European Art Movements: Mannerism to Post-Impressionism

Mannerism, Baroque, and Rococo

Mannerism, Baroque, and Rococo: Art in Europe and the Classical rebirth resulted in two successive movements: Mannerism and Baroque. The first, a reaction against the idealist perfection of Classicism, employed the distortion of light and space within the work in order to emphasize the emotional content and the feelings of the artist. Mannerism is a period of profound transition and artistic crisis.

Baroque art took the techniques of the Renaissance to new heights, emphasizing detail and movement in search of beauty. It is often noted for being an ornate art, which gives special emphasis to the expressive and often exaggerated. To some art historians, the emphasis that Baroque art gives to grandeur is seen as a reflection of absolutism.

Key Artistic Periods

• Mannerist: 16th Century
• Baroque: 17th Century to the middle of the 18th Century
• Rococo: Middle of the 18th Century

Neoclassicism, Romanticism, and Realism

Neoclassicism, Romanticism, and Realism Academicism: As time passed, many artists became manifestly contrary to earlier ornamental styles and sought the simpler forms of the Renaissance, forming a style that became known as Neoclassicism, also known as the Enlightenment (Iluminismo). Its main characteristics were its monumentality, used with the purpose of comparing the kingdoms and empires of the time with the grandeur of the Roman Empire.

Romantic art utilized color and gesture in order to portray emotions, but, like Classicism, it used classical mythology and tradition as an important source of symbolism. Another important aspect of Romanticism was its emphasis on nature in the portrait of the power and beauty of the natural world, which was always idealized.

In the early 19th century, European society was altered by industrialization. Poverty, misery, and despair seemed to be the fate of the new proletariat created following the Industrial Revolution. In response to these changes occurring in society, the Realism movement arose. It seeks to carefully portray the conditions and difficult life experienced by the working classes in the hope of changing society. In contrast to the Romantics, who were essentially optimistic about the fate of humanity, Realism portrayed the professional life of urban environments without filters.

Historical Timeline

• