Painting on a wall ceiling or other large permanent surface Knossos (alternative spellings Knossus, Cnossus, Greek Κνωσός kno̞ˈso̞s also known as the Knossos Palace is the largest This article is about the contemporary North African ethnic group Around 1100 B. C. , tribes from the north of Greece conquered Greece and the Greek art took a new direction. Greece (Ελλάδα transliterated: Elláda, historically, Ellás,) officially the Hellenic Republic (Ελληνική Δημοκρατία

The western side of the Parthenon on the Acropolis of Athens. The Parthenon ( Ancient Greek:) is a temple of the Greek goddess Athena, built in the 5th century BC on the Athenian Acropolis The Acropolis of Athens is the best known Acropolis (high city The "Sacred Rock" in the world

Ancient Greece had great painters, great sculptors, and great architects. The term ancient Greece refers to the period of Greek history lasting from the Greek Dark Ages ca The Parthenon is an example of their architecture that has lasted to modern days. The Parthenon ( Ancient Greek:) is a temple of the Greek goddess Athena, built in the 5th century BC on the Athenian Acropolis Greek marble sculpture is often described as the highest form of Classical art. Marble sculpture is the Art of creating three-dimensional forms from marble Painting on the pottery of Ancient Greece and ceramics gives a particularly informative glimpse into the way society in Ancient Greece functioned. Thanks to its hardy nature pottery bulks large in the archaeological record of Ancient Greece, and because we have so much of it (some 100000 vases are recorded in the Corpus Ceramics and ceramic art in the art world means artwork made out of clay bodies and fired to form a ceramic. Black-figure vase painting and Red-figure vase painting gives many surviving examples of what Greek painting was. The black-figure pottery ( Greek, ' μελανόμορφαmelanomorpha) technique is a style of ancient Greek pottery painting in which the decoration appears Red-figure vase painting is one of the most important styles of figural Greek vase painting. Some famous Greek painters on wooden panels who are mentioned in texts are Apelles, Zeuxis and Parrhasius, however no examples of Ancient Greek panel painting survive, only written descriptions by their contemporaries or by later Romans. Zeuxis (Ζεύξις (of Heraclea) and Parrhasius (Παρράσιος (of Ephesus and later Athens) were Painters who Zeuxis lived in 5-6 BC and was said to be the first to use sfumato. Sfumato is the Italian term for a Painting technique which overlays translucent layers of colour to create perceptions of depth volume and form According to Pliny the Elder, the realism of his paintings was such that birds tried to eat the painted grapes. Gaius or Caius Plinius Secundus, ( AD 23 – August 25, AD 79 better known as Pliny the Elder, was an ancient Author Apelles is described as the greatest painter of Antiquity for perfect technique in drawing, brilliant color and modeling. Classical antiquity (also the classical era or classical period) is a broad term for a long period of cultural History centered on the Mediterranean

Bust of Antinous, c. For the constellation see Antinous (constellation; for the Asteroid, see 1863 Antinous; for the mythological figure see Antinous son of Eupeithes 130 AD

Roman art was influenced by Greece and can in part be taken as a descendant of ancient Greek painting and sculpture. Roman art includes the visual arts produced in Ancient Rome, and in the territories of the Roman empire. Roman sculpture, is primarily portraiture derived from the upper classes of society as well as depictions of the gods. Roman sculpture refers to the Sculpture of Ancient Rome. Roman sculpture often involved copying of Ancient Greek sculpture. However, Roman painting does have important unique characteristics. Among surviving Roman paintings are wall paintings, many from villas in Campania, in Southern Italy, especially at Pompeii and Herculaneum. Campania is a region of Southern Italy in Europe. The region has a population of around 5 Pompeii is a ruined and partially buried Roman town-city near modern Naples and Caserta in the Italian region of Campania, in Herculaneum (in modern Italian Ercolano) is an ancient Roman town located in the territory of the current commune of Ercolano. Such painting can be grouped into 4 main "styles" or periods^[2] and may contain the first examples of trompe-l'oeil, pseudo-perspective, and pure landscape. Trompe-l'œil, which can also be spelled without the hyphen in English ( French: "trick the eye" tʁɔ̃p lœj is an Art technique involving extremely ^[3]

Mummy portrait of a young girl, 2nd century AD, Louvre. The Louvre Museum (Musée du Louvre located in Paris is the world's most visited art museum a historic monument and a national museum of France

Almost the only painted portraits surviving from the Ancient world are a large number of coffin-portraits of bust form found in the Late Antique cemetery of Al-Fayum. Mummy portraits or Fayum mummy portraits (also Faiyum mummy portraits) is the modern term for a type of realistic painted Portraits on wooden boards Late Antiquity (c 300-600 is a Periodization used by historians to describe the transitional centuries from Classical Antiquity to the Middle Ages, in Faiyum ( Arabic: الفيوم Coptic:) is a city in Middle Egypt and the capital of the Faiyum Governorate. They give an idea of the quality that the finest ancient work must have had. A very small number of miniatures from Late Antique illustrated books also survive, and a rather larger number of copies of them from the Early Medieval period. The word miniature, derived from the Latin minium, Red lead, is a picture in an ancient or Medieval Illuminated manuscript

