Art just like anything else has developed and evolved going through various stages to become what it is today. Each stage has distinct characteristics such as dates, works during the periods and the dominant artists during those movements and periods as discussed below:
Mannerism took place between 1520 and 1600, the early and high renaissance artists developed their distinctive styles by observing nature and formulating pictorial science and that is when mannerism matured as all representational problems had been solved. The artwork of Mannerists is characterized by restlessness and instability. The mannerist artists include Andrea del Sarto, Jacopo da Pontormo and Corregio. Andrea del Sarto (1486-1531) was highly regarded as an artist because of his contemporaries. He opened a studio with a friend and through this partnership they came up with The Baptism of Christ, a start of a monochrome fresco series.
Baroque art came up around 1600 in Europe in response to the formulaic mannerist style. Baroque art is less complex, more emotionally grasping and more realistic than mannerism. Caravaggio (1571-1610) was the first great representative of Baroque school. He was enigmatic, rebellious and even fascinating. His books for this period include Boy peeling a Fruit, Young Sick Bacchus and Boy With a Basket of Fruit. Rembrandt (1606-1669) is one of the best Dutch painters. His paintings are characterized by use of light and shade, conveyance of emotional depth and religious background in his works and portraits.
Rococo (1700s) was mostly dominated by the feminine influence and taste since it involves the use of pebbles and stones in decorating interior of caves. Francois Boucher’s works were the best in expression in this period. His paintings were light hearted and mythological. They were also characterized by elegant and refined but playful themes. His works portrayed both artificial and ornamented decay of the aristocracy in France during that period. Angelica Kauffman, Giovanni Antonnio Canaletto were other great painters at this time
Neo-classicism (1750-1880) it aimed at reviving the ideals of ancient Greek and the Roman art. Jacques – Louis David and Antonio Canova are among the greatest painters of this period.
Romanticism (1800-1880) is a deeply felt individualistic, exotic and beautiful style. J.W.M Turner (1775-1851) used more intuitive depictions. His works like ‘Bridgewater Sea Piece’ and ‘Shipwreck’ which depicted a more romantic intuition in his works. John Constable (1776-1837) was fascinated with the beautiful scenery of the British countryside; he always captured the ever changing weather conditions and the awesome effects of light.
Impressionism (1867-1886) marked a momentous break form long followed tradition in European painting. It involved a more exact representation of tone and colour. Manet’s influence in the development of impressionism was evident because he painted everyday objects. Renoir showed the effect of sunlight on flowers and figures whereas Degas painted ballet dancers and horse races.
Post impressionism (1880-1920) involves the work of late 19th century painters most of which began as impressionists and later abandoned it. Post impressionists painted mainly alone. Paul Cézanne did his work in isolation in southern France. Van Gogh and Paul Gauguin embraced a more personal, spiritual expression. Gauguin sought a less complex truth and a purer aesthetic in art.