Art History Overview

A collection of vocabulary flashcards based on art history concepts, movements, notable artists, and their characteristics.

Order of Historical Periods

Classical Antiquity → Middle Ages → Renaissance

Italian Renaissance

A cultural rebirth (1300s–1500s) emphasizing classical learning, humanism, realism, and artistic innovation.

Humanism

A movement focusing on human potential, classical texts, rationality, and secular learning.

Giorgio Vasari

A Renaissance painter, architect, and author of Lives of the Artists, the first major art history text.

Famous Italian Renaissance Artists

Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, Donatello.

Significance of Donatello's David

First free-standing nude sculpture since antiquity; early Renaissance naturalism.

Characteristics of Donatello's David

Bronze, youthful, calm, after the battle.

Characteristics of Michelangelo's David

Marble, idealized, tense, before the battle.

Characteristics of Bernini's David

Marble, dynamic, twisting, in action during battle.

David and the Biblical Story

David defeating the giant Goliath.

Artists and Mediums of David Sculptures

Donatello: Bronze; Early Renaissance, Michelangelo: Marble; High Renaissance, Bernini: Marble; Baroque.

David Over Time

From calm/classical → idealized hero → dramatic, emotional action.

Characteristics of Early Renaissance David

Classical calm and naturalism.

Characteristics of High Renaissance David

Ideal perfection.

Characteristics of Baroque David

Drama, movement, emotion.

Fresco

Painting on wet plaster.

Tempera Paint

Pigment mixed with egg yolk; quick-drying, matte.

Oil Paint

Pigment + linseed oil; slow drying, blendable, detailed, rich color.

Differences of Northern Renaissance

More detail, texture, symbolism, domestic scenes; Italy emphasized classical idealism and anatomy.

Medium for Richer Color in the North

Oil paint.

Chiaroscuro

Dramatic contrast of light and dark.

Order of Rococo, Mannerism, Baroque

Mannerism → Baroque → Rococo.

Characteristics of Mannerism

Elongated forms, artificial poses, unusual colors, emotional tension.

Characteristics of Baroque

Drama, motion, emotion, intense light/dark, theatrical compositions.

Characteristics of Rococo

Pastels, elegance, playfulness, romantic themes, ornate decoration.

The Swing Movement

Rococo.

Why The Swing Represents Rococo

Playful, sensual, pastel colors, aristocratic leisure.

Government Under Louis XIV

Absolute monarchy.

French Revolution

1789 overthrow of monarchy; push for equality and democracy.

Neoclassical Inspiration

Classical Greek and Roman art.

Delacroix & David Paintings Reference

French Revolution.

Art Salon

Official exhibition by the French Academy.

Five Types of Academic Painting

1. History painting 2. Portraiture 3. Genre scenes 4. Landscape 5. Still life.

Most Celebrated Subject Matter

History painting.

Salon's Celebration of Neoclassicism and Romanticism

Yes.

Salon’s Stance on Realism

No, they rejected it.

Romanticism

Emotion, imagination, nature, individuality.

The Sublime

Awe mixed with terror; overwhelming natural power.

Goya’s View on War

Anti-war; depicted brutality and human suffering.

Salon des Refusés

Artists rejected from the French Salon (e.g., Manet).

First Modern Art Movement

Realism.

Characteristics of Realism

Everyday life, working class, unidealized truth.

Why Manet Was Scandalous

Unidealized nudity, contemporary setting, defiant gaze, broke academic traditions.

Characteristics of Impressionism

Visible brushstrokes, light effects, outdoor scenes, fleeting moments.

Impasto

Thick paint application creating texture.

Non-European Influence on Impressionists

Japanese prints (Japonisme).

Why Van Gogh is Post-Impressionist

Personal emotion, symbolism, expressive color—not just light effects.

Differences between Impressionism and Post-Impressionism

Impressionism: light, momentary effects; Post-Impressionism: structure, emotion, symbolism.

Van Gogh Sales

One painting.

Shared Trait of Realism, Impressionism, Post-Impressionism

Depiction of everyday life.

Picasso and Naturalism

No, he was not trying to paint naturalistically with Cubism.

Characteristics of Cubism

Fragmentation, geometric forms, multiple viewpoints, muted colors.

Non-European Influence on Cubism

African masks, Iberian sculpture, Oceanic art.

True or False: Picasso’s Early Works Were Naturalistic

True.

Dada

Anti-logic, anti-war, absurd, anti-tradition art movement.

Readymade

Ordinary object presented as art.

Were Dadaists Anti-Art?

Yes—against traditional concepts of art.

Duchamp’s Fountain

A urinal turned sculpture; challenged the definition of art.

Surrealism

Art exploring dreams, subconscious, irrational imagery.

Surrealist Interests

Dreams, automatism, psychology.

Freud’s Influence

His theories of dreams, subconscious drives, free association.

Expressionism

Emotional exaggeration, distortion to convey psychological states.

Mother With Her Dead Son

Created by Käthe Kollwitz.

Kandinsky’s Neurological Condition

Synesthesia—seeing colors when hearing music.

Abstraction

Art not meant to represent realistic forms.

Abstract Expressionism

Post-WWII American movement using gestural or color-based abstraction.

Action Painting

Painting focused on physical gesture and movement.

Pioneer of Action Painting

Jackson Pollock.

Color Field Painting

Large areas of flat color meant to evoke emotion.

Artist Known for Color Field Painting

Mark Rothko.

Jasper Johns

American artist known for flags, maps, numbers using familiar symbols.

Movement Inspired by Jasper Johns

Pop Art.

Pop Art

Art using mass culture, advertising, comics, consumerism.

Commercial Process Used in Pop Art

Silkscreen printing.

Pop Artist Using Ben-Day Dots

Roy Lichtenstein.

Andy Warhol

Leading Pop Artist; used celebrity images and mass-production techniques.

Contemporary Art

Art from the late 20th century to today.

Earthworks

Large-scale outdoor artworks using natural materials.

Earthwork Visible from Google Earth

Robert Smithson’s Spiral Jetty.

Characteristics of Andy Goldsworthy’s Art

Natural materials, temporary works, site-specific, weather-dependent.