Medieval

Main article: Medieval art

Saint Matthew from the Lindisfarne Gospels. Medieval art covers a vast scope of time and place over 1000 years of Art history in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. Matthew the Evangelist (מתי/מתתיהו "Gift of Yahweh " Standard Hebrew and Tiberian Hebrew: Mattay or Mattithyahu The Lindisfarne Gospels is an illuminated Latin manuscript of the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John

Most surviving art from the Medieval period was religious in focus, often funded by the Church, powerful ecclesiastical individuals such as bishops, communal groups such as abbeys, or wealthy secular patrons. A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight An abbey (from Latin abbatia derived from Syriac abba "father" is a Christian Monastery or Patronage is the support encouragement privilege and often financial aid given by a person or an organization Many had specific liturgical functions — processional crosses and altarpieces, for example. The Christian cross is the best-known Religious symbol of Christianity. An altarpiece is a picture or Relief representing a religious subject and suspended in a frame behind the Altar of a church

One of the central questions about Medieval art concerns its lack of realism. A great deal of knowledge of perspective in art and understanding of the human figure was lost with the fall of Rome. Perspective (from Latin perspicere to see through in the graphic arts such as drawing is an approximate representation on a flat surface (such as paper of an image as it is perceived The Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial But many also point out that realism was not the primary concern of Medieval artists. They were simply trying to send a religious message, a task which demands clear iconic images instead of precisely rendered ones.

Time Period: 6th century to 15th century

Byzantine

Main article: Byzantine art

Byzantine art overlaps with or merges with what we call Early Christian art until the iconoclasm period of 730-843 when the vast majority of artwork with figures was destroyed; so little remains that today any discovery sheds new understanding. Byzantine art is the term commonly used to describe the artistic products of the Byzantine Empire from about the 4th century until the Fall of Constantinople After 843 until 1453 there is a clear Byzantine art tradition. It is often the finest art of the Middle Ages in terms of quality of material and workmanship, with production centered on Constantinople. Byzantine art's crowning achievement were the monumental frescos and mosaics inside domed churches, most of which have not survived due to natural disasters and the appropriation of churches to mosques.

Celtic

Main article: Celtic art

Celtic art in the Middle Ages describes the art of native Celtic speaking peoples of Ireland and Britain from about the 5th century, with the Roman withdrawal, to about the 10th century establishment of Romanesque art. Celtic art is art associated with various people known as Celts; those who spoke the Celtic languages in Europe from pre-history through to the modern period The 5th to 7th centuries were mainly a continutation of the late Iron Age La Tène art with some Roman modifications, while in the 7th and 8th centuries saw a fusion with Germanic traditions through contact with the Anglo-Saxons creating what is called the Hiberno-Saxon style or Insular art, and then finally late in the period some Viking inspirations are seen in Ireland.

Romanesque

Main article: Romanesque art

Romanesque art refers to the period from about 1000 to the rise of Gothic art in the 12th century, which developed in conjunction with the rise of monasticism in Western Europe and particularly France, but also included Christian Spain, England, Flanders, Germany, Italy, and elsewhere. Romanesque art refers to the art of Western Europe from approximately 1000 AD to the rise of the Gothic style in the 13th century or later depending on region Its architecture is dominated by thick walls, short, squat structures, and round-headed windows and arches. The name comes from 19th century art historians, as it was the first time since ancient Rome that Roman architectural forms were clearly used.

Gothic

Main article: Gothic art

Gothic art is a variable term depending on the craft, place and time. This article is about Gothic art See also Gothic architecture Gothic art was a Medieval art movement that lasted about 200 The term originated with Gothic architecture in 1140, but Gothic painting did not appear until around 1200 (this date has many qualifications), when it diverged from Romanesque style. Gothic sculpture was born in France in 1144 with the renovation of the Abbey Church of S. Denis and spread throughout Europe, by the 13th century it had become the international style, replacing Romanesque. International Gothic describes Gothic art from about 1360 to 1430, after which Gothic art merges into Renaissance art at different times in different places. During this period forms such as painting, in fresco and on panel, become newly important, and the end of the period includes new media such as prints.

