Gothic Art

5th Century to 16th Century C.E.

Gothic Art is the style of art produced in Europe from the Middle Ages up to the beginning of the Renaissance. Typically religious in nature, it is especially known for the distinctive arched design of its churches, its stained glass, and its illuminated manuscripts. In the late 14th century, anticipating the Renaissance, Gothic Art evolved towards a more secular style known as International Gothic. One of the best-known artists of this period is Simone Martini. Although superseded by Renaissance art, there was a Gothic Revival in the 18th and 19th centuries, which was largely rooted in nostalgia.

Byzantine Art

5th Century C.E. to 1453 C.E.

Byzantine art is the art of the Byzantine Empire, centered in Constantinople (now Istanbul). It was centered around the Orthodox Church, in the painting of icons and the decoration of churches with frescoes and mosaics. The Byzantine style basically ended with the fall of Constantinople to the Turks in 1453, during the European Renaissance era. However, its influence continued in Russia and elsewhere where the Orthodox Church held sway.

The Early Renaissance

Centered in Italy, 15th Century

The Renaissance was a period or great creative activity, in which artists broke away from the restrictions of Byzantine Art. Throughout the 15th century, artists studied the natural world, perfecting their understanding of such subjects as anatomy and perspective. Among the many great artists of this period were Paolo Uccello, Sandro Botticelli, Domenico Ghirlandaio, and Piero della Francesca. During this period there was a parallel advancement of Gothic Art centered in Germany and the Netherlands, known as the Northern Renaissance. The Early Renaissance was succeeded by the mature High Renaissance period, which began around 1500.

The High Renaissance

Centered in Italy, Early 16th Century

The High Renaissance was the culmination of the artistic revolution of the Early Renaissance, and one of the great explosions of creative genius in history. It is notable for three of the greatest artists in history: Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo Buonarroti, and Raphael. Also active at this time were such masters as Giovanni Bellini, Giorgione and Titian. By about the 1520's, High Renaissance art had become exaggerated into the style known as Mannerism.

The Northern Renaissance

Centered in Germany and the Netherlands, 15th-16th Centuries

The northern European tradition of Gothic Art was greatly affected by the technical and philosophical advancements of the Renaissance in Italy. While less concerned with studies of anatomy and linear perspective, northern artists were masters of technique, and their works are marvels of exquisite detail. The great artists who inspired the Northern Renaissance included Robert Campin, Jan van Eyck (and his brother Hubert, about whom little is known) and Rogier van der Weyden. As Italy moved into the High Renaissance, the north retained a distinct Gothic influence. Yet masters like Dürer, Bosch, Bruegel and Holbein were the equals to the greatest artists of the south. In the mid-16th century, as in the south, the Northern Renaissance eventually gave way to a highly stylized Mannerism.

Mannerism

Europe, Mid to Late 16th Century

Mannerism, the artistic style which gained popularity in the period following the High Renaissance, takes as its ideals the work of Raphael and Michelangelo Buonarroti. It is considered to be a period of technical accomplishment but of formulaic, theatrical and overly stylized work. Mannerist Art is characterized by a complex composition, with muscular and elongated figures in complex poses. Discussing Michelangelo in his journal, Eugène Delacroix gives as good a description as any of the limitations of Mannerism:

"[A]ll that he has painted is muscles and poses, in which even science, contrary to general opinion, is by no means the dominant factor... He did not know a single one of the feelings of man, not one of his passions. When he was making an arm or a leg, it seems as if he were thinking only of that arm or leg and was not giving the slightest consideration to the way it relates with the action of the figure to which it belongs, much less to the action of the picture as a whole... Therein lies his great merit; he brings a sense of the grand and the terrible into even an isolated limb."

In addition to Michelangelo, leading Mannerist artists included Rosso Fiorentino, Pontormo, and Parmigianino.

The Baroque Era

Europe, 17th Century

Baroque Art emerged in Europe around 1600, as an reaction against the intricate and formulaic Mannerist style which dominated the Late Renaissance. Baroque Art is less complex, more realistic and more emotionally affecting than Mannerism. This movement was encouraged by the Catholic Church, the most important patron of the arts at that time, as a return to tradition and spirituality. One of the great periods of art history, Baroque Art was developed by Caravaggio, Annibale Carracci, and Gianlorenzo Bernini, among others. This was also the age of Rubens, Rembrandt, Velázquez, and Vermeer. In the 18th century, Baroque Art was replaced by the more elegant and elaborate Rococo style.

