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Period: Jan 1, 1300 to
Course Content
This timeline covers almost all of the periods covered in my Art History class. The periods are:
Italian Renaissance: 14th-16th Centuries
Northern Renaissance: 14th-16th Centuries
Baroque (Northern or Southern European): 17th Century
Enlightenment and Revolution: 18th Century
Romanticism and Realism: 1800-1880
The Modern World: 1880-1945 -
Period: Apr 18, 1330 to Jan 26, 1410
Bartolo di Fredi, c. 1330-Jan. 26, 1410 - Renaissance (Italian)
With the speed and number of those dying from the plague, there soon was an opening for artists who otherwise wouldn't have been able to secure patrons and consistent work, let alone be able to thrive in the art community. Di Fredi benefitted directly from the fact that many more popular and influential artists fell to the Black Death. He later went on to have a large studio and was well known throughout Siena. Link text -
Feb 13, 1348
Bubonic Plague - Renaissance (Italian)
Also known as the "Black Death," the plague arrived in Europe mid-14th century. Most people who contracted the disease died a hasty death. Due to the large number of people who died in such a short time, the world of art was suddenly open to influence by common people, instead of art trends only following the tastes of the aristocracy. Image credit. Link text -
Aug 5, 1370
St. John the Evangelist, Giovanni del Biondo - Renaissance (Italian)
This work was done in tempera on panel, and shows St. John trampling various vices, including avarice (extreme greed for material wealth.) With all the death around them, the people were worried that greed, amongst other vices, would affect their chances of salvation. The widespread presence of death incited the people of this era to extreme practices of piety. Image credit. Link text -
Period: Nov 13, 1387 to Apr 26, 1444
Robert Campin, c. 1387- April 26,1444 - Renaissance (Northern)
The list of works that can be directly linked to Campin cause as much of a stir as did the various translations of the Bible that occured during this era. Campin took on two apprentices and, according to some art scholars, they contributed to one of the most well-known paintings attributed to Campin, "The Annunciation Triptych." There are several other popular works attributed to Campin's workshop but he didn't sign them directly.
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Dec 4, 1475
Les Visions du chevalier Tondal, Simon Marmion - Renaissance (Northern)
There was a shift during this era away from public worship, and the emphasis was now on private devotion to God. With this shift, illuminations became more popular. Marmion was posthumously considered the "prince of illumination" due to his skillful mastery of storytelling and his ability to render realistic representations of texture.
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Mar 12, 1525
Bible translated into vernacular - Renaissance (Northern)
Lefèvre d’Etaples (1450-1536), along with a bishop, began translating the New Testament into French to assist the priests who didn't speak Latin - which was the language the Bible was written in. Like previous translations of the Bible, this version was criticized by some in the religious community. Subsequent translations also made the Bible more accessible to common people. Link text -
Period: Sep 29, 1571 to
Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, 1571-1610, Baroque (Northern or Southern Europe) - 17th Century
Caravaggio was a controversial artist in his time, and many of his actions would still be considered controversial in today's time as well. His paintings were praised by some and despised by others in the art world because he approached religious subjects from a scientific perspective as opposed to the traditional ethereal perspective.
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Drawings of the Moon, Galileio Galilei - Baroque (Northern or Southern Europe)
He is most famous for being a brilliant mathematician, astronomer, physicist, engineer, and philosopher. However, most don't know that Galileo actually drew and painted. This work was created with ink and watercolor. It is the "first realistic depiction of the moon in history."
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Scientific Revolution, Sir Francis Bacon - Baroque (Northern or Southern Europe)
Following with the group of those who challenged long-standing beliefs, Sir Francis Bacon broke from the tradition of accepting something as truth without having studied it first. He insisted on questioning everything, then repeatedly testing to try and find the solution. He encouraged hypothesizing, then studying. Image credit. Link text -
Period: to
John-Baptiste Greuze - The Enlightenment & Revolution - 18th Century
Greuze was a great example of the contrast that was created by many Enlightenment artists in relation to their Roccoco counterparts. Greuze's work - especially later in his life - took on moral values in society, instead of simply presenting an appealing veneer of what society was really like at the time. Greuze was an acquaintance of Diderot, and Diderot even remarked about his painting, "The Laundress." Link text -
Encyclopédie, Denis Diderot - The Enlightenment & Revolution
Diderot was a French philosopher. He, along with mathematician Jean Le Rond d'Alembert, poured their collective energies and intellects into what would be a ground-breaking and extremely controversial publication that directly challenged traditional knowledge and long-standing religious beliefs. The publication featured topics from art to science to religion. Link text -
The Alchymist, Joseph Wright of Derby - The Enlightenment & Revolution
If there ever was a painting that represented The Enlightenment, this is it. The Enlightenment was all about empirical knowledge and scientific exploration/discovery. People were beginning to dismiss traditionally held knowledge, and instead opted to hypothesize, theorize, and subsequently test them. This painting, like some of Jospeh Wright of Derby's other works, had an amazingly long name - which helped to explain the action in the scene. Link text -
Period: to
Oscar Gustave Rejlander - Romanticism and Realism
Rejlander was a pioneer in the world of photography. He was one of the first photographers to apply art methods to portraiture. He was well known for creating genre scenes in his photos. He would capture everyday people doing everyday tasks. These glimpses of everyday life were presented as art in the same way a painter would present a genre scene. He used the concepts interchangeably. Link text -
Invention of Wet Collodion Process Photography, Frederick Archer - Romanticism and Realism
Although there were already several different popular photography techniques being used during this era(including Daguerreotype), Archer invented a method that produced negatives of the image. The process of creating negative images from which prints could be made ultimately revolutionized the photography industry. The use of negatives in photography would continue for over a century, well into the 20th century and beyond. Link text -
Construction of the avenue de l’Opéra: The Butte des Moulins (from the rue Saint-Roch), Charles Marville - Romanticism and Realism
It is difficult to imagine life without photographs; Our lives virtually revolve around them. It is even more difficult to imagine that anyone would be completely against photography. This was the case during this era when many artists rejected this medium. The world was rapidly changing, and Marville was commissioned to capture some of it. This is probably the first photograph that essentially captures gentrification.
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Period: to
Aaron Douglas - The Modern World
Aaron Douglas was instrumental in the proliferation of art celebrating race pride for African Americans throughout the Harlem Renaissance. He created illustrations for several prominent publications of the era. His work was easily recognizable and he was eventually commissioned to create illustrations and murals in several states. His work often depicted the struggles and triumphs of African Americans. Link text -
Ethiopia Awakening, Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller - The Modern World
Fuller created this piece at least 10 years before the beginning of the Harlem Renaissance, and it seemed to usher in a new sense of pride in Americans of African descent. She presents an image of an African person standing with pride and arising from previously being entombed by the bondage that oppression had caused. This is in direct opposition to common images of Africans during this era. Link text -
Harlem Renaissnce - The Modern World
The Harlem Renaissance was an awakening of African Americans socially, culturally, economically, and spiritually. The ubiquitous theme of the Harlem Renaissance was one of dignity for the American negro: something they hadn't had before that time in America. Writers, musicians, and artists all focused on creating works that portrayed African Americans as classy and sophisticated peoples. Image credit. Link text
