HISTORY OF ART

CLASSES SLIDES
(enrich your study by watching on youtube
the videos of each art movement made by
the goodbye art academy)

PRE-HISTORICAL

ART

Stone Age Epoch lapses a huge time period, starting from

2,4 million years B.C. and finishing with the V century B.C.
Therefore, researchers introduce additional division of the
period into:
Old Stone Age or the Paleolithic;
Middle Stone Age or Mesolithic;
New Stone Age or Neolithic.

Humans make art. We do this for many reasons and with whatever technologies are
available to us. Extremely old, non-representational ornamentation has been found
across Africa.

PALEOLITHIC
Humans make art. We do this for many reasons and with
whatever technologies are available to us. Extremely old,
non-representational ornamentation has been found across
Africa.
Timeframe: from approximately 2,6 mln. years B.C. and up to
the XX century A.D. This is also very big period of time and I is
additionally divided into:
Early (the Lower) Paleolithic 2,6 mln.300
000 B.C.;
Middle Paleolithic 300 00040 000 B.C.;
Later (Upper) Paleolithic 40 00020 000 B.C.

The oldest firmly-dated example is a collection of 82,000 year old Nassarius snail shells
found in Morocco that are pierced and covered with red ochre. Wear patterns suggest
that they may have been strung beads. Nassarius shell beads found in Israel may be
more than 100,000 years old and in the Blombos cave in South Africa, pierced shells and
small pieces of ochre (red Haematite) etched with simple geometric patterns have been
found in a 75,000-year-old layer of sediment.

The oldest firmly-dated example is a collection of

82,000 year old Nassarius snail shells found in Morocco
that are pierced and covered with red ochre. Wear
patterns suggest that they may have been strung
beads. Nassarius shell beads found in Israel may be
more than 100,000 years old and in the Blombos cave
in South Africa, pierced shells and small pieces of
ochre (red Haematite) etched with simple geometric
patterns have been found in a 75,000-year-old layer
of sediment. We can conclude the oldest art was
ornamentation: fashion!
... the middle Paleolithic already had some mystical or
religious rituals, decorated their instruments of labor,
created attire (i.. items without any practical value,
for example beads and necklaces), created the
drawings on the cave walls, etc.

Beauty in a different place

sd

The Caves
The caves at Chauvet-Pont-d'Arc, Lascaux, Pech Merle,
and Altamira contain the best known examples of prehistoric painting and drawing. Here are remarkably
evocative renderings of animals and some humans that
employ a complex mix of naturalism and abstraction.
Archeologists that study Paleolithic (comes from Greek
and means old stone age) era humans, believe that the
paintings discovered in 1994, in the cave at ChauvetPont-d'Arc in the Ardche valley in France, are more
than 30,000 years old.

Beauty in a different place

sd

The images found at Lascaux

and Altamira are more
recent, dating to
approximately 15,000 B.C.E.
The paintings at Pech Merle
date to both 25,000 and
15,000 B.C.E.
2

The images found at Lascaux and Altamira are more recent, dating to
approximately 15,000 B.C.E. The paintings at Pech Merle date to both 25,000 and
15,000 B.C.E.

Cueva de las Manos. - Argentina

Beauty in a different place

sd

But what is even older?!

FIRST DESIGN EVER

Made nearly two million years ago, stone tools such as this are the first
known technological invention.
This chopping tool and others like it are the oldest objects in the British
Museum. It comes from an early human campsite in the bottom layer of
deposits in Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania. Potassium-argon dating indicates
that this bed is between 1.6 and 2.2 million years old from top to bottom.
This and other tools are dated to about 1.8 million years.
Using another hard stone as a hammer, the maker has knocked flakes
off both sides of a basalt (volcanic lava) pebble so that they intersect to
form a sharp edge. This could be used to chop branches from trees, cut
meat from large animals or smash bones for marrow fatan essential
part of the early human diet. The flakes could also have been used as
small knives for light duty tasks.
Although hand axes were used for a variety of everyday tasks including
all aspects of skinning and butchering an animal or working other
materials such as wood, this example is much bigger than the usual
useful size of such hand held tools. Despite its symmetry and regular
edges it appears difficult to use easily. As language began to develop
along with tool making, was this handaxe made to suggest ideas? Does
the care and craftsmanship with which it was made indicate the
beginnings of the artistic sense unique to humans?

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE HAND AXE(DESIGN) AND THE

SCULPTURE(ART)
Very little is known about its origin, method of creation, or
cultural significance; however, it is one of numerous Venus
figurines or representations of female figures surviving from
the Paleolithic period.
The purpose of the carving is the subject of much
speculation. It never had feet and does not stand on its
own. Parts of the body associated with fertility and
childbearing have been emphasized, leading researchers to
believe Venus of Willendorf may have been used as
a fertility goddess The figure has no visible face, her head
being covered with circular horizontal bands of what might
be rows of plaited hair or a type of headdress.

