1/30/2017 ArtofEuropeWikipedia

ArtofEurope
FromWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

TheartofEuropeencompassesthehistoryofvisualartinEurope.
Europeanprehistoricartstartedasmobilerock,andcavepainting
art,andwascharacteristicoftheperiodbetweenthePaleolithicand
theIronAge.[1]

WrittenhistoriesofEuropeanartoftenbeginwiththeartofthe
AncientMiddleEast,andtheAncientAegeancivilisations,dating
fromthe3rdmillenniumBC.Parallelwiththesesignificant
cultures,artofoneformoranotherexistedalloverEurope,
wherevertherewerepeople,leavingsignssuchascarvings,
decoratedartifactsandhugestandingstones.Howeveraconsistent
patternofartisticdevelopmentwithinEuropebecomesclearonly
withtheartofAncientGreece,adoptedandtransformedbyRome
andcarriedwiththeEmpire,acrossmuchofEurope,NorthAfrica
andtheMiddleEast.

TheinfluenceoftheartoftheClassicalperiodwaxedandwaned
throughoutthenexttwothousandyears,seemingtoslipintoa PierreMignard,Clio,museofheroic
distantmemoryinpartsoftheMedievalperiod,toreemergeinthe poetryandhistory,17thcentury
Renaissance,sufferaperiodofwhatsomeearlyarthistorians
viewedas"decay"duringtheBaroqueperiod,[2]toreappearina
refinedforminNeoClassicismandtobereborninPostModernism.

Beforethe1800s,theChristianchurchwasamajorinfluenceuponEuropeanart,thecommissionsofthe
Church,architectural,painterlyandsculptural,providingthemajorsourceofworkforartists.Thehistoryofthe
Churchwasverymuchreflectedinthehistoryofart,duringthisperiod.Inthesameperiodoftimetherewas
renewedinterestinheroesandheroines,talesofmythologicalgodsandgoddesses,greatwars,andbizarre
creatureswhichwerenotconnectedtoreligion.[3]

SecularismhasinfluencedEuropeanartsincetheClassicalperiod,whilemostartofthelast200yearshasbeen
producedwithoutreferencetoreligionandoftenwithnoparticularideologyatall.Ontheotherhand,European
arthasoftenbeeninfluencedbypoliticsofonekindoranother,ofthestate,ofthepatronandoftheartist.

Europeanartisarrangedintoanumberofstylisticperiods,which,historically,overlapeachotherasdifferent
stylesflourishedindifferentareas.Broadlytheperiodsare,Classical,Byzantine,Medieval,Gothic,
Renaissance,Baroque,Rococo,Neoclassical,ModernandPostmodern.[3]

Contents
1 Prehistoricart
2 AncientClassicalart
3 Medieval
3.1 Byzantine
3.2 EarlyMedievalart
3.3 Romanesque
3.4 Gothic
4 Renaissance
4.1 FromGothictotheRenaissance
4.2 EarlyRenaissance
4.3 HighRenaissance
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_of_Europe 1/12
1/30/2017 ArtofEuropeWikipedia

4.3 HighRenaissance
4.4 NorthernartuptotheRenaissance
5 Mannerism,Baroque,andRococo
6 Neoclassicism,Romanticism,AcademismandRealism
7 Modernart
8 ContemporaryartandPostmodernart
9 Seealso
10 References
11 Bibliography
12 Externallinks

Prehistoricart
EuropeanprehistoricartisanimportantpartoftheEuropeanculturalheritage.[4]Prehistoricarthistoryis
usuallydividedintofourmainperiods:Stoneage,Neolithic,Bronzeage,andIronage.Mostoftheremaining
artifactsofthisperiodaresmallsculpturesandcavepaintings.

Muchsurvivingprehistoricartissmallportablesculptures,withasmall
groupoffemaleVenusfigurinessuchastheVenusofWillendorf
(24,00022,000BC)foundacrosscentralEurope[5]the30cmtall
Lwenmenschfigurineofabout30,000BCEhashardlyanypiecesthat
canberelatedtoit.TheSwimmingReindeerofabout11,000BCEis
oneofthefinestofanumberofMagdaleniancarvingsinboneorantler
ofanimalsintheartoftheUpperPaleolithic,thoughtheyare
outnumberedbyengravedpieces,whicharesometimesclassifiedas
sculpture.[6]WiththebeginningoftheMesolithicinEuropefigurative
sculpturegreatlyreduced,[7]andremainedalesscommonelementinart
thanreliefdecorationofpracticalobjectsuntiltheRomanperiod,
despitesomeworkssuchastheGundestrupcauldronfromtheEuropean
IronAgeandtheBronzeAgeTrundholmsunchariot.[8]

TheoldestEuropeancaveartdatesback40,800,andcanbefoundinthe
ElCastilloCaveinSpain.[9]OthercavepaintingsitesincludeLascaux,
CaveofAltamira,GrottedeCussac,PechMerle,CaveofNiaux,
ChauvetCave,FontdeGaume,CreswellCrags,Nottinghamshire,
England,(Caveetchingsandbasreliefsdiscoveredin2003),Coliboaia
VenusofWillendorf. cavefromRomania(consideredtheoldestcavepaintingincentral
Europe)[10]andMagura,[1]Belogradchik,Bulgaria.[11]Rockpainting
wasalsoperformedonclifffaces,butfewerofthosehavesurvivedbecauseoferosion.Onewellknown
exampleistherockpaintingsofAstuvansalmiintheSaimaaareaofFinland.WhenMarcelinoSanzde
SautuolafirstencounteredtheMagdalenianpaintingsoftheAltamiracave,Cantabria,Spainin1879,the
academicsofthetimeconsideredthemhoaxes.Recentreappraisalsandnumerousadditionaldiscoverieshave
sincedemonstratedtheirauthenticity,whileatthesametimestimulatinginterestintheartistryofUpper
Palaeolithicpeoples.Cavepaintings,undertakenwithonlythemostrudimentarytools,canalsofurnish
valuableinsightintothecultureandbeliefsofthatera.

