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36,000 BCE
Prehistoric Art - Altamira Cave
In the 19th century, the first first prehistoric paintings were discovered in the Altamira Cave in northern Spain. The person that discovered the cave paintings was Marcelino Sanz de Sautuola. Many people believed that those who lived in the prehistoric time did not have the capability to be this artistic. The charcoal and ochre images of horses, bison and handprints are the best preserved cave paintings in the world. -
17,000 BCE
Prehistoric Art - Lascaux Paintings
The Lascaux paintings are the most famous cave paintings and can be found in southwestern France. These cave paintings are said to be over 17,000 years old. The most famous painting is The Great Hall of the Bulls. In this cave painting, the bulls, horses and deers are painted on the cave walls. One of the bulls is 17 feet long, it is the largest animal in the cave. -
7000 BCE
Prehistoric Art: 2.5 million BCE to 800 BCE - Cueva de las Manos
In Argentina, Cueva de las Manos was a cave that was discovered in an isolated region. The paintings that were found in this cave have been made from 13,000 to 9,500 years ago. Cueva de las Manos was painted in 7000 BC. The hands in the painted were stenciled. Inside the cave were rock art displays of humans, rheas, guanacos, felines and additional animals, as well as zigzag patterns, hunting scenes, representations of the sun, and geometric shapes. The cave was discovered by European settlers. -
3000 BCE
Ancient Egyptian Art: Egyptian Dance
In ancient Egypt, dance was a huge part in the Egyptian culture. Egyptian dances were divided into different categories that depended on the individuals and occasion. In this painting, pair dancing can be seen between two women who are dancing together in a pair. Pair dancing involved two individuals dancing at the same time. -
3000 BCE
Ancient Egyptian Art - Mummification
In ancient Egypt, mummification was an important concept for the afterlife. A ritual had to be done to mummify a dead person for his or her resurrection after they were judged by the Egyptian gods. Wealthier Egyptians that passed away had an elaborate artificial mummification. The best technique for mummification took 70 days and the internal organs were preserved and the desiccation of the body were mixed in salts called natron. -
1353 BCE
Ancient Egyptian Art: 3,000 BCE to 350 BCE - The Funerary
In Ancient Egypt, the concept of an afterlife was very important in the Egyptian religion. When an individual died, it was at the funerary where the deities would decide whether the dead would resurrect in the afterlife. In the picture, the heart of the deceased would be weighed against the Shu's feather of truth and justice of the headdress of the goddess Ma'at. If the heart was lighter than the feather, the person could pass on, but if it was not, they would be eaten by the demon, Ammut. -
480 BCE
Ancient Greek Art - Early Classical: 480 to 448 BCE
Early Classical Greek art focused on sculpting the human body as natural as possible and the face blank and expressionless. Myron was one of the best sculptors of the Early Classical Greek sculpture. He was most known for his famous statue, Discobolus, and sculpting representations of athletes. Originally, the sculpture was bronzed but then was covered in marble. Discobolus was a representation of a discus thrower. Myron wanted to capture the moment when the athlete completes his movement. -
448 BCE
Ancient Greek Art - Classical: 448 to 429 BCE
Classical greek art was the revolution of Greek sculpture. It changed in the style and function of creating sculptures and increased in technical skill of the sculptors. Black-figure style was the beginning of narrative scenes in Greek pottery decorations. These scenes were normally framed with geometric elements. Silhouettes of the figures on the pottery were painted in solid black, typically on a orange background. Sometimes, details are added by cutting lines into the silhouettes. -
323 BCE
Ancient Greek Art: Hellenistic: 323 to 31 BCE
The Hellenistic time period of Greek art was increasingly diverse. Naturalism was more common in the sculptures. Greek sculptors started to make more sculptures of common people, women, children, animals, and domestic scenes. Unlike the Classical period, the Hellenistic period did not depict people as ideals of beauty. Instead, there was a consequent standardization and lowering of quality. Likewise, there was a shift in expression of the sculptures, such as more power and energy. -
359
Early Christian Art: 260 to 525
The style and iconography pf Sarcophagus of Junius Bassus reflects the transformation status of Christianity. Junius Basses held the position of praefectus urbi for Rome, and he was responsible for the administration of Rome. After he died, a sarcophagus was made for him. On this sarcophagus, Christ can be represented from a formula derived from Roman Imperial Art. The giving of law was a formula in Roman art to give a visual statement to the emperor as the source of law. -
487
Early Christian Art - Roman Catacombs
