WESTERN

PRE-COLONIAL TO

ART
CONTEMPORARY
Art historians describe the history of Western art in
terms of successive periods and/or movements,
including classical, medieval, Byzantine, 
Romanesque, Renaissance, baroque, rococo, 
neoclassicism, Romanticism, realism, Impressionism
, modernism and postmodernism. 
 Lascaux cave paintings, Mesopotamia, Code of Cimabue, Crucifix, 1288
Paleolithic era Hammurabi, 1754 B.C.

40,000–4,000 B.C. 30,000 B.C.–A.D. 400 A.D. 500–A.D.

PREHISTORIC ART ANCIENT ART 1400
MEDIEVAL
CHARACTERISTICS: Rock CHARACTERISTICS: Religious CHARACTERISTICS: Dark
carvings, pictorial imagery, and symbolic imagery, decorations imagery, biblical subjects, Classical
sculptures, and stone arrangements for utilitarian objects, mythological mythology, Gothic architecture
LEADING CONTRIBUTORS: stories LEADING CONTRIBUTORS:
Prehistoric cultures that existed LEADING CONTRIBUTORS: Abbot SugerCimabueGiotto
before the advent of a written Civilizations from Mesopotamia, INFLUENTIAL WORKS: Cimabue
language Egypt, Greece, and the Americas Crucifix, 1288Giotto
INFLUENTIAL WORKS: Lascaux INFLUENTIAL WORKS: Code of Lamentation of Christ, 1305
cave paintings, Paleolithic era Hammurabi, 1754 B.C.
 Raphael, The School of Athens, Bronzino, Venus, Cupid, Folly Caravaggio, The Calling of St
1511 and Time, 1540 Matthew, 1600

1400–1600 1527– 1600–

RENAISSANCE 1580
MANNERISM 1750
BAROQUE
CHARACTERISTICS: Natural elements, CHARACTERISTICS: Stylized CHARACTERISTICS: Ornate, grandeur,
individualism, realism, attention-to-detail, features, exaggerated details, richness, stylistically complex, dramatic
precision of human anatomy decorative elements LEADING CONTRIBUTORS:
LEADING CONTRIBUTORS: Leonardo LEADING CONTRIBUTORS: CaravaggioJohannes VermeerRembrandt
da VinciMichelangeloRaphael BronzinoFrancesco SalviatiGiorgio van Rijn
INFLUENTIAL WORKS: Leonardo da Vasari INFLUENTIAL WORKS: Caravaggio
Vinci INFLUENTIAL WORKS: The Calling of St Matthew, 1600Rembrandt
Mona Lisa, 1503Michelangelo Bronzino, Venus, Cupid, Folly and The Night Watch, 1642Johannes Vermeer
David, 1504Raphael Time, 1540Giorgio Vasari Girl with a Pearl Earring, 1665
The School of Athens, 1511 Allegory of the Immaculate
Conception, 1541
 Antoine Watteau, Embarkation Jacques-Louis David, Napoleon
for Cythera, 1718 Crossing the Alps, 1801 William Blake, The Ghost of a
Flea, 1820

1699–1780 1750– 1780–

ROCOCO NEOCLASSICISM
1850 ROMANTICISM
1850
CHARACTERISTICS: Lightness, CHARACTERISTICS: Renewed CHARACTERISTICS: Imaginative
elegance, natural forms, asymmetrical interest in classical antiquity, elements, focus on passion, emotion,
design, subtle colors harmony, simplicity, and and observing the senses
LEADING CONTRIBUTORS: proportion LEADING CONTRIBUTORS:
Antoine WatteauFrancois Boucher LEADING CONTRIBUTORS: Francisco GoyaHenry FuseliWilliam
INFLUENTIAL WORKS: Antoine Antonio CanovaJacques-Louis Blake
Watteau David INFLUENTIAL WORKS: Henry Fuseli
Embarkation for Cythera, INFLUENTIAL WORKS: The Nightmare, 1781William Blake
1718Francois Boucher Jacques-Louis David The Ghost of a Flea, 1820Francisco
Venus Consoling Love, 1751 Napoleon Crossing the Alps, Goya
1801Antonio Canova Saturn Devouring His Son, 1823
The Three Graces, 1816
 Jean-François Millet, The Alphonse Mucha, Princess Claude Monet, Impression,
Gleaners, 1857 Hyacinth, 1911 Sunrise, 1899

1848–1900 1890–1910 1865–

REALISM ART NOUVEAU IMPRESSIONISM
1885
CHARACTERISTICS: Detailed CHARACTERISTICS: Long, CHARACTERISTICS: Short, quick
depictions of everyday life sinuous lines and curves brushstrokes, separation of color,
LEADING CONTRIBUTORS: LEADING CONTRIBUTORS sketch-like finish, modern subject
Gustave CourbetJean-François Alphonse MuchaAntoni matter
Millet GaudíGustav Klimt LEADING CONTRIBUTORS:
INFLUENTIAL WORKS: Jean- INFLUENTIAL WORKS: Antoni Claude MonetPierre-Auguste Renoir
François Millet Gaudí INFLUENTIAL WORKS: Pierre-
The Gleaners, 1857Gustave Church of Sagrada Familia, Auguste Renoir
Courbet 1882Gustav Klimt Dance in the City, 1872Claude
Woman with a Parrot, 1866 The Kiss, 1908Alphonse Mucha Monet, Impression, Sunrise, 1899
Princess Hyacinth, 1911
 Georges Seurat, A Sunday
Afternoon on the Island of La Henri Matisse, Woman with a Edvard Munch, The Dance of
Grande Jatte, 1886 Hat, 1905 Life, 1900

