Western painting

Western painting has a long and rich history that stretches from ancient times to today. For a long time, it focused on creating images that looked like real life and followed traditional ways of making art. Later, new styles like modern, abstract, and conceptual art became popular.

At first, Western painters created artwork for emperors, private homes, cities, and churches. Over time, their work also interested kings and queens and people from the middle class. During the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, painters mainly worked for the church and very rich families. But during the Baroque period, more artists began to get jobs from ordinary people who were becoming richer and more educated.

The Renaissance was a special time for Western painting, especially in Europe. It was when artists learned new ways to draw, use perspective, and create amazing buildings, tapestries, stained glass, and sculptures. This period happened just before and after the printing press was invented. After the Renaissance, Western painting kept growing and changing from the Baroque period all the way to modern times today.

Pre-history

See also: Prehistoric art

The story of painting begins with ancient artists from long ago, found in places around the world. The oldest known paintings are inside the Grotte Chauvet in France, thought to be about 32,000 years old. These paintings use red ochre and black paint to show animals like horses, lions, and buffalo, as well as people.

These early cave paintings from Europe share similar themes with paintings found in other parts of the world. People at that time may have painted animals to help them in hunting, or to show respect for nature, or simply because they wanted to express their thoughts and experiences.

Greece and Rome

See also: Ancient art

The art of ancient Greece and Rome includes many beautiful paintings and drawings. Some of the oldest surviving paintings come from places like Knossos and Pitsa panels. These show scenes from daily life, stories, and important events.

In Greece, artists painted on pottery, creating designs in black and red. Famous Greek artists like Apelles and Zeuxis were known for their realistic paintings, though most of their work has not survived. Roman artists learned from the Greeks and created wall paintings and frescos, especially in places like Pompeii and Herculaneum. These paintings show many different scenes, from everyday life to myths and stories.

Bronze Age Aegean Civilizations

Minoan painting is the art made by the people of the Bronze Age on the island of Crete. From around 3000 to 1100 BC, they created beautiful paintings, especially on walls and pottery. Their art shows landscapes, people, and animals, and was influenced by nearby cultures like Ancient Egypt.

The best collections of Minoan art are in museums, such as the Heraklion Archaeological Museum. Minoan art helped shape later Greek art, even after Crete was ruled by other people.

Classical Antiquity

Around 1100 BC, new tribes changed the art of Greece. Greek artists became famous for painting on pottery, using black and red designs to show scenes from life and stories. Though most paintings on wood have not survived, writers from long ago tell us about great artists like Apelles, who were known for their skill.

Roman artists were inspired by Greek art but created their own styles. They painted walls in homes, especially in places like Pompeii, showing scenes that looked real, like tricks of the eye. Some of the few surviving portraits from ancient times come from Egypt, giving us a glimpse of how skilled these artists were.

Middle Ages

Main articles: Medieval art, Byzantine art, Illuminated manuscript, Middle Ages, and Dark Ages (historiography)

The Middle Ages brought big changes to painting, especially with the rise of Christianity. In places like the Byzantine Empire, artists focused on creating icons — special religious paintings — that followed strict traditions. These icons felt very formal and serious, like holy pictures meant to show divine power. Even though many colorful wall paintings existed, most didn’t survive, but we still have beautiful tile pictures called mosaics.

In Europe, early paintings were often small and found in books called illuminated manuscripts. One famous example is the Book of Kells, full of detailed designs and pictures. Over time, paintings began to show more realistic scenes and feelings. Two important artists, Cimabue and Giotto, helped start this change by making their paintings look more like real life. Churches also started using colorful stained glass windows to tell stories and brighten their spaces. As societies grew wealthier, artists began painting for noble families and wealthy city people, creating a style known as International Gothic.

Early modern period

Renaissance and Mannerism

Main articles: Renaissance painting, Italian Renaissance painting, Early Netherlandish painting, Dutch and Flemish Renaissance painting, Mannerism, and High Renaissance

The Renaissance, meaning 'rebirth,' was a cultural movement from the 1400s to the mid-1600s. It began with new ways of painting that made pictures look more real. Artists in Italy and the Low Countries developed these new styles separately.

In the Low Countries, artists became very good at painting objects in a natural way. They used a new kind of paint called oil paint, which allowed them to create richer colors and glowing light effects. This made their paintings very different from the older, flatter styles.

In Italy, artists were inspired by ancient Roman art. They focused on making their paintings balanced and ideal. Famous artists like Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Raphael used new techniques to make their paintings more realistic and detailed.

Later, a style called Mannerism developed. Instead of balanced and calm paintings, Mannerist artists liked to create unstable and dramatic compositions. This style was popular in Italy and also spread to other parts of Europe.