In the Roman Catacombs, there is a depiction of Noah praying in the Ark. The Roman Catacombs are ancient catacombs that are underground burial places under Rome. The Etruscans used to bury the dead in the underground chambers. In each chamber, there is a picture of an important event from the Christianity history. -
540
Early Christian Art - Ravenna Mosaics
The Ravenna Mosaics are about 1,400 years old. The oldest and best mosaics in Ravenna are in the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia. Ravenna was an imperial port for the empire's massive naval fleet. In the mid 500s A.D., the Byzantine emperor Justinian denied that Ravenna would be the westernmost pillar of the empire. -
1000
Medieval Art - Romanesque Art
In the eleventh century, Romanesque art was developing in France, Spain, England, Flanders, Germany, Italy, and other regions. This style spreader across Europe, and it symbolized the growing wealth of European cities and the power of church monasteries. This piece of artwork is called "Vita Christi Illuminated Manuscript." It was sold in December 2007 by Sotheby's. -
1110
Medieval Art - Gothic Art
Gothic art was first originated in the 12th century. It was part of the rebuilding of the Abbey Church in Saint Denis, France. The architecture showed revolutionary structural advancements, which includes ribbed vaults, flying buttresses, and decorative pinnacles. Figures that were Gothic sculptures became more realistic and closely related to medieval cathedrals. This figure is called "Vierge a l'Enfant Sculpture." It was sold in November 2007 by Sotheby's. -
1286
Medieval Art - Santa Trinita Maesta: 300 to 1400
In 1286, "The Santa Trintia Maesta" was painted by the Italian medieval artist Cimabue. It was originally painted in the church of Santa Trinita where it remained until 1471. Now, it can be fond in the Uffizi Gallery of Florence, Italy. Medieval Art is a time where artwork was characterized by iconographic paintings of Biblical scenes. It emerged from the early Christian church influence. -
1503
Renaissance Art - Leonardo da Vinci: 1350 to 1650
Mona Lisa is the famous painting in the whole entire world. Leonardo da Vinci painted this masterpiece in 1503. Throughout history, there has been this endless debate about this picture because of her smile. There have been many discussions about whether or not if Mona Lisa is smiling. Another major feature of this painting is that no matter at what angle you are looking at this picture, her eyes are always looking at you. Mona Lisa is now on display at Louvre, Paris and it belongs to the public -
1511
Renaissance Art - Raphael
"The School of Athens" was painted by Raphael in 1511. This painting stands among one of the four main frescos on the walls of the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican. This painting symbolizes philosophy because it is a representation of the finest period of Greek Philosophy. Aristotle and Plato can be found in the center of this painting. Lastly, this painting captures the classical spirit of the Renaissance. -
1512
Renaissance Art - Michelangelo
This masterpiece, "The Creation of Adam," was painted in 1512 by Michelangelo. This painting can be found on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. The Sistine Chapel is one of the most famous pieces of Michelangelo. It is the second most famous paintings of all time, Mona Lisa being the first. The painting is a symbol of humanity. The image shows the hand of God and the hand of Adam almost touching. -
1577
Baroque Art: Peter Paul Rubens
Peter Paul Rubens was the prince of painters and the painter of princes. His art work was influenced by historical and mythological ideas. In addition, his painting style was associated in the Counter-Reformation. "The Garden of Love" was painted for his second wife, Helena Fourment. It was a symbol of his love for her. This painting shows a scene of flirtation in a garden. -
Baroque Art: Diego Velázquez
Diego Velazquez is one of the most five famous Baroque painters that represents the Spanish Golden Age. He was very similar with Italian art, making his work very similar to Raphael and Michelangelo. "La Venus del Espejo" or "The Rokeby Venus" was criticized by the Roman Catholic Church because of the controversy of nudity. Yet, this painting is one of Velazquez's famous pieces because of the nudity. -
Baroque Art - Rembrandt: 1590 to 1720
Rembrandt was a Dutch painter that was a most significant Baroque artists in the Dutch Golden Age. Between the years of 1665 to 1668, Rembrandt spent most of his time on his self-portrait with two circles. This piece of art work was one of Rembrandt's mystic pieces. He painted this portrait later on in his life. -
Photography - First Photograph Ever
In 1826, the world's first photograph or the oldest surviving picture was taken by Joseph Nicephore Niepce. This picture was taken using a technique called as heliography. It was taken from an upstairs window at the photographer's estate in Burgundy. There is no duplicates of this picture. -
Photography - First Photo with People
This picture was taken by Louis Daguerre in Paris. He was the inventor of daguerreotype. In 1839, the exposure of this picture was ten minutes long in Place de la Republique. -
