Overview of art history

1. Overview of Art History
15,000 BC - Present

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. Rome
Greatly influenced by
Greek culture, the Ancient
Romans excelled in
painting, sculpting, and
architectural design.
Mythological subject
matter predominated art at
this time.

7. 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.

8. 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.

9. 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.

10. Romanesque
Following tradition at this
time, the Romanesque
period is marked by
lavishly decorated
architecture, manuscripts
and embroidery.

11. 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.

12. 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.
The development of linear
perspective and a greater
understanding of human
anatomy became two concepts
that would forever change the
way that artists render the
natural world on a two
dimensional surface.

13. Some of the most influential artists
of this time include Michaelangelo,
DaVinci, Raphael and Botticelli.
 Common forms of artistic
expression during the Renaissance
include painting, fresco, and
sculpture.
Centered around the church, art was
commonly themed around religion,
mythology and portraiture.
However, the artists of the
Renaissance were mainly interested
in capturing the essence and beauty
of nature.
Raphael
Davinci
Michaelangelo
Botticelli

14. 1600-1775
Boroque
The Boroque 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

15. Boroque
During the Boroque 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

16. Mannerism
Following in traditions
developed by Renaissance
and Boroque artists,
Mannerism is a period in
which artists created
images of elongated and
slightly disproportionate
figures.
Pontormo

17. Rococo
Keeping in tradition with
Boroque 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

18. 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 Boroque and
Rococo styles.
David

19. 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.
796px- T ur ner %2C_J._M ._W._- _T he_F ighting_T ém ér air e_tugged_to_her _last_Ber th_to_be_br oken796px- T ur ner %2C_J._M ._W._- _T he_F ighting_T ém ér air e_tugged_to_her _last_Ber th_to_be_br oken796px- T ur ner %2C_J._M ._W._- _T he_F ighting_T ém ér air e_tugged_to_her _last_Ber th_to_be_br oken796px- T ur ner %2C_J._M ._W._- _T he_F ighting_T ém ér air e_tugged_to_her _last_Ber th_to_be_br oken
T ur ner %2C_J._M ._W._- _T he_F ig
hting_T ém ér air e_tugged_to_
her _last_Ber th_to_be_br oken
T ur ner %2C_J._M ._W._- _T he_F ighting_T ém ér air e_tugged_to_her _last_Ber th_to_be_br okenT ur ner %2C_J._M ._W._- _T he_F ighting_T ém ér air e_tugged_to_her _last_Ber th_to_be_br okenT ur ner %2C_J._M ._W._- _T he_F ighting_T ém ér air e_tugged_to_her _last_Ber th_to_be_br oken
Turner

20. 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

21. 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

22. Degas Renior
Morisot Cassatt
Manet

23. 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.

24. Lautrect
Gaugin
Cezanne
Seraut
Van Gogh

25. Modern Art Movement
1880-1970
Expressionism
Fauvism
Cubism
Futurism
Dada
Surrealism
Abstract Expressionism
Action Painting
Color Field
Pop Art
Minimalism
Op Art

26. 1900-1910
German Expressionism
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
reality based imagery.
Munch
Kandinsky

27. 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

28. 1908-1914
Cubism
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.
Picasso

29. 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

30. 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

31. 1924-1940
Surrealism
Characterized by it’s
dreamlike qualities,
Surrealism became a way
for artists to create a
unique world of an
imagined reality.
Artists such as Salvadore
Dali experimented with
reality and psychological
elements.
Dali

32. Abstract Expressionism
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.
Diebenkorn
O’Keeffe

33. 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

34. 1950-
Color Field Painting
Originating in NY city, this
abstract form of painting is
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
Rothko

35. 1950-
POP Art
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.
WarholLichtenstein

36. 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

37. 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.
Riley
Vasarely

38. 1970 - Present
Post Modern Art
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.
Stella

39. Today’s artists are free to express themselves in any
way imaginable.
Sometimes Big….
And sometimes small…
Koons
Calder

40. Some artists create
works that reflect a
human message.
Haring
Britto

41. While others explore form and
function.
Calder
Wright

42. Many artists look at our
environment for inspiration….
While others continue
to look within…
Chihuly
Escher

43. Art as we know it will continue to change, as artists seek
to invent new ways to create fascinating images to capture
a world-wide audience.
These contemporary
artists are reinventing
old materials in new
and interesting ways!
Can you figure out
what they’ve used?
Kalish
Gee’s Bend Quilters

44. Online Resources
The following websites were used as resources for
this presentation:
•Wikipedia.com
•About.com
•Bing.com (images)
•Yahoo.com (images)