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38,000 BCE
Cave art
Cave paintings are also known as "parietal art".They are painted drawings on cave walls or ceilings, mainly of prehistoric origin, dated to some 40,000 years ago (around 38,000 BCE) in Eurasia. The exact purpose of the Paleolithic cave paintings is not known. Evidence suggests that they were not merely decorations of living areas since the caves in which they have been found do not have signs of ongoing habitation. They are also often located in areas of caves that are not easily accessible. -
Period: 3100 BCE to 395 BCE
Egyptian Art
is the painting, sculpture, architecture and other arts produced by the civilization of ancient Egypt in the lower Nile Valley.Ancient Egyptian art reached a high level in painting and sculpture, and was both highly stylized and symbolic. It was famously conservative, and Egyptian styles changed remarkably little over more than three thousand years. -
Period: 2650 BCE to 1800 BCE
Egyptian Pyramids
The pyramids of Ancient Egypt are the world's largest funerary edifices or tombs. Developed from the mastaba tomb, they are one of the most enduring symbols of Egyptian art in general and Egyptian architecture in particular. Ancient Egyptians believed in an eternal afterlife, and the purpose of the pyramids was to safeguard the Pharaoh's body and all the belongings he would need after death, in order to facilitate his passage into the after-life. -
Period: 800 BCE to 323 BCE
Era of Greek art
Ancient Greek art proper "emerged" during the 8th century BCE (700-800), as things calmed down around the Aegean. (See also Etruscan art) About this time, iron was made into weapons/tools, people started using an alphabet, the first Olympic Games took place (776), a complex religion emerged, and a loose sense of cultural identity grew up around the idea of "Hellas" (Greece). -
750 BCE
First use of Greek alphabet.
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700 BCE
Etruscan Art
The Etruscans were a people who lived in Etruria in Italy during the Bronze and Iron Ages. Etruscan civilization and culture reached its peak during the sixth century BCE when their city-states controlled central Italy. Etruscan arts were strongly influenced by their trading relationship with Greece, although (like the Egyptians but unlike the Greeks) they believed in an after-life. -
Period: 600 BCE to 480 BCE
Archaic Greek Sculpture
Is the sculpture of ancient Greece. Modern scholarship identifies three major stages. Frequent subjects were the battles, mythology, and rulers of the area historically known as Ancient Greece. -
Period: 480 BCE to 450 BCE
Early Classical Greek Sculpture
Classical statues are still broadly four-square in design, but the balance of the standing figure is shifted so that the axis of the body becomes a long double curve, and to mitigate frontality the head (except in cult statues) is turned regularly towards the side. -
400 BCE
Famous Etruscan works: Capitoline Wolf and Chimera of Arezzo.
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340 BCE
Famous Greek sculpture: Boy From Antikythera.
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Period: 300 BCE to 400 BCE
Era of Roman art.
For several centuries Ancient Rome was the most powerful nation on earth, excelling all others at military organization and warfare, engineering, and architecture. Its unique cultural achievements include the invention of the dome and the groin vault, the development of concrete and a European-wide network of roads and bridges. -
232 BCE
Famous Greek sculpture: Dying Gaul.
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50 BCE
Beginning of the Fayum Mummy Portraits.
Is the modern term given to a type of naturalistic painted portrait on wooden boards attached to Egyptian mummies from the Coptic period. They belong to the tradition of panel painting, one of the most highly regarded forms of art in the Classical world. In fact, the Fayum portraits are the only large body of art from that tradition to have survived. -
9 BCE
Completion of Ara Pacis Augustae.
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113
Famous Roman relief sculpture monument, Trajan's Column.
One of the most famous examples of Roman art, Trajan's Column (Colonna Traiana) is a triumphal monument which was erected in Rome to celebrate the military victories of the Roman emperor Trajan (ruled 98-117 CE) in the Dacian Wars (fought in Transylvania and the Carpathian Mountains) -
Period: 410 to 450
Roman Empire officially splits into West (Rome/Ravenna) and East (Byzantium). Fall of Rome to repeated invasions by Visigoths and Vandals.