MESOLITHIC
The Mesolithic is characterized by appearance and
gradual distribution of agriculture, domestication of
wild animals and consequently, the beginning of
shifting to sedentary life. At the time the first
experience of curing the diseases and injuries
appear, first surgical operations appear.

NEOLITHIC
Neolithic was marked by final transition of people from wild to settled life,
and from hunting and foraging to agriculture and cattle breeding.
Meanwhile, permanent settlements would appear; the population
started to increase and that was the beginning of social stratification
and differentiation. The Neolithic features all-round distribution of the
ceramic art and terra cotta works. Researchers know some separate
ceramic objects crafted during the Paleolithic epoch 2030 thousand
years ago, though such findings are limited by the territory of Eastern
Asia; in Europe ceramics had appeared much later.
The massive changes in the way people lived also changed the types of
art they made. Neolithic sculpture became bigger, in part, because
people didnt have to carry it around anymore; pottery became more
widespread and was used to store food harvested from farms. This is
when alcohol was invented and when architecture, and its interior and
exterior decoration, first appears. In short, people settle down and begin
to live in one place, year after year.

Beauty at a different time

Given these factors, we establish that our idea of beauty has deep psychological
roots and is influenced by external inputs during our lives.

Australian aborigines Australian aborigines

are numerous ethnical groups that
populate Australia, and before the
Europeans came there (in XVIIXVIII
centuries) they were at different stages of
Neolithic pre-class society; their main
activities were hunting and foraging.
The art of Australian aborigines is divided
into two big groups: realistic art and
symbolic art, conventionally-geometric.

Influence on posterior art

ANCIENT EGYP T

Unlikely brothers

Two-dimensional art represented the world quite

differently. Egyptian artists embraced the twodimensional surface and attempted to provide the most
representative aspects of each element in the scenes
rather than attempting to create vistas that replicated
the real world.
Each object or element in a scene was rendered from its
most recognizable angle and these were then grouped
together to create the whole. This is why images of
people show their face, waist, and limbs in profile, but eye
and shoulders frontally. These scenes are complex
composite images that provide complete information
about the various elements, rather than ones designed
from a single viewpoint, which would not be as
comprehensive in the data they conveyed.

Scenes were ordered in parallel lines, known as registers.

These registers separate the scene as well as provide
ground lines for the figures. Scenes without registers are
unusual and were generally only used to specifically
evoke chaos; battle and hunting scenes will often show
the prey or foreign armies without ground lines. Registers
were also used to convey information about the scenes
the higher up in the scene, the higher the status;
overlapping figures imply that the ones underneath are
further away, as are those elements that are higher within
the register.

Design inspired by Egyptian art, check examples online at:

http://afkinsider.com/34744/10-cool-modern-buildingsinspired-by-ancient-egypt
https://www.pinterest.com/mariah021/egyptian-inspiration/
http://www.vogue.com/slideshow/3622275/king-tutancient-egypt-fashion/

Greek

Art

from 800 B.C to 50 B.C.

Culture, Religion, and Art

The Greeks believed in living the perfect life. They believed that a
variety of different gods (as in Greek Mythology) controlled different
aspects of every persons destiny on earth. They believed these gods
acted in very human ways and had great respect and fear for them.

As a result, many buildings and works of art were created to please

the different gods and give the Greek people places to worship.
Where else was that common?

The Acropolis
A sacred hill in Athens, Greece that rises some 500
feet above the surrounding city. It is covered with
buildings, temples, and statues. It was intended to
be a tribute to the Gods and placed at high on the
land so they could be closer.
It was also intended to symbolize the glory and
power of Athens to those that approached.

The Parthenon
One of the Greeks greatest contributions was in
architecture. An example of this would be the
Parthenon. It took 10 years to build this massive
structure that sits atop the Acropolis. Its purpose is
that of a temple.
Its appearance today is much different than how it
originally looked. Inside there was a giant statue of
Athena, a Greek goddess, along with other statues
and embellishments. Centuries of war and
environmental factors have left it just a shell of what
it once was.

The Three Orders of Greek

Decorative Style
Over time, the Greeks developed three different
styles of architecture. For the most part you can tell
the difference in the decorative style by looking at
the type of column and capital that is used in
construction.
These three decorative styles have been used since
being developed by the ancient Greeks and are
still very popular today.

The Doric Style

A simple, heavy
column without a base,
topped by a plain
capital that has no
ornamentation.

Influence on todays
architecture

The Doric Style

A simple, heavy column without a

base, topped by a plain capital that
has no ornamentation.