TheRockartoftheIberianMediterraneanBasinrepresentsaverydifferentstyle,withthehumanfigurethe
mainfocus,oftenseeninlargegroups,withbattles,dancingandhuntingallrepresented,aswellasother
activitiesanddetailssuchasclothing.Thefiguresaregenerallyrathersketchilydepictedinthinpaint,withthe
relationshipsbetweenthegroupsofhumansandanimalsmorecarefullydepictedthanindividualfigures.Other

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_of_Europe 2/12
1/30/2017 ArtofEuropeWikipedia

lessnumerousgroupsofrockart,manyengravedratherthanpainted,showsimilarcharacteristics.TheIberian
examplesarebelievedtodatefromalongperiodperhapscoveringtheUpperPaleolithic,Mesolithicandearly
Neolithic.

PrehistoricCelticartcomesfrommuchofIronAgeEuropeandsurvivesmainlyintheformofhighstatus
metalworkskillfullydecoratedwithcomplex,elegantandmostlyabstractdesigns,oftenusingcurvingand
spiralforms.Therearehumanheadsandsomefullyrepresentedanimals,butfulllengthhumanfiguresatany
sizearesorarethattheirabsencemayrepresentareligioustaboo.AstheRomansconqueredCelticterritories,
italmostentirelyvanishes,butthestylecontinuedinlimiteduseintheBritishIsles,andwiththecomingof
ChristianityrevivedthereintheInsularstyleoftheEarlyMiddleAges.

AncientClassicalart
TheMinoancultureisregardedastheoldestcivilizationinEurope.[12]The
MinoancultureexistedinCreteandconsistedoffourperiods:Prepalatial,
Protopalatial,Neopalatial,andthePostpalatialperiodbetween3650BCand
1100BC.NotmuchoftheartremainedfromthePrepalatialtimes,andmostof
artefactsstillexistingtodayareCycladicstatuettesandpotteryfragments.The
mostprosperousperiodoftheCretancivilizationwasNeopalatialperiodand
mostoftheartefactsarefromthisera.Alargenumberofartefactsfromthe
ProtopalatialcanbeseentodayinCretanmuseums.Potterymostpopularin
theProtopalatialperiod(19001700BC)wascharacterizedbythinwalled
vessels,subtle,symmetricalshapes,elegantspouts,anddecorations,and
dynamiclines.DarkandlightvalueswereoftencontrastedinMinoanpottery.
ThespontaneityandfluidityoftheProtopalatialperiodlaterweretransformed
toamorestylizedformofartwithdissociationofnaturalismintheNeopalatial
period.
Thepalacesservedasorganizational,commercial,artistic,worshipping,and MinoanCeramicArt
agriculturalcentresintheCretancivilization.Cretanpalaceswerebuiltwithout
defensivewallsandexhibitedacentralcourtyardwhichwasembracedbya
numberofbuildings.Thecentralcourtyardservedasthemainmeetingplaceofthepeople.Thepalaceshad
thronerooms,cultchambers,andtheatreswherepeoplecouldgatheratspecialevents.Columnsandstaircases
werepartoftheartisticexpressionanditisbelievedthattheyservedasmetaphoricalelements.
TheMinoanpalacesarerichlypaintedwithpaintings.Minoanpaintingwasuniqueinthatitusedwetfresco
techniquesitwascharacterizedbysmallwaists,fluidity,andvitalityofthefiguresandwasseasonedwith
elasticity,spontaneity,vitality,andhighcontrastingcolours.
NotmuchofthesculpturesurvivedfromtheMinoancivilization.Thebestknownexampleofsculpturesisthe
SnakeGoddessfigurine.Thesculpturedepictsagoddessorahighpriestessholdingasnakeinbothhands,
dressedintraditionalMinoanattire,clothcoveringthewholebodyandleavingthebreastsexposed.Exquisite
metalworkwasalsoacharacteristicoftheMinoanart.Minoanmetalmastersworkedwithimportedgoldand
copperandmasteredtechniquesofwaxcasting,embossing,gilding,nielo,andgranulation.[13]

AncientGreecehadgreatpainters,greatsculptors,andgreatarchitects.TheParthenonisanexampleoftheir
architecturethathaslastedtomoderndays.Greekmarblesculptureisoftendescribedasthehighestformof
Classicalart.PaintingonthepotteryofAncientGreeceandceramicsgivesaparticularlyinformativeglimpse
intothewaysocietyinAncientGreecefunctioned.BlackfigurevasepaintingandRedfigurevasepainting
givesmanysurvivingexamplesofwhatGreekpaintingwas.SomefamousGreekpaintersonwoodenpanels
whoarementionedintextsareApelles,ZeuxisandParrhasius,howevernoexamplesofAncientGreekpanel
paintingsurvive,onlywrittendescriptionsbytheircontemporariesorbylaterRomans.Zeuxislivedin56BC
andwassaidtobethefirsttousesfumato.AccordingtoPlinytheElder,therealismofhispaintingswassuch
thatbirdstriedtoeatthepaintedgrapes.ApellesisdescribedasthegreatestpainterofAntiquityforperfect
techniqueindrawing,brilliantcolorandmodeling.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_of_Europe 3/12
1/30/2017 ArtofEuropeWikipedia

