A Brief History of Art

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A Brief History of Art the Renaissance to
Expressionism By Jaimie Jensen
Jan Vermeer. Girl Interrupted at Her Music.
c.1660-1661.
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The Renaissance 1213-1530 Throughout the Middle
Ages man lived in fear of the Church. Art
generally showed the heavens and saints, and bore
little relation to what was happening on earth.
The term Renaissance means rebirth and was
reflected in art as the figures became more
life-like, space became more real and the
Christian story began to be told from a human
point of view. Artists from the Renaissance
include Giotto, Fra Angelico, Leonardo and
Michelangelo.
Michelangelo, David (detail). 1501-1504. Marble
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GIOTTO, Homage of a Simple Man. 1295-130 Fresco.
St. Francis, Upper Church, Assisi
Fra Angelico,San Pietro Martire Triptych.
1428/29. Tempera on panel. 137 x 168 cm. Museo di
San Marco, Florence, Italy.
Michelangelo. The Creation of Adam. 1508-1512.
Fresco. Sistine Chapel, Vatican
Leonardo da Vinci. Madonna Litta. c. 1490. Oil on
panel, transferred to canvas. The Hermitage, St.
Petersburg, Russia
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Mannerism 1520-1600 A development of
Renaissance style, Mannerism is generally seen as
a reaction against the harmony, order and
perfection of the 15th and early 16th centuries.
It is characterized by a use of bright, almost
garish colours, elaborate compositions,
exaggerated forms and dramatic movements. The
term originates in the use of the word maniera,
meaning stylishness and signifying grace, poise
and harmony. Artists from this period include
El Greco, Bronzino and Parmigianino
El Greco. St. John the Evangelist and St.
Francis. 1600s. Oil on canvas
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El Greco, Portrait of a Nobleman with His
Hand on His Chest, c. 1580
Parmigianino, Study of Saint Catherine, B.1503 -
1540
Bronzino, Allegory with Venus Cupid, c.
1540-1550
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Baroque 1600s 1750s The Baroque style
flourished in Rome in the early 1600s, and
persisted in varying degrees throughout Europe
until the eighteenth century. The name comes
from the Italian word barocco, meaning bizarre or
zany. Baroque art is generally typified by its
dramatic exuberance and emotive appeal to the
viewer. The archetypal Baroque religious picture
might show the saints or Madonna in a swirl of
billowing draperies and fleecy clouds surrounded
by cherubs. Themes such as subjects from Ancient
mythology were also popular, and were treated in
the same exaggerated manner. Not all art of the
period was so luxuriant, however, and the sombre
dramaticism of artists such as Caravaggio is
equally termed Baroque. Other artists include
Rubens, Velazquez and Zurbaran
Rubens, The Entombment, c. 1612
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Zurbaran, The Ecstacy of St. Francis, c. 1660
Caravaggio, The Musicians, c. 1595
Zurbaran, The Death of Bonaventura, c. 1629
Caravaggio, Judith Beheading Holofernes. c.1599
Velazquez, Old Woman Frying Eggs, c. 1618
Velazquez, Aesop, c. 1639-1641
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Neo-Classicism 1750s 1820s Neo-Classicism
was a movement that developed in the latter half
of the 18th century its aims were to return to
Classical values and a revival of the elegant
styles of Ancient Greek and Roman Art. In art
and architecture, it is characterized by a
preference for line and symmetry, and by its
frequent borrowing from Antique sources. Artists
include Ingres, David and PrudHon
Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres. Portrait of
Jean-Baptiste Desdéban. 1810.
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Pierre-Paul Prud'hon with Marie Francois
Constance Mayer-Lamartiniere. Innocence Choosing
Love Over Wealth, c. 1804
Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres. Portrait of
Francois-Marius Granet, c. 1807
Jacques-Louis David. Napoleon in His Study, c.
1812.
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Impressionism 1860s 1885 Impressionist
painters celebrated the overwhelming vision of
nature as seen in the splendor of natural light
whether dawn, daylight or twilight. They were
fascinated by the relationship between light and
colour, painting in pure pigment using free
brushstrokes. They were radical in their choice
of subject matter, avoiding traditional
historical, religious or romantic themes to
concentrate on landscapes and scenes of everyday
life. Artists include Monet, Degas and Cassatt