Renaissance

Main article: Renaissance art

The Renaissance is characterized by a focus on the arts of Ancient Greece and Rome, which led to many changes in both the technical aspects of painting and sculpture, as well as to their subject matter. The Renaissance (from French Renaissance, meaning "rebirth" Italian: Rinascimento, from re- "again" and nascere The Renaissance (from French Renaissance, meaning "rebirth" Italian: Rinascimento, from re- "again" and nascere The term ancient Greece refers to the period of Greek history lasting from the Greek Dark Ages ca The Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial It began in Italy, a country rich in Roman heritage as well as material prosperity to fund artists. The Italian Renaissance began the opening phase of the Renaissance, a period of great cultural change and achievement in Europe that spanned the period from the end of the 14th During the Renaissance, painters began to enhance the realism of their work by using new techniques in perspective, thus representing three dimensions more authentically. Perspective (from Latin perspicere to see through in the graphic arts such as drawing is an approximate representation on a flat surface (such as paper of an image as it is perceived In mathematics the dimension of a Space is roughly defined as the minimum number of Coordinates needed to specify every point within it Artists also began to use new techniques in the manipulation of light and darkness, such as the tone contrast evident in many of Titian's portraits and the development of sfumato and chiaroscuro by Leonardo da Vinci. Tiziano Vecelli or Tiziano Vecellio (c 1485 &ndash August 27 1576 better known as Titian, was the leading painter of the 16th-century Venetian Sfumato is the Italian term for a Painting technique which overlays translucent layers of colour to create perceptions of depth volume and form Chiaroscuro ( Italian for light-dark) is a term in Art for a contrast between light and dark Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci ( April 15 1452 – May 2 1519 was an Italian Polymath, having been a scientist Mathematician, Engineer Sculptors, too, began to rediscover many ancient techniques such as contrapposto. Contrapposto is an Italian term meaning "counterpoise" used in the Visual arts to describe a human figure standing with most of its weight on one foot Following with the humanist spirit of the age, art became more secular in subject matter, depicting ancient mythology in addition to Christian themes. Humanism is a broad category of ethical philosophies that affirm the dignity and worth of all people based on the ability to determine right and wrong by appealing to universal The word mythology (from the Greek grc μυθολογία mythología, meaning "a story-telling a legendary lore" This genre of art is often referred to as Renaissance Classicism. In the North, the most important Renaissance innovation was the widespread use of oil paints, which allowed for greater colour and intensity. Oil paint is a type of slow-drying Paint consisting of small Pigment particles suspended in a Drying oil.

From Gothic to the Renaissance

During the late 13th and early 14th centuries, much of the painting in Italy was Byzantine in Character, notably that of Duccio of Siena and Cimabue of Florence, while Pietro Cavallini in Rome was more Gothic in style. Duccio di Buoninsegna (c 1255-1260 &ndash c 1318-1319 was one of the most influential Italian artists of his time Cenni di Pepo (Giovanni Cimabue (c 1240 — c 1302 also known as Bencivieni di Pepo or in modern Italian Benvenuto di Giuseppe was an Italian painter and creator Pietro Cavallini (c 1250 &ndash c 1330 was an Italian painter and Mosaic designer working during the late Middle Ages. Rome ( Roma ˈroma Roma is the capital city of Italy and Lazio, and is Italy's largest and most populous city with more than 2 This article is about Gothic art See also Gothic architecture Gothic art was a Medieval art movement that lasted about 200

In 1290 Giotto began painting in a manner that was less traditional and more based upon observation of nature. His famous cycle at the Scrovegni Chapel, Padua, is seen as the beginnings of a Renaissance style. The Scrovegni Chapel, or Cappella degli Scrovegni, also known as the Arena Chapel is a church in Padua, Veneto Padua ( Padova 'padova Latin: Patavium, Padoa) is a city in the Veneto, northern Italy.

Other painters of the 14th century were carried the Gothic style to great elaboration and detail. Notable among these painters are Simone Martini and Gentile da Fabriano. Simone Martini (c 1284 – c 1344 was an Italian painter born in Siena. Gentile da Fabriano (c 1370 &ndash c 1427 was an Italian painter known for his participation in the International Gothic style

In the Netherlands, the technique of painting in oils rather than tempera, led itself to a form of elaboration that was not dependant upon the application of gold leaf and embossing, but upon the minute depiction of the natural world. The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands Oil paint is a type of slow-drying Paint consisting of small Pigment particles suspended in a Drying oil. Tempera (also known as egg tempera) is a type of artist's Paint and associated art techniques that were known from the classical world where it appears The art of painting textures with great realism evolved at this time. Dutch painters such as Jan van Eyck and Hugo van der Goes were to have great influence on Late Gothic and Early Renaissance painting. Jan van Eyck or Johannes de Eyck (jɑn vɑn ɛik (before c 1395 &ndash before July 9, 1441) was an Early Netherlandish painter active Hugo van der Goes ( Ghent, ?c 1440 – Oudergem, near Brussels, 1482 or 1483 was a Flemish painter

