HISTORY OF ART
Presented by
V.Sivadhanush
INTRODUCTION
• The history of art is often told as a chronology of
masterpieces created during each civilization.
• The history of art focuses on objects made by humans
for any number of spiritual, narrative, philosophical,
symbolic, conceptual, documentary, decorative, and even
functional and other purposes, but with a primary
emphasis on its aesthetic visual form.
VISUAL ART
• The arts that meet the eye and evoke an
emotion through an expression of skill
and imagination
• Visual art can be classified in diverse
ways, such as fine arts from applied arts
and etc.
• inclusively focusing on human creativity
• focuses on different media such as
architecture, sculpture, painting, film,
photography, and graphic arts, video art,
computer art, performance art, animation,
television, and videogames.
TIMELINE OF ART
Prehistoric Art
(~40,000–4,000 B.C.) • The earliest artifacts come from the
Paleolithic era, in the form of rock
carvings, engravings, pictorial imagery,
sculptures, and stone arrangements.
• Art from this period relied on the use of
natural pigments and stone carvings to
create representations of objects,
animals, and rituals that governed a
civilization’s existence.
• One of the most famous examples is that
of the Paleolithic cave paintings found
in France
Ancient Art (4,000
B.C.–A.D. 400)
• Ancient art was produced by advanced
civilizations, which in this case refers to
those with an established written language.
• The medium of a work of art from this period
varies depending on the civilization that
produced it.
• One of the most famous works from ancient
Mesopotamia is king Hammurabi
King Hammurabi—the sixth King of Babylonia—and the Mesopotamian god,
Shabash.
WESTERN ART TIMELINE
Medieval Art (500–1400)
• The Middle Ages, often referred to as the “Dark Ages,”
marked a period in 476 A.D.
• Art produced during this time was centered around the
Church.
• This period was also responsible for the emergence of the
illuminated manuscript and Gothic architecture style
Renaissance Art (1400–
1600)
• This style of painting, sculpture, and decorative art
was characterized by a focus on nature and
individualism, the thought of man as independent
and self-reliant.
• The Renaissance reached its height in Florence,
Italy.
• The High Renaissance, which lasted from 1490 to
1527, produced influential artists such as da Vinci,
Michelangelo, and Raphael, each of whom
brought creative power and spearheaded ideals of
emotional expression.
Mannerism
(1527–1580)
• Mannerist artists emerged from the
ideals of Michelangelo but their
focus on style and technique
outweighed the meaning of the
subject matter.
• Often, figures had graceful,
elongated limbs, small heads,
stylized features and exaggerated
details .This yielded more complex,
stylized compositions rather than
relying on the classical ideals of
harmonious composition and linear
perspective followed before this
period
Baroque (1600–1750)
• The Baroque period that followed Mannerism yielded
ornate, over-the-top visual arts and architecture.
• It was characterized by grandeur and richness,
punctuated by an interest in broadening human
intellect and global discovery.
• Baroque artists were stylistically complex Painters
used an intense contrast between light and dark and
had energetic compositions matched by rich color
palettes.
Rococo (1699–1780)
• Rococo originated in Paris, encompassing decorative
art, painting, architecture, and sculpture.\
• The aesthetic offered a softer style of decorative art
compared to Baroque’s exuberance. Rococo is
characterized by lightness and elegance, focusing on
the use of natural forms, asymmetrical design, and
subtle colors.
• Painters used lighthearted treatments, rich brushwork,
and fresh colors.The Rococo style also easily
translated to silver, porcelain, and French furniture.
Neoclassicism
(1750–1850)
• As its name suggests, the Neoclassical period
drew upon elements from classical antiquity]
• This form of art was recreated from the great
works of ancient art of regions Athens and
napes,This translated to a renewed interest in
classical ideals of harmony, simplicity, and
proportion.
• Italian sculptor Antonio Canova drew upon
classical elements in his marble sculptures
Romanticism
(1780–1850)
• Romanticism embodies a broad range
of disciplines, from painting to music
to literature.
• The ideals present in each of these art
forms reject order, harmony. Romantic
artists emphasized the individual and
imagination.
• Artists also focused on passion,
emotion, and sensation over intellect
and reason.
Realism (1848–1900)
• Arguably the first modern art movement,
Realism, began in France in the 1840s.
• Each inspired new interest in accurately
capturing everyday life, life-like
depictions of subject matter.\
• One of the most influential Gustave
Courbet, a French artist committed to
painting only what he could physically
see.
