Art History Timeline

An Art History Timeline: From Ancient to
Contemporary Art
The Lifespan of Art in Five Easy Steps
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byShelley Esaak
Updated August 12, 2019
There is a lot to be found in a timeline of art history. It begins over

30,000 years ago and takes us through a series of movements,
styles, and periods that reflect the time during which each piece of
art was created.
Art is an important glimpse into history because it is often one of

the few things to survive. It can tell us stories, relate the moods
and beliefs of an era, and allow us to relate to the people who
came before us. Let's explore art, from Ancient to Contemporary,
and see how it influences the future and delivers the past.
Ancient Art
Anders Blomqvist / Getty Images
What we consider ancient art is what was created from around

30,000 B.C.E. to 400 A.D. If you prefer, it can be thought of as
fertility statuettes and bone flutes to roughly the fall of Rome.
Many different styles of art were created over this long period.
They include those of prehistory (Paleolithic, Neolithic,
the Bronze Age, etc) to the ancient civilizations of
Mesopotamia, Egypt, and the nomadic tribes. It also includes the
work found in classical civilizations like the Greeks and Celts as
well as that of the early Chinese dynasties and the civilizations of
the Americas.
The artwork of this time is as varied as the cultures that created it.
What ties them together is their purpose.
Quite often, art was created to tell stories in a time when oral
tradition prevailed. It was also used to decorate utilitarian objects
like bowls, pitchers, and weapons. At times, it was also used to
demonstrate the status of its owner, a concept that art has used
forever since.
Medieval to Early Renaissance Art
Jean-Philippe Tournut / Getty Images
Some people still refer to the millennium between 400 and 1400
A.D. as the "Dark Ages." The art of this period can be considered
relatively "dark" as well. Some depicted rather grotesque or
otherwise brutal scenes while others were focused on formalized
religion. Yet, the majority are not what we would call cheery.
Medieval European art saw a transition from the Byzantine period

to the Early Christian period. Within that, from about 300 to 900,
we also saw Migration Period Art as Germanic people migrated
across the continent. This "Barbarian" art was portable by
necessity and much of it was understandably lost.
As the millennium passed, more and more Christian and Catholic

art appeared. The period centered around elaborate churches and
artwork to adorn this architecture. It also saw the rise of the
"illuminated manuscript" and eventually the Gothic
and Romanesque styles of art and architecture.
Renaissance to Early Modern Art
alxpin / Getty Images
This period covers the years 1400 through 1880 and it includes
many of our favorite pieces of art.
Much of the notable art created during the Rennaissance was

Italian. It began with the famous 15th-century artists like
Brunelleschi and Donatello, who led to the work of Botticelli and
Alberti. When the High Rennaissance took over in the next
century, we saw the work of Da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Raphael.
In Northern Europe, this period saw the schools of Antwerp

Mannerism, The Little Masters, and the Fontainebleau School,
among many others.
After the long Italian Renaissance, Northern Renaissance, and

Baroque periods were over, we began to see new art movements
appear with greater frequency.
By the 1700s, Western Art followed a series of styles. These

movements included Rococo and Neo-Classicism, followed by
Romanticism, Realism, and Impressionism as well as many
lesser-known styles.
In China, the Ming and Qing Dynasties took place during this
period and Japan saw the Momoyama and Edo Periods. This was
also the time of the Aztec and Inca in the Americas who had
their own distinct art.
Modern Art
PHILIP FONG/AFP/Getty Images
Modern Art runs from around 1880 to 1970 and they were an
extremely busy 90 years. The Impressionists opened the
floodgates on new paths to take and individual artists such
as Picasso and Duchamp were themselves responsible for creating
multiple movements.
The last two decades of the 1800s were filled with movements like
Cloisonnism, Japonism, Neo-Impressionism,
Symbolism, Expressionism, and Fauvism. There were also a
number of schools and groups like The Glasgow Boys and the
Heidelberg School, The Band Noire (Nubians) and The Ten
American Painters.
Art was no less diverse or confusing in the 1900s. Movements like

Art Nouveau and Cubism kicked off the new century with
Bauhaus, Dadaism, Purism, Rayism, and Suprematism following
close behind. Art Deco, Constructivism, and the Harlem
Renaissance took over the 1920s while Abstract Expressionism
emerged in the 1940s.
By mid-century, we saw even more revolutionary styles. Funk and

Junk Art, Hard-Edge Painting, and Pop Art became the norm in
the 50s. The 60s were filled with Minimalism, Op Art, Psychedelic
Art, and much, much more.
Contemporary Art
Dan Forer / Getty Images

The 1970s is what most people consider as the beginning of
Contemporary Art and it continues to the present day. Most
interestingly, either fewer movements are identifying themselves
as such or art history simply hasn't caught up yet with those that
have.
Still, there is a growing list of -isms in the art world. The 70s saw
Post-Modernism and Ugly Realism along with a surge in Feminist
Art, Neo-Conceptualism, and Neo-Expressionism. The 80s were
filled with Neo-Geo, Multiculturalism, and the Graffiti Movement,
as well as BritArt and Neo-Pop.
By the time the 90s hit, art movements became less defined and
somewhat unusual, almost as if people had run out of names. Net
Art, Artefactoria, Toyism, Lowbrow, Bitterism, and Stuckism are
some of the styles of the decade. And though it's still new, the 21st
century has its own Thinkism and Funism to enjoy.

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An Art History Timeline: From Ancient to

There is a lot to be found in a timeline of art history. It begins over

Art is an important glimpse into history because it is often one of

Anders Blomqvist / Getty Images

What we consider ancient art is what was created from around

Medieval to Early Renaissance Art

Jean-Philippe Tournut / Getty Images

Medieval European art saw a transition from the Byzantine period

As the millennium passed, more and more Christian and Catholic

Renaissance to Early Modern Art

alxpin / Getty Images

Much of the notable art created during the Rennaissance was

In Northern Europe, this period saw the schools of Antwerp

After the long Italian Renaissance, Northern Renaissance, and

By the 1700s, Western Art followed a series of styles. These

PHILIP FONG/AFP/Getty Images

Art was no less diverse or confusing in the 1900s. Movements like

By mid-century, we saw even more revolutionary styles. Funk and

Dan Forer / Getty Images

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