Photography - Oldest Photo of New York
In 1848, the oldest surviving picture of New York was taken. This daguerreotype was taken of Manhattan's Upper West side. In 2009, the picture was sold at Sotheby's for $62,500. As of today, the first photograph of New York, which shows the Unitarian Church, is lost. -
Impressionism - Gustave Caillebotte:1867 to 1886
This painting, "The Floor Scrapers" depicts the perspective of everyday life. Caillebotte was French painter that was painted one of the first paintings of the urban working class. He painted this painting in 1875. The French name of the painting is "Les raboteurs de parquet." This painting is almost as realistic as a photograph. It was rejected by the French salon because of the semi-nude working class men. -
Impressionism - Gustave Caillebotte
"Paris Street; Rainy Day" was considered one of the best pictures of urban life in the 19th century. This painting shows the Place de Dublin, an intersection near a railroad station in north Paris. Caillebotte shows the impression of rain through lighting, lack of strong shadows, and impression of water on the street. Just like Caillebotte's other art pieces, this picture looks like a real photograph. -
Impressionism - Pierre-Auguste Renoir
In 1880, Renoir painted "Luncheon of the Boating Party." Originally, the french title of the painting was called "Le dejeuner des canotiers." The artist uses elements of design like balance, harmony, and rich colors of the Impressionist style to create a pleasant image. This piece of artwork is famous for its form and use of light. Renior can be seen in the picture enjoying a nice meal along with his wife and another famous Impressionist painter, Caillebotte. -
Realism - Edward Hopper: late 18th century to early 19th century
Edward Hopper was best know for showing the solitude of modern. In his painting, "Nighthawks," it portrays people in a diner late at night. This painting was painted in 1942 and was inspired by a restaurant in Manhattan that was on Greenwich Avenue. It shows the isolation of an individual in a busy environment such as New York City. Likewise, it interpreted the illustration of the effects of World War II. -
Realism - Jean-Francois Millet
"The Gleaners" is the most famous of Millet's trio of paintings that portrayed the lowly peasants in a sympathetic manner. This painting inspired artists such as Pissarro, Renoir, Seurat, and Van Gogh. This painting shows three peasant women collecting crops from a field of grains of wheat after a harvest. It also depicts the lowest rank of rural society in a pitying light. -
Realism - Andrew Wyeth
In 1948, Wyeth painted the most famous American paintings of the middle 20th century, " Christina's World." The picture shows a woman lying in a field looking at a gray house. The woman in the painting was Anna Christina Olson, Wyeth's neighbor. Olson suffered from a degenerative muscular disorder that prevented her from walking. He was inspired to create this piece of artwork because he saw her crawling across a field through his window. -
Cubism - Pablo Picasso: 1907 to 1920s
In 1907, Picasso painted one of his earliest paintings, "Les Demoiselles d'Avignon." Pablo Picasso was known to start the art revolution of Cubism. He believed along with Cezanne that art should be more about perceptual ideas and formal ideas. Cubist painters also rejected that art should copy nature. The title of this painting means the Young Ladies of Avignon, but the original title was called the Brothel of Avignon. The women seen in the picture portray five nude female prostitutes. -
Cubism - Georges Braque
Georges Braque was a major French painter where his most important contributions to art were his alliance with Fauvism and the role he played in the development of Cubism. "Man with a Guitar" was painted by Braque in 1912. This work is the perfect example to describe Analytic Cubism, which analyzes the use of rudimentary shapes and overlapping planes to depict separate forms of the objects. Braque uses nails and ropes to depict a man playing a guitar. -
Cubism - Juan Gris
Juan Gris was a Spanish painter where his works are among Cubism's most distinctive. In 1913, Gris painted "Glass of Beer and Playing Cards." In this painting, the artist uses a pattern of vertical strips giving the viewer an illusion of beer. The subjects and objects in this painting is still life. Gris used oil for his technique to create this picture. Now, the painting can be viewed at Columbus Museum of Art in Ohio. -
Surrealism - Salvador Dali: Mid 1920s
In 1931, "The Persistence of Memory" was created by Salvador Dali. This painting is one of the most well-known painting in the modern pop culture. This painting was one of the greatest painting to come from the Surrealism movement and Dali himself. In the painting, it captures the theme of Surrealism such as the various media, style, and variations. Dali captures the surreal dreamworld based on the Catalan landscape and the meditation of the theme of space-time continuum. -
Surrealism - Andre Masson
