Art History

By son.joe
  • Period: 15,000 BCE to 10,000 BCE

    Hall of Bulls

  • 447 BCE

    Construction on the Parthenon Begins

    Construction on the Parthenon Begins
  • 79

    Herculaneum Papyri

    Herculaneum Papyri
    Scrolls preserved by Mt.Vesuvius eruption. Shows the usage of scrolls as a means of storing and conveying information and writing.
  • 175

    "Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius"

    "Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius"
  • 190

    “Unswept Floor”

    “Unswept Floor”
    Mosaic from emperor Hadrian’s villa at Tivoli Sosus of Pergamon. Speaks to the level of excess Roman emperors indulged and consequently the disparities between social classes present in ancient Rome.
  • 1200

    Pueblo Bonito

    Pueblo Bonito
  • 1285

    Duccio’s “Madonna Ruccelai”

    Duccio’s “Madonna Ruccelai”
    Demonstrate unusual likenesses and skewed perspective used in Europe at the time.
  • 1377

    Jikji

    Jikji
    Korean religious text. One of the earliest documents made from metal movable type.
  • 1390

    Cennino Cennini's "The Craftsman's Handbook"

    Cennino Cennini's "The Craftsman's Handbook"
  • 1400

    Dogon Cliff Dwellings with Granaries

    Dogon Cliff Dwellings with Granaries
  • 1415

    Brunelleschi Credited with the Discovery of Linear Perspective

    Brunelleschi Credited with the Discovery of Linear Perspective
  • 1427

    Masaccio's "Holy Trinity"

    Masaccio's "Holy Trinity"
    Life sized fresco which is known to be one of the earliest uses of linear perspective in a painting.
  • 1435

    Leon Battista Alberti's "Della Pittura"

    Leon Battista Alberti's "Della Pittura"
    Book that argues that classical ideas of proportion, perspective, color, light, and composition are crucial to an effective artwork.
    Also states that a painting should have a historical theme and dramatic presentation.
  • 1436

    Jan Van Eyck’s “Lucca Madonna”

    Jan Van Eyck’s “Lucca Madonna”
    Depicts the Virgin Mary nursing Jesus . Stylizes Mary almost as a piece of architecture / throne to be sat on. Throne is a biblical reference to the throne of Solomon. Oranges shown as a symbol of paradise.
  • 1480

    Carlo Crivelli’s “Madonna and Child”

    Carlo Crivelli’s “Madonna and Child”
    Objects present and compositional relationships are highly symbolic. Cucumbers and the melon act as symbols of redemption while the apples and fly are symbols of sin. Surreal aspects of perspective emphasize fruit and fly.
  • 1513

    Albercht Durer's "Knight, Death, and the Devil"

    Albercht Durer's "Knight, Death, and the Devil"
  • Period: to

    Artemisia Gentileschi's "Judith and Holofernes"

    Portrays women trying to overpower men. Work recounts the assassination of a Jewish general, Holofernes, by a maiden, Judith. Gentileschi worked under a painter who sexually abused her and traumatized her / ruined her public image. Consequently, the piece is a semi-autobiographical portrait of her thoughts / experiences.

  • Sir Isaac Newton's "Opticks"

    Sir Isaac Newton's "Opticks"
    Intense mathematical assessment of optics. Degan understanding of color and light via a prism which lead to theory of RYB as primary colors. Determined white is the combination of all color (in terms of light). Also discovered magenta (red+violet) which was extra special and not within the ROYGBIV spectrum.

  • Palace of Versailles

    Palace of Versailles
    Property that had been in the hands of the French royalty for a long time which Louis XIV began developing. Created a monument to his ultimate power in a style that reflected his ideology. Very decadent baroque stylization which enforced prevailing monarchical attitudes. Done in tandem with the movement of the French royal court from Paris to fetishize the actions / presence of the king and to create a false sense of importance

  • Thomas Gainsborough's "Mr. and Mrs. Andrews"

    Thomas Gainsborough's "Mr. and Mrs. Andrews"
  • Period: to

    Louis Daguerre

    Created “daguerrotypes” - an image translated onto a piece of polished silver. Created chemical process to develop photographic images. In his word, “I have seized the light - I have arrested its flight!”