RomanartwasinfluencedbyGreeceandcaninpartbetakenasadescendantof
ancientGreekpaintingandsculpture,butwasalsostronglyinfluencedbythe
morelocalEtruscanartofItaly.Romansculpture,isprimarilyportraiture
derivedfromtheupperclassesofsocietyaswellasdepictionsofthegods.
However,Romanpaintingdoeshaveimportantuniquecharacteristics.Among
survivingRomanpaintingsarewallpaintings,manyfromvillasinCampania,in
SouthernItaly,especiallyatPompeiiandHerculaneum.Suchpaintingcanbe
groupedintofourmain"styles"orperiods[14]andmaycontainthefirst
examplesoftrompel'oeil,pseudoperspective,andpurelandscape.[15]

AlmosttheonlypaintedportraitssurvivingfromtheAncientworldarealarge
numberofcoffinportraitsofbustformfoundintheLateAntiquecemeteryof
AlFayum.Theygiveanideaofthequalitythatthefinestancientworkmust
havehad.AverysmallnumberofminiaturesfromLateAntiqueillustrated
booksalsosurvive,andaratherlargernumberofcopiesofthemfromtheEarly
Medievalperiod.EarlyChristianartgrewoutofRomanpopular,andlater
Imperial,artandadapteditsiconographyfromthesesources.
Mummyportraitofayoung
girl,2ndcenturyAD,
Louvre.

ThewesternsideoftheParthenon Bustof"Mondragone"Antinous,c.
ontheAcropolisofAthens. 130AD

Medieval
MostsurvivingartfromtheMedievalperiodwasreligiousinfocus,oftenfundedbytheChurch,powerful
ecclesiasticalindividualssuchasbishops,communalgroupssuchasabbeys,orwealthysecularpatrons.Many
hadspecificliturgicalfunctionsprocessionalcrossesandaltarpieces,forexample.

OneofthecentralquestionsaboutMedievalartconcernsitslackofrealism.Agreatdealofknowledgeof
perspectiveinartandunderstandingofthehumanfigurewaslostwiththefallofRome.Butrealismwasnot
theprimaryconcernofMedievalartists.Theyweresimplytryingtosendareligiousmessage,ataskwhich
demandscleariconicimagesinsteadofpreciselyrenderedones.

TimePeriod:6thcenturyto15thcentury

Byzantine

ByzantineartoverlapswithormergeswithwhatwecallEarlyChristianartuntiltheiconoclasmperiodof730
843whenthevastmajorityofartworkwithfigureswasdestroyedsolittleremainsthattodayanydiscovery
shedsnewunderstanding.After843until1453thereisaclearByzantinearttradition.Itisoftenthefinestartof
theMiddleAgesintermsofqualityofmaterialandworkmanship,withproductioncenteredonConstantinople.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_of_Europe 4/12
1/30/2017 ArtofEuropeWikipedia

Byzantineart'scrowningachievementwerethe
monumentalfrescosandmosaicsinsidedomed
churches,mostofwhichhavenotsurviveddueto
naturaldisastersandtheappropriationofchurchesto
mosques.

EarlyMedievalart

Migrationperiodartisageneraltermfortheartofthe
"barbarian"peopleswhomovedintoformerlyRoman
territories.Celticartinthe7thand8thcenturiessawa
fusionwithGermanictraditionsthroughcontactwith
theAngloSaxonscreatingwhatiscalledtheHiberno
SaxonstyleorInsularart,whichwastobehighly
influentialontherestoftheMiddleAges.Merovingian
SaintMatthewfromthe
artdescribestheartoftheFranksbeforeabout800,
LindisfarneGospels.
whenCarolingianartcombinedinsularinfluenceswith
aselfconsciousclassicalrevival,developingintoOttonianart.Anglo
SaxonartistheartofEnglandaftertheInsularperiod.Illuminatedmanuscriptscontainnearlyallthesurviving
paintingoftheperiod,butarchitecture,metalworkandsmallcarvedworkinwoodorivorywerealsoimportant
media.

Romanesque

Romanesqueartreferstotheperiodfromabout1000totheriseofGothicartinthe12th
century.Thiswasaperiodofincreasingprosperity,andthefirsttoseeacoherentstyleused
acrossEurope,fromScandinaviatoSwitzerland.Romanesqueartisvigorousanddirect,
wasoriginallybrightlycoloured,andisoftenverysophisticated.Stainedglassandenamel
onmetalworkbecameimportantmedia,andlargersculpturesintherounddeveloped,
althoughhighreliefwastheprincipaltechnique.Itsarchitectureisdominatedbythickwalls,
androundheadedwindowsandarches,withmuchcarveddecoration.

Gothic

Gothicartisavariabletermdependingonthecraft,placeandtime.Thetermoriginated
withGothicarchitecturein1140,butGothicpaintingdidnotappearuntilaround1200(this
datehasmanyqualifications),whenitdivergedfromRomanesquestyle.Gothicsculpture
wasborninFrancein1144withtherenovationoftheAbbeyChurchofS.Denisandspread
throughoutEurope,bythe13thcenturyithadbecometheinternationalstyle,replacing
Romanesque.InternationalGothicdescribesGothicartfromabout1360to1430,after
whichGothicartmergesintoRenaissanceartatdifferenttimesindifferentplaces.During
thisperiodformssuchaspainting,infrescoandonpanel,becomenewlyimportant,andtheendoftheperiod
includesnewmediasuchasprints.