Rococo Art

Europe, 1715 to 1774

The Rococo style succeeded Baroque Art in Europe. It was centered in France, and is generally associated with the reign of King Louis XV (1715-1774). It is a light, elaborate and decorative style of art. Quintessentially Rococo artists include Watteau, Fragonard, François Boucher, and Tiepolo.
Rococo was eventually replaced by Neoclassicism, which was the popular style of the American and French revolutions.

Neoclassical Art

Mid-18th Century to Early-19th Century

Neoclassical Art is a severe, unemotional form of art harkening back to the style of ancient Greece and Rome. Its rigidity was a reaction to the over bred Rococo style and the emotional Baroque style. The rise of Neoclassical Art was part of a general revival of classical thought, which was of some importance in the American and French revolutions. Important Neoclassicists include the architects Robert Adam and Robert Smirke, the sculptors Antonio Canova, Bertel Thorvaldsen, and Jean-Antoine Houdon, and painters Anton Raphael Mengs, Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, and Jacques-Louis David. Around 1800, Romanticism emerged as a reaction to Neoclassicism. It did not really replace the Neoclassical style so much as act as a counterbalancing influence, and many artists were influenced by both styles to some degree. Neoclassical Art was also a substantial direct influence on 19th-century Academic Art

Academic Art

Academic Art is the painting and sculpture produced under the influence of the European Academies, where many artists received their formal training. It is characterized by its highly finished style, its use of historical or mythological subject matter, and its moralistic tone. Neoclassical Art was closely associated with the Academies. The term "Academic Art" is associated particularly with the French Academy and its influence on the Salons in the 19th century. Artists such as Bouguereau and Jean-Leon Gerome epitomize this style.

Romanticism

Late 18th Century to Mid 19th Century

Romanticism might best be described as a reaction against Neoclassicism. It is a deeply felt style, which is individualistic, beautiful, exotic, and emotionally wrought. Although Romanticism and Neoclassicism were philosophically opposed, they were the dominant European styles for generations, and both affected many artists to a greater or lesser degree. Artists might work in both styles at different times or even mix the styles, creating an intellectually Romantic work using a neoclassical visual style, for example. Great artists closely associated with Romanticism include J.M.W. Turner, Caspar David Friedrich, John Constable, and William Blake.
In the United States, the leading Romantic movement was the Hudson River School of dramatic landscape painting. Obvious successors of Romanticism include the Pre-Raphaelite movement and the Symbolists. But Impressionism, and through it almost all of 20th century art, is also firmly rooted in the Romantic tradition.

The Hudson River School

America, 1835 to 1870

The Hudson River School was a group of painters, led by Thomas Cole, who painted awesomely Romantic images of America's wilderness, in the Hudson River Valley and also in the newly opened West. The use of light effects, to dramatically portray such elements as mist and sunsets, developed into a subspecialty known as Luminism. In addition to Cole, the best-known practioners of this style were Albert Bierstadt and Frederic Edwin Church.

The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood

Britain, 1848 to Late 19th Century

The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood was created in 1848 by seven artists: Dante Gabriel Rossetti, William Michael Rossetti, William Holman Hunt, James Collinson, John Everett Millais, Frederic George Stephens, and Thomas Woolner. Their goal was to develop a naturalistic style of art, throwing away the rules and conventions drilled into students' heads at the Academies. Raphael was the artist considered to have attained the highest degree of perfection, so much so that students were encouraged to draw from his examples rather than from nature itself; thus they became the "Pre-Raphaelites". The group popularized a theatrically romantic style, marked by great beauty, an intricate realism, and a fondness for Greek and Arthurian legend. The movement itself did not last past the 1850's but the style remained popular for decades, and influenced the Arts and Crafts Movement, the Symbolists, and even the Classicists.

Victorian Classicism

Britain, Mid to Late 19th Century

Victorian Classicism was a British style of historical painting inspired by the art and architecture of Classical Greece and Rome. In the 19th century, an increasing number of Europeans made the "Grand Tour" to Mediterranean lands. There was a great popular interest in the region's ancient ruins and exotic cultures, and this interest fuelled the rise of Classicism in Britain, and Orientalism, which was mostly centered in continental Europe.

The Classicists were closely associated with the Pre-Raphaelites, many artists being influenced by both styles to one degree or another. Both movements were highly romantic and were inspired by similar historical and mythological themes -- the key distinction being that the Classicists embodied the rigid Academic standards of painting, while the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood was initially formed as a rebellion against those same standards. Lawrence Alma-Tadema and Frederick Leighton were the leading Classicists, and indeed in their lifetimes were considered by many to be the finest painters of their generation.

