As long as we humans can use our hands, we create art. From the early cave paintings to the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, human artistic expression can tell us a lot about the lives of the people who created it. To fully appreciate the cultural, social, and historical significance of various works of art, you need to be aware of the broad timeline of art history. This article provides an overview of the many significant eras of artistic creation and the historical contexts from which they emerged.

Epochs of art: where to start?

As long as humanity was conscious of itself, it created art to represent this self. The earliest cave paintings known to us were created about 40,000 years ago. Under the rocks and in the caves we found paintings and drawings of human activity of the Paleolithic era. We can't know exactly the reason why these early humans started making art. Perhaps painting and drawing were a way to record one's life experiences, tell stories to young children, or pass on wisdom from one generation to the next.

Although we have these exquisite examples of early artistic expression, the official history of the periods of art begins only with the Romanesque era. Official Art Age graphics do not include cave paintings, sculptures, and other works of art from the Stone Age or beautiful frescoes created in Egypt and Crete around 2000 BC. The reason for this decision is that these early eras of artistic expression were tied to a relatively small geographical space. The epochs of official art that we will discuss today, on the contrary, cover many countries, often all of Europe, and sometimes North and South America.

Despite the lack of official recognition, these earliest examples of human artistic instinct raise many interesting questions. Why are the animals depicted in cave paintings so much more realistic and vivid than the animals depicted in later eras?

A Brief Overview of the Art Period Timeline

As in many areas of human history, it is impossible to accurately distinguish between different periods of art. The dates given in parentheses below are estimates, based on the development of each movement in several countries. Many periods of art overlap considerably, and some of the later eras occur simultaneously. Some epochs last several thousand years, while others are less than ten. Art is a continuous process of inquiry in which later periods grow out of existing ones.

It may seem strange that our description of the timeline of the art period ended 30 years ago. The notion of an artistic era seems inadequate to encompass the diversity of artistic styles that have grown since the beginning of the 21st century. Some art historians believe that the traditional concept of painting has died in our era of fast-paced lifestyle. We do not take this position. Instead, we continue to share our unique human experience through art, as cavemen did, outside of our modern classification system.

A Comprehensive Timeline of the Art Movement

It's time to dive a little deeper into the social, cultural and historical contexts of each of the individual eras of art that we presented above. You will see how many epochs have adopted the influence of the eras that preceded them. Art, like human consciousness, is constantly evolving. It is also important to note that this timeline of art represents the history of Western and predominantly European art.

The Romanesque period (1000-1300): the exchange of information through art

Art historians generally consider the Romanesque era to be the beginning of the chronology of art history. Romanesque art developed during the rise of Christianity around 1000 AD. At that time, only a small percentage of the European population was literate. The ministers of the Christian church were usually part of this minority, and they needed an alternative method to spread the Bible's message.

Christian objects, stories, deities, saints, and ceremonies were the exclusive subject of most Romanesque paintings. Romanesque paintings, intended to educate the masses about the values and beliefs of the Christian church, were meant to be simple and easy to read.

As a result, Romanesque works of art are simple, with bold contours and clean areas of color. Romanesque paintings lack depth of perspective, and images rarely represent natural scenes. Romanesque paintings could take several different forms, including wall paintings, mosaics, panels, and book paintings.

Because of the Christian purpose, Romanesque paintings are almost always symbolic. The relative importance of the figures in the paintings is shown by their size, with the more important figures appearing much larger. You can see that human faces are often distorted, and the stories depicted in these paintings have a high emotional value. Romanesque paintings often depict mythological creatures such as dragons and angels, and almost always appear in churches.

At the most fundamental level, the paintings of the Romanesque period serve the purpose of spreading the word of the Bible and Christianity. The name of this artistic era derives from the round arches used in Roman architecture, often found in churches of the time.

Gothic era (1100-1500): freedom and fear unite

One of the most famous eras, Gothic art grew out of the Romanesque period in France and is an expression of the two opposing feelings of the era. On the one hand, people experienced and celebrated a new level of freedom of thought and religious understanding. On the other hand, there was the fear that the world would come to an end. You can clearly see the expression of these two opposing tensions in the art of the Gothic period.

As in the Romanesque period, Christianity was at the heart of the tensions of the Gothic era. As there was more freedom of thought and many opposed conformity, the subjects of the paintings became more diverse. The stronghold of the church began to dissipate.

Gothic paintings depicted scenes from a person's real life, such as working in the fields and hunting. The focus shifted away from divine beings and mystical beings, as more attention was paid to the intricacies of what it means to be human.

