Art Power Guide - Art History - Periods and Movements

Abstract Expressionism

A movement characterized by dramatic colors and sweeping brushstrokes; gained popularity in the 1940s

Action Painting

Abstract Expressionist style using drip-painting or large brushstrokes; pioneered by Jackson Pollock

Aegean Island Cultures

Precursors to ancient Greece

Akkadian Dynasty

Successor of Sumer; 2334-2150 BCE; known for sculptures emphasizing the monarchy

Archaic Period

660-475 BCE; featured marble and limestone sculptures, temples using Doric and Ionic style, and painted vases

Art Nouveau

A naturalistic style characterized by decorative leaves and flowers

Asmat

Culture that practiced head-hunting; influenced Melanesian art

Baroque

Art movement following the Renaissance; period from the late 16th to mid-18th century; characterized by art with more movement and emphasis on drama and emotion with stark contrasts of light and dark

Bauhaus School

A German design school focusing on stream-lined architecture

Bwa

Culture known for using mass in performances

Celtic

Irish art combined in Hiberno-Saxon art

Classical Period

Famous ancient Greek era; known for solemn, life-like sculptures

Color Field Painting

Abstract Expressionist style involving large swatches of color

Counter Reformation

The Catholic Church's response to the Reformation

Cubism

Art movement emphasizing the use of geometric shapes; Picasso was fond of this style

Cycladic culture

Culture known for decorated pottery and simplified female forms; from the Cyclades; part of Aegean Island cultures

Dadaism

Movement started after WWI by disillusioned Zurich individuals; elevated the odd and common; anti-art form of social commentary

Dan

Civilization known for using masks in performances

Der Blaue Reiter

An Expressionist group led by Vasily Kandinsky; created abstract images with no pictorial subject

Die Brücke

Expressionist group; included Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and Emil Nolde

Etruscan Civilization

A civilization that forms a transition between Greek ideals and Roman rationality; known for tomb decoration

Expressionism

A movement that uses art to understand the human mind

Fauvism

A movement led by Henri Matisse; used intense and arbitrary colors

French Revolution

1789 revolution that influenced neoclassical art by inspiring the reflection of democratic ideals

Gothic

A popular style between the 12th and 16th centuries; often featured in churches

Guti

Group that succeeded Akkadians; controlled Mesopotamia from 2150 BCE to 2100 BCE

Hellenistic

Period whose art blended Greek and Asia Minor styles

Hiberno-Saxon

Group whose art combined Viking, Anglo-Saxon, and Irish Celtic styles

High Renaissance

Exemplified by artists such as da Vinci and Michelangelo

Impressionism

A movement developed out of dissatisfaction with the salons; characterized by depicting rapidly changing light

International Style

An architect style; Philip Johnson is a sample architect of this style

Late Classical Period

A period following the defeat of Athens in the Peloponnesian War; Corinthian columns rose in popularity

Mannerism

Movement popular in late 1500s; characterized by distorted elements

Mesolithic Period

Another term for the Middle Stone Age; warmer weather and art featuring humans characterize this time

Middle Classical Period

A period known for architectural achievements, including restoration of the Parthenon

Minimalism

Art style using monochromatic palettes and simple forms

Minoan culture

A culture centered around legend of Minotaur; known for pottery designs and depiction of sea life; part of Aegean Island Cultures

modernism

Contemporary art movement, moved away from idealism in favor of realism and subjectivity

Mycenaean culture

Aegean culture known for skilled relief sculptures

Neo-Babylon

Mesopotamian civilization c. 612—538 BCE; created Hanging Gardens of Babylon

Neoclassicism

Movement influenced by the Enlightenment; revived Greek and Roman ideals; emphasized truth and objectivity; countered Rococo

Neolithic Period

The New Stone Age; characterized by stone formations

Neo-Sumerian

The group that regained control of Mesopotamia from the Guti

New Zealand Maori

Oceanic group seeking to renew old traditions

Old Stone Age

Period that saw the creation of ancient cave paintings featuring animals, human hands, and one human figure

Peloponnesian War

War lost by Athens; marks transition to Greek Late Classical Period

Photorealism

A movement that aimed to mimic hyper-realism of photographs

Pop Art

A movement drawing from mass culture; challenged traditional art ideals; exemplified by Andy Warhol's work

Post-Impressionism

Movement succeeding Impressionism; characterized by brilliant colors

Post-Modernism

A movement that brought back traditional elements while taking modern techniques to the extreme

Pre-Raphaelites

Group that attempted to return to Pre-Renaissance art; religious elements incorporated in their work

Realism

A movement that portrays all, even the negative, features of a painting's subjects

Reformation

Period in which Protestants broke away from the Catholic Church

Renaissance

Period following Gothic style; revived imagery of classical masters; associated with humanism

Rococo

Art style similar to Baroque; celebrates gaiety, romance, and court life

Romanticism

Art that emphasizes emotions; imaginative and dreamlike qualities

Salon

A world-renowned art exhibition held in Paris that originated in 1667 with King Louis XI

Salon des Refusés

Featured pieces rejected by the Salons; exhibited Luncheon on the Grass

Scandinavian Vikings

Culture known for woodwork

Surrealism

Artistic movement that emphasized dreams and surreal images; influenced by Sigmund Freud; portrayed the inner mind; the Julien Levy Gallery in New York featured many works

Tang Dynasty

China's Golden Age