Early Renaissance

The ideas of the Renaissance first emerged in the city-state of Florence. Florence ( Italian: Firenze Florentia and Fiorenza) is the Capital City of the Italian region of Tuscany The sculptor Donatello returned to classical techniques such as contrapposto and classical subjects like the unsupported nude — his second sculpture of David was the first free-standing bronze nude created in Europe since the Roman Empire. Donatello ( Donato di Niccolò di Betto Bardi; c 1386 &ndash December 13, 1466) was a famous early Renaissance Italian Contrapposto is an Italian term meaning "counterpoise" used in the Visual arts to describe a human figure standing with most of its weight on one foot This article is about the sculpture by Donatello for other uses see David (disambiguation. The sculptor and architect Brunelleschi studied the architectural ideas of ancient Roman buildings for inspiration. Filippo Brunelleschi (1377 – April 15, 1446) was one of the foremost architects and engineers of the Italian Renaissance. Masaccio perfected elements like composition, individual expression, and human form to paint frescoes, especially those in the Brancacci Chapel, of surprising elegance, drama, and emotion. Masaccio (born Tommaso Cassai or in some accounts Tommaso di Ser Giovanni di Mone; December 21, 1401 &ndash autumn 1428 was the first great Brancacci Chapel is a Chapel in the Church of Santa Maria del Carmine in Florence.

A remarkable number of these major artists worked on different portions of the Florence Cathedral. The Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore is the Cathedral church ( Duomo) of Florence, Italy. Brunelleschi's dome for the cathedral was one of the first truly revolutionary architectural innovations since the Gothic flying buttress. Donatello created many of its sculptures. Giotto and Lorenzo Ghiberti also contributed to the cathedral. Lorenzo Ghiberti (born Lorenzo di Bartolo) (1378 &ndash December 1, 1455) was an Italian artist of the early Renaissance best known

High Renaissance

High Renaissance artists include such figures as Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo Buonarroti, and Raffaello Santi. Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci ( April 15 1452 – May 2 1519 was an Italian Polymath, having been a scientist Mathematician, Engineer Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni Two biographies were published of him during his lifetime One of them by Giorgio Vasari, proposed that he was the pinnacle of all Raphael Sanzio, usually known by his first name alone (in Italian Raffaello) (April 6 or March 28 1483 – April 6 1520 was an Italian painter and

The 15th-century artistic developments in Italy (for example, the interest in perspectival systems, in depicting anatomy, and in classical cultures) matured during the 16th century, accounting for the designations “Early Renaissance” for the 15th century and “High Renaissance” for the 16th century. Although no singular style characterizes the High Renaissance, the art of those most closely associated with this Period—Leonardo daVinci, Raphael, Michelangelo, and Titian—exhibits an astounding mastery, both technical and aesthetic. High Renaissance artists created works of such authority that generations of later artists relied on these artworks for instruction. These exemplary artistic creations further elevated the prestige of artists. Artists could claim divine inspiration, thereby raising visual art to a status formerly given only to poetry. Thus, painters, sculptors, and architects came into their own, successfully claiming for their work a high position among the fine arts. In a sense, 16th- century masters created a new profession with its own rights of expression and its own venerable character. .

Northern Renaissance

Another equally important but less well known figure of the Renaissance is Jan van Eyck (1366-1441), a Flemish painter often attributed with "bringing the Renaissance North. Jan van Eyck or Johannes de Eyck (jɑn vɑn ɛik (before c 1395 &ndash before July 9, 1441) was an Early Netherlandish painter active The terms Fleming and Flemings ( Vlaming and Vlamingen in Dutch) denote respectively a person and people and the Flemings or " (see: Early Renaissance paintings). Renaissance painting bridges the period of European art history between the art of the Middle Ages and Baroque art.

Hieronymus Bosch (1450?-1516), a Dutch painter, is another important figure in the Northern Renaissance. Hieronymus Bosch ( Dutch, born Jeroen Anthonissen van Aken c 1450 &ndash August 9, 1516) was an Early Netherlandish The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands In his paintings, he used religious themes, but combined them with grotesque fantasies, colourful imagery, and peasant folk legends. His paintings often reflect the confusion and anguish associated with the end of the Middle Ages.

Northern Renaissance art was not as concerned with perspective and the figure as that of the Italian Renaissance. The cornerstone of the Northern Renaissance was the development of oil painting. Oil painting is the process of painting with Pigments that are bound with a medium of Drying oil — especially in early modern Europe Linseed oil

Time Period:

• Italian Renaissance — Late 14th century to Early 16th century
• Northern Renaissance — 16th century