Baroque and Rococo

Main articles: Baroque, Baroque painting, Rococo, Quadratura, Dutch Golden Age painting, and Flemish Baroque painting

Baroque painting began around 1600 and lasted through the 1600s. It was known for its drama, rich colors, and strong contrasts of light and dark. Artists like Caravaggio and Rembrandt were famous for their realistic styles and emotional scenes.

In the 1700s, Rococo painting developed as a lighter style. It used soft colors and often depicted playful or romantic scenes. Artists like Antoine Watteau and François Boucher were key figures in this movement. Rococo spread across Europe, influencing many artists and becoming popular in palaces and homes.

Eventually, Rococo gave way to Neoclassicism, which focused on order and seriousness, reflecting the ideals of the French Revolution.

19th century

Main articles: Neoclassicism, History painting, Romanticism, Impressionism, Post Impressionism, and Symbolism

After the Rococo period, a style called neo-classicism became popular in the late 1700s. This style was serious and strict, with artists like David and Ingres leading the way. Ingres' work began to show hints of Romanticism, which focused on strong feelings and drama.

By the middle of the 1800s, painters were no longer limited to painting only religious, historical, or mythological scenes. They began to express themselves more freely. Artists like Francisco Goya, John Constable, and J. M. W. Turner helped make landscape painting more important. Other famous painters from this time include Eugène Delacroix, Théodore Géricault, and Caspar David Friedrich.

A new style called Realism began with Gustave Courbet, who painted everyday people in a very honest way. This style influenced many younger artists. The Barbizon School, led by Jean-François Millet, also focused on realistic scenes of nature and farm life.

Impressionism started in the latter part of the 19th century with artists like Édouard Manet, Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Camille Pissarro, and Edgar Degas. They painted what they saw in the moment, often outdoors, using bright colors and loose brushstrokes. They focused on light and how it changed throughout the day.

Post-Impressionists like Paul Cézanne, Vincent van Gogh, Paul Gauguin, and Georges-Pierre Seurat pushed art even further. They explored new ways of using color and form, leading toward modern art styles. Impressionism influenced painters all over the world, including in the United States, where artists like Childe Hassam and John Singer Sargent were inspired.

Symbolist painters, such as Gustave Moreau and Odilon Redon, used dreams and myths to create deep, meaningful paintings. Their work inspired later artists, including those who worked in styles like Art Nouveau and Les Nabis.

20th century

Main article: 20th-century Western painting

The legacy of artists like Van Gogh, Cézanne, Gauguin, and Seurat was vital for the growth of modern art. At the start of the 20th century, Henri Matisse and several young artists, including Georges Braque, André Derain, Raoul Dufy, and Maurice de Vlaminck, changed the art world in Paris with bright, colorful, expressive landscapes and figure paintings. This style was called Fauvism. Matisse’s version of The Dance shows his growing interest in simple, strong art forms.

Pablo Picasso began Cubism based on Cézanne’s idea that nature can be shown using basic shapes like cubes, spheres, and cones. With Les Demoiselles d'Avignon (1907), Picasso created a bold new style. Cubism was developed together by Picasso and Georges Braque from about 1908 to 1912.

The Salon d'Automne in 1905 brought attention to Matisse and Fauvism. The group got its name after a critic described their work as “wild beasts.”

In the early 20th century, many new art movements appeared, including Futurism, Abstract art, Der Blaue Reiter, Bauhaus, Orphism, Synchromism, De Stijl, Suprematism, Constructivism, Dadaism, and Surrealism. Modern painting influenced many other arts, like architecture, film, and dance.

Fauvism, Der Blaue Reiter, Die Brücke

Main articles: Fauvism, Der Blaue Reiter, and Die Brücke

Fauvism was a group of early 20th-century artists who used strong colors and simple shapes. The leaders were Henri Matisse and André Derain. Fauvism lasted from 1905 to 1907 and had only three exhibitions. Matisse’s 1905 painting The Green Stripe was very noticeable in Paris.

Die Brücke was a group of German artists formed in Dresden in 1905. The members included Fritz Bleyl, Erich Heckel, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, and Karl Schmidt-Rottluff. Later members were Max Pechstein and Otto Mueller. They had a big effect on modern art.

Der Blaue Reiter was a German art movement from 1911 to 1914. It was started by Wassily Kandinsky, Franz Marc, August Macke, Alexej von Jawlensky, Marianne von Werefkin, and Lyonel Feininger. They formed the group after Kandinsky’s painting Last Judgement was rejected from an exhibition.