Andre Masson is a French surrealist painter and one the practitioners of automatic writing. In this painting, Battle of Fishes, Masson was experimenting with painting media. One can see the strong allegoric view of human condition during the World War I destruction around Europe. The painting shows the constant conflict of the war that can be seen by the imagery of surreal underwater landscape where sharp-tooted fish attack each other. Masson was also inspired to toss sand onto the painting. -
Modern Art - Claude Monet
Monet was a founder of the art movement called Impressionism. Impressionism emphasized the use of vivid color, candid poses, and an accurate use of light in its changing qualities. One of Monet's most famous series was his Water Lilies series. This series lasted from 1896 to 1926 and has over 250 paintings. Monet in his paintings broke tradition in terms of colors, lights, and shapes. -
Surrealism: Rene Magritte
Rene Magritte was inspired by one of his friends, Paul Nouge, to create this painting. Nouge inspired Magritte in a letter that he wrote to him about fiction and thriller stories. In the painting, "The Lovers," which is part of four series variation, the kiss invokes a cinematic cliche feel where the faces of the couple are covered. The cloth symbolize a figure's identity that corresponds to a Surrealist interest in masks and disguises. Surrealists are interested in what lies beyond a surface. -
Abstract Art: Robert Delaunay: 1930s to 1940s
Robert Delaunay's works were once Neo-Impressionist, but he then moved towards abstraction. His important contribution to abstraction was co-founding the Orphism art movement. This movement focused on the dispense of recognizing subject matter that would play a key role in the development of abstraction. In his painting, "Rhythm, Joy of Life," he based the characteristics of bright colors to the basic function of their form. -
Abstract Art - Victor Vasarely
This painting, "Zebra," is a part of a major movement called optical art or op art. Op art is a genre in which abstract art creates an optical illusion through manipulation of patterns, shapes, and colors. This painting consists of non-representational geometric shapes, which creates an illusion of the zebras moving. Victor Vasarely became one of the founders of the Op art movement. This paining is considered one of the earliest examples of optical art. -
Abstract Art: Piet Mondrian
Piet Mondrian is one of the most important leaders in the development of abstract art. In "Broadway Boogie Woogie," Mondrian uses a term called neoplasticism, which uses a straight line, the three primary colors, and the neutrals of black, white, and gray, to create this painting. Mondrian also inspired two art movements, the German Bauhaus movement, which focuses on simplified lines and color theory, and New York's Minimalism, which focuses on geometric forms and a narrow color palette. -
Modern Art: Jackson Pollock - 1860s to 1970s
Jackson Pollock was well known for technique in Abstract Expressionism. This famous technique that he used was called drip painting. Drip painting is where paint is dripped or poured onto a canvas, rather than being painted on. Pollock's technique created a new term called action painting, where the physical act of painting is an essential part of the finished product. -
Modern Art - Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol was well known for his contribution to Pop Art. He is known as the "Pope of Pop." Warhol explored a wide diversity of art such as painting, silkscreening, photography, film, and sculpture. His art pieces are the most expensive pieces of art to be sold. Though many people still doubt his work, he is the leading figure of 20th century modern art. One of his masterpieces is "Marilyn Diptych" which was finished in 1962. -
Pop Art - Roy Lichtenstein: 1950 to present
Pop Art first started out with Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, and Richard Hamilton. This movement challenged the tradition of fine art by adding images from the mass culture to art work. Lichtenstein was drawn to landscapes when he started out his career. His landscape pieces were appropriated from the background of cartoon scenes. In his painting, "Sunrise," the black outlines disappear, leaving lines of solid color and used dots to depict the space for the ocean, mountains, and sky. -
Pop Art - Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol was the leading figure of pop art. In 1967, Warhol created a print-publishing business called Factory Additions, where he published a series of screenprint portfolios of his most well known art pieces. A celebrity that Warhol did a lot of his artwork on was Marilyn Monroe. "Marilyn Monroe" was the first piece to the collection. Each picture that he created was printed from five screens, one that carried the image and the other four were done from different areas of colors. -
Pop Art - David Hockney
David Hockney is a British artist that is best known for being the most influential British artist of the 20th century. Pearblossom Highway is a piece of art work that is a collage of over 700 different photographs. It depicts a view of an American highway. Hockney describes this picture to be a drawing as opposed of a photographic piece.