Symbolism

Late 19th Century

Symbolism is a 19th-century movement in which art became infused with a spooky mysticism. It was a continuation of the Romantic tradition, which included such artists as Caspar David Friedrich and John Henry Fuseli. Anticipating Freud and Jung, the Symbolists mined mythology and dream imagery for a visual language of the soul. More a philosophy than an actual style of art, they influenced the contemporary Art Nouveau movement and Les Nabis. The leading Symbolists included Gustave Moreau, Odilon Redon, and Pierre Puvis de Chavannes. The movement was also a major influence on some of the Expressionists, especially through the work of Edvard Munch and Franz von Stuck.

Realism

Mid-19th Century

Realism is an approach to art in which subjects are portrayed in as straightforward manner as possible, without idealizing them and without following the rules of formal theory. The earliest Realist work began to appear in the 18th century, as a reaction against the excesses of Romanticism and Neoclassicism. This is evident in John Singleton Copley's paintings, and some of the works of Goya. But the great Realist era was the mid-19th century, as artists became disillusioned with the Salon system and the influence of the Academies. Realism came closest to being an organized movement in France, inspiring artists such as Corot and Millet, and engendering the Barbizon School of landscape painting. Besides Copley, American Realists included Thomas Eakins, and Henry Ossawa Tanner, both of whom also received formal training in France. French Realism was a guiding influence on the philosophy of the Impressionists.

The Ashcan School, the American Scene Painters, and, much later, on the Contemporary Realist movement are all following the American Realist tradition

The Barbizon School

France, Mid-19th Century

The Barbizon School was a group of landscape artists working in the region of the French town of Barbizon. They rejected the Academic tradition, abandoning theory in an attempt to achieve a truer representation of the countryside, and are considered to be part of the French Realist movement.
Theodore Rousseau (not to be confused with naive artist Henri Rousseau) is the best-known member of the group. Other prominent members included Charles-Francois Daubigny and Constant Troyon. Realist painters Camille Corot and Jean-Francois Millet are also sometimes loosely associated with this school. The Barbizon School artists are often considered to have been forerunners of the Impressionists, who took a similar philosophical approach to their art.

Impressionism

Centered in France, 1860's to 1880's

Impressionism is a light, spontaneous manner of painting, which began in France as a reaction against the formalism of the dominant Academic style. Its naturalistic and down-to-earth treatment of its subjects has its roots in the French Realism of Corot and others. The movement's name came from Monet's early work, Impression: Sunrise, which was singled out for criticism by Louis Leroy on its exhibition. The hallmark of the style is the attempt to capture the subjective impression of light in a scene. The core of the earliest Impressionist group was made up of Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and Alfred Sisley. Others associated with this period were Camille Pissarro, Edgar Degas, Gustave Caillebotte, Frederic Bazille, Edouard Manet, and Mary Cassatt. The Impressionist style is still widely practiced today. However, a variety of successive movements were influenced by it, grouped under the general term Post-Impressionism.

Post-Impressionism

France, 1880's to 1900

Post-Impressionism is an umbrella term used to describe a variety of artists who were influenced by Impressionism but took their art in different directions. There is no single well-defined style of Post-Impressionism, but in general it is less casual and more emotionally charged than Impressionist work. The classic Post-Impressionists are Paul Cezanne, Paul Gauguin, Vincent van Gogh, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and Henri Rousseau. The Pointillists and Les Nabis are also generally counted among the Post-Impressionists.

Fauvism

1898-1908

Fauvism grew out of Pointillism and general Post-Impressionism, but is characterized by a more primitive and less naturalistic style. Paul Gauguin's style and his use of color were especially strong influences. The artists most closely associated with Fauvism are Henri Matisse, Albert Marquet, Andre Derain, and Maurice de Vlaminck. Fauvism was a short-lived movement, but had a substantial influence on some of the Expressionists.

Art Nouveau

Late 19th Century to Early 20th Century

Art Nouveau is an elegant decorative art style characterized by intricately detailed patterns of curving lines. Somewhat rooted in the British Arts and Crafts Movement of William Morris, Art Nouveau became popular across Europe and in the United States. Leading practitioners included Aubrey Beardsley, Gustav Klimt, Alphonse Mucha, and the American glassmaker Louis Comfort Tiffany. Art Nouveau remained popular until about the time of World War I, and was ultimately replaced by the Art Deco style.