Renaissance
TheRenaissanceischaracterizedbyafocusontheartsofAncientGreeceandRome,whichledtomany
changesinboththetechnicalaspectsofpaintingandsculpture,aswellastotheirsubjectmatter.Itbeganin
Italy,acountryrichinRomanheritageaswellasmaterialprosperitytofundartists.DuringtheRenaissance,
paintersbegantoenhancetherealismoftheirworkbyusingnewtechniquesinperspective,thusrepresenting
threedimensionsmoreauthentically.Artistsalsobegantousenewtechniquesinthemanipulationoflightand
darkness,suchasthetonecontrastevidentinmanyofTitian'sportraitsandthedevelopmentofsfumatoand
chiaroscurobyLeonardodaVinci.Sculptors,too,begantorediscovermanyancienttechniquessuchas
contrapposto.Followingwiththehumanistspiritoftheage,artbecamemoresecularinsubjectmatter,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_of_Europe 5/12
1/30/2017 ArtofEuropeWikipedia

depictingancientmythologyinadditiontoChristianthemes.Thisgenre
ofartisoftenreferredtoasRenaissanceClassicism.IntheNorth,the
mostimportantRenaissanceinnovationwasthewidespreaduseofoil
paints,whichallowedforgreatercolourandintensity.

FromGothictotheRenaissance

Duringthelate13thcenturyandearly14thcentury,muchofthepainting
inItalywasByzantineinCharacter,notablythatofDuccioofSienaand
CimabueofFlorence,whilePietroCavalliniinRomewasmoreGothicin
style.

In1290Giottobeganpaintinginamannerthatwaslesstraditionaland
morebaseduponobservationofnature.Hisfamouscycleatthe
ScrovegniChapel,Padua,isseenasthebeginningsofaRenaissance
style.
LeonardodaVinci'sVitruvianMan
Otherpaintersofthe14thcenturywerecarriedtheGothicstyletogreat (UomoVitruviano)(c.1490),a
elaborationanddetail.NotableamongthesepaintersareSimoneMartini seminalworkfromtheRenaissance.
andGentiledaFabriano. Thedrawingisinspiredand
subsequentlynamedafterthe1st
IntheNetherlands,thetechniqueofpaintinginoilsratherthantempera,
centuryBCRomanarchitectauthor
leditselftoaformofelaborationthatwasnotdependentuponthe
Vitruviusandhisnotionsonthe
applicationofgoldleafandembossing,butupontheminutedepictionof
"ideal"humanbodyproportions,
thenaturalworld.Theartofpaintingtextureswithgreatrealismevolved
atthistime.DutchpainterssuchasJanvanEyckandHugovanderGoes foundinhisDearchitectura. [16][17]
weretohavegreatinfluenceonLateGothicandEarlyRenaissance Thedrawinghighlightsthe
painting. movement'sfascinationwith
GraecoRomancivilisationsand
EarlyRenaissance appropriationofclassicalart,as
wellashispursuitforthe
correlationbetweenbodystructure
TheideasoftheRenaissancefirstemergedinthecitystateofFlorence,
Italy.ThesculptorDonatelloreturnedtoclassicaltechniquessuchas andnature. [17]
contrappostoandclassicalsubjectsliketheunsupportednudehis
secondsculptureofDavidwasthefirstfreestandingbronzenudecreatedinEuropesincetheRomanEmpire.
ThesculptorandarchitectBrunelleschistudiedthearchitecturalideasofancientRomanbuildingsfor
inspiration.Masaccioperfectedelementslikecomposition,individualexpression,andhumanformtopaint
frescoes,especiallythoseintheBrancacciChapel,ofsurprisingelegance,drama,andemotion.

AremarkablenumberofthesemajorartistsworkedondifferentportionsoftheFlorenceCathedral.
Brunelleschi'sdomeforthecathedralwasoneofthefirsttrulyrevolutionaryarchitecturalinnovationssincethe
Gothicflyingbuttress.Donatellocreatedmanyofitssculptures.GiottoandLorenzoGhibertialsocontributed
tothecathedral.

HighRenaissance

HighRenaissanceartistsincludesuchfiguresasLeonardodaVinci,MichelangeloBuonarroti,andRaffaello
Sanzio.

The15thcenturyartisticdevelopmentsinItaly(forexample,theinterestinperspectivalsystems,indepicting
anatomy,andinclassicalcultures)maturedduringthe16thcentury,accountingforthedesignations"Early
Renaissance"forthe15thcenturyand"HighRenaissance"forthe16thcentury.Althoughnosingularstyle
characterizestheHighRenaissance,theartofthosemostcloselyassociatedwiththisPeriodLeonardoda
Vinci,Raphael,Michelangelo,andTitianexhibitsanastoundingmastery,bothtechnicalandaesthetic.High
Renaissanceartistscreatedworksofsuchauthoritythatgenerationsoflaterartistsreliedontheseartworksfor
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_of_Europe 6/12
1/30/2017 ArtofEuropeWikipedia

instruction.Theseexemplaryartisticcreationsfurtherelevatedthe
prestigeofartists.Artistscouldclaimdivineinspiration,therebyraising
visualarttoastatusformerlygivenonlytopoetry.Thus,painters,
sculptors,andarchitectscameintotheirown,successfullyclaimingfor
theirworkahighpositionamongthefinearts.Inasense,16thcentury
masterscreatedanewprofessionwithitsownrightsofexpressionandits
ownvenerablecharacter.

NorthernartuptotheRenaissance

EarlyNetherlandishpaintingdeveloped(butdidnotstrictlyinvent)the
techniqueofoilpaintingtoallowgreatercontrolinpaintingminutedetail
withrealismJanvanEyck(13661441)wasafigureinthemovement
fromilluminatedmanuscriptstopanelpaintings.