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Period: 450 to 1050
The Period of the Dark Ages
is a historical periodization, traditionally referring to the Middle Ages, that asserts that a demographic, cultural and economic deterioration occurred in Western Europe following the decline of the Roman Empire -
Period: 500 to 1200
Beginning of Medieval art
In visual art, the term "Medieval era" (also known as the Middle Ages) describes the period from the Fall of Rome (c.450) in the West, to the Fall of Constantinople (1453) in the East. However, the first centuries (450-1000) - commonly known as the Dark Ages, were marred by barbarian violence and upheaval. During this initial period, the only significant cultural activity that existed took place within isolated monasteries of the young Christian Church. -
Period: 780 to 900
Medieval Christian artworks appear during Pre-Romanesque Era of Carolingian Renaissance under Charlemagne I, Otto I. Byzantine art combines with Western Christian themes to create Illuminated Bible texts
For centuries after the decline of Rome, Western Europe was cloaked in barbarian darkness. No city - not even Rome itself - could compare with the magnificence of Constantinople, Cordoba or Baghdad. Europe produced no science, no schools of medieval art, no architecture to compare with its former achievements. For 600 years (400-1000) it remained a cultural backwater. Only one institution survived: the Church. -
800
Carolingian Art flourishes 750-900. Charlemagne builds famous Palatine Chapel in Aachen
When Charlemagne (742-814) was raised to the exalted rank of Holy Roman Emperor by Pope Leo III on Christmas Day of the year 800 in the old Saint Peter's Basilica, Rome, he gave his name to a period and laid the foundation of a dynasty that was to rule Western Europe for 100 years. Charlemagne (Charles the Great) had been crowned King of the Franks jointly with his younger brother Carloman in 768. -
Period: 900 to 1000
Ottonian Art
Ottonian art was the result of three major influences: a revival of the northern Carolingian artistic heritage, a renewed interest in northern Italian art, and a more direct contact with Byzantine art so brilliantly revived under the Macedonian emperors after the final abandonment of Iconoclasm in 842. The interest in their own Imperial past seems natural enough, and the influence of Italy was the direct result of political involvement with the papacy. -
Period: 1050 to 1150
Kandariya Mahadeva Hindu Temple (Khajuraho) built in Madhya Pradesh, India
Most of the temples at Khajuraho were constructed between 950 and 1050 CE by the Chandela dynasty, who became the most powerful rulers of northern and central India from the 9th to the 12th century, achieving their zenith around 1030. According to historical records, during the 12th century the site had as many as 85 temples spread out over 20 square kilometers.Today, only about 20 temples are still standing. -
Period: 1150 to 1450
Beginning of golden age of Mosan art, Belgium, Era of Gothic art and Gothic architecture.
Mosan Art is a regional style of art from the valley of the Meuse in present-day Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany. Gothic art was a style of medieval art that developed in Northern France out of Romanesque art in the 12th century AD, led by the concurrent development of Gothic architecture. is an architectural style that flourished in Europe during the High and Late Middle Ages -
1346
Zen Ink-Painting dominates Japanese art.
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1387
Era of Ming Dynasty art
In 1368 native Chinese armies drove out the last supporters of the Mongol Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) and established the Ming Dynasty. By comparison with the decline of Chinese art which occurred during the preceding period of Yuan Dynasty art, Ming rule introduced a period of cultural restoration and expansion, leading to a widespread renewal of traditional types of art, such as Chinese pottery , which exceeded even the standards set by Song Dynasty art (960-1279). -
Period: 1400 to 1530
The Renaissance
the Italian Renaissance re-established Western art according to the principles of classical Greek art, especially Greek sculpture and painting, which provided much of the basis for the Grand Tour, and which remained unchallenged until Pablo Picasso and Cubism. -
1432
Golden Age of Flemish painting
Painting became important relatively late in Belgium. There were two periods in which Flemish painting was significant for artistic development in the west: once at the end of the Middle Ages and again in the heyday of Baroque. On both occasions, religious art was a central feature. -
1444
Iconic bronze David made by sculptor Donatello
David is the name given to two sculptures by the early-Renaissance Italian sculptor, Donatello. he David in marble, as presented in this famous artwork, stands in a sophisticated Gothic manner. Although the face appears to be rather blank, as typical of Gothic art styles, David seems quite unaware of his foe’s head that rests firmly between his feet. -
1485
Famous mythological painting: The Birth of Venus by Sandro Botticelli.
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Period: 1490 to 1530
High Renaissance Art
represents the accepted apogee of Renaissance art - the period when the ideals of classical humanism were fully implemented in both painting and sculpture, and when painterly techniques of linear perspective, shading and other methods of realism were mastered. While the preceding Early Renaissance had been centred on Florence and largely paid for by the Medici family, the High Renaissance was centred on Rome and paid for by the Popes. -
1495
The Last Supper by Leonardo Da Vinci.
Leonardo created the effect that the room in which Christ and the apostles are seen was an extension of the refectory. This is quite appropriate, since the Last Supper takes up the basic theme (eating) of the purpose of the refectory. The scene shows us figures in a rectangular room with coffers on the ceiling and tapestries on either side of the room. The room terminates at three windows on end of wall and through the windows we can see into a beautiful landscape setting. -
Period: 1501 to 1504
Highpoint of Italian Renaissance sculpture: Michelangelo creates David in Florence.