The Golden Age of Illustration

1880's to 1920's

The Golden Age of Illustration was a period of unparalleled excellence in book and magazine illustration. It was made possible by advances in technology permitting accurate and inexpensive reproduction of art, combined with an enormous public demand for new graphic art. In Europe, Golden Age artists were strongly influenced by the Pre-Raphaelites and by such design-oriented movements as the Arts and Crafts Movement, Art Nouveau, and Les Nabis. Leading artists included Arthur Rackham, Walter Crane, Edmund Dulac, Aubrey Beardsley, and Kay Nielsen. American illustration of this period is largely the story of the Brandywine Valley tradition, which was begun by Howard Pyle and carried on by his students, who included N.C. Wyeth, Frank Schoonover, Edwin Austin Abbey, and Maxfield Parrish.

Art Deco

1920's to 1930's

Art Deco is an elegant style of decorative art and especially architecture, similar in some regards to the earlier Art Nouveau style, but with a more Modernist esthetic. The Art Deco style is reminiscent of the Precisionist art movement, which developed at about the same time. Well-known artists within the Art Deco movement included Tamara de Lempicka, glass artist Rene Lalique, fashion illustrator Erte and graphic designer Adolphe Mouron, known as Cassandre.

Expressionism

Centered in Germany, C.1905 to 1940's

Expressionism is a style of art in which the intention is not to reproduce a subject accurately, but instead to portray it in such a way as to express the inner state of the artist. The movement is associated with Germany in particular, and was influenced by such emotionally charged styles as Symbolism, Fauvism, and Cubism. There are several different and somewhat overlapping groups of Expressionist artists, including Die Brücke, Der Blaue Reiter, Die Neue Sachlichkeit and the Bauhaus School. Leading Expressionists included Wassily Kandinsky, George Grosz, Franz Marc, and Amadeo Modigliani. In the mid-20th century, Abstract Expressionism (in which there is no subject at all, but instead pure form) was developed into an extremely influential style.

Cubism

Europe, 1908-1920

Cubism was developed between about 1908 and 1912 when Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque collaborated. Their immediate influences are said to be Tribal Art (although Braque later disputed this) and the work of Paul Cézanne. The movement itself was not long-lived or widespread, but it began an immense creative explosion, which resonated through all of 20th century art. The key concept of Cubism is that showing it from multiple points of view simultaneously can only capture the essence of objects. Cubism had run its course by the end of World War I, but among the movements directly influenced by it were Orphism, Purism, Precisionism, Futurism, Constructivism, and, to some degree, Expressionism.

Dada

Europe, 1916-1924

Dada was a protest by a group of European artists against World War I, bourgeois society, and the conservatives of traditional thought. Its followers used non-sequiturs and absurdities to create artworks and performances, which defied intellectual analysis. They also included "found" objects in sculptures and installations. The founders included the French artist Jean Arp and the writers Tristan Tzara and Hugo Ball. Francis Picabia and Marcel Duchamp were also key contributors. The Dada movement evolved into Surrealism in the 1920's.

Futurism

Italy, 1909-1914

Futurism is an Italian modernist movement celebrating the technological era. It was largely inspired by the development of Cubism. The core themes of Futurist thought and art were machines and motion. Futurism was founded in 1909 by Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, along with painters Giacomo Balla, Umberto Boccioni, Carlo Carrà, and Gino Severini.

Surrealism

Europe, 1924 to 1950's

Surrealism is a style in which fantastic visual imagery from the subconscious mind is used with no intention of making the artwork logically comprehensible. Founded by Andre Breton in 1924, it was a primarily European movement which attracted many members of the chaotic Dada movement. It was similar in some respects to the late 19th-century Symbolist movement, but deeply influenced by the psychoanalytic work of Freud and Jung. The Surrealist circle was made up of many of the great artists of the 20th century, including Jean Arp, Max Ernst, Giorgio de Chirico, Man Ray, Joan Miro, and Rene Magritte. Salvador Dali, probably the single best-known Surrealist artist, was somewhat of an outsider due to his right-wing politics - during this period leftist was fashionable among Surrealists, in fact in almost all intellectual circles. The Magic Realists were artists somewhat influenced by the Surrealists.

Social Realism

America, 1930's

Social Realism is a form of naturalistic realism focusing specifically on social problems and the hardships of everyday life. The term most commonly refers to the urban American Scene artists of the Depression era, who were greatly influenced by the Ashcan School of early 20th century New York City. Social Realism is a rather pejorative label in the United States, where overtly political art in general, and socialist politics in particular, are extremely out of favor. Ben Shahn, Jacob Lawrence, and Jack Levine are the best-known American Social Realists.

Source: http://www.artcyclopedia.com