HieronymusBosch(1450?1516),aDutchpainter,isanotherimportant
figureintheNorthernRenaissance.Inhispaintings,heusedreligious
themes,butcombinedthemwithgrotesquefantasies,colourfulimagery,
AlbrechtDrer'sPrayingHands
andpeasantfolklegends.Hispaintingsoftenreflecttheconfusionand
(BetendeHnde)(c.1508),a
anguishassociatedwiththeendoftheMiddleAges.
drawingbelongingtotheNorthern
AlbrechtDrerintroducedItalianRenaissancestyletoGermanyatthe Renaissanceartistictradition,of
endofthe15thcentury,anddominatedGermanRenaissanceart. whichDrerisaformidable
figure. [18]
TimePeriod:

ItalianRenaissance:Late14thcenturytoEarly16thcentury
NorthernRenaissance:16thcentury

Mannerism,Baroque,andRococo
InEuropeanart,RenaissanceClassicismspawnedtwodifferentmovementsMannerismandtheBaroque.
Mannerism,areactionagainsttheidealistperfectionofClassicism,employeddistortionoflightandspatial
frameworksinordertoemphasizetheemotionalcontentofapaintingandtheemotionsofthepainter.The
workofElGrecoisaparticularlyclearexampleofMannerisminpaintingduringthelate16th,early17th
centuries.NorthernMannerismtooklongertodevelop,andwaslargelyamovementofthelasthalfofthe16th
century.BaroquearttooktherepresentationalismoftheRenaissancetonewheights,emphasizingdetail,
movement,lighting,anddramaintheirsearchforbeauty.PerhapsthebestknownBaroquepaintersare
Caravaggio,Rembrandt,PeterPaulRubens,andDiegoVelzquez.

Aratherdifferentartdevelopedoutofnorthernrealisttraditionsin17thcenturyDutchGoldenAgepainting,
whichhadverylittlereligiousart,andlittlehistorypainting,insteadplayingacrucialpartindevelopingsecular
genressuchasstilllife,genrepaintingsofeverydayscenes,andlandscapepainting.WhiletheBaroquenature
ofRembrandt'sartisclear,thelabelislessuseforVermeerandmanyotherDutchartists.FlemishBaroque
paintingsharedapartinthistrend,whilealsocontinuingtoproducethetraditionalcategories.

BaroqueartisoftenseenaspartoftheCounterReformationtheartisticelementoftherevivalofspirituallife
intheRomanCatholicChurch.Additionally,theemphasisthatBaroqueartplacedongrandeurisseenas
Absolutistinnature.ReligiousandpoliticalthemeswerewidelyexploredwithintheBaroqueartisticcontext,
andbothpaintingsandsculptureswerecharacterisedbyastrongelementofdrama,emotionandtheatricality.
FamousBaroqueartistsincludeCaravaggioorRubens.[19]Baroqueartwasparticularlyornateandelaboratein
nature,oftenusingrich,warmcolourswithdarkundertones.Pompandgrandeurwereimportantelementsof
theBaroqueartisticmovementingeneral,ascanbeseenwhenLouisXIVsaid,"Iamgrandeurincarnate"
manyBaroqueartistsservedkingswhotriedtorealizethisgoal.Baroqueartinmanywayswassimilarto
Renaissanceartasamatteroffact,thetermwasinitiallyusedinaderogativemannertodescribepost
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_of_Europe 7/12
1/30/2017 ArtofEuropeWikipedia

Renaissanceartandarchitecturewhichwasover
DifferencesbetweenBaroqueandRococoart
elaborate.[19]Baroqueartcanbeseenasamore
elaborateanddramaticreadaptationoflate
Renaissanceart.

Bythe18thcentury,however,Baroqueartwas
fallingoutoffashionasmanydeemedittoo
melodramaticandalsogloomy,anditdeveloped
intotheRococo,whichemergedinFrance.Rococo
artwasevenmoreelaboratethantheBaroque,butit
waslessseriousandmoreplayful.[20]Whilstthe
Baroqueusedrich,strongcolours,Rococoused
pale,creamiershades.Theartisticmovementno
longerplacedanemphasisonpoliticsandreligion,
focusinginsteadonlighterthemessuchasromance, Baroqueartwascharacterised Rococoartwascharacterised
celebration,andappreciationofnature.Rococoart bystronglyreligiousand bylighter,oftenjocular
alsocontrastedtheBaroqueasitoftenrefused politicalthemescommon themescommon
symmetryinfavorofasymmetricaldesigns. characteristicsincludedrich characteristicsincludedpale,
Furthermore,itsoughtinspirationfromtheartistic colourswithastronglight creamycolours,florid
formsandornamentationofFarEasternAsia, anddarkcontrast.Paintings decorationsandapenchant
resultingintheriseinfavourofporcelainfigurines wereelaborate,emotional forbucoliclandscapes.
andchinoiserieingeneral.[21]The18thcenturystyle anddramaticinnature. Paintingsweremoreornate
flourishedforashortwhilenevertheless,the thantheirBaroque
Rococostylesoonfelloutoffavor,beingseenby counterpart,andusually
manyasagaudyandsuperficialmovement graceful,playfulandlight
emphasizingaestheticsovermeaning.Neoclassicism heartedinnature.
inmanywaysdevelopedasacountermovementof
theRococo,theimpetusbeingasenseofdisgust
directedtowardsthelatter'sfloridqualities.

