Art History.
Prehistoric Art
CHARACTERISTICS:
Rock carvings, pictorial imagery, sculptures, and stone arrangements
LEADING CONTRIBUTORS:
Prehistoric cultures that existed before the advent of a written language
INFLUENTIAL WORKS:
Lascaux cave paintings, Paleolithic era
40,000–4,000 B.C.Ancient Art
CHARACTERISTICS:
Religious and symbolic imagery, decorations for utilitarian objects, mythological stories
LEADING CONTRIBUTORS:
Civilizations from Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, and the Americas
INFLUENTIAL WORKS:
Code of Hammurabi, 1754 B.C.
30,000 B.C.–A.D. 400Medieval
CHARACTERISTICS:
Dark imagery, biblical subjects, Classical mythology, Gothic architecture
LEADING CONTRIBUTORS:
- Abbot
- Suger
- CimabueGiotto
INFLUENTIAL WORKS:
- Cimabue
Crucifix, 1288Giotto - Lamentation of Christ, 1305
Renaissance
CHARACTERISTICS:
Natural elements, individualism, realism, attention-to-detail, precision of human anatomy
LEADING CONTRIBUTORS:
- Leonardo da Vinci
- Michelangelo
- Raphael
INFLUENTIAL WORKS:
- Leonardo da Vinci
Mona Lisa, 1503 - Michelangelo
David, 1504 - Raphael
The School of Athens, 1511
Mannerism
CHARACTERISTICS:
Stylized features, exaggerated details, decorative elements
LEADING CONTRIBUTORS:
- Bronzino
- Francesco Salviati
- Giorgio Vasari
INFLUENTIAL WORKS:
- Bronzino, Venus, Cupid, Folly and Time, 1540
- Giorgio Vasari
Allegory of the Immaculate Conception, 1541
Baroque
CHARACTERISTICS:
Ornate, grandeur, richness, stylistically complex, dramatic
LEADING CONTRIBUTORS:
- Caravaggio
- Johannes Vermeer
- Rembrandt van Rijn
INFLUENTIAL WORKS:
- Caravaggio
The Calling of St Matthew, 1600 - Rembrandt
The Night Watch, 1642 - Johannes Vermeer
Girl with a Pearl Earring, 1665
Rococo
CHARACTERISTICS:
Lightness, elegance, natural forms, asymmetrical design, subtle colors
LEADING CONTRIBUTORS:
- Antoine Watteau
- Francois Boucher
INFLUENTIAL WORKS:
- Antoine Watteau
Embarkation for Cythera, 1718 - Francois Boucher
Venus Consoling Love, 1751
Neoclassicism
CHARACTERISTICS:
Renewed interest in classical antiquity, harmony, simplicity, and proportion
LEADING CONTRIBUTORS:
- Antonio Canova
- Jacques-Louis David
INFLUENTIAL WORKS:
- Jacques-Louis David
Napoleon Crossing the Alps, 1801 - Antonio Canova
The Three Graces, 1816
Romanticism
CHARACTERISTICS:
Imaginative elements, focus on passion, emotion, and observing the senses
LEADING CONTRIBUTORS:
- Francisco Goya
- Henry Fuseli
- William Blake
INFLUENTIAL WORKS:
- Henry Fuseli
The Nightmare, 1781 - William Blake
The Ghost of a Flea, 1820 - Francisco Goya
Saturn Devouring His Son, 1823
Realism
CHARACTERISTICS:
Detailed depictions of everyday life
LEADING CONTRIBUTORS:
- Gustave Courbet
- Jean-François Millet
INFLUENTIAL WORKS:
- Jean-François Millet
The Gleaners, 1857 - Gustave Courbet
Woman with a Parrot, 1866
Art Nouveau
CHARACTERISTICS:
Long, sinuous lines and curves
LEADING CONTRIBUTORS:
- Alphonse Mucha
- Antoni Gaudí
- Gustav Klimt
INFLUENTIAL WORKS:
- Antoni Gaudí
Church of Sagrada Familia, 1882 - Gustav Klimt
The Kiss, 1908 - Alphonse Mucha
Princess Hyacinth, 1911
Impressionism
CHARACTERISTICS:
Short, quick brushstrokes, separation of color, sketch-like finish, modern subject matter
LEADING CONTRIBUTORS:
- Claude Monet