  • Toba Batak House and Tongkonan Houses

    Toba Batak House and Tongkonan Houses

  • Joseph Nicephore Niepce's "View from the Window at Le Gras"

    Joseph Nicephore Niepce's "View from the Window at Le Gras"
    First known photograph.

  • Roger Fenton’s “Valley of The Shadow of Death”

    Roger Fenton’s “Valley of The Shadow of Death”
    Photographs documenting Crimean war. Begins conversation about truth in terms of photography due to the possibility that the photos taken were staged / manipulated.

  • Eduardo Manet's "Olympia"

    Eduardo Manet's "Olympia"
    Portrays a confident, emboldened prostitute being served by a disenfranchised black female servant. Simultaneously illustrates increasingly liberal perceptions of women and political / socio-economic relationships between white and black people in the Western world.

  • Eduardo Manet’s “Le Dejeuner sur Therbe”

    Eduardo Manet’s “Le Dejeuner sur Therbe”

  • “Arrangement in Grey and Black No.1”

    “Arrangement in Grey and Black No.1”
    Portrays the artist's mom. Image shows Whistler's equal parts of affection and fear for his mother, particularly through facial expression and compositional choices.

  • Van Gogh’s “The Night Cafe”

    Van Gogh’s “The Night Cafe”
  • Period: to

    Man Ray

  • Mary Cassatt's "Mother and Child"

    Mary Cassatt's "Mother and Child"

  • Picasso's "Les Demoiselles d'Avignon"

    Picasso's "Les Demoiselles d'Avignon"

  • Egon Schiele’s “Tote Mutter”

    Egon Schiele’s “Tote Mutter”
    Depicts the death of a mother during childbirth in an expressionist manner with the intention to evoke the horrors war, loss, and death.

  • Kazimir Malevich's "Black Square"

    Kazimir Malevich's "Black Square"
    Hung a painted black square as a portal icon, a Eastern European tradition that entails mounting a cross / images of icons in the corner of the room. Speaks to the artist's skepticism of the past, the lack of necessity of icons, and the extent that religion is ingrained in Russian culture.

  • Wassily Kandinsky "Jungester Tag (Last Judgement)"

    Wassily Kandinsky "Jungester Tag (Last Judgement)"

  • De Chirico’s “Mystery and Melancholy of the Street” i Title *

    De Chirico’s “Mystery and Melancholy of the Street” i Title *

  • Marcel Duchamp's "Fountain"

    Marcel Duchamp's "Fountain"
    Most famous example of Duchamp's readymades. Submitted urinal with writing on it to be displayed in an open art exhibition organized by the Society of Independent Artists. The piece was rejected after being deemed to be "not art". Illustrates ground work of conceptual art, which focuses more on portraying ideas and concepts rather than craft. Also speaks to growing notion that art is whatever the artist says is art.
  • Period: to

    Hannah Hoch's "Cut with the Kitchen Knife Dada through the Last Weimar Beer Belly Cultural Epoch of Germany"

  • Georgia O'Keeffe's "Yellow Calla"

    Georgia O'Keeffe's "Yellow Calla"

  • Edward Weston's "Artichoke, Halved"

    Edward Weston's "Artichoke, Halved"

  • Walter Benjamin's “Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction”

    Walter Benjamin's “Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction”

  • Frank Lloyd Wright's "Fallingwater"

    Frank Lloyd Wright's "Fallingwater"

  • Meret Oppenheim’s “The Luncheon in Fur”

    Meret Oppenheim’s “The Luncheon in Fur”
    Sculpture of a teacup and spoon covered in fur. Presence of fur gives the otherwise ordinary teacup a surreal quality by evoking thoughts like how a furry cup might feel against one's lips.

  • Edward Hopper's "Nighthawks"

    Edward Hopper's "Nighthawks"
    Compositional and lighting decisions portray the loneliness and inhumanity of urban spaces.

  • Juan O'Gorman's "Panel of the Independence - Father Hidalgo (Retablo de la Independencia - Hidalgo)

    Juan O'Gorman's "Panel of the Independence - Father Hidalgo (Retablo de la Independencia - Hidalgo)

  • Yves Klein’s “Anthropometry of the Blue Period”

    Yves Klein’s “Anthropometry of the Blue Period”
    Used women as “living brushes” to create painting. Raises questions in regards to the objectification of women, prevailing patriarchal trends in Western society, and the use of body and performance as a means of painting and creation.

