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Renaissance Art Period

The Renaissance period was a time of great change in the art world. The emergence of the "Renaissance man" in the period between the 14th and the 17th centuries brought forth the modern era in art, literature, and education. The word Renaissance means "rebirth" in French and appropriately names an epoch that saw a return to the classical sensibilities of art. The naturalist art style that was popular during the Renaissance is said to have originated in the Tuscany area of Italy and spread from there. The humanist approach to art was flamed by the Medici family's patronage to the arts and the migration of Greek scholars to Italy. Although the political turmoil of the 16th century saw a decline of the realist art style and the age of Mannerism was heralded, the Renaissance period is said to have continued until the 1600s.

Art Masters: Giotto Di Bondone, Filippo Brunelleschi, Leon Battista Alberti, Tommaso Masaccio, Lorenzo Ghiberti, Giovanni Bellini, Giorgione, Piero della Francesca, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Sandro Botticelli, Donatello, Titian, Hugo van der Goes, Jan van Eyck, Pieter Brueghel the Elder, Albrecht Durer, Rogier van der Weyden, Hieronymus Bosch, Robert Campin.

Mannerism Art Period

The stylized age of Mannerism began around the beginning of the 16th century due to the harmonious works of artists such as Michelangelo, Raphael, and da Vinci. The sophistication of the Renaissance artists" pieces influenced Mannerism"s fascinating loss of perspective and elongated forms. The Mannerist art era saw artists study from the works of the Renaissance masters rather than nature. Thus the Mannerists moved away from the Renaissance artists" desire to accurately portray nature with an aspiration to improve upon reality. The pretentious art pieces from the Mannerist era are often said to be "unfeeling" in tone due to the lack of emotion in the works. Mannerism fell out of style in the late 1500s in Italy, but continued in France until the 17th century.

Art Masters: Rosso Fiorentino, Benvenuto Cellini, and Agnolo Bronzino from Florence; Jacopo Pontormo from Pontorme; El Greco from Crete; and Parmigianino from Parma.

Baroque Art Period

After the cool restraint of the Renaissance and the twisted gloom of Mannerism, the Baroque period burst upon the art world in a tidal wave of opulent decadence. The period spanning from roughly 1600 to 1750 saw some of art history’s most captivating artworks and fascinating personalities, whose life stories are filled with tales of backstabbing, treachery, and overarching ambition. The Baroque period may have been critically maligned in the centuries following its demise, but today the Baroque has triumphed as art historians and the art-loving public put the era firmly back in its place as one of the most enthralling periods of art in western history.

Art Masters: Dutch Baroque Jacopo Isaakszoon van Ruisdael and Frans Hals from Harleem, Rembrandt van Rijn from Leiden, and Johannes Vermeer from Delft. Italian Baroque: Caravaggio from Milan, Annibale Carracci from Bologna, Gian Lorenzo Bernini from Naples, and Francesco Borromini from Bissone. Spanish Baroque: Jusepe de Ribera from Xàtiva, Diego Velazquez and Bartolome Esteban Murillo from Seville, and Francisco de Zurbaran from Fuente de Cantos. French Baroque: Nicolas Poussin from Les Andelys, Claude Lorrain from Chamagne, and Georges de la Tour from Vic-sur-Seille. Flemish Baroque: Peter Paul Rubens from Siegen, Anthony van Dyck and Jacob Jordaens from Antwerp, and Adriaen Brouwer from Oudenaarde. English Baroque: Inigo Jones from London, Christopher Wren from East Knoyle, and Nicholas Hawksmoor from Nottinghamshire.

Rococo Art Period

The ostentatious Rococo art period developed in the 18th century under the reign of France's King Louis XIV. After the lavish work that was produced in the Baroque era Rococo art embraced a much more lively tone. The frivolous interior design style that signified the Rococo epoch was elaborately florid in style and soon spread from the king's court into the homes of the Parisian elite. The Rococo art manner quickly became popular all over Europe until it fell out of style at the end of the 18th century. Unfortunately Rococo style was discussed derogatively in the mid-19th century; however today Rococo is considered a fascinatingly important art period.