Human figures attracted much more attention in the Gothic period. Gothic painters fleshed out human faces as they became more individual, less two-dimensional, and less inanimate. It is believed that the development of three-dimensional perspective contributed to this change. Artists also paid more attention to things of personal value, such as clothes, which they realistically painted with beautiful pleats.

Many historians believe that part of the reason why art objects became more diverse during the Gothic era was due to the increase in surface area for painting in churches. Gothic churches were more extensive than churches of the Romanesque period, which is believed to represent the increased sense of freedom at the time.

Along with the newfound freedom of artistic expression, there was a deep fear of the coming end of the world. It is assumed that this was accompanied by a gradual decline in faith in the church, and this, in turn, may have spurred the spread of art outside the church. In fact, by the end of the Gothic era, the works of Hieronymus von Bosch, Bruegel and others were unsuitable for placement in the church.

We do not know of many individual artists who painted in the Romanesque period, since art was not about who painted it, but about what message it carried. Thus, the departure from the church can also be seen in the huge increase in the number of famous artists of the Gothic period, including Giotto di Bondone. Art schools began to appear in France, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands and other parts of Europe.

The Renaissance (1420-1520): The awakening of an age of art that never existed

The Renaissance is arguably one of the most famous, featuring artists such as Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci. This era continued to focus on the individual as a source of inspiration and was influenced by the art and philosophy of the ancient Romans and Greeks. The Renaissance can be seen as a cultural revival.

Part of this cultural revival was a return of attention to the natural and realistic world in which people lived. Three-dimensional perspective became even more important to Renaissance art, as Michelangelo's statue of David accurately demonstrates. This statue dates back to the works of the ancient Greeks, as it was created consciously so that it could be seen from all angles. The statues of the last two eras were two-dimensional, designed to be viewed only from the front.

The same three-dimensional perspective is transferred to the Renaissance paintings. The murals, invented about 3000,<> years ago, have been given new life by Renaissance artists. Scenes have become more complex, and the depiction of people has become more subtle. Renaissance artists depicted human bodies and faces in three dimensions, with an emphasis on realism. The paint used during the Renaissance also represented a transition from tempera paints to oil paints. The Renaissance period is often considered the beginning of the great Dutch landscapes.

Mannerism (1520-1600): A Window into the Future of Kitsch

Of course, this headline is somewhat comic. Not all art created in this era is what we understand today as "kitsch". What we understand today by kitsch is often artificial, cheaply made and devoid of a special "classic" taste. Instead, the reason we describe the art of this period as kitsch is due to its characteristic relative exaggeration. Through the newfound freedom of human expression during the Renaissance, artists began to explore their own unique and individual artistic style or manner.

Michelangelo himself, in fact, is not free from the exaggeration that distinguishes this era. Some art historians do not consider some of his later paintings to be works of the Renaissance. The expression of feelings and human gestures, even articles of clothing, in mannerist paintings is deliberately exaggerated.

The small S-shaped curve of the human body, characteristic of the Renaissance style, is transformed into an unnatural curve of the body. It is the first European style that attracted artists from all over Europe to their homeland of Italy.

The Baroque Era (1590-1760): The Glorification of Power and the Deception of Vision

The development of art, which glorifies the life of people over the power of the divine, continued into the Baroque era. Kings, princes, and even popes began to prefer that their own power and prestige be celebrated through art rather than the authority of God. The excessive exaggeration that classified Mannerism continued into the Baroque period, when scenes of paintings became increasingly unrealistic and magnificent.

Baroque paintings often depicted scenes in which kings ascended to heaven, mingled with angels, and approached the divinity and power of God. Here we can really see the progress of human conceit, and although the theme does not completely move away from religious symbolism, the person is increasingly becoming a central force in the compositions.

New materials that celebrate wealth and status, such as gold and marble, become valuable materials for sculptures. The opposites of light and dark, warm and cold colors, symbols of good and evil are emphasized beyond what happens in nature. Art academies have sprung up as art has become a way to showcase one's wealth, power, and status.

The era of Rococo art (1725-1780): lightness and airiness, French fantasy

Rococo paintings are typical of the French aristocracy of the time. The name comes from the French word rocaille, which means "shell". The solid forms characteristic of the Baroque period softened into light, air and desire. The paintings of this era were no longer strong and powerful, but light and playful.

The colors were lighter and brighter, in some cases almost transparent. Many works of art from this period ignored religious themes, although some artists, such as Tiepolo, did create frescoes in many churches.

Like the attitude of the French aristocracy of that time, the art of the Rococo period is completely removed from social reality. The shepherd's idyll became the theme of this period, presenting life as easy and carefree, without the limitations of economic or social difficulties.

Classicism (1770-1840): A Return to Classical Times

Classicism, like the Rococo era, began in France around 1770. However, unlike the Rococo era, classicism returned to earlier, more serious styles of artistic expression. Similar to the Renaissance, Classisim drew inspiration from classical Roman and Greek art.

Art created in the era of classicism returned to strict forms, two-dimensional colors, human figures. The tone of these paintings was undoubtedly strict. Colors have lost their symbolism. The art created during this era was used internationally to instill a sense of patriotism in the people of every nation. Parts of classicism include Louis-Siz, Empire, and Biedermeier.

Romanticism (1790-1850): Escape from the harshness of it all

The dates show that this artistic era occurred at about the same time as classicism. Romanticism is often seen as an emotionally charged reaction to the harsh nature of classicism. In contrast to the austere and realistic nature of the Classicist era, the paintings of the Romantic era were much more sentimental.

Study of the intangible; Emotions and the subconscious took center stage. Around this time, people started hiking in an attempt to explore the natural world. However, they set out to discover not the true reality of the natural world, but how it made them feel.

In the art of the Romantic era, there is no tangible or precisely defined style. English and French artists tended to focus on the effects of shadow and light, while the art created by German artists had for them a great seriousness of thought. Romantic artists were often criticized and even ridiculed for their interpretation of the world around them.

Realism (1850-1925): objectivity over subjectivity

Just as the era of romanticism was a reactionary movement in relation to the previous period of classicism, so realism is a reaction to romanticism. In contrast to the beautiful and deeply emotional content of romantic paintings, realist artists represented both good and beautiful, ugly and evil. The reality of the world is presented by realist artists without embellishment.

These artists try to show the world, people, nature and animals as they really are. The emphasis is on "the duty of art to be true," as Gustave Courbet put it.

Like romanticism, realism was not popular with everyone. The paintings are not particularly pleasing to the eye, and some critics have pointed out that, despite the artist's claims of realism, the erotic scenes somehow overlook real eroticism. Goethe criticizes realism, saying that art should be ideal, not realistic. Schiller, too, calls realism "mean", pointing to the sharpness that many paintings depict.

Impressionism (1850-1895): a harbinger of the era of modern art

Historians often portray the Impressionist movement as the beginning of the modern era. Impressionist art is said to have put an end to classical music and other classical art forms. Impressionism is also, perhaps, after Cubism, one of the most easily recognizable artistic periods. Thanks to artists such as Claude Monet and Vincent van Gough, Impressionism broke away from the fluid brushstrokes and areas of solid color that characterized many periods of art before it.

Initially, the word "impressionism" was like a curse word in the art world, and critics believed that these artists did not paint with technique, but simply smeared paint on the canvas. The strokes were indeed significantly different from those before them, sometimes becoming violently wild. Clear shapes and lines disappeared in a whirlwind of colors. Individual dots of completely new colors were collected, especially in the pointillism variety of Impressionist paintings. The plots of the paintings of the Impressionists could often be recognized only at a distance.

A significant change that occurred in the era of the Impressionists was that painting began to take place "en plein air" or outside. Much of the Impressionist artist's ability to capture the complex and ever-changing colors of the natural world was the result of this shift.

Impressionist painters also began to move away from the desire to lecture and teach, preferring to create art for art's sake. Galleries and international exhibitions became increasingly important.

Symbolism (1890-1920): Always More Than Meets the Eye

During this period, the era of symbolism began in France. Artists became preoccupied with the representation of feelings and thoughts through objects. The favorite themes of the symbolism movement were death, illness, sin, and passion. The forms were mostly clear, which, according to art historians, anticipated the Art Nouveau era.

Art Nouveau (1890-1910): Gustav Klimt's Pure Gold

Although Gustav Klimt was by no means the most important artist in the Art Nouveau movement, he is one of the most famous. His style perfectly reflects the Art Nouveau movement with soft curved lines, lots of colors and stylistic characterization of human figures. In many countries, this style is known as the Secession style.

Art created during the Art Nouveau period includes a lot of symmetry and is characterized by playfulness and youth. There is a lot of political content in the Art Nouveau style, although many critics ignore it and contrast it with decorative aspects. Through Art Nouveau art, artists tried to bring nature back to industrial cities.

Expressionism (1890-1914): Sharpening Political Sharpness to Controversy

In the era of expressionist art, we again see a revival of the importance of expressing subjective feelings. The artists of this movement were not interested in naturalism or how things look on the outside. As a result, in some expressionist paintings there is a certain shade of aggression, often archaic and slightly wild.