Expressionism, Symbolism, American Modernism, Bauhaus

Main articles: Expressionism, Symbolism (arts), American Modernism, Modernism, and Bauhaus

Expressionism and Symbolism were important in 20th-century painting. They included many movements in Western, Eastern, and Northern Europe. Fauvism, Die Brücke, and Der Blaue Reiter are well-known groups of Expressionist and Symbolist painters. Artists like Marc Chagall, Gustav Klimt, Egon Schiele, and Edvard Munch were influential.

American artists between the World Wars often went to Europe for recognition. Artists like Marsden Hartley, Patrick Henry Bruce, and Stuart Davis created reputations there. During the 1920s, photographer Alfred Stieglitz showed artists like Georgia O'Keeffe and Arthur Dove in his New York gallery.

Pioneers of abstraction

Wassily Kandinsky is often seen as the first important modern abstract painter. He believed that abstract art could express deep feelings, like music. Other early abstract artists include Hilma af Klint, Kazimir Malevich, and Paul Klee. Robert Delaunay was a French artist linked to Orphism, known for his use of color and shape.

Dada and Surrealism

Marcel Duchamp became famous after the New York City Armory Show in 1913 with his painting Nude Descending a Staircase, No. 2. He was linked to the Dada movement, which started in Zürich, Switzerland during World War I. Dada included artists like Francis Picabia, Man Ray, and Kurt Schwitters.

In 1924, André Breton published the Surrealist Manifesto. Surrealism became a major art movement, with artists like Yves Tanguy, René Magritte, and Salvador Dalí.

Neue Sachlichkeit, Social realism, regionalism, American Scene painting, Symbolism

In Germany, Neue Sachlichkeit (“New Objectivity”) emerged as artists like Max Beckmann, Otto Dix, and George Grosz made politically charged paintings.

During the Great Depression and World War II, American art was influenced by Social Realism and American Scene Painting. Regionalism was also popular, with artists like Ben Shahn, Thomas Hart Benton, and Grant Wood.

Abstract expressionism

The 1940s in New York City saw the rise of American abstract expressionism. Artists like Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, and Mark Rothko were key figures. Abstract expressionism was influenced by Surrealism and European Modernists.

Realism, Landscape, Seascape, Figuration, Still-Life, Cityscape

During the 1930s to 1960s, while abstract painting grew, many artists continued to work in realistic styles. Artists like Edward Hopper and Andrew Wyeth created famous paintings in these areas.

Pop art

Pop art began in the mid-1950s in New York City with artists like Robert Rauschenberg and Jasper Johns. By the 1960s, it became a major movement with artists like Andy Warhol, Claes Oldenburg, and Roy Lichtenstein. Pop art combined everyday objects and images with fine art.

Art Brut, New Realism, Bay Area Figurative Movement, Neo-Dada, Photorealism

In the 1950s and 1960s, some artists reacted against abstraction with movements like Art brut, Fluxus, Neo-Dada, and New Realism. The Bay Area Figurative Movement in California was an important example.

Geometric abstraction, Op Art, Hard-Edge, Color field, Minimal Art, New Realism

During the 1960s and 1970s, abstract painting developed in many ways. Geometric abstraction, Op art, hard-edge painting, Color Field painting, and Minimal Art were some of the directions. Artists like Josef Albers and Frank Stella were influential.

Shaped canvas, Washington Color School, Abstract Illusionism, Lyrical Abstraction

Color Field painting led to new directions in American art. Artists like Clyfford Still, Mark Rothko, and Morris Louis used color in powerful ways. The Washington Color School was another group using Color Field techniques.

Lyrical Abstraction began in the mid-1960s as artists returned to expressive, process-oriented painting. It included artists like Dan Christensen and Ronnie Landfield.

Abstract Illusionism, Monochrome, Minimalism, Postminimalism

One of the first artists linked to Minimalism was Frank Stella. Other artists like Larry Poons and Kenneth Noland explored stripes, monochromatic, and hard-edge styles. Minimalism often moved away from painting toward sculpture.

Neo-expressionism

In the late 1960s, Philip Guston helped shift from abstract expressionism to Neo-expressionism. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Neo-expressionism became popular in Europe and the UK. Artists like Gerhard Richter and Jean-Michel Basquiat worked in this style.

Contemporary painting

Main articles: Contemporary art, Postmodern art, and Late Modernism

During the 20th and 21st centuries, as new types of art like Modern and Postmodern styles appeared, the difference between what people call serious art and more everyday art began to blur. This happened because modern art often mixes with popular culture.

Many artists in this time stopped focusing only on traditional painting and instead chose many different kinds of art. One art expert said that during this time, there was a feeling that anything could be art, which sometimes made it hard to know what was really happening in the art world.