Art History

Romanticism 1800-1840 Romanticism was a cultural movement that started in Europe. It was somewhat a reaction to the Industrial Revolution which occurred during the same time period. The movement has effected philosophical thinking, literature, music and art. The romantic movement started at the end of the 1700's and reached its peak in the early 1800's. It marked the end of the Baroque movement and was followed by the Realism.  Characteristics of the Romanticism Art Romantic art focused on emotions, feelings and moods of all kind including spirituality, imagination, mystery and fervour. The subject matter varied widely including landscapes, religions, revolution and peaceful beauty. The brushwork for romantic art become looser and less precise.  France Antoine Jean Gros began the transition from Neoclassicism to Romanticism by moving to a more colorful and emotional style, influenced by the Flemish Baroque painter Peter Paul Rubens , which developed ...

Baroque Art (1600-1750) The term Baroque was derived from the Portuguese "barocco" which means 'irregular pearl or stone'. It describes a fairly complex idiom, originating in Rome which flowered during the period c.1590-1720 and embraced painting and sculpture as well as architecture. Baroque art was a reflection of society that include the art of absolute monarchies, the art of the counter-reformation and bourgeois art. In Baroque art, there are a few characteristic that make it different from Renaissance art. Baroque art are more into movement, realism in representations, complexity, interest in surprising the audience, have curved lines, concave and convex and also predominance of color and light over drawing. Architecture In architecture, the main purpose in Baroque art is to create the sensation of movement in buildings. The characteristics are usually involved curved lines, spirals, elliptic and oval floor plans, solomonic columns , contrast of ...

Renaissance Art (c.1400-1600) The term Renaissance refers to rebirth of Greek and Roam culture. At this moment, artists has gained prestige and become celebrities. The movement of Renaissance art was originated in Italy in the 15th century and Florence was a cultural leader in the Renaissance period. Characteristics of the Renaissance art are classicism, emphasis on human figure,  realism and expression, perspective also light and shade. Classicism Artists, architects and sculpture studied the art of Ancient Greece and Rome and incorporated elements of these civilizations. Mythological themes, idealized beauty and classical architectural elements. Examples of classicism art are "The Birth of Venus" by Botticelli and "The School of Athens" by Raphael. Emphasis on human figure The human figure became very important. Artists rediscovered the beauty of nature and the human body, expressing the optimism of this new age. As in classical art, the beauty i...