The Ionic Style

Used an elaborate
base and capitol in the
form of scrolls.
It was the second of
the three styles
developed.

The Ionic Style

Used an elaborate base and capitol in

the form of scrolls.
It was the second of the three styles
developed.

Influence on todays
architecture

The Corinthian Style

The most elaborate of
the three orders. It is
elongated and
decorated with leaves.
It usually sits atop a
plain column and has
heavy detail.

Influence on todays
architecture

Greek Sculpture
Three Distinct Periods

The Archaic
Period
Sculptors created
large, rigid,
freestanding
sculptures called
Kouros. Original
intention of these
sculptures is
unknown. Very
similar to Egyptian
sculpture.

The Archaic
Period
Sculptors created
large, rigid,
freestanding
sculptures called
Kouros. Original
intention of these
sculptures is
unknown. Very
similar to Egyptian
sculpture.

The Classical
Period
Greek sculptors
were interested in
to the human form
moving in space.
There was also
great care taken
to create the ideal
proportions of the
human form.
Anatomical
perfection was
important.

The Hellenistic Period

Aesthetic beauty was less
important to the sculptors
of this time period. They
were interested in
showing emotion on the
face and used realistic
proportions as opposed
to ideal proportions of
the classical period.

Greek Painting
The ancient Greeks loved colorat one time most
of the sculptures were painted in bright, vivid colors
and layered in gold. Over time this has worn away,
but there are some that are still found with traces of
faded color.
Unfortunately, most of the paintings and wall murals
have been destroyed over the years by time, and
war.

Greek Vase Making

The Greek vase served
the purpose of grave
markers for the ancient
Greeks. Although not
urns for ashes, they
marked the burial site.
Early vases were
decorated with simple,
geometric patterns.

Greek Vase Decoration

Later vases used

realism to construct a
story on the outside of
the vase about the
deceased. Similar to
the way the Egyptians
before them would use
hieroglyphs inside of
the tombs.

ROM AN

ART

from 700 B.C. to 300 A.D.

Roman Architecture
One of the Romans biggest contributions was in
architecture. The span of their empire was vast, and
examples of their architectural style can be seen all
over Eastern Europe.
Basilicas were large rectangular buildings
constructed to hold large numbers of people. It
was often used as a public forum and meeting
place.

The Pantheon
Was a temple built for the Roman gods but eventually
became a Christian church. Its main feature is a massive
domed roof with a hole in the middle to allow for light. Of
course, the rain gets in, but the Romans designed it so
that the floor sloped down to the middle and they built a
drainage system for the water
collected.

The Colosseum
It was built to house all sorts of sporting events...chariot
races and gladiator fights among them. The Colosseum is
a great
example of the
use of arches.
Its design
allowed it to fill
up and empty
out in just
minutes.

On some occasions, as many as 5,000 pairs of gladiators

and 11,000 animals were killed in an event. In Colosseum.

A Triumphal Arch
A heavily decorated
arch used by the
Romans to celebrate a
successful military
campaign. Upon
return from battle the
victorious would march
thru the arch in
celebration.

A Triumphal Arch

A heavily decorated arch used by the

Romans to celebrate a successful
military campaign. Upon return from
battle the victorious would march
thru the arch in celebration.

The Aqueduct System

Was a system used by the Romans to bring water
down out of the mountains to be used in the city.
Gravitational flow and the use of arches in
construction help make this system work.
This was a
major
advancement
for cities.

Roman Recreation
The Roman Empire was a wealthy one and
recreation was an important part of daily life. The
Romans built many structures to support their forms
of recreation.

The Famous Roman Baths: Roman baths were vast

enclosed structures that contained libraries, gyms,
restaurants, and other forms of leisure. Of course,
the most important feature was the bath itself. The
bath was a series of pools that went from hot
water to cool water.

Roman Sculpture and Painting

Romans were very
keen on Greek Art and
followed their classical
forms. Realism was an
important factor in their
artwork.

Portrait Sculptures
The public often commissioned portrait sculptures,
and artists strived to create what the person
actually looked like. This was in contrast to the
Greeks who were more interested in the ideal forms.

Portrait Sculptures
The public often commissioned portrait sculptures,
and artists strived to create what the person
actually looked like. This was in contrast to the
Greeks who were more interested in the ideal forms.

Mural paintings
and mosaics
Were used to decorate
the often-elaborate
homes of the Romans.
These paintings were not
hung on the wall, but
painted on the wall for
decor.

Middle ages
and

Medieval Art
from the 5th century to the end of the 15th century

 Decline of the roman empire

Instability of the Dark Ages
Western world dominated by christianism
Art around churches and monasteries
Viking and barbarians decorative arts

Viking art, due to their nomadic lifestyle,

was very portable and focused on
crafts or useful objects

Beginning of graphic design

in the religious books of
those days!