Mannerism, Baroque and Rococo

Main articles: Mannerism, Baroque, and Rococo

In European art, Renaissance Classicism spawned two different movements— Mannerism and the Baroque. Mannerism is a period of European art which emerged from the later years of the Italian High Renaissance around 1520. Baroque art redirects here Please disambiguate such links to Baroque painting, Baroque sculpture, etc Rococo is a style of 18th century French art and Interior design. Mannerism is a period of European art which emerged from the later years of the Italian High Renaissance around 1520. Baroque art redirects here Please disambiguate such links to Baroque painting, Baroque sculpture, etc Mannerism, a reaction against the idealist perfection of Classicism, employed distortion of light and spatial frameworks in order to emphasize the emotional content of a painting and the emotions of the painter. The work of El Greco is a particularly clear example of Mannerism in painting during the late 16th, early 17th centuries. El Greco' ("The Greek " 1541 &ndash April 7 1614 was a painter, sculptor, and architect of the Spanish Renaissance Mannerism is a period of European art which emerged from the later years of the Italian High Renaissance around 1520. Baroque art took the representationalism of the Renaissance to new heights, emphasizing detail, movement, lighting, and drama in their search for beauty. Perhaps the best known Baroque painters are Rembrandt, Peter Paul Rubens, Diego Velázquez, and Caravaggio. Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (July 15 1606 &ndash October 4 1669 was a Dutch painter and etcher. Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez ( June 6, 1599 &ndash August 6, 1660) was a Spanish painter who was the leading Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, usually just known as Caravaggio, (28 September 1571 – 18 July 1610 was an Italian Artist active in Rome Baroque art is often seen as part of the Counter-Reformation— the artistic element of the revival of spiritual life in the Roman Catholic Church. The Counter-Reformation (also Catholic Reformation denotes the period of Catholic revival from the pontificate of Pope Pius IV in 1560 to the close of the Additionally, the emphasis that Baroque art placed on grandeur is seen as Absolutist in nature. An autocracy is a Form of government in which the Political power is held by a single self-appointed ruler Louis XIV said, "I am grandeur incarnate", and many Baroque artists served kings who tried to realize this goal. Early years Birth and ancestry Louis XIV was born in the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye on September 5 1638 and bore the Heir apparent However, the Baroque love for detail is often considered overly-ornate and gaudy, especially as it developed into the even more richly decorated style of Rococo. Rococo is a style of 18th century French art and Interior design. This can also be seen in the ornate styles of lineography. Lineography is the Art of drawing without lifting the pen pencil or paintbrush that is being used After the death of Louis XIV, Rococo flourished for a short while, but soon fell out of favor. Indeed, disgust for the ornateness of Rococo was the impetus for Neoclassicism. Neoclassicism (sometimes rendered as Neo-Classicism or Neo-classicism) is the name given to quite distinct movements in the decorative and

Time Period:

• Mannerism — 16th century
• Baroque — 17th century to 18th century
• Rococo — Mid-18th century

Neoclassicism, Romanticism, Academism and Realism

Main articles: Neoclassicism, Romantic art, Academic art, and Realism (arts)

As time passed, many artists were repulsed by the ornate grandeur of these styles and sought to revert to the earlier, simpler art of the Renaissance, creating Neoclassicism. Mannerism is a period of European art which emerged from the later years of the Italian High Renaissance around 1520. Baroque painting is the Painting associated with the Baroque Cultural movement, a movement often identified with the existence of important Baroque Rococo is a style of 18th century French art and Interior design. Neoclassicism (sometimes rendered as Neo-Classicism or Neo-classicism) is the name given to quite distinct movements in the decorative and Romanticism is a complex artistic literary and intellectual movement that originated in the second half of the 18th century in Western Europe, and gained strength during the Academic art is a style of Painting and Sculpture produced under the influence of European academies or universities Realism in the Visual arts and Literature is the depiction of subjects as they appear in Everyday life, without embellishment or interpretation Neoclassicism (sometimes rendered as Neo-Classicism or Neo-classicism) is the name given to quite distinct movements in the decorative and Neoclassicism was the artistic component of the intellectual movement known as the Enlightenment, which was similarly idealistic. The Age of Enlightenment or The Enlightenment is a term used to describe a phase in Western philosophy and cultural life centered upon the eighteenth century Ingres, Canova, and Jacques-Louis David are among the best-known neoclassicists. Jacques-Louis David (August 30 1748 &ndash December 29 1825 was a highly influential French painter in the Neoclassical style considered to be ^[4]

Just as Mannerism rejected Classicism, so did Romanticism reject the ideas of the Enlightenment and the aesthetic of the Neoclassicists. Romanticism is a complex artistic literary and intellectual movement that originated in the second half of the 18th century in Western Europe, and gained strength during the Romantic art focused on the use of color and motion in order to portray emotion, but like classicism used Greek and Roman mythology and tradition as an important source of symbolism. Another important aspect of Romanticism was its emphasis on nature and portraying the power and beauty of the natural world. Romanticism was also a large literary movement, especially in poetry. Among the greatest Romantic artists were Eugène Delacroix, Francisco Goya, J.M.W. Turner, John Constable, Caspar David Friedrich, Thomas Cole, and William Blake. Ferdinand Victor Eugène Delacroix (26 April 1798 &ndash 13 August 1863 was a French Romantic artist regarded from the outset of his career as the leader of Joseph Mallord William Turner (23 April 1775 &ndash 19 December 1851 was an English Romantic landscape painter, Watercolourist and John Constable ( 11 June 1776 &ndash 31 March 1837 Caspar David Friedrich ( September 5, 1774 &ndash May 7, 1840) was a landscape painter of the nineteenth-century German Romantic Thomas Cole ( February 1, 1801 - February 11, 1848) was a 19th century American artist William Blake (28 November 1757 – 12 August 1827 was an English poet, painter, and Printmaker. ^[5]

Most artists attempted to take a centrist approach which adopted different features of Neoclassicist and Romanticist styles, in order to synthesize them. The different attempts took place within the French Academy, and collectively are called Academic art. Academic art is a style of Painting and Sculpture produced under the influence of European academies or universities Adolphe William Bouguereau is considered a chief example of this stream of art. William-Adolphe Bouguereau (November 30 1825 – August 19 1905 was a French academic painter.

In the early 19th century the face of Europe, however, became radically altered by industrialization. is a process of social and economic change whereby a human group is transformed from a Pre-industrial society into an industrial one Poverty, squalor, and desperation were to be the fate of the new working class created by the "revolution. Working class is a term used in academic Sociology and in ordinary conversation to describe depending on context and speaker those employed in specific fields or types " In response to these changes going on in society, the movement of Realism emerged. Realism in the Visual arts and Literature is the depiction of subjects as they appear in Everyday life, without embellishment or interpretation Realism sought to accurately portray the conditions and hardships of the poor in the hopes of changing society. In contrast with Romanticism, which was essentially optimistic about mankind, Realism offered a stark vision of poverty and despair. Similarly, while Romanticism glorified nature, Realism portrayed life in the depths of an urban wasteland. Like Romanticism, Realism was a literary as well as an artistic movement. Realism in the Visual arts and Literature is the depiction of subjects as they appear in Everyday life, without embellishment or interpretation The great Realist painters include Jean Baptiste Siméon Chardin, Gustave Courbet, Jean-François Millet, Camille Corot, Honoré Daumier, Edouard Manet, Edgar Degas (both considered as Impressionists), and Thomas Eakins, among others. Realism is a visual art style that depicts the actuality of what the eyes can see Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin ( November 2, 1699 &ndash December 6, 1779) was an 18th-century French painter. For the French Admiral see Admiral Courbet (1828-1885 Jean Désiré Gustave Courbet ( 10 June 1819 &ndash Jean-François Millet ( October 4, 1814 &ndash January 20, 1875) was a French painter and one of the founders of the Barbizon Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot ( July 17, 1796 &ndash February 22, 1875) was a French landscape painter and Printmaker Honoré Daumier ( February 26, 1808 &ndash February 10, 1879) was a French Printmaker, Caricaturist, Impressionism was a 19th-century Art movement that began as a loose association of Paris -based Artists exhibiting their art publicly in the 1860s Thomas Cowperthwait Eakins ( July 25, 1844 – June 25, 1916) was a realist painter, Photographer, sculptor

The response of architecture to industrialisation, in stark contrast to the other arts, was to veer towards historicism. Although the railway stations built during this period are often considered the truest reflections of its spirit – they are sometimes called "the cathedrals of the age" – the main movements in architecture during the Industrial Age were revivals of styles from the distant past, such as the Gothic Revival. The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement which began Related movements were the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, who attempted to return art to its state of "purity" prior to Raphael, and the Arts and Crafts Movement, which reacted against the impersonality of mass-produced goods and advocated a return to medieval craftsmanship. The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood (also known as the Pre-Raphaelites) was a group of English painters Poets, and critics founded in 1848 by Raphael Sanzio, usually known by his first name alone (in Italian Raffaello) (April 6 or March 28 1483 – April 6 1520 was an Italian painter and The Arts and Crafts Movement was a British, Canadian, and American Aesthetic movement occurring in the last years of the 19th century and the

Time Period:

• Neoclassicism — 17th century to 19th century
• Romanticism — Late 18th century to 19th century
• Realism — 19th century

Modern art

Main article: Modern art

Out of the naturalist ethic of Realism grew a major artistic movement, Impressionism. Neoclassicism (sometimes rendered as Neo-Classicism or Neo-classicism) is the name given to quite distinct movements in the decorative and Romanticism is a complex artistic literary and intellectual movement that originated in the second half of the 18th century in Western Europe, and gained strength during the Realism in the Visual arts and Literature is the depiction of subjects as they appear in Everyday life, without embellishment or interpretation History of Modern art Roots in the 19th century Although modern Sculpture and Architecture are reckoned to have emerged at the end of the nineteenth Impressionism was a 19th-century Art movement that began as a loose association of Paris -based Artists exhibiting their art publicly in the 1860s The Impressionists pioneered the use of light in painting as they attempted to capture light as seen from the human eye. Edgar Degas, Edouard Manet, Claude Monet, Camille Pissarro, and Pierre-Auguste Renoir, were all involved in the Impressionist movement. Claude Monet ( French klod mɔnɛ also known as Oscar-Claude Monet or Claude Oscar Monet (14 November 1840 &ndash 5 December 1926 was a founder Camille Pissarro ( July 10 1830 &ndash November 13 1903) was a French Impressionist painter. Pierre-Auguste Renoir ( February 25, 1841 &ndash December 3, 1919) was a French Artist who was a leading painter in As a direct outgrowth of Impressionism came the development of Post-Impressionism. Post-Impressionism is the term coined by the British artist and Art critic Roger Fry in 1910 to describe the development of French art since Manet. Paul Cezanne, Vincent van Gogh, Paul Gauguin, Georges Seurat are the best known Post-Impressionists. Eugène Henri Paul Gauguin (7 June 1848 – 8 May 1903 was a leading Post-Impressionist painter. Georges-Pierre Seurat ( December 2, 1859  &ndash March 29, 1891) was a French painter and Draftsman.

