In the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, the beginning of the Renaissance, which means rebirth, the oppression of the Medieval ages was lifted. People began to have more freedom of thought and were able to be more creative. Art became more important and not only the nobles and the religious authorities, but the rising middle class of merchants, bankers and contractors were able to commission works of art. Italy was one of the first countries to exhibit signs of the Renaissance through intellectual thought, discoveries, and the new style of art.
During this time, perspective drawing was discovered, adding a three-dimensional effect to art. Many discoveries were made pertaining to human anatomy as well. However, many of the styles retained some aspects of gothic and Romanesque art. Important artists during this time include: Donatello, Piero della Francesca, and Sandro Botticelli.
Soon after the Early Renaissance, the new styles and ways of thinking shifted into high gear. Emotions came to play a large part in artistic impressions. It was during this time that some of the most famous artists from Italy, like Leonardo, Michelangelo. Raphael, and Titian, were born. Albrecht Dürer of Germany was also a famous artist at this time.
In Italy, Medieval and Gothic styles of art were pretty much done away with, and composition and theme became more important. In most other European countries, however, the Gothic style remained prevalent.
Near the end of the 1520s, Italy lost its economic domination. Attitudes changed and the optimistic views of the Renaissance vanished. Art took on a darker tone, and the realism of the Renaissance style was replaced by the fantastic.
Fifty years after the beginning of Mannerism, Baroque art took center stage. At that time, scientific reasoning was replacing faith, however the Roman Catholic Church made reforms and was restored to some extent. The church could not use the often dreary, fantastical art of mannerism, and so Baroque art of the Counter-Reformation was introduced. This style of art was mostly religious in nature and featured "dramatic movement." Painting often conveyed the illusion of depth. Some famous artists from this time include Rembrandt and Caravaggio.
During the same time period, Baroque Classicism in France blended, as the name implies, classicism and baroque styles.
Rococo art began in France after Louis XIV's death in 1715. More freedom was allowed, permitting creativity and self-indulgence in the arts. Classicism was abandoned for a lighter touch, and the artist was allowed more freedom of style as well. Characterized by its complexity and lack of economy with scrollwork and figures covering almost all available space.
As the name implies, Neo-classicism was a return to the classicism of antiquity with the addition of some of Baroque Classicism.
The Romantic movement overlaps the latter part of Neo-classicism. Social and cultural changes in society due to the Industrial Revolution inspired artists to be creative and let go of traditional methods. Rational thought was no longer as dominant in art, and was replaced by emotional expression. Some famous artist of this time are Francisco Goya, and Eugène Delacroix.
Impressionism arose out of the political turmoil in France during the early 1870s. It shows the effect of the light of the sun on objects outside by giving an "impression" of what is there. The painting during that time used a feathery stroke to give the paintings a light and airy texture. Impressionists such as Pissarro, Monet, Renoir, Cézanne, and Degas used modern life as their subject rather than historical events or idealized scenes.
Post-Impressionism consists of more scientific techniques called Pointillism and Divisionism. The former used dabs of color on a white surface while the latter used dabs of color placed closely together to form larger areas of color. One art movement at this time called Symbolism used the imagination as a basis for works of art.
The use of color in unrealistic ways shocked the public when Fauvism was introduced. Bright colors and unpredictability were the hallmarks of Fauvism. Color was used to express feelings. Matisse was a famous painter from this period.
Expressionism started in Germany were a group of artists ventured to make a bridge connecting the art of the day to the art of the future. Like Fauvism, it used color to express emotions.
Cubism started out as being a breakdown of forms to simple geometric shapes like the cone, the cylinder, and the cube. Later, it developed into Analytic Cubism which fragmented the objects like a shattered mirror. Views from different angles were all portrayed on the canvas at the same time, creating the abstract, broken image. The most famous artist of this time was Pablo Picasso.