Art Movements Timeline to Know for AP Art & Design

Art movements reflect changing ideas and emotions throughout history. From the humanism of the Renaissance to the playful irony of Postmodernism, each era reveals how art connects with our thoughts and feelings, shaping our understanding of the world.

1. Renaissance (14th-17th centuries)

   • Emphasis on humanism and the study of classical antiquity.
   • Development of linear perspective and realistic human figures.
   • Notable artists include Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Raphael.

2. Baroque (17th-18th centuries)

   • Characterized by dramatic use of light and shadow (chiaroscuro).
   • Emotional intensity and movement in compositions.
   • Prominent artists include Caravaggio, Rembrandt, and Peter Paul Rubens.

3. Neoclassicism (18th-19th centuries)

   • Inspired by the art and culture of ancient Greece and Rome.
   • Focus on order, symmetry, and simplicity.
   • Key figures include Jacques-Louis David and Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres.

4. Romanticism (late 18th-19th centuries)

   • Emphasis on emotion, individualism, and nature.
   • Reaction against the rationalism of the Enlightenment and Neoclassicism.
   • Notable artists include Eugène Delacroix and Caspar David Friedrich.

5. Realism (mid-19th century)

   • Focus on depicting everyday life and ordinary people.
   • Rejection of romanticized subjects and idealism.
   • Key artists include Gustave Courbet and Jean-François Millet.

6. Impressionism (late 19th century)

   • Characterized by loose brushwork and an emphasis on light and color.
   • Focus on capturing a moment in time, often outdoors.
   • Prominent artists include Claude Monet, Edgar Degas, and Pierre-Auguste Renoir.

7. Post-Impressionism (late 19th-early 20th centuries)

   • Expanded on Impressionism with more emphasis on structure and form.
   • Use of bold colors and expressive brushwork.
   • Key figures include Vincent van Gogh, Paul Cézanne, and Georges Seurat.

8. Expressionism (early 20th century)

   • Focus on representing emotional experiences rather than physical reality.
   • Use of vivid colors and distorted forms to convey feelings.
   • Notable artists include Edvard Munch and Wassily Kandinsky.

9. Cubism (early 20th century)

   • Developed by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, breaking objects into geometric shapes.
   • Multiple perspectives presented simultaneously in a single artwork.
   • Influenced the development of abstract art.

10. Surrealism (1920s-1950s)

    • Focus on the unconscious mind and dream imagery.
    • Use of bizarre and illogical scenes to challenge perception.
    • Key figures include Salvador Dalí and René Magritte.

11. Abstract Expressionism (1940s-1950s)

    • Emphasis on spontaneous, automatic, or subconscious creation.
    • Large-scale works that prioritize the act of painting itself.
    • Notable artists include Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko.

12. Pop Art (1950s-1960s)

    • Incorporation of popular culture and mass media into art.
    • Use of commercial techniques and imagery from advertising.
    • Key figures include Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein.

13. Minimalism (1960s-1970s)

    • Focus on simplicity and the use of basic geometric forms.
    • Reduction of art to its essential elements, often using industrial materials.
    • Notable artists include Donald Judd and Agnes Martin.

14. Conceptual Art (1960s-present)

    • Emphasis on the idea or concept behind the artwork rather than the finished product.
    • Often challenges traditional notions of art and its value.
    • Key figures include Sol LeWitt and Marcel Duchamp.

15. Postmodernism (1970s-present)

    • Characterized by a questioning of established narratives and styles.
    • Blending of different styles and media, often with irony and playfulness.
    • Influential artists include Cindy Sherman and Jeff Koons.