1885–1910 1900–1935 1905–

POST-IMPRESSIONISM FAUVISM EXPRESSIONISM
1920
CHARACTERISTICS: Subjective CHARACTERISTICS: CHARACTERISTICS:
visions, symbolism, abstraction Expressive color, line, and Distortion of form, strong use of
LEADING CONTRIBUTORS: brushwork, bold surface design, colors
Georges SeuratVincent van Gogh flat composition LEADING CONTRIBUTORS:
INFLUENTIAL WORKS: Georges LEADING CONTRIBUTORS: Edvard MunchWassily
Seurat André DerainHenri Matisse Kandinsky
A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of INFLUENTIAL WORKS: Henri INFLUENTIAL WORKS:
La Grande Jatte, 1886Vincent van Matisse Edvard Munch
Gogh Woman with a Hat, 1905André The Dance of Life, 1900Wassily
The Starry Night, 1889 Derain Kandinsky
The Houses of Parliament, 1905- The Blue Rider, 1903
1906
 Georges Braque, Violin and René Magritte, The Son of Man, Jackson Pollock, Autumn Rhythm
Palette, 1909 1964 (Number 30), 1950

1907–1914 1917–1950 1940–

CUBISM SURREALISM 1950s EXPRESSIONISM
ABSTRACT
CHARACTERISTICS: Abstraction, CHARACTERISTICS: Exploration of CHARACTERISTICS:
flat, two-dimensional surfaces, dreams and unconsciousness, inspired Spontaneity, improvisation,
geometric forms, contrasting by Sigmund Freud colossally scaled works, unique
vantage points LEADING CONTRIBUTORS: Max techniques
LEADING CONTRIBUTORS: ErnstRené MagritteSalvador Dalí LEADING CONTRIBUTORS:
Georges BraquePablo Picasso INFLUENTIAL WORKS: Salvador Jackson PollockMark Rothko
INFLUENTIAL WORKS: Georges Dalí INFLUENTIAL WORKS:
Braque The Persistence of Memory, 1931Max Jackson Pollock
Violin and Palette, 1909Pablo Ernst Autumn Rhythm (Number 30),
Picasso The Robing of the Bride, 1940René 1950Mark Rothko
Guernica, 1937 Magritte Orange and Yellow, 1956
The Son of Man, 1964
 Bridget Riley, Blaze, 1964 Andy Warhol, Campbell's Soup Mario Merz, Giap’s Igloo, 1968
Cans, 1962

1950s–1960s 1950s–1960s 1960s

OP ART POP ART ARTE POVERA
CHARACTERISTICS: Use of CHARACTERISTICS: Use of CHARACTERISTICS: Use of
colors, patterns, shapes, and everyday, mundane objects, soil, rocks, paper, and other
contrast to create images that bold, vivid colors, mass media natural elements to create a pre-
appeared to be moving or blurring LEADING CONTRIBUTORS: industrial sentiment
LEADING CONTRIBUTORS: Andy WarholRoy Lichtenstein LEADING CONTRIBUTORS:
Bridget RileyJean-Pierre INFLUENTIAL WORKS: Andy Alighiero BoettiGiovanni
YvaralVictor Vasarely Warhol AnselmoMario Merz
INFLUENTIAL WORKS: Bridget Campbell's Soup Cans, 1962Roy INFLUENTIAL WORKS: Mario
Riley Lichtenstein Merz
Blaze, 1964 Brushstrokes, 1962 Giap’s Igloo, 1968
 Frank Stella, Black Series I, 1967 Joseph Kosuth, One and Three Jeff Koons, Michael Jackson and
Chairs, 1965 Bubbles, 1988

1960s–1970s Mid-1960s–mid-1970s 1970–

MINIMALISM CONCEPTUAL ART present ART
CONTEMPORARY
CHARACTERISTICS: A focus CHARACTERISTICS: An CHARACTERISTICS:
on exactly what the art emphasis on ideas over visual Exploration of Postmodernism,
portrays, aside from outside components in the form of Feminist art, Neo Expressionism,
realities and emotions performances, ephemera, and Street art, Appropriation art,
LEADING CONTRIBUTORS: other forms Digital art, and other small
Carl AndreDonald JuddFrank LEADING CONTRIBUTORS: schools
Stella Joseph KosuthMarcel LEADING CONTRIBUTORS:
INFLUENTIAL WORKS: DuchampSol LeWitt Jeff Koons
Frank Stella INFLUENTIAL WORKS: INFLUENTIAL WORKS: Jeff
Black Series I, 1967 Joseph Kosuth Koons
One and Three Chairs, 1965 Michael Jackson and Bubbles,
1988