Art History 101

Articles Index

Paleolithic Art - Art History 101 Basics
For the purposes of Art History, when we refer to "Paleolithic" art, we're talking about the Late Upper Paleolithic period. This began roughly around 40,000 years ago and lasted through the Pleistocene ice age, the end of which is commonly thought to have occurred near 8,000 B.C. (give or take a few centuries). This period was marked by the rise of Homo Sapiens and their abilities to create tools and weapons.

The Proto-Renaissance - Art History 101 Basics
When studying the Pre- or "Proto"-Renaissance period, three important factors should be considered: Where this happened, what people were thinking and how art started to change.

The Renaissance in Northern Europe - Art History 101 Basics
When we talk about the Northern Renaissance, what we actually mean is "Renaissance happenings that occurred within Europe, but outside of Italy." Because the most innovative art was created in France, the Netherlands and Germany during this time, and because all of these places are north of Italy, the "Northern" tag has stuck.

Performance Art - Art History 101 Basics
The term "Performance Art" got its start in the 1960s in the United States. It was originally used to describe any live artistic event that included poets, musicians, film makers, etc. - in addition to visual artists.

The Renaissance in Venice - Art History 101 Basics
During the Renaissance Venice gave birth to a distinct school of painting. There was just something about the light there that begged to be captured on canvas.

The High Renaissance in Italy - Art History 101 Basics
Bidding Florence both huge thanks and a fond farewell, let's get right down to defining the who-s, what-s and when-s of the "High" Renaissance.

Early Italian Renaissance Art - Art History 101 Basics
The "Early Renaissance" was all about Florence. Firenze, as it's known to those who live there, was the place in which to launch one's artistic career in 15th-century Italy.

Op Art - Art History 101 Basics
In October of 1964, in an article describing this new style of art, Time Magazine coined the phrase "Optical Art" (or "Op Art", as it's more commonly known). The term referenced the fact that Op Art is comprised of illusion, and often appears - to the human eye - to be moving or breathing due to its precise, mathematically-based composition.

Mesolithic Art - Art History 101 Basics
Otherwise known as "Middle Stone Age," the Mesolithic period covered a brief span of around 2,000 years. While it served as an important bridge between the Upper Paleolithic and Neolithic ages, the art of this period was, well, sort of boring.

The Italian Late Renaissance and Mannerism - Art History 101 Basics
Mannerism, a phrase coined in the 20th-century, is what happened artistically during the "Late" Renaissance (otherwise known as the years between Raphael's death and the beginning of the Baroque phase in 1600).

Dada - Art History 101 Basics
Dada was, officially, not a movement, its artists not artists and its art not art. That sounds easy enough, doesn't it? Of course, there is a bit more to the story of Dadaism than this simplistic explanation.

Art History 101 - The High Northern Renaissance
The first half of the 16th century saw the North enjoying its own High Renaissance. The primary reason this came about can be summed up in two words: Albrecht Dürer.

Art History 101 - The Renaissance
We all know what the Renaissance was: Michelangelo, Leonardo, Raphael and company created some fabulous paintings and sculptures that we continue to marvel over many centuries later and so on and so forth. Was it really that simple?