Art Masters: Thomas Gainsborough from Sudbury, Sir Joshua Reynolds from Plympton, William Hogarth from London, Antoine Watteau from Valenciennes, Francois Boucher and Nicolas Pineau from Paris, Maurice Quentin de la Tour from Saint-Quentin, and Jean Honore Fragonard from Grasse.

Neoclassicism Art Period

During the late 18th and 19th century the conceited neoclassicist artists were reacting against the opulent Baroque and Rococo art styles. Neoclassicism was an era that saw artists exclusively follow the ‘pure’ canonical artists, those that are considered to be the ‘classics’. Thus rather than replicate the styles they considered immortal neoclassicists created their works highly sensitive of the great artists’ conventions. Espousing history’s masterpieces meant that there were a number of inane pieces in circulation and neoclassicism was not always highly originality. However it also meant that the neoclassicists avoided producing tasteless works. Neoclassicism is an academic art that was in style until the end of the 19th century, when it fell out of fashion because many considered it to be "anti-modern".

Art Masters: Jacques-Louis David from Paris, Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres from Montauban, Antonio Canova from Venice, and John Flaxman from York.

Romanticism Art Period

Romanticism was a vivid art period that flourished during the late 18th century and the Industrial Revolution. During the Romanticism era modern knowledge was renounced in favor of the unfamiliar and there was an emphasis placed on "feeling". Consequently, rebelling against the scientific approach to art, the Romantics' extravagant works were emotive pieces that were designed to inspire dread, admiration, and foreboding in the viewer. Romanticism perceived art as a vessel for aesthetic understanding and focused on picturesque scenes. Thus many Romantic artists centered their works on exotic and medieval scenes. Offered as an opposite to Realism, Romanticism is often said to have been central in the counter-enlightenment movement.

Art Masters: Caspar David Friedrich from Greifswald, Theodore Gericault from Paris, Eugene Delacroix from Charenton, J.M.W. Turner from London, John William Waterhouse from Rome, John Constable from East Bergholt, and Goya from Fuente de Todos.

Realism Art Period

Realism was a refined art movement that arose during the late 18th century and was popular until the early 19th century. Realist art evolved in response to French Romanticism and placed emphasis on the importance of objectively understanding the world. Thus Realist artists believed that reality was a solid entity that could be dispassionately and accurately recorded. Realism developed alongside the growing popularity of photography and pursued the ‘truth’. Consequently Realist artist's rejected the sensuous Classical models of art and primarily utilized working men as its subject matter. The prudent Realist art fell out of style during the mid nineteenth century.

Art Masters: Honoré-Victorin Daumier from Marseille, Jean-Désiré-Gustave Courbet from Ornans, John Singer Sargent from Florence, and James McNeil Whistler from London.

Impressionism Art Period

Impressionism was an expressive 19th century art movement that developed in Paris. The Impressionist painters were radicals rebelling against the status quo of the Parisian art scene. Their masterful paintings took art out of the studios and gave precedence to color and brush work over draftsmanship. They attempted to capture a fleeting reality and their sun drenched canvases focused on familial scenes and landscapes. Although the Impressionist painter's independent art exhibitions were initially rejected by the art world, their pieces were soon heralded as masterpieces. However the fascinating Impressionist era came to an end with the rise of the Post-Impressionist movements.

Art Masters: Auguste Rodin, Edgar Degas, Édouard Manet, and Claude Monet from Paris; Pierre-Auguste Renoir from Limoges; and Berthe Morisot from Bourges.

Post Impressionism Art Period

Post Impressionism is a term that describes the elaborate art movement that arose after the era of Impressionism. The term Post Impressionism was coined by the art critic Roger Fry to describe the period after Manet and, although it does not describe one particular art style, it has persisted due to convenience. The Post Impressionist painters upheld the same ideals as the Impressionists but rejected many of the restrictions the earlier artists placed on their work. Thus they embraced the use of vivid paint colors but were happy to distort reality to meet their paintings' requirements. Additionally the Post Impressionists preferred their paintings to have more structure than many of the Impressionist's pieces. The post impressionist movement subsided at the beginning of the 20th century and the outbreak of war.

Art Masters: Henri Toulouse-Lautrec from Albi, Vincent van Gogh from Zundert, Georges Seurat and Paul Gauguin from Paris, and Paul Cezanne from Cesana.