  • Rauschenberg's "First Landing Jump"

    Rauschenberg's "First Landing Jump"

  • Thiebaud's "Pie Counter"

    Thiebaud's "Pie Counter"

  • Warhol's "Heinz 57 Tomato Ketchup" and "Del Monte Freestone Peach Halves"

    Warhol's "Heinz 57 Tomato Ketchup" and "Del Monte Freestone Peach Halves"

  • Bruce Nauman’s “Collection of Various Flexible Materials Separated by Layer of Grease with Hole the Size of My Waist and Wrists”

    Bruce Nauman’s “Collection of Various Flexible Materials Separated by Layer of Grease with Hole the Size of My Waist and Wrists”
    Nonrepresentational self portrait which is referential to the proportions of the artists body.

  • Moshe Safdie's "Habitat"

    Moshe Safdie's "Habitat"

  • Frank Stella's "Abra III"

    Frank Stella's "Abra III"

  • Robert Smithson’s “A Nonsite, Franklin, New Jersey”

    Robert Smithson’s “A Nonsite, Franklin, New Jersey”
    Focuses on the idea of the "Nonsite", which are pieces of earth from a specific place, divorced from its original location. Evokes thoughts as to what location actually is and to what extent it affects an object and/or artwork.

  • Helio Oiticica “Eden”

    Helio Oiticica “Eden”
    Features different screened spaces, a variety of materials, and interactive elements with the intention of conveying Brazilian culture in the context of art.

  • Calder's "Crinkly"

    Calder's "Crinkly"

  • Robert Smithson's "Spiral Jetty"

    Robert Smithson's "Spiral Jetty"
    1500 feet long stone jetty made in the Great Salt Lake, Utah. Work became submerged and then visible as the level of the lake rose and fell. Made as a protest against the commodification of the art world and to engage / interact with its unique location

  • Rothko Chapel Completed

    Rothko Chapel Completed
    Nondenominational chapel containing numerous site specific Mark Rothko’s paintings . Building had very specific lighting, proportions, architecture. Rothko clashed with Philip Johnson (and numerous other architects) over the design of chapel. Space dedicated to political and social justice.
  • Period: to

    Gordon Matta - Clark’s “FOOD”

    Artist run restaurant / artist's space in SoHo. Married the worlds of art and cooking and utilized the context of a restaurant as a means of performance art and community engagement
  • Period: to

    Christo and Jeanne - Claude's "Running Fence"

    18 ft tall fence of fabric that runs roughly 24 miles through the hills of California from highway 101 to the Pacific Ocean. Speaks to how large scale public works focus more on the policy of its creation than the piece itself.

  • Nancy Holt’s “Sun Tunnels”

    Nancy Holt’s “Sun Tunnels”
    Giant concrete tubes in the desert, with holes made in alignment with the location of the sun during the summer and winter solstices. Arrangement, materials, and purpose make the piece an homage to Stonehenge. Draws attention to the details of the site in a specific, remote location.
  • Period: to

    Hannah Wilke’s “SOS Starification Object Series”

    Photographic self portraits in the nude (stylized like print ad) with miniature vaginas made of chewing gum fixed to her body. Utilizes provocative and slightly humorous imagery of female anatomy to convey ideas of feminine power and agency.

  • Piazza d'Italia

    Piazza d'Italia

  • Ana Mendieta’s “From Silueta Series”

    Ana Mendieta’s “From Silueta Series”
    Photographic self-portraits involving Mendieta placing her own body into nature and camouflaged herself into the landscape. Motivated by the artist's reconnect with nature, which she has been cast from.

  • Nam June Paik’s “TV Buddha”

    Nam June Paik’s “TV Buddha”
    Appropriates image of Buddhist icon using modern Western technology. Has implications of self reflection and impacts of advancing technology

  • Francesca Woodman’s “House #3, Providence, Rhode Island”

    Francesca Woodman’s “House #3, Providence, Rhode Island”
    Portrays a woman in motion in a very still abandoned home. Work is semi autobiographical, illustrating domestic hardship and depression present in the artist's life.

  • Cindy Sherman "Untitled (Self-Portrait of Marilyn Monroe)"

    Cindy Sherman "Untitled (Self-Portrait of Marilyn Monroe)"

  • Andres Serrano’s “Piss Christ”

    Andres Serrano’s “Piss Christ”
    Submerged Jesus figurine in his own piss and took a photo of it. Speaks to the artists past faith and criticism of religion. Also speaks to the physical experience of crucifixion.

