Our page banner is a detail from the Surrealist painting 'Time Transfixed', (1938) by René Magritte.
Art History Timelines
Art History Timelines
- Our art history timelines are a shortcut to understanding the progress of art over many centuries.
- They track the emergence of art movements and offer a simple explanation of the major styles from 1150-1975.
- In order to fully appreciate the work of any artist or art movement it is necessary to understand its position in the art history timeline. Most new artwork is a reaction against or development of a previous style in the timeline.
Western Art Timelines
- Our Western Art Timelines give you information about the artists, movements and styles in Western art from around 1150 to 1880.
- They offer a brief explanation of the most important styles from Gothic Art to Realism. They also list the major artists and illustrate a key painting from each movement.
Western Art Timeline 1 (1120-1600): Gothic Art (1150-1400), International Gothic (1375-1425), the Early Renaissance (1400-1450), the High Renaissance (1480-1520), Mannerism (1520-1580) and the Northern Renaissance (1420-1520).
- Western Art Timeline 2 (1600-1880): Baroque (1600-1700), Rococo (1700-1775), Dutch Art (1620-1670), Neo-Classicism (1765-1850), Romanticism (1765-1850), Realism (1840-1880) and the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood (1848-1854).
Modern Art Timelines
- Our Modern Art Timelines give you information about the artists, movements and styles of Modernism from around 1870 to 1975.
- They help you to understand a century of modern art from Impressionism to Minimalism. They also list the major artists and illustrate a key work from each movement.
Modern Art Timeline 1 (1870-1931): Impressionism (1870-1890), Post Impressionism (1885-1905), Fauvism (1905-1910), German Expressionism (1905-1925), Cubism (1907-1915), Futurism (1909-1914), Abstract Art (1907-), Constructivism (1913-1930), Suprematism (1915-1925) and De Stijl (1917-1931).
Modern Art Timeline 2 (1916-1975): Dada (1916-1922), Surrealism (1924-1939), Abstract Expressionism (1946-1956), Pop Art (1954-1970), Op Art (1964-1970) and Minimalism (1960-1975).