Raffaello Sanzio da Urbin, The School of Athens, 1511
Theres a perfect balance and symmetry. The architecture frames the central figures (Plato and Aristotle) using a clear vanishing point.
This is arguably the most famous fresco of the High Renaissance. It captures the moment God breathes life into Adam, the first human.
The Renaissance moved art away from flat symbolism and toward Humanism—the belief in human potential and the study of the natural world.
From Divine to Human: Artists began depicting humans as independent, emotional, and anatomically correct.
Patronage: Wealthy families like the Medici in Florence funded art to display power and intellectual status.
The "Big Three": Leonardo da Vinci (the scientist), Michelangelo (the sculptor), and Raphael (the master of harmony).
Linear Perspective: Using a vanishing point to create the illusion of 3D space on a 2D surface.
Anatomy: Precise study of the human body to achieve realistic movement and form.
Chiaroscuro: Using extreme light and shadow to make figures look solid and heavy.
Mannerism replaced the balance of the High Renaissance with distortion and drama. It prioritized an artist's unique "manner" (style) over realistic accuracy.
Elongation: Figures have unnaturally long limbs, necks, and small heads.
The S-Curve: Bodies are twisted into complex, "corkscrew" poses (figura serpentinata).
Acidic Colors: Use of clashing, vibrant, or "unnatural" colors (e.g., iridescent pinks and harsh greens).
Crowded Space: Rejection of clear 3D perspective in favor of shallow, tense compositions.
Bronzino: Master of "cold" elegance and porcelain-like skin.
Vasari: Influential painter and the "father of art history."
Pontormo: Known for his chaotic, emotionally charged religious scenes.
It prioritizes elegance and complexity over the simple realism of earlier eras.
Caravaggio, The Calling of Saint Matthew, circa 1599-1600, Contarelli Chapel in Rome
This painting captures the exact moment Jesus inspires Matthew, a tax collector, to follow him. It is the ultimate example of how light can be used as a storytelling tool.
Rembrandt van Rijn, The Anatomy Lesson of Dr Nicolaes Tulp, 1632
Baroque art replaced the "style for style's sake" of Mannerism with intense emotion, grandeur, and cinematic realism. It was designed to overwhelm the senses.
Tenebrism: A dramatic "spotlight" effect where subjects emerge from total darkness.
Movement: Compositions use diagonals rather than stable horizontal lines to create a sense of action.
Realism: Artists moved away from "ideal" beauty, often depicting grit, wrinkles, and raw human emotion.
Caravaggio: Used common people (with dirty feet and weathered skin) as models for religious icons, lit by harsh, single-source light.
Rembrandt: Known for his psychological depth and "golden" light. His brushwork was thick and textured (impasto), adding physical weight to his portraits.
Rococo began in Paris as a reaction against the heavy, dark drama of the Baroque. If Baroque was a grand cathedral, Rococo was a sunlit garden. It shifted the focus from religious power to aristocratic leisure, romance, and playfulness.
Soft Palette: A move from deep reds and golds to pastels; ie mint greens, pale pinks, creams, and sky blues.
Lighthearted Themes: Subject matter usually involved fêtes galantes (outdoor parties of the rich), mythology, and secret romances.
Nature-Inspired: Extensive use of floral motifs, leaves, and vine-like ornamentation.
Watteau used "feathered" brushwork and glowing, fresh colors that make the landscape feel hazy and dreamlike rather than solid.
The Message: It’s an image of fleeting pleasure—graceful, elite, and entirely detached from the "real" world.
Napoleon Crossing the Alps (1801), Jacques-Louis David
The Image of Power: David portrays Napoleon as a calm, idealized hero masterfully controlling a rearing horse; a piece of political propaganda designed to project authority and fearlessness.
As a reaction against the "frivolous" Rococo and the chaos of the French Revolution, Neoclassicism sought to revive the moral and aesthetic values of Ancient Greece and Rome.
Classical Ideals: A focus on symmetry, proportion, and "noble simplicity."
Linear Precision: Sharp outlines and smooth "invisible" brushwork, the opposite of Rococo’s fluffiness.
Heroic Subject Matter: Themes of civic duty, self-sacrifice, and austere patriotism.
Idealism: Figures look like polished marble statues; perfected, stoic, and physically powerful.
Romanticism was an emotional rebellion against the logic of Neoclassicism. It prioritized imagination, passion, and the power of nature over social order and reason.
The "Sublime": A focus on the awe-inspiring and terrifying power of nature.
Psychology & Dreams: An interest in the "dark recesses" of the mind, including nightmares and madness.
Plein Air Painting: Moving out of the studio to paint outdoors, capturing light and atmosphere directly.
Subjectivity: The belief that the artist's personal feelings are more important than objective reality.
William Blake, The Descent of Man into the Vale of Death, 1757
depicts two low-wage laborers in life-sized scale, a format usually reserved for kings or religious icons.
Courbet famously said, "I cannot paint an angel because I have never seen one." He believed that art should only represent things that are "real and existing."
Realism is often called the first modern art movement. It rejected both the "stiff" history of Neoclassicism and the "drama" of Romanticism to focus on the unvarnished truth of contemporary life.
The Rise of Journalism: A new focus on reporting facts and social conditions.
Photography: The 1839 invention of the daguerreotype pushed painters to compete with (or embrace) mechanical accuracy.
Social Change: A desire to show the lives of the working class, who were previously ignored by "High Art"