  • Lorna Simpson’s “Stereo Styles”

    Lorna Simpson’s “Stereo Styles”
    Portrays hairstyles popular in the 80s among black women in photographs stylized similarly to print ads. Speaks to lack of representation of black women in mass media and opposes notions of assimilation into white culture.

  • The Guerilla Girls' "Do Women Have to Be Naked to Get into the Met. Museum?"

    The Guerilla Girls' "Do Women Have to Be Naked to Get into the Met. Museum?"

  • Carrie Mae Weems “The Kitchen Table Series”

    Carrie Mae Weems “The Kitchen Table Series”
    Semi-autobiographical series of photos depicting intimate moments of black family life around a kitchen table. Shows honest, tender portrayals of black family life as seen by Weems herself and black culture at large.

  • Felix Gonzalez Torres’ “Untitled (portrait of Ross in L.A.)

    Felix Gonzalez Torres’ “Untitled (portrait of Ross in L.A.)
    Pile of wrapped candies matching the ideal weight of Torres' partner, Ross, briefly before he died from AIDS. Viewers are encouraged to take a piece of candy from the pile. The pile is replenished to the original weight once all the candy is taken. Utilizes viewer participation as a means to convey a personal narrative (the loss of a lover) and a political message (regarding the state of the AIDS epidemic).

  • Janine Antoni's "Gnaw"

    Janine Antoni's "Gnaw"

  • Rirkrit Tiravanija’s “Untitled (Free/Still)”

    Rirkrit Tiravanija’s “Untitled (Free/Still)”
    The gallery is turned into a space where free rice and curry is served and eaten - exemplifies social practice art that uses human interaction as a medium rather than an actual material.

  • Nam June Paik “Electronic Superhighway Continental U.S., Alaska, Hawaii”

    Nam June Paik “Electronic Superhighway Continental U.S., Alaska, Hawaii”

  • Ai Weiwei's "Dropping a Han Dynasty Urn"

    Ai Weiwei's "Dropping a Han Dynasty Urn"
    Photographic triptych depicting Weiwei dropping and shattering a Han dynasty urn. Speaks to the notion that the old must be destroyed in the wake of the new. Also illustrates Weiwei's iconoclastic nature and skepticism of Chinese culture.

  • Yinka Shonibare’s “Mr. and Mrs. Andrews without their heads

    Yinka Shonibare’s “Mr. and Mrs. Andrews without their heads
    Juxtaposes imagery and stylization of 18th century colonial English art and Nigerian textile practices to question cultural identity, colonialism / postcolonialism, and globalization.

  • Rachel Whiteread’s “Judenplatz Holocaust Memorial”

    Rachel Whiteread’s “Judenplatz Holocaust Memorial”
    Concrete cast of the interior of a library. Speaks to the knowledge and culture lost through the eradication of an ethnicity.

  • Takashi Murakami's "Tan Tan Bo"

    Takashi Murakami's "Tan Tan Bo"

  • Catherine Opie’s “Self Portrait Nursing”

    Catherine Opie’s “Self Portrait Nursing”
    Portrays queer woman breastfeeding a child despite her sexual orientation and interest in sexual liberation. Promotes more nuanced, realistic portrayals and perceptions of people in the LGBTQ community.

  • Damien Hirst's "For the Love of God"

    Damien Hirst's "For the Love of God"

  • Rirkit Tiravanija "Untitled, 2008 (the future will be chrome)"

    Rirkit Tiravanija "Untitled, 2008 (the future will be chrome)"

  • Nick Cave's "Soundsuits"

    Nick Cave's "Soundsuits"
    Elaborate costumes made of found objects, meant to be activated by motion. Evokes thoughts of ritual and its role in black culture. Suits made as a means to protect one from hate through festivity and the celebration of heritage.

  • Theaster Gates' Stony Island Art Bank is opened to the public

    Theaster Gates' Stony Island Art Bank is opened to the public
    Former bank building renovated into an art gallery, media archive, and center for community engagement. Displays art, houses various archives of magazines, records, slides, etc., and holds art related events for the local community. Shows the power of social practice art in terms of revitalizing urban spaces and communities and preserving culture otherwise lost.