Byzantine

different styles
Romanesque
Gothic

Byzantine mixes christinism and islamic influences (byzantine empire was

the last reduct of the roman empire, between europe and asia in
todays turkey). Was religious based (churches or rich families) and focus
on propaganda for christianity.
Romanesque art developed in the western part of the Roman Empire
and focused on the catholic church; its art can be described as a fusion
of several styles such as Roman, Byzantine, and other Germanic styles.
The last medieval art style was the Gothic art style which lasted from the
12th century up to the 16th century. The basic characteristics of gothic
art style reinforce symbolic meanings. The church symbolizes the
transcendence of the soul, and the underlying philosophy is to create
buildings of height and light.

Byzantine
Romanesque

Gothic

Renaissance

SOME NOTES....
Renaissance means rebirth, a new beginning for arts and culture
after the dark ages of medieval times
Revival of classical culture (greek and roman art) brought again
to life
The Renaissance lasted about 250 years. It started in Italy, around
1350, and ended around 1600.
XIV century, laymen members of great families and influential
trading houses became prime art customers.
Before was: royal family(rich), religious people(rich), common
people(poor), but then a middle class started, which changed
the way art was funded and developed (going secular and
portraiting different themes, not only kings and gods)
It helped developing the art industry: architects, sculptors and
painters were not considered ordinary artisans any more.

SOME NOTES...
Humanism was a way of thinking that was popular in the fifteenth
century and influenced much of Italian culture. Humanists considered
the individual to have great potential, and they thought that individuals
reached their greatest achievement in ancient Greece and
Rome. Because of this, humanists wanted to recapture the greatness of
antiquity and so they were at the forefront of trying to emulate the
activities, art, and engineering of the classical world. Many artists and
architects, who may have been influenced by humanism or were hired
by humanist patrons, borrowed ideas from ancient texts, from unearthed
statues, or from old Roman buildings when they created new works.
In the Renaissance, discovery of linear perspective was made, thanks to
which the interpretation of space received life convincingness unknown
before.
The sculptors and painters searched for the ideal of beauty and
harmony in antique sculpture.
Epicenter on Florence, especially the House of Medici family.

Some key figures: William Shakespeare (theatre), Christopher Columbus (sailor

and explorer), Vasco da Gama (sailor and explorer), Galileo (scientist),
Copernicus (scientist), Michaelangelo (painter), and Leonardo da Vinci (painter)

During the Renaissance, European artists began to study nature more

closely with the goal of painting realistic images of the world. These
artists learned to create lifelike people and animals, and they became
skilled at creating the illusion of depth and distance on flat walls and
canvases by using the techniques of linear perspective.
Painter from the previous slide: Masaccio.
Masaccio decisively broke with the Gothic convention, having created
a new, realistically persuasive language of graphic forms. He did not
embellish his characters: they were dressed simply and modestly, their
faces were homely, but marked off with deep dignity. Made on the
plane, the artist used light and shade on the image to create an illusion
of three-dimensionality and sculptural depth of forms.
Postures and gestures of the Masaccios characters are imbued with
solemn, epic calm; his manner of painting is characterized by simplicity,
laconicism and lack of decorative ornamentation. Humanistic ideas of
high human dignity lie at the heart of Masaccios realism.

In the beginning of the XV century, the artists devoted many efforts to resolve the
important problem the reproduction of three-dimensional space on a plane. The
Florentine architect Filippo Brunelleschi played the leading role in the
development of mathematical rules of the system, known as linear perspective. The
perspective has become a method of arranged spatial construction, based on a
fixed point of view and a single vanishing point consequently.

The Golden Ratio = 1,618

Architecture

Filippo Brunelleschi (Florence, 13771446), the Florentine architect, sculptor and jeweler, is
considered the founder of the Renaissance architecture. He created a new language of
architecture, strict and clear, based on the harmonious system of proportions and
engineering design accuracy. In 14021409, he studied construction engineering and
constructions designed by the ancient masters on the ancient monuments of Rome, but
used learned classical traditions in an innovative way.