TimePeriod:

Mannerism:16thcentury
Baroque:early17thcenturytomidearly18thcentury
Rococo:Mid18thcentury

Neoclassicism,Romanticism,AcademismandRealism
Throughoutthe18thcentury,acountermovementopposingtheRococo
sprangupindifferentpartsofEurope,commonlyknownasNeoclassicism.
ItdespisedtheperceivedsuperficialityandfrivolityofRococoart,and
desiredforareturntothesimplicity,orderand'purism'ofclassical
antiquity,especiallyancientGreeceandRome.Themovementwasinpart
alsoinfluencedbytheRenaissance,whichitselfwasstronglyinfluencedby
classicalart.Neoclassicismwastheartisticcomponentoftheintellectual
movementknownastheEnlightenmenttheEnlightenmentwasidealistic,
andputitsemphasisonobjectivity,reasonandempiricaltruth.
NeoclassicismhadbecomewidespreadinEuropethroughoutthe18th
century,especiallyintheUnitedKingdom,whichsawgreatworksof
NeoclassicalarchitecturespringupduringthisperiodNeoclassicism's Neoclassicalartwascharacterised
fascinationwithclassicalantiquitycanbeseeninthepopularityofthe byanemphasisonsimplicity,
GrandTourduringthisdecade,wherewealthyaristocratstravelledtothe orderandidealism.Itwasinspired
ancientruinsofItalyandGreece.Nevertheless,adefiningmomentfor bydifferentclassicalthemes.
NeoclassicismcameduringtheFrenchRevolutioninthelate18thcentury
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_of_Europe 8/12
1/30/2017 ArtofEuropeWikipedia

inFrance,RococoartwasreplacedwiththepreferredNeoclassicalart,whichwasseenasmoreseriousthanthe
formermovement.Inmanyways,Neoclassicismcanbeseenasapoliticalmovementaswellasanartisticand
culturalone.[22]Neoclassicalartplacesanemphasisonorder,symmetryandclassicalsimplicitycommon
themesinNeoclassicalartincludecourageandwar,aswerecommonlyexploredinancientGreekandRoman
art.Ingres,Canova,andJacquesLouisDavidareamongthebestknownneoclassicists.[23]

JustasMannerismrejectedClassicism,sodidRomanticismrejecttheideasoftheEnlightenmentandthe
aestheticoftheNeoclassicists.RomanticismrejectedthehighlyobjectiveandorderednatureofNeoclassicism,
andoptedforamoreindividualandemotionalapproachtothearts.[24]Romanticismplacedanemphasison
nature,especiallywhenaimingtoportraythepowerandbeautyofthenaturalworld,andemotions,andsought
ahighlypersonalapproachtoart.Romanticartwasaboutindividualfeelings,notcommonthemes,suchasin
Neoclassicisminsuchaway,Romanticartoftenusedcoloursinordertoexpressfeelingsandemotion.[24]
SimilarlytoNeoclassicism,RomanticarttookmuchofitsinspirationfromancientGreekandRomanartand
mythology,yet,unlikeNeoclassical,thisinspirationwasprimarilyusedasawaytocreatesymbolismand
imagery.RomanticartalsotakesmuchofitsaestheticqualitiesfrommedievalismandGothicism,aswellas
mythologyandfolklore.AmongthegreatestRomanticartistswereEugneDelacroix,FranciscoGoya,J.M.W.
Turner,JohnConstable,CasparDavidFriedrich,ThomasCole,andWilliamBlake.[23]

MostartistsattemptedtotakeacentristapproachwhichadopteddifferentfeaturesofNeoclassicistand
Romanticiststyles,inordertosynthesizethem.ThedifferentattemptstookplacewithintheFrenchAcademy,
andcollectivelyarecalledAcademicart.AdolpheWilliamBouguereauisconsideredachiefexampleofthis
streamofart.

Intheearly19thcenturythefaceofEurope,however,becameradicallyalteredbyindustrialization.Poverty,
squalor,anddesperationweretobethefateofthenewworkingclasscreatedbythe"revolution".Inresponseto
thesechangesgoingoninsociety,themovementofRealismemerged.Realismsoughttoaccuratelyportraythe
conditionsandhardshipsofthepoorinthehopesofchangingsociety.IncontrastwithRomanticism,which
wasessentiallyoptimisticaboutmankind,Realismofferedastarkvisionofpovertyanddespair.Similarly,
whileRomanticismglorifiednature,Realismportrayedlifeinthedepthsofanurbanwasteland.Like
Romanticism,Realismwasaliteraryaswellasanartisticmovement.ThegreatRealistpaintersincludeJean
BaptisteSimonChardin,GustaveCourbet,JeanFranoisMillet,CamilleCorot,HonorDaumier,douard
Manet,EdgarDegas(bothconsideredasImpressionists),andThomasEakins,amongothers.

Theresponseofarchitecturetoindustrialisation,instarkcontrasttotheotherarts,wastoveertowards
historicism.Althoughtherailwaystationsbuiltduringthisperiodareoftenconsideredthetruestreflectionsof
itsspirittheyaresometimescalled"thecathedralsoftheage"themainmovementsinarchitectureduring
theIndustrialAgewererevivalsofstylesfromthedistantpast,suchastheGothicRevival.Relatedmovements
werethePreRaphaeliteBrotherhood,whoattemptedtoreturnarttoitsstateof"purity"priortoRaphael,and
theArtsandCraftsMovement,whichreactedagainsttheimpersonalityofmassproducedgoodsandadvocated
areturntomedievalcraftsmanship.

