LECTURE 1 - Intro, Renaissance & Baroque

Overview of Art History
RENAISSANCE + BAROQUE
40,000 B.C. – 2300 B.C.
Prehistoric Era
 Prehistoric art refers to
artifacts from ancient
civilizations such as
Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece
and Rome.
 Artists employed resources
from their natural
environments such as clay,
rocks, minerals, animal hair,
bones, wood, fat and blood to
create images.
Mesopotamia
 An ancient empire in what
is known as modern day
Iraq.
 Generally, art was made
by carving stone relief used
to decorate imperial
monuments. The reliefs
depict royal affairs, such as
hunting and war.
 Animal forms, particularly
horses and lions, were
represented in great detail,
while human figures were
of less significance.
Egypt
 Egyptian art was expressed

through painting, sculpture,
and jewelry.
 The artwork embodies a
unique style and makes use
of an ancient form of
symbolism.
 Much of the remaining art
comes from tombs and
monuments.
Greece
 Sculpture and architecture

from Greek civilization have
influenced other’s
throughout history.
 Known for their architectural
monuments as well as
sculptural masterpieces, the
Greek’s were also expert
craftsman. They crafted and
painted beautiful vessels
used for everyday life.
Rome
 Greatly influenced by
Greek culture, the Ancient
Romans excelled in
painting, sculpting, and
architectural design.
 Mythological subject
matter predominated art at
this time.
200 – 1400
Middle Ages
 The Middle Ages marks a
period in between Classical
and Modern history (hence
“middle”).
 It was at this time that
Christianity was being
spread throughout Europe,
and so the art and
architecture follows a
religious tradition.
Medieval
 Medieval is a term used to

describe the art created
over a span of 1,000 years
during the middle ages.
 Art was largely produced
at this time with a variety
of medium including
illuminated manuscripts,
paintings, sculptures,
stained glass, metal works,
mosaics and even textiles.
Byzantine
 With the spread of

Christianity throughout
Europe, art and architecture
during the Byzantine era
followed a religious theme.
 Paintings, mosaics, and
sculpture were common
forms of artistic expression.
 Also important at this time
were illuminated bible
manuscripts.
Romanesque
 Following tradition at this

time, the Romanesque
period is marked by
lavishly decorated
architecture, manuscripts
and embroidery.
Gothic
 Developing in France out

of the Romanesque period,
Gothic art begin with the
construction of
monumental architecture.
 Very ornately designed
cathedrals with luminous
stained glass windows
were commonly
constructed at this time.
1400-1600
Renaissance
 Known as a period of “rebirth”, this

was a time when artists looked back
to ancient traditions while applying
new scientific knowledge.
1400-1600
Renaissance
 The development two concepts significant of this period that forever
changed the way that artists render the natural world on a two
dimensional surface
LINEAR PERSPECTIVE A GREATER

UNDERSTANDING OF HUMAN
 Some of the most influential
artists of this time include Michaelangelo
 Giotto di Bondone
Giotto
 Michaelangelo
 Leonardo Da Vinci
 Raphael Sanzio
Raphael
 Sandro Botticelli.
Da vinci Botticelli
Common forms of artistic expression during
the Renaissance include
painting, fresco and sculpture.
The artists of the Michaelangelo
Renaissance were mainly

interested in capturing
the essence and
beauty of nature. Raphael
Da vinci Botticelli
1600-1775
Baroque
 The Baroque period can be
characterized as art that
conveys a religious theme,
through movement and
emotion.
 Dramatic biblical depictions

are common in frescoes and
paintings.
Carlo Innocenzo Carlone

Baroque
 During the Baroque period,
artists commissioned to paint
portraits were interested in
depicting the wealth and
social status of the patrons.
 Artists use of symbolism and

focus on the detailed
rendering of clothing helps us
to understand the importance
of the figures being depicted.
Ruebens
Mannerism
 Following in traditions
developed by Renaissance
and Baroque artists,
Mannerism is a period in
which artists created
images of elongated and
slightly disproportionate
figures.
Pontormo
 Keeping in tradition with
Rococo Baroque art, Rococo was a period
of ornate interior design and
decorative arts.
 From the beautiful frescoes to the
lavish furniture, Rococo was a
period of royal luxury.
Thomas Gainsborough
THANK YOU
Ruebens
1700-1800
Neoclassicism
 A reformation of art and
architecture, Neoclassical
art sought to bring back
classical elements of the
ancient Greeks and
Romans.
 Art was now moving away
from the decorative and
ornate Baroque and
Rococo styles. David
1700-1800
Romanticism & Realism
 Romanticism marks a
period in which artists
sought to remove
themselves from social and
political influences.
 Artists were interested in
creating images that
engage strong emotion
within the beauty of a
natural environment. Turner
Realism
 In response to the emotion

of Romanticism, artists
instead began to create
images that depicted
objective reality.
 A focus on real-life scenes
characterizes the realist
style.
Sargent
1886-1906
Impressionism
 Developing out of France,
this period is characterized
by vivid colors and loose,
visible brushwork.
 Artists began to investigate
the changing properties of
light in everyday subject
matter.
Monet
Degas Renior
Manet
Morisot Cassatt
Post Impressionism
 Post Impressionist such as

Vincent Van Gogh, continued to
develop images with vivid
colors, dynamic brushwork and
real-life subject matter.
 The Post Impressionists took
these ideologies further as they
experimented with the
expressive qualities of paint
application and an emphasis of
geometric forms.
Lautrect
Seraut
Gaugin
Cezanne Van Gogh

Modern Art Movement
1880-1970
Expressionism
Fauvism
Cubism
Futurism
Dada
Surrealism
Abstract Expressionism
Action Painting
Color Field
Pop Art
Minimalism
Op Art
1900-1910
German Expressionism
Munch
 Beginning as a cultural
reform of art and poetry in
Germany, this period in art
history is coined as “avant-
garde”, or experimental
and innovative.
 Artists became interested
in depicting an emotional
experience rather than Kandinsky
reality based imagery.

1905-1907
Fauvism
 French for the wild
beasts, Fauvism
became a period where
artists kept in tradition
with Impressionist
style, while exploring
color and painterly
qualities within their
work.
Matisse
1908-1914
Cubism
Picasso
 Pablo Picasso and Georges

Braque are the creators of
this unique artistic style.
 Characterized by broken,
reassembled and abstracted
forms, cubism transformed
art into a unique modern
style.
1909-1918
Futurism
 Originating in Italy, this
style of art sought to
transform how we see old
forms in new innovative
ways.
 The Futurists explored
every medium of art,
including interior design
and theatre.
Boccioni
1916-1923
Dada
 A cultural movement rooted in
Switzerland, Dada was a
response to the seriousness of
war.
 Rejecting traditional standards
of art, Dada artists found art and
humor in the meaningless
objects of everyday life.
 Dada art is characterized as
Anti-war and Anti-art.
 Dada was a foundation for
future art movements such as
surrealism and pop art.
Duchamp
1924-1940
Surrealism
 Characterized by it’s
dreamlike qualities,
Surrealism became a way
for artists to create a Dali
unique world of an
imagined reality.
 Artists such as Salvadore
Dali experimented with
reality and psychological
elements.
Abstract Expressionism
Diebenkorn
 A post-WW2 movement,
Abstract Expressionism is
known for it’s spontaneous
and subconscious style.
 Instead of working with
representational forms, the
Abstract Expressionists’
work interprets emotional
intensity.
O’Keeffe
1950-
Action Painting
 Also known as “Gestural
Abstraction”, this unique
style of painting explores
the application and
expression of medium.
 Jackson Pollock is known
as the quintessential Action
painter. Drips, drizzles and
splatters are characteristics
of his unique style of
painting.
Pollock
1950-
Color Field Painting
 Originating in NY city, this
abstract form of painting is Rothko
known by it’s application

of flat fields of color.
 A focus on a refined and
consistent application of
paint is characteristic of
this style.
Frankenthaler
1950-
POP Art
Lichtenstein Warhol
 Emerging in Britain in the

1950’s, Pop art explored
the influences of Popular
culture such as advertising,
comic books and cultural
objects.
 Pop art was innovative in
that it was a the first style
of art to emerge that used
mass-produced imagery in
a fine arts context.
1960-
Minimalism
 A post-WW2
movement,
Minimalism became an
expression of the basic
and simplified form.
 Minimalism is known
as a reaction against
the Abstract
Expressionists.
Mondrian
Riley
1964-
OP Art
 The art of optical illusion.
 Artists such as Vasarely
and Riley sought to explore
the illusion of space while
experimenting with line,
shape, pattern and color .
 The result is an impression
of movement, vibration,
swelling, warping and
hidden imagery.
Vasarely
1970 - Present
Post Modern Art Stella
 Today art continues to

transform.
 Artists work in a variety
of medium including
drawing, painting,
sculpture, mixed-media,
collage, printmaking,
photography, ceramics
and installation art to
name a few.

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Overview of Art History

 Egyptian art was expressed

 Sculpture and architecture

 Medieval is a term used to

 With the spread of

 Following tradition at this

 Developing in France out

 Known as a period of “rebirth”, this

LINEAR PERSPECTIVE A GREATER

Renaissance were mainly

the essence and

beauty of nature. Raphael

 Dramatic biblical depictions

Carlo Innocenzo Carlone

 Artists use of symbolism and

 In response to the emotion

 Post Impressionist such as

Cezanne Van Gogh

reality based imagery.

 Pablo Picasso and Georges

known by it’s application

 Emerging in Britain in the

 Today art continues to

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