Different periods
1) Early Renaissance
2) High Renaissance
3) Late Rennaissance (Mannerism)

Leonardo da Vinci

In 1452, Leonardo was born in a village near the town of Vinci. He showed a
talent for drawing early on and was taken to Florence as an apprentice to the
painter Andrea del Verrocchio.
Both painter, inventor and scientist the figure of renaissance man, someone
who has many talents at the same time, being able to join different ideas from
unsimilar fields, an important factor for creativity to spark (the Medici family and
their funds and ability of putting different people together to discuss ideas were
crucial for the rise of the Renaissance.)
Although only a few of his paintings survivethe most famous of which is the
Mona LisaLeonardos superb use of color, perspective, and line make each of
them a masterpiece. In addition to being a master painter, Leonardo was an
extraordinarily brilliant sculptor, thinker, architect, scientist, and inventor, as well
as a musician and an engineer. Among the many inventions he created or
envisionedhundreds of years ahead of his timewere the submarine, tank,
helicopter, bicycle, and telescope. Many of Leonardos creations were never
finished, but he left behind thousands of pages of drawings, records,
experiments, observations, and plans in dozens of notebooks.
Unfortunately, many more pages were lost. They were each in Leonardos
distinctive script, written from right to left and requiring a mirror to read them. It is
not known why Leonardo wrote this way, but some theorize that he used
backward writing to keep his ideas secret.

Some of his inventions

VENETIAN SCHOOL,
and the use of light
and shadow

How did
Renaissance Art
And Architecture
Differ from the
Medieval Period?

1. Realism & Expression

Expulsion from the Garden
Masaccio
1427

First nudes since classical times.

SAINT DEMETRIUS
OF SALONICA.
High Middle Ages
End of 14th century

Before

Masaccios Trinity

Before

The first known

painting to
apply
Brunelleschis
system of
linear
perspective.
Church of
Santa Maria
Novella,
Florence

2. Perspective

The Trinity

Perspective!
Perspective!
Perspective!
Perspective!
Perspective!

Masaccio

1427

Perspective!
Perspective!

First use
of linear
perspective!

What you are,

I once was;
what I am,
you will
become.

Progression of the Use of Perspective

1280s

1380s

1480s

Betrothal
of the Virgin
Raphael
1504

3. Classicism and Realism

Greco-Roman influence.

Secularism.
Humanism.

Individualism free standing figures.

Symmetry/Balance

The Classical Pose

Medici Venus (1c)

Birth of Venus Botticelli, 1485

An attempt to depict perfect beauty.

Examples of Humanism and Realism in Renaissance Art

Michelangelos
Sistine Chapel

Da Vincis
Vitruvian Man

4. Emphasis on Individualism
Batista Sforza & Federico de Montefeltre:
The Duke & Dutchess of Urbino
Piero della Francesca, 1465-1466.

5. Geometrical Arrangement of Figures

The Dreyfus
Madonna with the
Pomegranate
Leonardo da Vinci

1469

Raphaels Canagiani Madonna, 1507

6. Light & Shadowing/Softening Edges

Sfumato

Chiaroscuro
Leonardo da
Vinci
described
sfumato as
"without lines
or borders, in
the manner
of smoke or
beyond the
focus plane."

The Renaissance Man

Broad knowledge about many things

in different fields.
Deep knowledge/skill in one area.
Able to link information from different
areas/disciplines and create new
knowledge.
The Greek ideal of the well-rounded
man was at the heart of Renaissance
education.

Artist and Sculptor

Architect and Engineer
Scientist and Inventor

Leonardo da Vinci

The Virgin of the

Rocks
Leonardo da
Vinci
1483-1486

Leonardo, the Artist:

From his Notebook of over 5000 pages (1508-1519)

The Last Supper

Gospel Book of Bernward of
Hildesheim, c. 1016
German

Leonardo da Vinci, Last Supper

Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie, Milan, Italy

vertical
horizontal

Leonardo, the Sculptor

An Equestrian
Statue
1516-1518

Leonardo, the Architect:

Pages from his Notebook

Study of a central
church.
1488

Leonardo, the Scientist

(Biology):
Pages from his Notebook

An example of the
humanist desire to
unlock the secrets of
nature.

Leonardo, the Scientist (Anatomy):

Pages from his Notebook

Leonardo, the Inventor:

Pages from his Notebook

Leonardo, the Engineer:

Pages from his Notebook

A study of siege defenses.

Studies of water-lifting
devices.

David
Michelangelo
1504

Marble

 15c

What
a
difference
a
century
makes!

16c

The Popes as Patrons of the Arts

The Pieta
Michelangelo
1499
marble

Representation of Creation in
Medieval Art and Renaissance

Aspects of Italian Renaissance Art

More secular than the religious Medieval period

Realistic: Emotion
Focus on Humanism
Linear Perspective: Distant objects smaller than those close
to the viewer (making scenes appear 3D)

Revival of classical themes

Main artists: Leonardo da Vinci, Michaelangelo, Raphael

The Renaissance moves North!

