Art History

14-16th century
Emphasis on humanism, classical antiquity, and perspective.
Linear perspective and atmospheric perspective
Idealized beauty, balanced compositions, and harmony
Religious and mythological themes, often with secular influences
Patronage from church and wealthy families

Italian Renaissance

Italian Renaissance (14th-16th Century) Leonardo Da Vinci Mona Lisa

Italian Renaissance (14th-16th century) Leonardo Da Vinci, The Last Supper

Italian Renaissance (14th-16th) Michelangelo David

Italian Renaissance (14th-16th) Michelangelo The Creation of Adam

Italian Renaissance (14th-16th) Raphael, The School of Athens

Italian Renaissance (14th-16th) Raphael Sistine Madonna

15th-16th Century

Focus on detail, naturalism, and oil painting techniques

Strong use of symbolism and religious themes

Emphasis on domestic scenes and landscapes

Greater attention to texture and light than in the the ItRe

A direct response to the ItRe

Northern Renaissance

Northern Renaissance (15th-16th) Jan Van Eyck The Arnolfini Portrait

Northern Renaissance (15th-16th) Jan Van Eyck Ghent Altarpiece

Northern Renaissance (15th-16th) Albrecht Durer Melencolia 1

Northern Renaissance (15th-16th) Albrecht Durer Self Portrait 1500

Northern Renaissance (15th-16th) Hieronymus Bosch The Garden of Earthly Delights

Northern Renaissance (15th-16th) Hieronymus Bosch The Haywain Triptych

1520s-1600s

Exaggerated proportions and elongated forms

Complex compositions unnatural poses and perspectives

Emotionally intense and theatrical depictions

Vibrant, often unnatural colors

Focus on elegance and artificiality over naturalism

End of the Renaissance

Mannerism

Mannerism (1520s-1600s) Jacopo Pontormo Deposition from the Cross

Mannerism (1520s-1600s) Jacopo Pontormo Joseph in Egypt

Mannerism (1520s-1600s) Parmigianino Madonna with the Long Neck

Mannerism (1520s-1600s) Parmigianino Self Portrait in a Convex Mirror

Mannerism (1520s-1600s) El Greco The Burial of the Count of Orgaz

Mannerism (1520s-1600s) El Greco The View of Toledo

1600s-1750s

Dramatic Lighting (chiaroscuro)

Emotional Intensity and movement

Grand, theatrical compositions

Religious and mythological themes, often commissioned by church as counter reformation propaganda

Rich colors and deep contrasts

Baroque

Baroque (1600s-1750s) Caravaggio The Calling of Saint Matthew

Baroque (1600s-1750s) Caravaggio Judith Beheading Holofernes

Baroque (1600s-1750s) Peter Paul Rubens The Descent from the Cross

Baroque (1600s-1750s) Peter Paul Rubens The Rape of the Daughters of Leucippus

Baroque (1600s-1750s) Rembrandt The Night Watch

Baroque (1600s-1750s) Rembrandt The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp

1720s-1780s

Light pastel colors and soft, curving lines

Playful, romantic, and decorative themes

Focus on aristocratic leisure and flirtation (think French Revolution)

Asymmetrical compositions with an airy feel

Highly ornamental and extravagant

Rococo

Rococo (1720s-1780s) Francois Boucher Madame de Pompadour

Rococo (1720s-1780s) Francois Boucher The Triumph of Venus

Rococo (1720s-1780s) Jean-Honore Fragonard The Swing

Rococo (1720s-1780s) Jean Honore Fragonard The Progress of Love

1750s-1830s

Inspired by Ancient Greece and Rome

Hypermasculine

Emphasis on order, harmony, and simplicity

Idealized figures with crisp, clean lines

Serious, moralizing themes (often historical or political)

