Artistic Movements Timeline

Baroque 1600-1750

BAROQUE

A form of art and architecture that was popular in Europe in the 17th and early 18th centuries. Baroque art was very ornate, dramatic and realistic. The Palace of Versailles near Paris is considered to be the greatest example of baroque architecture. Caravaggio and Rembrandt were baroque painters.

Romanticism 1780-1850

ROMANTICISM

A style of art popular in the early 19th century. Romantic artists produced exotic, emotional works that portrayed an idealized world and nostalgia for the past. William Blake was a member of the romantic school of painters.

Impressionism 1865-1885

IMPRESSIONISM

A style developed in France during the late 19th century. The impressionists tried to capture an immediate visual interpretation of their subjects by using color rather than lines. Claude Monet and Pierre Auguste Renoir were impressionist painters.

Post-Impressionism 1885-1910

POST

IMPRESSIONISM

The Post-impressionists followed the Impressionists. The movement originated in Paris and was popular in the late 19th century and early 20th century. Post-impressionist painters rebelled against the reality of impressionism and created emotional, personal works. Vincent Van Gogh and Paul Gauguin were post-impressionist painters.

Expressionism 1905-1920

EXPRESSIONISM

Expressionist painters interpreted things around them in exaggerated, distorted and emotional ways. Edvard Munch was one of the best-known Expressionist painters.

Cubism 1907-1914

CUBISM

A style of art that stressed basic abstract geometric forms and often presented the subject from many angles at the same time. Pablo Picasso was a cubist painter.

Surrealism 1916-1950

SURREALISM

Surrealist artists came from all over the world. The movement, popular in the 1920s, drew on images from artists’ eerie imaginations and dreams. Spanish painters Salvador Dalí and Joan Miró were Surrealists.

Abstract Expressionism 1940-1950

ABSTRACT

EXPRESSIONISM

A style developed in the mid-20th century. It emphasized form and color rather than an actual subject. Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning were abstract expressionists.

Pop Art 1950-1960

POP ART

Art movement that emerged in England and the United States after 1950. Pop artists use materials from the everyday world of popular culture, such as comic strips, canned goods, and science fiction. Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein were pop artists.

Minimalism 1960-1970

MINIMALISM

This style was popular from the 1950s through the 1970s. Minimalist paintings and sculpture were very simple, both in how they were presented and what they represented. Richard Serra was a Minimalist artist, and Frank Stella devoted part of his career to Minimalism.