About 100 years after the
Renaissance began it Italy,
It moved north to Flanders
(Northern Belgium).
Took longer to recover from
the economic devastation
brought on by the black
plague.
100 years war in
France/England

Characteristics of Northern
Renaissance Art
Contained great detail
More landscape and nature
paintings - usually darker and colder
Oil painting on Canvas allowed for
vivid color
Paintings are less secular. More
religious questioning.
More scenes of daily life.

Jan Van Eyck - Flanders

The Wedding of
Arnolfini

Oil on canvas

Jan Van Eyck - Flanders

Madonna Del Rolin

Oil on wood

Albrcht Durer

Self Portrait 28

Oil on panel

Albrcht Durer - Germany

Rabbit

Oil on Panel

Hans Holbein

Bruegel

Bruegel

Peasant Wedding (Oil on wood)

Medieval vs. Renaissance Architecture

Gothic (Medieval)

Gothic architecture was very

large, pointy
Flying buttresses supported large
walls
Stained glass told stories

Renaissance

Revival of Arch and Dome

Qualities of Greek and Roman
architecture
Used columns for support
Intricate design

Renaissance Architecture vs.

Medieval Architecture

El Tempieto

Donato Bramante

Notre Dame Cathedral

Il Duomo

Brunelleschi

Filippo Brunelleschi
1377 - 1436

Architect of the Duomo

Cuppolo of St. Maria
del Fiore

Filippo Brunelleschi
Commissioned to
build the
cathedral dome.
Used unique
architectural
concepts.
He studied the
ancient
Pantheon in
Rome.
Used ribs for
support.

Brunelleschis Dome

Other Famous Domes

Il Duomo
(Florence)

St. Peters
(Rome)

St. Pauls
(London)

US capital
(Washington)

Characteristics of Renaissance
Architecture
Influenced by architecture of the classical period
(Greece, Rome)
Use of Domes, arches, and columns.

The
new

Renaissance
brought
a
way
of
thinking
and
living
to
Europe

A new worldview was emerging...

The medieval Christian worldview was
giving way to a more MODERN (secular
and humanistic) view of the world and
humanity

How did the Renaissance change thought?

Before
Focus on Afterlife
The Individual not important

Little focus on learning

and the arts
Dark Ages (medieval)

Age of Faith

After
Focus on this life
The Individual is important

Focus on learning the Classics

(The Iliad, Aristotle, etc) to
inspire education and the arts
Rebirth

Age of Reason
(science, maths, anatomy, ...)

Mannerism

Mannerism vs Renaissance
paintings with manner/style (a twist) instead of realistic
representations of people and nature
exagerations, subtle deformations or distortions
scenes with tension, bodies in uncomfortable positions

(while renaissance paintings were focused on harmony

and ideal beauty, bodies in natural poses and
represented in the most natural way)
manneirism give a dramatic effect with these
techniques, opening the way to the next art movement:
the BAROQUE.

Some manneirist painters

Parmigianino
El Greco
Pontormo
Jan Brueghel the Elder
Benvenuto Cellini
Hans von Aachen
Andrea del Sarto
Antonio da Correggio
Hercules Seghers
Sebastiano del Piombo
Daniele da Volterra
Adriaen de Vries
Karel van Mander

Baroque Art & Rococo

17th and early 18 th Centuries in Europe

The term Baroque once had a negative

meaning.

The name is derived from Baroque pearls

pearls with unusual, odd shapes
Compared to Renaissance art, it was

considered to be over-dramatic
and the architecture, overly
decorated.

Baroque means 'absurd' or 'grotesque:

Baroque style is Dramatic
Strong Contrast of Light and Dark
Dynamic Composition

Architecture is decorative and with a lot of

details
(bit pretentious as well...)

Annibale Carracci, Loves of the Gods, 1597 1601, Ceiling Fresco

Comparison

Baroque fresco

Renaissance fresco

Caravaggio,
Conversion of St. Paul,
1601, Oil on Canvas

Story of Pharisee Saul

converting to Christianity

Appears to be an accident in the

horse stable (everyday life)

Caravaggio used strong light

and dark / shadowy style (greatly
influenced European art)

Perspective and Chiaroscuro

(light and shadow) used to bring
the viewer closer to the event

Caravaggio, Calling of St. Matthew, 1597 1601, Oil on Canvas

Christ enters from the

right to summon Levi (a
Roman tax collector) to a
higher calling

Bland street scene

(normal, everyday life)

Caravaggios style of
strong light and shadow

Light as a symbol of God

Comparison to
Renaissance

Gianlorenzo Bernini, Baldacchino, 1624 1633, Gilded Bronze

Bronze canopy over the

tomb of St. Peter

Focal point of church

Made from Bronze of doors

of the ancient Roman
Pantheon (Pantheon was a
temple for Pagan religion)