Claude Monet. On the Beach at Trouville. 1870.
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Mary Cassatt. At the Opera. C. 1979
Cassatt, Reading Le Figaro. (Portrait of the
Artist's Mother). C. 1878
Monet, Déjeuner sur l'herbe (The Picnic). Left
fragment. 1865-1866
Degas, Roman Beggar Woman, C. 1857
Degas, Degas and Evariste de Valernes, Painter
and Friend of the Artist, C. 1865
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Art Nouveau 1880s Early 20th Century The Art
Nouveau style appeared in the early 1880s and was
gone by the eve of the First World War. For a
brief, brilliant moment, Art Nouveau was a
shimmering presence in urban centers throughout
Europe and North America. It was the style of the
age--seen on public buildings and advertisements,
inside private homes and outside street
cafés--adorning the life of the city. Art Nouveau
was a response to the radical changes caused by
the rapid urban growth and technological advances
that followed the Industrial Revolution. Art
Nouveau is an elegant decorative art style,
characterized by intricately detailed patterns of
curving lines. Artists include Gustav Klimt,
Aubrey Vincent Beardsley and Alphonse Mucha
Gustav Klimt, Adele Bloch-Bauer I, c. 1907
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Gustav Klimt, The Kiss, c. 1907
Alphonse Mucha, The Blonde, c. 1897
Aubrey Vincent Beardsley, The Dream British, c.
1896
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Expressionism 19051930 An artistic force
concentrated mainly in Germany. Expressionist
artists sought to develop pictorial forms which
would express their innermost feelings rather
than represent the external world. Expressionist
painting is intense, passionate and highly
personal, based on the concept of the painters
canvas as a vehicle for demonstrating emotions.
Violent, unreal colors and dramatic brushwork
make the Expressionist painting quiver with
vitality. It is not surprising that Vincent Van
Gogh, with his frenzied painting technique and
extraordinary use of color, was the inspiration
for many Expressionist painters. Other artists
include Munch, Schiele and Kirchner
Vincent van Gogh. Self-Portrait in a Grey Felt
Hat. 1887
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Kirchner, A Group of Artists Otto Mueller,
Kirchner, Heckel, Schmidt-Rottluff, c. 1926-27
Schiele, Portrait of Johann Harms, c. 1916
Munch, The Scream, c. 1940-42
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• The End

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References

• Vermeer, Interrupted at Her Music. c.1660-1661.
  Retrieved from http//www.abcgallery.com on
  March 7th, 2005.
• Michelangelo, David (detail). 1501-1504. Marble.
  Retrieved from http//www.abcgallery.com, on
  March 7th, 2005
• Renaissance. Phaidon Press Limited. Glossary of
  Artistic Movements, The Art Book. 1999
• Giotto, Fra Angelico, Leonardo Da Vinci and
  Michelangelo. Retrieved from http//www.abcgaller
  y.com on March 7th, 2005
• El Greco, St. John the Evangelist and St.
  Francis. 1600s. Retrieved From
  http//www.abcgallery.com, on March 7th, 2005
• Mannerism. Phaidon Press Limited. Glossary of
  Artistic Movements, The Art Book. 1999
• Parmigianino, Study of Saint Catherine, B.1503
  1540. Retrieved from http//www.artcyclopedia.com
  
• Bronzino, Allegory with Venus Cupid, c.
  1540-1550. Retrieved from http//www.nationalgall
  ery.org.uk
• El Greco, Portrait of a Nobleman with His Hand
  on His Chest, c. 1580. Retrieved from
  http//www.abcgallery.com
• Rubens, The Entombment, c. 1612. Retrieved from
  http//www.abcgallery.com
• Baroque. Phaidon Press Limited, Glossary of
  Artistic Movements, The Art Book. 1999
• Caravaggio, Zurbaran and Velazquez. Retrieved
  from http//www.abcgallery.com
• Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, Portrait of
  Jean-Baptiste Desdeban, 1810. Retrieved from
  http//www.abcgallery.com
• Neo-Classicism.Phaidon Press Limited, Glossary
  of Artistic Movements, The Art Book. 1999
• Ingres, David and Prudhon. Retrieved from
  http//www.abcgallery.com , on March 7th, 2005.
• Claude Monet. On the Beach at Trouville. 1870.
  Retrieved from http//www.abcgallery.com on
  March 7th, 2005.
• Impressionism. Phaidon Press Limited, Glossary
  of Artists, The Art Book. 1999
• Monet, Cassatt and Degas. Retrieved from
  http//www.abcgallery.com on March 7th, 2005.
• Gustav Klimt, Adele Bloch-Bauer I, c. 1907.
  Retrieved from http//www.ibiblio.org on March
  12th, 2005.