TimePeriod:

Neoclassicism:midearly18thcenturytoearly19thcentury
Romanticism:late18thcenturytomid19thcentury
Realism:19thcentury

Modernart
OutofthenaturalistethicofRealismgrewamajorartisticmovement,Impressionism.TheImpressionists
pioneeredtheuseoflightinpaintingastheyattemptedtocapturelightasseenfromthehumaneye.Edgar
Degas,douardManet,ClaudeMonet,CamillePissarro,andPierreAugusteRenoir,wereallinvolvedinthe

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_of_Europe 9/12
1/30/2017 ArtofEuropeWikipedia

Impressionistmovement.AsadirectoutgrowthofImpressionismcamethe
developmentofPostImpressionism.PaulCzanne,VincentvanGogh,
PaulGauguin,GeorgesSeuratarethebestknownPostImpressionists.

FollowingtheImpressionistsandthePostImpressionistscameFauvism,
oftenconsideredthefirst"modern"genreofart.JustastheImpressionists
revolutionizedlight,sodidthefauvistsrethinkcolor,paintingtheir
canvasesinbright,wildhues.AftertheFauvists,modernartbeganto
developinallitsforms,rangingfromExpressionism,concernedwith
evokingemotionthroughobjectiveworksofart,toCubism,theartof
transposingathreedimensionalrealityontoaflatcanvas,toAbstractart. Impressionismwasknownforits
Thesenewartformspushedthelimitsoftraditionalnotionsof"art"and usageoflightandmovementinits
correspondedtothesimilarrapidchangesthatweretakingplaceinhuman paintings.
society,technology,andthought.

SurrealismisoftenclassifiedasaformofModernArt.However,theSurrealiststhemselveshaveobjectedto
thestudyofsurrealismasanerainarthistory,claimingthatitoversimplifiesthecomplexityofthemovement
(whichtheysayisnotanartisticmovement),misrepresentstherelationshipofsurrealismtoaesthetics,and
falselycharacterizesongoingsurrealismasafinished,historicallyencapsulatedera.OtherformsofModernart
(someofwhichborderonContemporaryart)include:

Abstractexpressionism DieBrcke Minimalism

ArtDeco BodyArt Naiveart
ArtNouveau Expressionism Opart
Bauhaus Fauvism Performanceart
ColorFieldpainting Fluxus Photorealism
ConceptualArt Futurism Popart
Constructivism Happening Suprematism
Cubism Surrealism Videoart
Dada Lettrisme Vorticism
DerBlaueReiter LyricalAbstraction
DeStijl LandArt

TimePeriod:Firsthalfofthe20thcentury

ContemporaryartandPostmodernart
Modernartforeshadowedseveralcharacteristicsofwhatwouldlaterbedefiniedaspostmodernartasamatter
offact,severalmodernartmovementscanoftenbeclassifiedasbothmodernandpostmodern,suchaspopart.
Postmodernart,forinstance,placesastrongemphasisonirony,parodyandhumouringeneralmodernart
startedtodevelopamoreironicapproachtoartwhichwouldlateradvanceinapostmoderncontext.
Postmodernartseestheblurringbetweenthehighandfineartswithlowendandcommercialartmodernart
startedtoexperimentwiththisblurring.[24]Recentdevelopmentsinarthavebeencharacterisedbyasignificant
expansionofwhatcannowdeemedtobeart,intermsofmaterials,media,activityandconcept.Conceptualart
inparticularhashadawideinfluence.Thisstartedliterallyasthereplacementofconceptforamadeobject,
oneoftheintentionsofwhichwastorefutethecommodificationofart.However,itnowusuallyreferstoan
artworkwherethereisanobject,butthemainclaimfortheworkismadeforthethoughtprocessthathas
informedit.Theaspectofcommercialismhasreturnedtothework.

Therehasalsobeenanincreaseinartreferringtopreviousmovementsandartists,andgainingvalidityfrom
thatreference.

Postmodernisminart,whichhasgrownsincethe1960s,differsfromModernisminasmuchasModernart
movementswereprimarilyfocusedontheirownactivitiesandvalues,whilePostmodernismusesthewhole
rangeofpreviousmovementsasareferencepoint.Thishasbydefinitiongeneratedarelativisticoutlook,

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_of_Europe 10/12
1/30/2017 ArtofEuropeWikipedia

accompaniedbyironyandacertaindisbeliefinvalues,aseachcanbeseentobereplacedbyanother.Another
resultofthishasbeenthegrowthofcommercialismandcelebrity.Postmodernarthasquestionedcommon
rulesandguidelinesofwhatisregardedas'fineart',merginglowartwiththefineartsuntilnoneisfully
distinguishable.[25][26]Beforetheadventofpostmodernism,thefineartswerecharacterisedbyaformof
aestheticquality,elegance,craftsmanship,finesseandintellectualstimulationwhichwasintendedtoappealto
theupperoreducatedclassesthisdistinguishedhighartfromlowart,which,inturn,wasseenastacky,kitsch,
easilymadeandlackinginmuchoranyintellectualstimulation,artwhichwasintendedtoappealtothe
masses.Postmodernartblurredthesedistinctions,bringingastrongelementofkitsch,commercialismand
campnessintocontemporaryfineart[24]whatisnowadaysseenasfineartmayhavebeenseenaslowart
beforepostmodernismrevolutionisedtheconceptofwhathighorfinearttrulyis.[24]Inaddition,the
postmodernnatureofcontemporaryartleavesalotofspaceforindividualismwithintheartsceneforinstance,
postmodernartoftentakesinspirationfrompastartisticmovements,suchasGothicorBaroqueart,andboth
juxtaposesandrecyclesstylesfromthesepastperiodsinadifferentcontext.[24]