Impressionism (1865–
1885)
• Impressionist painters sought to capture the
immediate impression of a particular
moment.
• Impressionism was characterized by short,
quick brushstrokes and an unfinished,
sketch-like feel.
• Impressionist artists used modern life as
their subject matter, painting situations like
dance halls and sailboat regattas rather than
historical and mythological events.
Post-Impressionism
(1885–1910)
• Post-Impressionist painters worked
independently rather than as a group, but
each influential Post-Impressionist
painter had similar ideals.
• They concentrated on subjective visions
and symbolic, personal meanings rather
than observations of the outside world.
• Post-Impressionist painters include
Georges Seurat, noted for his
pointillism technique that used small,
distinct dots to form an image.
Art Nouveau (1890–
1910)
• Art Nouveau, which translates to “New Art,”
attempted to create an entirely authentic movement
free from any imitation of styles that preceded it.
• This movement heavily influenced applied arts,
graphics, and illustration. It focused on the natural
world, characterized by long, sinuous lines and
curves.
• Influential Art Nouveau artists worked in a variety of
media, including architecture, graphic and interior
design, jewelry-making, and painting.
Fauvism (1900–1935)
• Led by Henri Matisse As the first avant-
garde, 20th-century movement, this style
was characterized by expressive use of
intense color, line, and brushwork, a bold
sense of surface design, and flat
composition.
• As seen in many of the works of Matisse
himself, the separation of color from its
descriptive, representational purpose was
one of the core elements that shaped this
movement.
• Fauvism was an important precursor of
Cubism and Expressionism.
Expressionism
(1905–1920)
• Expressionism emerged as a response to
increasingly conflicted world views and
the loss of spirituality.
• Expressionist art sought to draw from
within the artist, using a distortion of
form and strong colors to display
anxieties and raw emotions.
• Expressionist painters, in a quest for
authenticity, looked for inspiration
beyond that of Western art and
frequented ethnographic museums to
revisit native folk traditions and tribal
art.
Cubism (1907–
1914)
• Cubism was established by Pablo
Picasso and Georges Braque, who
rejected the concept that art should
copy nature.
• They moved away from traditional
techniques and perspectives;
instead, they created radically
fragmented objects through
abstraction.
• Many Cubist painters’ works are
marked by flat, two-dimensional
surfaces, geometric forms or
“cubes” of objects, and multiple
vantage points.
Surrealism (1916–1950)
• Surrealism emerged from the Dada art
movement in 1916, showcasing works of
art that defied reason.
• Surrealists denounced the rationalist
mindset. They blamed this thought
process on events like World War I and
believed it to repress imaginative
thoughts.
• Surrealists were influenced by Karl Marx
and theories developed by Sigmund
Freud, who explored psychoanalysis and
the power of imagination.
Abstract
Expressionism
(1940s–1950s)
• Shaped by the legacy of Surrealism,
Abstract Expressionism emerged in
New York after WWII
• These painters and abstract
sculptors broke away from what was
considered conventional, and
instead used spontaneity and
improvisation to create abstract
works of art.
• This included colossally-scaled
works whose size could no longer
be accommodated by an easel.
Instead, canvases would be placed
directly upon the floor.
Op Art
(1950s–1960s)
• Heightened by advances in science and
technology as well as an interest in optical
effects and illusions, the Op art (short for
“optical” art)
• Artists active in this style used shapes, colors,
and patterns to create images that appeared to
be moving or blurring, often produced in
black and white for maximum contrast.
• These abstract patterns were meant to both
confuse and excite the eye.
Pop Art (1950s–1960s)
• Pop art is one of the most recognizable
artistic developments of the 20th century.
• The movement transitioned away from
methods used in Abstract Expressionism,
and instead used everyday, mundane
objects to create innovative works of art
that challenged consumerism and mass
media.
• This introduction to identifiable imagery
was a shift from the direction of
modernism.
Arte Povera (1960s)
• Translating literally to “poor art,” Arte Povera
challenged modernist, contemporary systems by infusing
commonplace materials into creations.
• Artists used soil, rocks, paper, rope, and other earthen
elements to evoke a pre-industrial sentiment.
• As a result, many of the notable works during this
movement are sculptural.
Minimalism (1960s–1970s)
• The Minimalist movement emerged in New York as a
group of younger artists began to question the overly
expressive works of Abstract Expressionist artists.
• Minimalist art instead focused on anonymity, calling
attention to the materiality of works.
