The History of Art: The transition from the earliest manifestations of art, that is, cave paintings to the contemporary art.

 

Art history is a vast subject and has its roots in prehistoric eras and has evolved with human civilization. 

Starting from the prehistoric paintings to the modern art, the history of art is quite an interesting study of how art forms have evolved and how the people have used them in their day to day life to convey stories and feelings. 

Here's an overview of the major periods and movements in the history of art: 

#1 Paleolithic Art (c. 40,000–4,000 BCE): 

Cave Paintings: The first signs of art are represented by the paintings that were discovered in the caves of Lascaux in France and Altamira in Spain. 

Some of the famous paintings that were discovered are estimated to be at least 40,000 years old and include animals and human representations which are believed to be mystical in nature. 

Sculpture: Figurines such as the Venus of Willendorf (c. 28,000 – 25,000 BCE) are some of the earliest sculptures that depict fertility and human body. 

#2 Prehistoric art (3000 BCE – 500 CE): 

Egyptian Art: As a style of art, Egyptian art features hierarchical proportions, formal shapes, and the focus on the life after death which is the building of structures such as the Pyramids and intricate paintings on the walls of the tombs. 

Mesopotamian Art: This is a form of art that comprises of such artifacts as the ziggurats, cylinder seals, and relief sculptures that depict religion and power in the Sumerian, Akkadian, and Babylonian societies. 

Greek and Roman Art: Greek art was centered on realistic representation of human beings, as depicted in the statues such as the Venus de Milo. 

Roman art built on the Greek heritage but with a focus on realism of the portrayed individuals and large scale structures such as the Colosseum. 

#3 Medieval Art (c. 500 – 1400): 

Byzantine Art: As an art that was closely related to the Christianity and the Eastern Roman Empire, Byzantine art was characterized by such elements as religious images, mosaics and illuminated manuscripts. 

Gothic Art: Originating in the 12th century, the Gothic art is famous for its cathedral as Notre-Dame in Paris with pointed arches, flying buttresses and stained glass. 

Romanesque Art: Unfortunately, the artwork that came before Gothic art is the Romanesque art, which is more massive and bulky with round arches that are visible in churches and sculptures.

#4 Renaissance Art (c. 1400 – 1600): 

Italian Renaissance: It was the revival of the classical spirit with call for proportion, symmetry and the use of perspective in art works this period produced such artists as Leonardo da Vinci, Michel Angelo and Raphael whose masterpieces include the Mona Lisa, David and the School of Athens respectively. 

Northern Renaissance: In Northern Europe during the Renaissance, artists such as Albrecht Dürer and Jan van Eyck concentrated on the realism of their images and these images’ rich symbolism, which was frequently religious. 

#5 Bartoque and Rococo (c. 1600 – 1750): 

Baroque: Baroque art was characterized by the use of strong contrasts of light and dark, strong feelings, and magnificence and was represented by artists such as Caravaggio’s and Bernini. 

Another important element was also architecture which included complex forms such as St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican. 

Rococo: The successor of Baroque, less serious and intricate, Rococo style was associated with love, nature and joyful mood, it was developed by François Boucher and Jean-Honoré Fragonard. 

#6 The Neoclassical and The Romantic Periods (c. 1750 – 1850):

Neoclassicism: Neoclassicism was a reaction to the Rococo style and was based on the art and culture of ancient Greece and Rome Neoclassicism stressed simplicity, order, and reason, as did the works of Jacques-Louis David. 

Romanticism: In contrast to the Neoclassicism which was rather limited and formal, Romanticism focused on passion, landscape, and the magnificent. 

Such ideas were depicted by J. M. W. Turner and Caspar David Friedrich with the help of storms and other extreme situations. 

#7 Modern Art: 

Modern Art is defined as art that has been produced in the period which began in approximately 1860 up to the year 1970. 

Impressionism: Impressionism, which began in the last third of the nineteenth century, was defined by the artists’ desire to show light and colour in the moment, with Claude Monet and Pierre-Auguste Renoir as the pioneers of this style. 

Post-Impressionism: Some of the artists that continued with the Impressionist style but went further were Vincent van Gogh and Paul Cézanne, among others. 

Cubism: Developed by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, Cubism depicted the object in terms of cubes and allowed several views of a subject in one piece. 

Abstract Art: This led to such artists as Wassily Kandinsky and Piet Mondrian developing art forms with no representation of objects in the real world which paved way for Abstract Expressionism. 

Surrealism: Surrealists such as Salvador Dali and Rene Magritte were inspired by Freud’s ideas of the unconscious and painted surrealistic images. 

#8 Modern Art (c. 1900 – 1970): 

Pop Art: Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein were two artists that incorporated images from popular culture and mass media in their work to subvert art. 

Conceptual Art: Being more about the concept than the presentation, Conceptual Art is about challenging the art itself with Sol LeWitt and Yoko Ono. 

Digital Art: Video art became a part of art after the introduction of technology and it also includes installation art. 

Art history is a record of man’s evolution in terms of his beliefs, technologies, and structures. 

The periods and movements introduced new concepts and methods into the evaluation of art in the present day. 

Starting with the prehistoric art of painting on the cave walls to the highly developed and the post modern art, this journey highlights the fact that art is a dynamic human activity.