Rejection of the excess of Rococo

Neoclassical

Neoclassical (1750s-1830s) Jacques-Louis David The Oath of the Horatii

Neoclassical (1750s-1830s) Jacques-Louis David Napoleon Crossing the Alps

Neoclassical (1750s-1830s) Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres Jupiter and Thetis

Neoclassical (1750s-1830s) Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres The Apotheosis of Homer

1800s-1850s Emphasis on emotion, imagination, and nature

Focus on the sublime, dramatic, and exotic themes

Rejection of strict Neoclassical order

Loose, expressive brushstrokes and rich colors

Interest in folk culture, nationalism, and individualism

Romanticism

Romanticism (1800s-1850s) Francisco Goya The Third of May 1808

Romanticism (1800s-1850s) Francisco Goya Saturn Devouring His Son

Romanticism (1800s-1850s) Eugene Delacroix Liberty Leading the People

Romanticism (1800s-1850s) Eugene Delacroix THe Death of Sardanapalus

Romanticism (1800s-1850s) JMW Turner THe Fighting Temeraire

Romanticism (1800s-1850s) JMW Turner Rain, Steam, and Speed

Romanticism (1800s-1850s) Gericault The Raft of the Medusa

Italian Renaissance (14th-16th) Raphael The Alba Madonna

Italian Renaissance (14th-16th) Michelangelo Doni Tondo (Holy Family)

Northern Renaissance (15th-16th) Pieter Bruegel The Elder The Hunters in the Snow

Mannerism (1520s-1600s) El Greco The Vision of Saint John

Mannerism (1520s-1600s) Hendrik Goltzius Apollo

Baroque (1600s-1750s) Artemisia Gentileschi Judith and Holofernes

Baroque (1600s-1750s) Diego Velázquez Las Meninas

Baroque (1600s-1750s) Gian Lorenzo Bernini David

Rococo (1720s-1780s) Francois Boucher The Toilet of Venus

Neoclassical (1750s-1830s) Jacques-Louis David Death of Marat

Romanticism (1800s-1850s) William Blake The Ancient Days from Europe a Prophecy copy B

Romanticism (1800s-1850s) Caspar David Friedrich Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog

Romanticism (1800s-1850s) JMW Turner The Slave Ship

Romanticism (1800s-1850s) Albert Bierstadt Storm over the Rocky Mountains

Impressionism Claude Monet Water Lilies

Impressionism Mary Cassatt Five O’Clock Tea

Impressionism John Singer Sargeant Portrait of Madame X

Chiaroscuro

Play of shadow and light

Contrapposto

“Counterpose” - A human figure standing with most of their weight on one leg

Zeitgeist

Spirit of the Times

Patron/Patronage

The person or group of people paying for the image

Natural vs. Idealization

Naturalism strives for a precise and unadulterated representation of reality, focusing on capturing the world as it is. Idealization involves portraying people, places, or things in a romanticized and unrealistically perfect form

Representational vs. Nonrepresentational

Representational art clearly depicts real objects, figures, or scenes, making them easily recognizable while Non-representational art doesn’t represent anything from the real world, instead focusing on visual elements and their relationships

Contre Jour

“Against the Light” - A silhouette

Impasto

Thickly applied paint

Sfumato

“To evaporate like smoke” - Soft, imperceptible transitions between colors and tones

Secular

Non-Religoius

Humanism

Seeing life and human nature as it actually was - human nature

Individualism

Freedom of action for individual over collective or state control

Tempera

Pigment mixed with egg yolk

Fresco

Technique of applying pigments to wet plaster

Trompe l’oeil

Visual illusion used to trick the eye into perceiving a painted detail as a 3D object

Realism Gustave Courbet A Burial at Ornans

Realism Edouard Manet Olympia

Realism Edouard Manet Luncheon on the Grass

Post/Neo Impressionism Georges Seurat Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte

Post/Neo Impressionism Paul Cezanne The Large Bathers

Post/Neo Impressionism Vincent van Gogh Portrait of Doctor Gachet