30 Meters Tall
St. Peters, Vatican (Rome)

Commissioned by the Barberini

Family

St. Peter's, Rome exterior late Renaissance

(Completed 1690) designed in part by
Michelangelo
Largest interior of any Catholic Church in world
holds up to 60, 000 people

Diego Velazquez,
Las Meninas (The
Maids of Honor),
1656, Oil on
Canvas

 Informal family portrait

Theme Mystery of the Visual
World

Young Princess in middle

Infanta
Maids in waiting helping her
Her favorite dwarfs and her dog

Valasquez is working on large

canvas (portrait of King Philip IV
and Queen Mariana (reflections in
mirror)
Man framed in doorway

Diego Velazquez, Surrender of Breda, 1634 1635, Oil on Canvas

Made for King Philip IV

Spanish Victory over Dutch in

1625

Spanish troops on right

(organized - victory)

Dutch troops on left

(disorganized defeat)

Spanish General patting the back

of Dutch General

Francisco de
Zurbaran, Saint
Serpion, 1628, Oil
on Canvas

St. Serpion (Martyr) tied to a

tree and tortured (devotion to
religion)

St. Serpion - monk born in

England - commoner (normal
person)

De Zurbaran inspired by
Caravaggios light and shadow

Figure fills the foreground

(close to viewer)

Rembrandt van Rijn

Self-Portrait in a Cap,
Etching, 1630

 Created when he was a student

Exercise in lighting, expression

Rembrandt created at least 70

self-portraits during his lifetime
(oil paintings and etchings)
Rembrandt van Rijn
Self-Portrait in a Cap,
Etching, 1630

Rembrandt Self-Portraits

Rembrandt van Rijn,

Return of the Prodigal
Son, 1665, Oil on
Canvas

Stillness / inward contemplation

(less dramatic than Italian Baroque
paintings)

Humility and humanity of Christ

Father and Son relationship

(father forgiving Christ)

Light mixed with shadow

Light focused on father and son

Jan Vermeer
The Art of Painting
Oil on Canvas
1662 1668

 Vermeer painted less than 40

paintings in his lifetime (eight of them
considered masterpieces)
Vermeer known for his domestic
interior scenes
Vermeer worked slowly - highly
detailed
Realistic perspective
Dramatic use of lighting from behind
curtain

Jan Vermeer
The Art of Painting
Oil on Canvas
1662 1668

Anthony van Dyck,

Charles I
Dismounted,1635,
Oil on Canvas

Van Dyck portrait artist (full body

portraits)

Elegant portrait of King of England

King as a nobleman riding a horse in

park

King higher up looking down

Landscape in background

Hyancinthe Rigaud,
Louis XIV, 1701, Oil
on Canvas

King Louis XIV

Grandiose

Absolute Monarchy

Wore high heels to make him

taller

Jules Hardouin-Mansart and Charles Le Brun, Hall of

Mirrors (Palace of Versailles), 1680, interior architecture

Hall of Mirrors in King Louis

XIVs Palace of Versailles

Mirror Baroque source of

illusion

100s of rooms in palace

Rich decoration / details

Palace of Versailles, Paris

Summary of baroque style

and comparation to the Renaissance

Rococo Art

18th Century Style began in France

In Reaction to Baroque Style
Associated with King Louis XV
Characterized by soft pastel colors
Architecture is light and airy
Asymmetrical Design
Playful and Witty Style

Interior of Htel de Soubise Paris

 Palace built in 1375 for

Prince and Princess de
Soubise - now a museum
Interiors renovated in
Rococo style in 1735
1740

Light and airy oval-shaped

rooms
Light and airy feeling,
asymmetrical, decorative
curves, creamy pastel
colors with gold

Htel de Soubise interior designed by

Germain Boffrand, Paris, 1735 - 1740

 Palace built in 1375 for

Prince and Princess de
Soubise - now a museum
Interiors renovated in
Rococo style in 1735
1740

Light and airy oval-shaped

rooms
Light and airy feeling,
asymmetrical, decorative
curves, creamy pastel
colors with gold

Htel de Soubise interior designed by

Germain Boffrand, Paris, 1735 - 1740

Jean-Honor Fragonard,
The Swing,
oil on canvas,
1767

 Typical Rococo Style

Departure from Serious

Baroque Subject Matter
Pastel Colors
Visual Movement /
Diagonal Composition
Garden Scene with Cupid
Statues

Witty Subject / Erotic

Jean-Honor Fragonard, The Swing,

oil on canvas, 1767

Art history timeline

Baroque and Rococo as bridge from

Manneirism/Renaissance to 19th Century Art
Movements

The 19th Century art movements

Neoclassicism, Romanticism and Realism

INTRODUCTION

The end of the 18th century marked a transition from Rococo to

Neoclassicism art, which embodied the aesthetics of the Ancient
Greece/Rome and Renaissance.

