(1600–1750)
Splendor and flourish for God; art as a weapon in the religious wars
Characteristics
Artists and Works
Reubens, Rembrandt, Caravaggio, Palace of Versailles
Thirty Years’ War between Catholics and Protestants (1618–1648)
Historical Events
(1750–1850)
Art that recaptures Greco-Roman grace and grandeur
Characteristics
Artists and Works
David, Ingres, Greuze, Canova
Enlightenment (18th century); Industrial Revolution (1760–1850)
Historical Events
(1780–1850)
The triumph of imagination and individuality
Characteristics
Artists and Works
Caspar Friedrich, Gericault, Delacroix, Turner, Benjamin West
American Revolution (1775–1783); French Revolution (1789–1799); Napoleon crowned emperor of France (1803)
Historical Events
(1848–1900)
Celebrating working class and peasants; en plein air rustic painting
Characteristics
Artists and Works
Corot, Courbet, Daumier, Millet
European democratic revolutions of 1848
Historical Events
(1865–1885)
Capturing fleeting effects of natural light
Characteristics
Artists and Works
Monet, Manet, Renoir, Pissarro, Cassatt, Morisot, Degas
Franco-Prussian War (1870–1871); Unification of Germany (1871)
Historical Events
Fauvism and Expressionism
(1900–1935)
Harsh colors and flat surfaces (Fauvism); emotion distorting form
Characteristics
Artists and Works
Matisse, Kirchner, Kandinsky, Marc
Boxer Rebellion in China (1900); World War (1914–1918)
Historical Events
Cubism, Futurism, Suprematism, Constructivism, De Stijl
(1905–1920)
Pre– and Post–World War 1 art experiments: new forms to express modern life
Characteristics
Artists and Works
Picasso, Braque, Leger, Boccioni, Severini, Malevich
Russian Revolution (1917); American women franchised (1920)
Historical Events
Dada and Surrealism
(1917–1950)
Ridiculous art; painting dreams and exploring the unconscious
Characteristics
Artists and Works
Duchamp, Dalí, Ernst, Magritte, de Chirico, Kahlo
Disillusionment after World War I; The Great Depression (1929–1938); World War II (1939–1945) and Nazi horrors; atomic bombs dropped on Japan (1945)
Historical Events
Abstract Expressionism and Pop Art
(1940s–1950s) and 1960s
Post–World War II: pure abstraction and expression without form; popular art absorbs consumerism
Characteristics
Artists and Works
Gorky, Pollock, de Kooning, Rothko, Warhol, Lichtenstein
Cold War and Vietnam War (U.S. enters 1965); U.S.S.R. suppresses Hungarian revolt (1956) Czechoslovakian revolt (1968)
Historical Events
Postmodernism and Deconstructivism
(1970– )
Art without a center and reworking and mixing past styles
Characteristics
Artists and Works
Gerhard Richter, Cindy Sherman, Anselm Kiefer, Frank Gehry, Zaha Hadid
Nuclear freeze movement; Cold War fizzles; Communism collapses in Eastern Europe and U.S.S.R. (1989–1991)