Expressionism originated in Germany and is intended to oppose impressionism. By the outbreak of World War I, expressionist paintings had acquired an unsettling intensity. Designed to critique power and the established social order, Expressionism disseminated these political ideas through paint. Art began to become political.

Cubism (1906-1914): breaking things apart and putting them back together

Beginning with two artists, Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, the Cubist movement was based on fragmentation, geometric shapes, and multiple perspectives. The spatial planes of everyday objects were divided into various geometric segments and assembled together in such a way that the object was presented simultaneously from several sides.

Cubism was a rejection of all the rules of traditional Western painting and had a strong influence on subsequent styles of art.

Futurism (1909-1945): Artistic Anarchism

Futurism is not so much an artistic style as it is an artistically inspired political movement. Founded by Tommaso Marinetti's Futurist Manifesto, which rejected social organization and Christian morality, the era of Futurism was full of chaos, hostility, aggression and anger. Although Marinetti was not an artist himself, painting became the most visible art form in the Futurist movement.

These artists vehemently rejected the rules of classical painting, considering suspicious and dangerous everything that was passed down from generation to generation (beliefs, traditions, religion). The militant nature of the futurist movement has led many people to consider it too close to fascism.

Dadaism (1912–1920): The True Reality That Life Is Nonsense

Dada means a lot and nothing at all. Writer Hugo Ball discovered that this little word has several different meanings in different languages and at the same time, as a word, it means nothing at all. The Dadaism movement is based on the concepts of illogic and provocation and was seen not only as an artistic, but also as an anti-war movement.

The illogic of existing rules, norms, traditions, and values has been questioned by the Dadaist movement. The art movement encompassed several forms of art, including writing, poetry, dance, and performing arts. Part of the movement was to question what could be classified as "art."

Dadaism represents the beginning of an art of action in which painting becomes more than just a portrait of reality, but rather an amalgamation of the social, cultural and subjective parts of human existence.

Surrealism (1920-1930): Things Get Even Weirder

As if the pure illogical nature of the Dadaist movement weren't outlandish enough, the Surrealists saw the dream world as the source of all truth. One of the most famous surrealist painters is Salvador Dalí, and you surely know his painting The Melting Clock (1954).

Surrealism is inherently psychoanalytic, and many surrealist artists painted directly from their dreams. Sometimes dealing with uncomfortable concepts, hidden desires, and taboos, Surrealism was a direct critique of the bourgeoisie's ingrained ideas and beliefs. As you can imagine, this style of art was not popular when it was born, but it has greatly influenced the world of contemporary art.

The New Objectivity (1925-1965): Cold and Technical

As the Surrealists tried to move away from the world of physical, concrete, and visible objects, the New Objectivity movement turned to these ideas. Many of the themes of the new objective art were social criticism. The storm of war forced many people to look for some order to grasp, and this can be clearly seen in the art of New Objectivity.

The images featured in New Objectivity were often cold, emotionless, and technical, with radios and light bulbs being her favorite subjects. As is the case with many contemporary movements in art, the New Objectivity movement had several different directions.

Abstract Expressionism (1948-1962): A Departure from Europe

It is believed that abstract expressionism is the first movement in art that originated outside of Europe. Originating in North America, Abstract Expressionism focused on color field painting and action paintings. Instead of using canvas and brush, buckets of paint were poured onto the ground, and artists used their fingers to create images.

With famous artists like Mark Tobey and Jackson Pollock, this art movement was different from anything before it. The application of paint was sometimes so thick that the finished work took on a form unlike any of the previous paintings. Abstract expressionism spread throughout Europe. As with all art, there are always critics, and conservative Americans during the Cold War called it "un-American."

Pop Art (1955–1969): Art Is Everything

For pop art artists, everything in the world was art. From advertisements to cans, toothpaste, and toilets, it's all art. Pop art developed simultaneously in the United States and England and is characterized by uniform color blocks, clear lines and contours. Painting and graphics were influenced by photorealism and serial printing. One of the most famous artists of English pop music is David Hockney, although only a few of his lifetime paintings belong to this movement.

Neo-Expressionism (1980-1989): Contemporary Art

Beginning in the 1980s, Neo-Expressionism emerged with large-format representational and life-affirming paintings. Berlin was the center of this new movement, and designs usually depicted cities and big city life. The name Neo-Expressionism came from Fauvism, and although artists in Berlin disbanded in 1989, some artists continued to paint in this style in New York.

Art is a fundamental part of what it means to be human. Many of the challenges and joys we experience can only be accurately conveyed through artistic expression. We hope this brief overview of the art period timeline has helped you better understand the contexts surrounding some of the most famous works of art created by humanity.