Looking back through Western history, it’s incredible to see how many types of art have made an

impact on society. By tracing a timeline through different art movements, we’re able to not only see
how modern and contemporary art has developed, but also how art is a reflection of its time.

These visual art movements are fundamental to understanding the different types of art that shape
modern history.

ITALIAN RENAISSANCE ART

“David” by Michelangelo. 1501-1504.

From the 14th through 17 centuries, Italy underwent an unprecedented age of enlightenment. Known
as the Renaissance—a term derived from the Italian word Rinascimento, or “rebirth”—this period saw
increased attention to cultural subjects like art and architecture.
Italian Renaissance artists like Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and Raphael found inspiration in
classical art from Ancient Rome and Greece, adopting ancient interests like balance, naturalism, and
perspective. In Renaissance-era Italy, this antiquity-inspired approach materialized as humanist
portrait painting, anatomically correct sculpture, and harmonious, symmetrical architecture.
One of the most famous work during the Renaissance art is the MONALISA. Watch the video and
know the reason why Monalisa became one of the most famous work of art in the history.

Artists to Know: Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael

Iconic Artwork: David by Michelangelo
 BAROQUE

“The Ecstasy of St. Teresa” by Bernini. 1647-1652.

Cornaro Chapel, Santa Maria della Vittoria, Rome

Toward the end of the Renaissance, the Baroque movement emerged in Italy. Like the preceding
genre, Baroque art showcased artistic interests in realism and rich color. Unlike Renaissance art and
architecture, however, Baroque works also emphasized extravagance.
This opulence is evident in Baroque painting, sculpture, and architecture. Painters like Caravaggio
suggested drama through their treatment of light and depiction of movement. Sculptors like Bernini
achieved a sense of theatricality through dynamic contours and intricate drapery. And architects
across Europe embellished their designs with ornamentation ranging from intricate carvings to
imposing columns.
Artists to Know: Caravaggio, Rembrandt, Bernini
Iconic Artwork: The Ecstasy of St. Teresa by Bernini

REALISM

“The Gleaners” by Jean-François Millet. 1857

Realism is a genre of art that started in France after the French Revolution of 1848. A clear rejection
of Romanticism, the dominant style that had come before it, Realist painters focused on scenes of
contemporary people and daily life. What may seem normal now was revolutionary after centuries of
painters depicting exotic scenes from mythology and the Bible, or creating portraits of the nobility and
clergy.
French artists like Gustave Courbet and Honoré Daumier, as well as international artists like James
Abbott McNeill Whistler, focused on all social classes in their artwork, giving voice to poorer members
of society for the first time and depicting social issues stemming from the Industrial Revolution.
Photography was also an influence on this type of art, pushing painters to produce realistic
representations in competition with this new technology.
Artists to Know: Gustav Courbet, Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, Jean-François Millet
Iconic Painting: The Gleaners by Jean-François Millet
 IMPRESSIONISM

“Water Lilies” by Claude Monet. 1906.

It may be hard to believe, but this now beloved art genre was once an outcast visual movement.
Breaking from Realism, Impressionist painters moved away from realistic representations to use
visible brushstrokes, vivid colors with little mixing, and open compositions to capture the emotion of
light and movement. Impressionism started when a group of French artists broke with academic
tradition by painting en plein air—a shocking decision when most landscape painters executed their
work indoors in a studio.
The original group, which included Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Alfred Sisley, and Frédéric
Bazille, formed in the early 1860s in France. Additional artists would join in forming their own society
to exhibit their artwork after being rejected by the traditional French salons, who deemed it too
controversial to exhibit. This initial underground exhibition, which took place in 1874, allowed them to
gain public favor.
Artists to Know: Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Mary Cassatt
Iconic Painting: Water Lilies series by Claude Monet

POST- IMPRESSIONISM

“The Starry Night” by Vincent van Gogh. 1889.

Again, originating from France, this type of art developed between 1886 and 1905 as a response to
the Impressionist movement. This time, artists reacted against the need for the naturalistic depictions
of light and color in Impressionist art. As opposed to earlier styles, Post-Impressionism covers many
different types of art, from the Pointillism of Georges Seurat to the Symbolism of Paul Gauguin.
Not unified by a single style, artists were united by the inclusion of abstract elements and symbolic
content in their artwork. Perhaps the most well-known Post-Impressionist is Vincent van Gogh, who
used color and his brushstrokes not to convey the emotional qualities of the landscape, but his own
emotions and state of mind.
Artists to Know: Vincent van Gogh, Paul Cézanne, Paul Gauguin
Iconic Painting: The Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh
Did you know that the song "VINCENT" was actually talking about the life of Vincent Van Gogh?
Watch the video below and know who Vincent Van Gogh is behind his artistry.