• Artists urged viewers to focus on precisely what was
in front of them, rather than draw parallels to outside
realities and emotive thoughts through the use of
purified forms, order, simplicity, and harmony.
Conceptual Art (1960s–
1970s)
• Conceptual art completely rejected
previous art movements, and artists prized
ideas over visual components, creating art
in the from of performances, ephemera,
and other forms.
• this type of art focused on ideas and
concepts, there was no distinct style or
form.
• Polish performance artist Ewa Partum’s
Active Poetry consisted of her scattering
single alphabet letters across various
landscapes.
Contemporary Art
(1970–present)
The 1970s marked the beginning of
contemporary art, which extends
through present day. This period is
dominated by various schools and
smaller movements that emerged
In reaction against modernism, artists created works
that reflected skepticism, irony, and philosophical
Postmodernism: critiques.
This movement arose in an attempt
to transform stereotypes and break
Feminist art: the model of a male-dominated art
history.
Neo Expressionism:
Artists sought to revive original
aspects of Expressionism and
create highly textural, expressive,
large works.
Artists such as Keith Haring, Jean-
Michel Basquiat, Barry McGee,
Banksy, and more created graffiti-like
art on surfaces in public places like
sidewalks, buildings, and overpasses.
Street art:
Artists Cindy Sherman, Louise Lawler, Gary
The Pictures Simmons, and others who were influenced by
Conceptual and Pop art experimented with
Generation: recognizable imagery to explore images shaped
our perceptions of the world.
Appropriation art:
This movement focused on the use of images in art with little
transformation from their original form.
Young British Artists
(YBA):
A group of London artists were notorious for their
willingness to shock audiences through their
imagery, and a willingness to push beyond limits
of decency. They’re also known for their zestful,
entrepreneurial spirit.
Digital art:
he advent of the camera lent way to this artistic
practice that allowed artists to use the infusion
of art and technology to create with mediums
like computers, audio and visual software,
sound, and pixels.
INDIAN ART
Indus Valley civilisation (c. 3300 BCE –
c. 1750 BCE)
• Despite its widespread and sophistication, the
Indus Valley civilisation seems to have taken
no interest in public large-scale art
• A number of gold, terracotta and stone
figurines of girls in dancing poses reveal the
presence of some forms of dance.
• The most famous piece is the bronze
Dancing Girl of Mohenjo-Daro, which shows
remarkably advanced modelling of the human
figure for this early date.[12]
Ajantha caves
• Carved from the 2nd-6th century and are 30 in number.
• Dedicated to Buddhism and the carvings in them portary the life of Lord Buddha along with
other carvings like that of animals.
• Most of the Ajanta caves, and almost all the murals paintings date from nearly 600 years
later
• These fables embed ancient morals and cultural lores that are also found in the fables and
legends of Hindu and Jain texts
Ellora caves
• The temples were carved out of 100,000 cubic yards of
rock. Stone provided an ideal building material in a
place regularly hit by monsoon rains.
• Ellora Caves are a multi-religious rock-cut cave
complex with inscriptions dating from the period 6th
century CE onwards
• There are over 100 caves at the site, all excavated from
the basalt cliffs in the Charanandri Hills, 34 of which
are open to public.
Mughal art
• Generally confined to miniatures either
as book illustrations or as single works
to be kept in albums
• Emerged from Persian miniature
painting, with Indian Hindu, Jain, and
Buddhist influences
• Developed largely in the court of the
Mughal Empire (16th - 19th centuries),
and later spread to other Indian courts,
both Muslim and Hindu, and later
Sikh.
Sculpture
• Sculpture was the favoured medium of
artistic expression on the Indian
subcontinent.
• The subject matter of Indian sculpture
was almost invariably abstracted human
forms that were used to instruct people in
the truths of the Hindu, Buddhist, or Jain
religions.
• The nude was used both to represent the
body as a symbol of spirit and to reveal
the imagined shapes of the gods.
Wall painting
• The tradition and methods of Indian cliff painting
gradually evolved throughout many thousands of
years – there are multiple locations found with
prehistoric art.
• The Chola fresco paintings were discovered in
1931 within the circumambulatory passage of the
Brihadisvara Temple at Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu,
and are the first Chola specimens discovered.
Researchers have discovered the technique used
in these frescoes
• The oldest surviving frescoes of the historical
period have been preserved in the Ajanta Caves
with Cave 10 having some from the 1st century
CE
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