STYLE | FEATURES | APPROX. DATES |
Abstract Art | Non-representational work, or displaying a highly organised representation | 20th century |
Abstract Expressionism | American movement; non-representational, inspired by colour and texture of paint | 1940s-1950s |
Action Painting | Non-representational; paint is thrown or splashed onto the canvas | later 20th century |
Art Nouveau | Principally a style of applied arts;characterised by sinuous natural forms | late 19th century |
Baroque | Extravagant and highly decorative work associated with religious and classical subjects | c.1600-1720 |
Constructivism | Originated in Russia; use of materials such as steel, plastic, glass | 20th century |
Cubism | Subject displayed simultaneously from different viewpoints | 1908-1920s |
Dada | Anti-rationalist and deliberately shocking, a nihilistic movement that arose after World War I | 1916-1922 |
Dutch School | Seascapes, landscapes, portraits and interiors and still life celebrating peace and prosperity | 17th century |
Expressionism | The representation of emotion rather than form, often distorted and exaggerated | early 20th century |
Fauvism | Non-representational; flat composition with distorted shapes and strong colours | Early 20th century |
Gothic | Christian art characterised by religious subjects, stylised figures in flowing garments | 12th-16th century |
High Renaissance | Religious and classical subjects, fine figure painting; Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael | 1490-1520 |
Impressionism | Create a vital and immediate impression of a scene without unnecessary detail | from 1860s |
International Gothic | Highly detailed and brilliantly coloured, characterised by gracefully elongated figures | c.1375-1425 |
Mannerism | Religious and classical subjects, often dramatic; use of trompe l'oeil and classical allusion | 16th century |
Mediaeval | Usually religious; fresco and stained glass; art more commonly expressed in sculpture and carving | c.6th-14th century |
Neoclassicism | Classical themes and subjects; admiration for antique art and away from the Baroque and Rococo | late 18th-early 19th century |
Neo-Expressionism | Representational or non-representational, usually large in scale and dramatic in style | late 20th century |
Neo-Plasticism | Abstract painting featuring flat areas of pure colour and strong vertical and horizontal lines | 20th century |
Pop Art | Inspired by common and ephemeral objects, film, comic-book art and advertising | 1950s |
Post-Impressionism | Emphasis on brushwork and colour to convey the emotional meaning of the subject | late 19th century |
Post-Modernism | Blends disparate styles and alludes to other cultural media (see Pop Art) | late 20th century |
Pre-Raphaelite | Historical, literary and religious subjects; emphasis on colour, detail and symbolism | mid 19th century |
Primitivism | Influenced by indigenous art from Africa, the Americas and Australia, an attempt to rediscover vitality | 20th century |
Realism | Generally, representational as opposed to abstract art; also "gritty" as opposed to idealised art | |
Renaissance | This flowering of European art alludes to the works of the ancient Greek and Roman artists | 14th-16th century |
Rococo | Highly decorative, highly ornamented, lighter in mood than Baroque and usually secular in subject | 18th century |
Romanticism | Representation of emotion in melodramatic scenes from history and literature, wild landscapes etc. | late 18th-mid 19th century |
Surrealism | Anti-rationalist, utilises incongruous effects to depict abstract ideas, dreams and the inner self | 1924-c.1940 |
Symbolism | Colour and line used to evoke dreamscapes and emotional scenes, inspired by literature | late 19th century |
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