Following the Impressionists and the Post-Impressionists came Fauvism, often considered the first "modern" genre of art. Post-Impressionism is the term coined by the British artist and Art critic Roger Fry in 1910 to describe the development of French art since Manet. Les Fauves ( French for The Wild Beasts) were a short-lived and loose grouping of early Just as the Impressionists revolutionized light, so did the fauvists rethink color, painting their canvases in bright, wild hues. After the Fauvists, modern art began to develop in all its forms, ranging from Expressionism, concerned with evoking emotion through objective works of art, to Cubism, the art of transposing a three-dimensional reality onto a flat canvas, to Abstract art. History of Modern art Roots in the 19th century Although modern Sculpture and Architecture are reckoned to have emerged at the end of the nineteenth Expressionism is the tendency of an artist to distort reality for an Emotional effect it is a subjective art form Cubism was a 20th century Avant-garde Art movement, pioneered by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, that revolutionized European Abstract art uses a Visual language of form color and line to create a composition which exists independently of visual references to the world These new art forms pushed the limits of traditional notions of "art" and corresponded to the similar rapid changes that were taking place in human society, technology, and thought.

Surrealism is often classified as a form of Modern Art. Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early-1920s and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members However, the Surrealists themselves have objected to the study of surrealism as an era in art history, claiming that it oversimplifies the complexity of the movement (which they say is not an artistic movement), misrepresents the relationship of surrealism to aesthetics, and falsely characterizes ongoing surrealism as a finished, historically encapsulated era. Aesthetics or esthetics ( also spelled æsthetics) is commonly known as the study of sensory or sensori-emotional values sometimes called

Other forms of Modern art (some of which border on Contemporary art) include:

• Abstract expressionism
• Art Deco
• Art Nouveau
• Bauhaus
• Color Field painting
• Concept Art
• Constructivism
• Cubism
• Dada
• Der Blaue Reiter
• De Stijl
• Die Brücke
• Expressionism
• Fauvism
• Futurism
• Surrealism
• Lettrisme
• Lyrical Abstraction
• Minimalism
• Naive art
• Op art
• Performance art
• Pop art
• Suprematism
• Video art

Time Period: First half of the 20th century

Contemporary art and Postmodern art

Main articles: Contemporary art and Postmodern art

Recent developments in art have been characterised by a significant expansion of what can now deemed to be art, in terms of materials, media, activity and concept. Contemporary art can be defined variously as art produced at this present point in time or art produced since World War II. Abstract expressionism was an American post– World War II Art movement. Art Deco was a popular international design movement from 1925 until 1939 affecting the decorative arts such as Architecture, Interior design, and Industrial Art Nouveau ( nu vo anglicised /ˈɑːt nuːvəu/ ( French for 'new art' also known as Jugendstil ( German for 'youth style' is an international ("House of Building" or "Building School" is the common term for the, a school in Germany that combined crafts and the fine arts and was famous In Quantum mechanics, color field is a whimsical name for some of the properties of Quarks Color Field painting is an abstract style that Concept art is a form of Illustration where the main goal is to convey a visual representation of a design idea and/or mood for use in Movies, Video games Constructivism was an Artistic and architectural movement in Russia from 1919 onward which rejected the idea of " Art for art's sake " Cubism was a 20th century Avant-garde Art movement, pioneered by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, that revolutionized European For other meanings see Dada (disambiguation DaDa is a Concept album by Alice Cooper, released Der Blaue Reiter ( The Blue Rider) was a group of artists from the Neue Künstlervereinigung München in Munich, Germany. For the album by The White Stripes see De Stijl (album. De Stijl (in English, generally də ˈstaɪl after style; from the Expressionism is the tendency of an artist to distort reality for an Emotional effect it is a subjective art form Les Fauves ( French for The Wild Beasts) were a short-lived and loose grouping of early Futurism was an Art movement that originated in Italy in the early 20th century Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early-1920s and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members Lettrism is a French Avant-garde movement established in Paris in the mid-1940s by Romanian immigrant Isidore Isou. See also Tachisme, Art Informel, School of Paris, Lyrical Abstraction refers to two related but distinctly separate movements in Post-war Minimalism describes movements in various forms of art and design especially Visual art and music, where the work is stripped down to its most fundamental features See also Primitivism and Neo-primitivism Naïve art is characterized by a childlike simplicity Op art, also known as optical art, is a genre of visual Art, especially Painting, that makes use of Optical illusions Op art is also known as This article is about Performance art For other uses see Performance (disambiguation Pop Art is a visual Art movement that emerged in the mid 1950s in Britain and in parallel in the late 1950s in the United States. This term is not to be confused with Supremacism. black circle Video art is a type of Art which relies on Moving pictures and is comprised of Video and/or audio data Contemporary art can be defined variously as art produced at this present point in time or art produced since World War II. Postmodern art is a term used to describe art which is thought to be in contradiction to some aspect of Modernism, or to have emerged or developed in its aftermath Conceptual art in particular has had a wide influence. Conceptual art is Art in which the Concept (s or Idea (s involved in the work take precedence over traditional aesthetic and material concerns This started literally as the replacement of concept for a made object, one of the intentions of which was to refute the commodification of art. However, it now usually refers to an artwork where there is an object, but the main claim for the work is made for the thought process that has informed it. The aspect of commercialism has returned to the work.