CUBISM

“Les Demoiselles d’Avignon” by Pablo Picasso. 1907.

A truly revolutionary style of art, Cubism is one of the most important art movements of the 20th
century. Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque developed Cubism in the early 1900s, with the term
being coined by art critic Louis Vauxcelles in 1907 to describe the artists. Throughout the 1910s and
1920s, the two men—joined by other artists—would use geometric forms to build up the final
representation. Completely breaking with any previous art movement, objects were analyzed and
broken apart, only to be reassembled into an abstracted form.
This reduction of images to minimal lines and shapes was part of the Cubist quest for simplification.
The minimalist outlook also trickled down into the color palette, with Cubists forgoing shadowing and
using limited hues for a flattened appearance. This was a clear break from the use of perspective,
which has been the standard since the Renaissance. Cubism opened the doors for later art
movements, like Surrealism and Abstract Expressionism, by throwing out the prescribed artist’s
rulebook.
Artists to Know: Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque, Juan Gris
Iconic Painting: Les Demoiselles d’Avignon by Pablo Picasso
 SUREALISM

“The Persistence of Memory” by Salvador Dalí. 1931

A precise definition of Surrealism can be difficult to grasp, but it’s clear that this once avant-garde
movement has staying power, remaining one of the most approachable art genres, even today.
Imaginative imagery spurred by the subconscious is a hallmark of this type of art, which started in the
1920s. The movement began when a group of visual artists adopted automatism, a technique that
relied on the subconscious for creativity.
Tapping into the appeal for artists to liberate themselves from restriction and take on total creative
freedom, Surrealists often challenged perceptions and reality in their artwork. Part of this came from
the juxtaposition of a realistic painting style with unconventional, and unrealistic, subject matters.
Artists to Know: Salvador Dalí, Max Ernst, René Magritte
Iconic Painting: The Persistence of Memory by Salvador Dalí

EXPRESSIONISM

“The Scream” by Edvard Munch

“I was walking along the road with two
friends.
The sun was setting.
I felt a breath of melancholy –
Suddenly the sky turned blood-red.
I stopped, and leaned against the railing,
deathly tired –
Looking out across the flaming clouds that
hung like blood and a sword
 over the blue-black fjord and town.
My friends walked on – I stood there,
trembling with fear.
And I sensed a great, infinite scream pass through nature.”
(Munch, 1892)
The main contribution of expressionism to "modern art" was to popularize the idea of subjectivity in
painting and sculpture, and to show that representational art may legitimately include subjective
distortion. A movement in fine arts that emphasized the expression of inner experience rather than
solely realistic portrayal, seeking to depict not objective reality but the subjective emotions and
responses that objects and events arouse in the artist.”

ABSTRACT EXPRESSIONISM

“Autumn Rhythm (Number 30)” by Jackson Pollock. 1950.

Abstract Expressionism is an American art movement—the first to explode on an international

scale—that started after World War II. It solidified New York as the new center of the art world, which
had traditionally been based in Paris. The genre developed in the 1940s and 1950s, though the term
was also used to describe work by earlier artists like Wassily Kandinsky. This style of art takes the
spontaneity of Surrealism and injects it with the dark mood of trauma that lingered post-War.
Jackson Pollock is a leader of the movement, with his drip paintings spotlighting the spontaneous
creation and gestural paint application that defines the genre. The term “Abstract Expressionism,”
though closely married to Pollock’s work, isn’t limited to one specific style. Work as varied as Willem
de Kooning’s figurative paintings and Mark Rothko’s color fields are grouped under the umbrella of
Abstract Expressionism.
Artists to Know: Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, Clyfford Still
Iconic Painting: Autumn Rhythm (Number 30) by Jackson Pollock
 FAUVISM

“Green Stripe”, Henry Matisse

Short-lived, dramatic and highly influential, Led by Henri Matisse (1869-1954), Fauvism was 'the'
fashionable style during the mid-1900s in Paris. The new style was launched at the Salon d'Automne,
and became instantly famous for its vivid, garish, non-naturalist colors that made Impressionism
appear almost monochrome! A key precursor of expressionism. The main contribution of Fauvism to
"modern art" was to demonstrate the independent power of color. This highly subjective approach to
art was in contrast to the classical content-oriented outlook of the academies.

ROCOCO

Rococo is a movement in art, particularly in architecture and decorative art, that originated in France
in the early 1700s. Rococo art characteristics consist of elaborate ornamentation and a light,
sensuous style, including scroll work, foliage, and animal forms.