- Pierre-Auguste
- Renoir
INFLUENTIAL WORKS:
- Pierre-Auguste Renoir
Dance in the City, 1872 - Claude Monet, Impression, Sunrise, 1899
Post-Impressionism
CHARACTERISTICS:
Subjective visions, symbolism, abstraction
LEADING CONTRIBUTORS:
- Georges Seurat
- Vincent van Gogh
INFLUENTIAL WORKS:
- Georges Seurat
A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, 1886 - Vincent van Gogh
The Starry Night, 1889
Fauvism
CHARACTERISTICS:
Expressive color, line, and brushwork, bold surface design, flat composition
LEADING CONTRIBUTORS:
- André Derain
- Henri Matisse
INFLUENTIAL WORKS:
- Henri Matisse
Woman with a Hat, 1905 - André Derain
The Houses of Parliament, 1905-1906
Expressionism
CHARACTERISTICS:
Distortion of form, strong use of colors
LEADING CONTRIBUTORS:
- Edvard Munch
- Wassily Kandinsky
INFLUENTIAL WORKS:
- Edvard Munch
The Dance of Life, 1900 - Wassily Kandinsky
The Blue Rider, 1903
Cubism
CHARACTERISTICS:
Abstraction, flat, two-dimensional surfaces, geometric forms, contrasting vantage points
LEADING CONTRIBUTORS:
- Georges Braque
- Pablo Picasso
INFLUENTIAL WORKS:
- Georges Braque
Violin and Palette, 1909 - Pablo Picasso
Guernica, 1937
Surrealism
CHARACTERISTICS:
Exploration of dreams and unconsciousness, inspired by Sigmund Freud
LEADING CONTRIBUTORS:
- Max Ernst
- René Magritte
- Salvador Dalí
INFLUENTIAL WORKS:
- Salvador Dalí
The Persistence of Memory, 1931 - Max Ernst
The Robing of the Bride, 1940 - René Magritte
The Son of Man, 1964
Abstract Expressionism
CHARACTERISTICS:
Spontaneity, improvisation, colossally scaled works, unique techniques
LEADING CONTRIBUTORS:
- Jackson Pollock
- Mark Rothko
INFLUENTIAL WORKS:
- Jackson Pollock
Autumn Rhythm (Number 30), 1950 - Mark Rothko
Orange and Yellow, 1956
Op Art
CHARACTERISTICS:
Use of colors, patterns, shapes, and contrast to create images that appeared to be moving or blurring
LEADING CONTRIBUTORS:
- Bridget Riley
- Jean-Pierre Yvaral
- Victor Vasarely
INFLUENTIAL WORKS:
- Bridget Riley
Blaze, 1964
Pop Art
CHARACTERISTICS:
Use of everyday, mundane objects, bold, vivid colors, mass media
LEADING CONTRIBUTORS:
- Andy Warhol
- Roy Lichtenstein
INFLUENTIAL WORKS:
- Andy Warhol
Campbell's Soup Cans, 1962 - Roy Lichtenstein
Brushstrokes, 1962
Arte Povera
CHARACTERISTICS:
Use of soil, rocks, paper, and other natural elements to create a pre-industrial sentiment
LEADING CONTRIBUTORS:
- Alighiero Boetti
- Giovanni Anselmo
- Mario Merz
INFLUENTIAL WORKS:
- Mario Merz
Giap’s Igloo, 1968
Minimalism
CHARACTERISTICS:
A focus on exactly what the art portrays, aside from outside realities and emotions
LEADING CONTRIBUTORS:
- Carl Andre
- Donald Judd
- Frank Stella
INFLUENTIAL WORKS:
- Frank Stella
Black Series I, 1967
Conceptual Art
CHARACTERISTICS:
An emphasis on ideas over visual components in the form of performances, ephemera, and other forms
LEADING CONTRIBUTORS:
- Joseph Kosuth
- Marcel Duchamp
- Sol LeWitt
INFLUENTIAL WORKS:
- Joseph Kosuth
One and Three Chairs, 1965
Contemporary Art
CHARACTERISTICS:
Exploration of Postmodernism, Feminist art, Neo Expressionism, Street art, Appropriation art, Digital art, and other small schools
LEADING CONTRIBUTORS:
Jeff Koons
INFLUENTIAL WORKS:
- Jeff Koons
Michael Jackson and Bubbles, 1988