There has also been an increase in art referring to previous movements and artists, and gaining validity from that reference.

Postmodernism in art, which has grown since the 1960s, differs from Modernism in as much as Modern art movements were primarily focused on their own activities and values, while Postmodernism uses the whole range of previous movements as a reference point. Postmodernism literally means 'after the modernist movement' While " Modern " itself refers to something "related to the present" the movement of modernism Modernism describes an array of Cultural movements rooted in the changes in Western society in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century This has by definition generated a relativistic outlook, accompanied by irony and a certain disbelief in values, as each can be seen to be replaced by another. Another result of this has been the growth of commercialism and celebrity.

Some surrealists in particular Joan Miró, who called for the "murder of painting" (In numerous interviews dating from the 1930s onwards, Miró expressed contempt for conventional painting methods and his desire to "kill", "murder", or "rape" them in favor of more contemporary means of expression). Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early-1920s and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members Joan Miró i Ferrà ( April 20, 1893 &ndash December 25, 1983) was an ethnic Catalan (of Spanish nationality ^[6] have denounced or attempted to "supersede" painting, and there have also been other anti-painting trends among artistic movements, such as that of Dada and conceptual art. For other meanings see Dada (disambiguation DaDa is a Concept album by Alice Cooper, released Conceptual art is Art in which the Concept (s or Idea (s involved in the work take precedence over traditional aesthetic and material concerns The trend away from painting in the late 20th century has been countered by various movements, for example the continuation of Lyrical Abstraction, Pop Art, Op Art, New Realism, Neo-Geo, Neo-expressionism, and Stuckism and various other important and influential painterly directions. See also Tachisme, Art Informel, School of Paris, Lyrical Abstraction refers to two related but distinctly separate movements in Post-war Pop Art is a visual Art movement that emerged in the mid 1950s in Britain and in parallel in the late 1950s in the United States. Op art, also known as optical art, is a genre of visual Art, especially Painting, that makes use of Optical illusions Op art is also known as Neo-expressionism was a style of modern Painting that emerged in the late 1970s and dominated the art market until the mid-1980s Stuckism is an Art movement that was founded in 1999 in Britain by Billy Childish and Charles Thomson to promote figurative painting

See also

• Western painting
• History of painting
• Contemporary art
• Postmodern art
• modernism
• Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects

References

1. ^ Banister Fletcher excluded nearly all Baroque buildings from his mammoth tome A History of Architecture on the Comparative Method. See also Western art, History of painting, Western art history, History of art, Art history, Painting, Outline of painting The history of Painting reaches back in time to artifacts from pre-historic humans and spans all cultures Contemporary art can be defined variously as art produced at this present point in time or art produced since World War II. Postmodern art is a term used to describe art which is thought to be in contradiction to some aspect of Modernism, or to have emerged or developed in its aftermath Modernism describes an array of Cultural movements rooted in the changes in Western society in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century The Lives of the Most Excellent Painters Sculptors and Architects, or Le Vite delle più eccellenti pittori scultori ed architettori as it was originally known Sir Banister Flight Fletcher ( February 15, 1866, London &mdash August 17, 1953, London was an English Architect The publishers eventually rectified this.
2. ^ http://www.art-and-archaeology.com/roman/painting.html
3. ^ Roman Wall Painting
4. ^ James J. Sheehan, "Art and Its Publics, c. 1800," United and Diversity in European Culture c. 1800, ed. Tim Blanning and Hagen Schulze (New York: Oxford University Press, 2006), 5-18.
5. ^ James J. Sheehan, "Art and Its Publics, c. 1800," United and Diversity in European Culture c. 1800, ed. Tim Blanning and Hagen Schulze (New York: Oxford University Press, 2006), 5-18.
6. ^ M. Rowell, Joan Mirό: Selected Writings and Interviews (London: Thames & Hudson, 1987) pp. 114-116.

External links

• Timeline of Art
• Web Gallery of Art
• Postmodernism
• European artists community
• Panopticon Virual Art Gallery