SomesurrealistsinparticularJoanMir,whocalledforthe"murderofpainting"(Innumerousinterviews
datingfromthe1930sonwards,Mirexpressedcontemptforconventionalpaintingmethodsandhisdesireto
"kill","murder",or"rape"theminfavorofmorecontemporarymeansofexpression).[27]havedenouncedor
attemptedto"supersede"painting,andtherehavealsobeenotherantipaintingtrendsamongartistic
movements,suchasthatofDadaandconceptualart.Thetrendawayfrompaintinginthelate20thcenturyhas
beencounteredbyvariousmovements,forexamplethecontinuationofMinimalArt,LyricalAbstraction,Pop
Art,OpArt,NewRealism,Photorealism,NeoGeo,Neoexpressionism,andStuckismandvariousother
importantandinfluentialpainterlydirections.

Seealso
Historyofpainting
LivesoftheMostExcellentPainters,Sculptors,andArchitects(book)
Modernism
PaintingintheAmericasbeforeColonization
WesternEuropeanpaintingsinUkrainianmuseums

References
1.Oosterbeek,Luz."EuropeanPrehistoricArt".
Europeart.Retrieved4December2012.
2.BanisterFletcherexcludednearlyallBaroque
buildingsfromhismammothtomeAHistoryof
ArchitectureontheComparativeMethod.The
publisherseventuallyrectifiedthis.
3."ArtofEurope".SaintLouisArtMuseum.Slam.
Retrieved4December2012.
4.Oosterbeek,Luz."EuropeanPrehistoricArt".
Europeart.Retrieved4December2012.
5.Sandars,816,2931
6.Hahn,Joachim,"PrehistoricEurope,II:Palaeolithic
3.Portableart"inOxfordArtOnline,accessed
August24,2012Sandars,3740
7.Sandars,7580
8.Sandars,253257,183185
9.Kwong,Matt."OldestcavemanartinEuropedates
back40,800years".CBCNews.Retrieved
4December2012.
10."RomanianCaveMayBoastCentralEurope'sOldest
CaveArt|Science/AAAS|News".
News.sciencemag.org.20100621.Retrieved
20130825.
11.Gunther,Michael."ArtofPrehistoricEurope".
Retrieved4December2012.
12.Chaniotis,Angelos."AncientCrete".Oxford
Bibliographies.OxfordUniversityPress.Retrieved
2January2013.
13."Minoanart".Greekart.AncientGreece.org.
Retrieved2January2013.
14."RomanPainting".Artandarchaeology.com.
Retrieved20130825.
15."RomanPainting".HeilbrunnTimelineofArt
History.TheMetropolitanMuseumofArt.Retrieved
19October2013.
16.http://leonardodavinci.stanford.edu/submissions/clabaugh/his
17.http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/leonardo/gallery/vitruvian.shtm
18.http://www.hektoeninternational.org/Durers_praying_hands.h
19."BaroqueArt".Arthistoryfamousartists
paintings.com.20130724.Retrieved20130825.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_of_Europe 11/12
1/30/2017 ArtofEuropeWikipedia

20."AncienRegimeRococo".Bc.edu.Retrieved
20130825.
21.http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/chinoiserie.aspx#3
1E1:chinoisefull
22."ArtinNeoclassicism".Artsz.org.20080226.
Retrieved20130825.
23.JamesJ.Sheehan,"ArtandItsPublics,c.1800,"
UnitedandDiversityinEuropeanCulturec.1800,ed.
TimBlanningandHagenSchulze(NewYork:Oxford
UniversityPress,2006),518.
24."GeneralIntroductiontoPostmodernism".
Cla.purdue.edu.Retrieved20130825.
25.IdeasAboutArt,Desmond,KathleenK.[1](https://b
ooks.google.com/books?id=iP4sA3kwcFsC&dq=ideas
+about+art&source=gbs_navlinks_s)JohnWiley&
Sons,2011,p.148
26.Internationalpostmodernism:theoryandliterary
practice,Bertens,Hans[2](https://books.google.co
m/books?id=n_Eqx2Gr1vUC&dq=international+post
modernism:+theory+and+literary+practice&source=gb
s_navlinks_s),Routledge,1997,p.236
27.M.Rowell,JoanMir:SelectedWritingsand
Interviews(London:Thames&Hudson,1987)pp.
114116.

Bibliography
Sandars,NancyK.,PrehistoricArtinEurope,Penguin(Pelican,nowYale,HistoryofArt),1968(nb1st
edn.earlydatingsnowsuperseded)

Externallinks
WebGalleryofArt(http://www.wga.hu)
WikimediaCommonshas
Postmodernism(https://web.archive.org/web/20100310045105/ht
mediarelatedtoArtof
tp://www.colorado.edu:80/English/courses/ENGL2012Klages/po Europe.
mo.html)
Europeanartistscommunity(http://www.euartist.com/portal)
PanopticonVirtualArtGallery(https://web.archive.org/web/20070607140521/http://www.aiwaz.net:80/
panopticon)

Retrievedfrom"https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Art_of_Europe&oldid=753193105"

Categories: Europeanart Arthistory Europeanculture HistoryofEurope Artsbycontinent

Thispagewaslastmodifiedon5December2016,at19:01.
TextisavailableundertheCreativeCommonsAttributionShareAlikeLicenseadditionaltermsmay
apply.Byusingthissite,youagreetotheTermsofUseandPrivacyPolicy.Wikipediaisaregistered
trademarkoftheWikimediaFoundation,Inc.,anonprofitorganization.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_of_Europe 12/12