In studying the art of sculpture in Italy during this period, it is important to remember that Renaissance sculptors had before their eyes tangible examples of classical Greek sculpture - A prominent figure in Florence, Michelangelo—who was only 26 years old at the time—was commissioned to carve the sculpture as one in a series that would line the roof of the Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore (“Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Flower”). -
Period: 1503 to 1506
Leonardo paints the Mona Lisa,
Mona Lisa, oil painting on a poplar wood panel by the Italian painter, draftsman, sculptor, architect, and engineer Leonardo da Vinci, probably the world’s most-famous painting.it now hangs in the Louvre, in Paris, where it remains an object of pilgrimage in the 21st century. The poplar panel shows evidence of warping and was stabilized in 1951 with the addition of an oak frame and in 1970 with four vertical braces. -
Period: 1530 to
Era of Mannerism
In fine art, the term "Mannerism" (derived from the Italian word 'maniera' meaning style or stylishness) refers to a style of painting, sculpture and (to a lesser extent) architecture, that emerged in Rome and Florence. Mannerism acts as a bridge between the idealized style of Renaissance art and the dramatic theatricality of the Baroque. -
Period: 1534 to 1541
The Last Judgement
The Last Judgement by Michelangelo covers the wall behind the alter in the Sistine Chapel. The work depicts the second coming of Christ and, although the artist is clearly inspired by the Bible, it is his own imaginative vision that prevails in this painting. -
Period: to
Era of Baroque Art and Baroque Architecture
Baroque Art is a period of artistic style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, architecture, literature, dance, theatre, and music. It was characteristic of Baroque architecture that, though examples are to be found almost throughout Europe and Latin America, they differ notably from one country to another. -
Rise of French tapestry art.
Tapestry is an ancient form of textile art which has been practised all over the world for thousands of years. Ancient Egyptians and the Incas used woven tapestries as shrouds in which to bury their dead. The Greeks and Romans used them as wall-coverings for civic buildings and temples like the Parthenon -
Period: to
Era of Romanticism in art
Romanticism (also the Romantic era or the Romantic period) was an artistic, literary, musical and intellectual movement that originated in Europe toward the end of the 18th century, encouraged by the heroic ideals of the French Revolution -
Louis Daguerre takes the first photo
Known also as "photographic art", "artistic photography" and so on, the term "fine art photography" has no universally agreed meaning or definition: rather, it refers to an imprecise category of photographs, created in accordance with the creative vision of the cameraman. The basic idea behind the genre, is that instead of merely capturing a realistic rendition of the subject, the photographer is aiming to produce a more personal - typically more evocative or atmospheric - impression. -
Period: to
Impressionism
was the most important art movement of the 19th century, and its impact extended throughout the world until well into the 20th century. The name derives from a painting exhibited by Monet in 1874, catalogued as "Impression Sunrise". There is no precise definition of the style. Exponents seek to capture the visual impression of a scene, rather than its objective characteristics, and focus on depicting the instantaneous effect of light -
Period: to
The emergence of Realist painting
Life in the middle of the 19th century was completely changed by the growth of science and industry. This resulted in art and taste developing steadily in the direction of realism. To begin with, this new orientation was strongly felt in France and later spread, throughout Europe and still exists today. It became intermingled with early 19th-century art, which was divided between Romanticism and classicism. -
Period: to
Realism
The style of Realist painting spread to almost all genres, including History painting, portraits, genre-painting, and landscapes. For example, landscape artists went out to the provinces in search of the 'real' France, setting up artistic colonies in places like Barbizon, and later at Grez-Sur-Loing, Pont-Aven, and Concarneau. -
Period: to
Era of Modern Art
There is no precise definition of the term "Modern Art": it remains an elastic term, which can accomodate a variety of meanings. This is not too surprising, since we are constantly moving forward in time, and what is considered "modern painting" or "modern sculpture" today, may not be seen as modern in fifty years time. This "Modern era" followed a long period of domination by Renaissance-inspired academic art, promoted by the network of European Academies of Fine Art. -
Period: to
Cubism
In fine art, the term Cubism describes the revolutionary style of painting invented by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque. Their Cubist methods radically redefined the nature and scope of fine art painting and, to a lesser extent, sculpture, as previously practised, and heralded entirely new ways of representing reality.Cubism marks the end of the Renaissance-dominated era, and the beginning of modern art. -
Period: to
Surrealism
Surrealism was "the" fashionable art movement of the inter-war years, and the last major art movement to be associated with the Ecole de Paris, from where it spread across Europe, becoming one of the most influential schools or styles of avant-garde art. Its name derived from the phrase Drame surrealiste, the sub-title of a 1917 play by the writer and art critic Guillaume Apollinaire. -
Abstract Art
The term 'abstract art' - also called "non-objective art", "non-figurative", "non-representational", "geometric abstraction", or "concrete art" - is a rather vague umbrella term for any painting or sculpture which does not portray recognizable objects or scenes. Picasso thought that there was no such thing, while some art critics take the view that all art is abstract - because, for instance, no painting can hope to be more than a crude summary (abstraction) of what the painter sees. -
Pop Art
The term Pop-Art was invented by British curator Lawrence Alloway in 1955, to describe a new form of "Popular" art - a movement characterized by the imagery of consumerism and popular culture. Pop-Art emerged in both New York and London during the mid-1950s and became the dominant avant-garde style until the late 1960s. Characterized by bold, simple, everyday imagery, and vibrant block colours, it was interesting to look at and had a modern "hip" feel. -
Growth of digital art, such as Giclee Prints. General expansion of computer art.
Computer art typically refers to any form of graphic art or digital imagery which is produced with the aid of a computer, or any types of art in which the role of the computer is emphasized. This wide-ranging definition also includes traditional disciplines that use computers - for instance, it encompasses computer-controlled kinetic art (especially sculpture) or computer-generated painting - as well as equivalent forms of applied art (computerized designs, architecture).