Art in the 19th century reflected the social and political transformations of
the time. In 1830, the Romantic movement, which was closely linked to a
surge in nationalist sentiment, reflected the peoples emotions and
passions.

Influence from the ideas of Enligthtment, the american and french

revolutions, development of photography, etc.
The failure of the 1848 revolutions and social problems related to
industrialisation in the mid-19th century the led to an artistic movement
called Realism.

At the same time, industrialisation revolutionised

the style of architecture, with the introduction of
new materials such as iron and glass.

NEOCLASSICISM

Neoclassicism was a movement in Europe between 1760 and 1830

that was inspired by Enlightenment thought, the Revolution in
France and the discovery of ancient archaeological sites during
that period.

The revival of Greek and Roman styles and ideas.

ARCHITECTURE

Neoclassical architecture was based on the ancient Greek and

Roman models (columns, arches and domes).
It did not follow the excessive ornamentation of the Rococo style
and limited a building's decoration to its faade, leaving the walls
bare except for simple stucco motifs.

NEOCLASSICISM

The construction of public buildings (libraries and museums) took

precedence over religious architecture.
During the Napoleonic era, commemorative columns and
triumphal arches were built.
Important neoclassical figures included French architects JacquesGabriel Soufflot (the Pantheon in Paris) and Alexandre-Pierre
Vignon (the Madeleine) and German architect Leo von Klenze
(the Propylaea in Munich).

ROMANTICISM
PAINTING

Romanticism had a strong influence on 19th century art.

Paintings from the Romantic era had five distinguishing
characteristics:
- A preference for diversity over uniformity, and praise
for the individual and tradition.
- An aspiration to individual and national freedom.
- An appreciation of historicism as a tool for learning
about one's roots.
- A sentimental, religious understanding of nature.
- A passion for the exotic and the imagination, leading
to an interest in North African Muslims and Asian
culture.

Romanticism
* Encouraged

by the heroic ideas of the

French Revolution

Many artists painted landscapes

that usually showed either
nationalism in painting and
sketching the land near them, or
the exoticism and adventure of
far-away places. Also, artists
often used nature to convey
emotions.

REALISM

In the middle of the 19th century, Romanticism was

replaced by Realism.
This change was due to several factors:
The failure of the 1848 revolutions put an end

To many of the hopes and illusions that had inspired the

Romantic era with its idealized vision of society and

progress.

Industrialization

led to a new system that was full of

contradictions and brought with it misery, poverty, child
labor and exploitation.

Scientific

advances presented observation and

description as the best tools for understanding reality.

Naturalism
It describes a true-to-life style
which involves the representation
or depiction of nature with the
least possible distortion or
interpretation.

Summary
Neoclassicism
~ influence from the Greeks and Romans (and consequently from
Renaissance)
~ not exactly about get away from the emotion from Baroque but going
away from their exaggerations and superficiality
~ focus on values and ideals, the eternal instead of the momentaneous
~ symmetry and harmonic composition, aim for clarity and simplicity
~ context: industrial and french revolution
~ main artists: Gino Severini, Tattarescu,
Bouguereau, Louise Le Brun, Krehbiel, Ingres,
Feuerbach, Jacques-Louis David, Jerichau,
Jacovleff, Kauffman, Graf

Summary
Romanticism
~ not only focus on romantic topics but about passionate expression of
different themes, art for the heart instead of for the brain
~ artists expressed their beliefs and feelings, their own view of the world
~ art as interpretation and not only representation (the particular
instead of the universal, subjectivity instead of objectivity)
~ connection to music (e.g. Beethoven)
~ context: response to the new industrial and modern urban life (desire
to get back to the beauty of a more natural and romantic world)
~ main artists: J.M.W. Turner, Francisco Goya,
Eugene Delacroix, Caspar David Friedrich,
William Blake, John Martin, Constable,
Gainsborough, Roussy-Trioson, Dor, Luna,
Gricault, Fuseli

Summary
Realism
~ objectivity and representations of the world as it is, instead of
interpretations and subject views from the artist
~ social criticism and portraits of the changes in the modern world
~ giving visibility to poverty, social inequality and injustices, lack of
human rights, the everyday life of common people, etc
~ break from religion and focus on people and society
~ connection to science (e.g. Darwin), naturalist literature (e.g.
Tolstoy), political philosophers (e.g. Marx)
~ main artists: Rembrandt van Rijn, Gustave
Courbet, Winslow Homer, Edward Hopper,
Bouguereau, Eakins, Ziegler, Peiner

Comparison of the
three 19th moviments
with impressionism

Art history timeline

Continuation in the history of modern art class

slides:
Next movement

IMPRESSIONISM!