MAIN Art & Culture Painting Old Masters

It was in the late 14th century when the first glimmers of more realistic handling of light, shadow and spacial composition began to throw off the flat, primitive way of painting that best denoted the art of the Middle Ages.

A generation later, realism in the Renaissance reached its zenith as a handful of Italian artists (most notably Da Vinci, Michelangelo and Raphael) pioneered a more scientific and mathematical approach to depicting natural light, color, and perspective.

With perfection achieved, there was no where to go but in a Mannerist approach favored by painters in the 16th century, marked by stylized poses over balance and realism. The era is perhaps best exemplified by artists such as El Greco (Baptism of Christ) and Parmigianino (The Vision of St. Jerome) in their flattened perspective and depiction of elongated limbs and torsos.

In the 17th century, Mannerism was followed by the Baroque, an era greatly influenced by the rich and powerful of the day who commissioned works that would hopefully reflect their riches and grandeur to impress the viewer - followed by the even more overwrought Rococo period, or High Baroque.

Overturning the highly decorative style, (even today, Baroque is a term that best describes any over-the-top artwork) painters next set their sights on returning to the order and simplicity of Greece and Rome. The 19th century Neoclassical and Romanticism ushered in scenes depicting strength, bravery, or other iconic subject matter set in more harmonic compositions favored by the ancients.

Next, as an almost allergic reaction to Neoclassicism by a new generation of late 19th century Impressionist painters, the age off the Old Masters was finally brought to an end, signaling a complete break with the past in the rise of 20th century modern art.

also see in Art History -> European Art Timeline

More about Old Master paintings around the Web:

Old Master - Complete biographies of top Renaissance, Dutch and French classical painters along with illustrations, overviews of related art periods and related links, from Wikipedia.

Artcyclopedia: The Fine Art Search Engine - The premier site for painters throughout cultures and history, cross-searchable by artist, medium, movement or country, links to related viewable films and videos, and a museum / exhibit list.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art - Timeline of Art History - Europe - Beautifully designed interface to European art history via the Met's extensive holdings.

Web Gallery of Art Quick Index - A-Z listing leading to 3500+ images of European paintings and sculptures between the years 1200 and 1700. Commentary, artists' biographies, and guided tours also make this one of the top picks for art history on the Web.

Major Artists on the Internet - Zeroland's comprehensive A-Z guide to artists of every description with extensive selected links to further information.

Chinese Classical Paintings - Gallery of selected paintings from the Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, Qing Dynasties as well as early 20th century works.

Asia-art.net - Chinese, Vietnamese, Japanese and Korean master painting and sculpture, and more, are on view at this gateway to Asian art history.

also see in Painting -> Famous Artists | Oil Painting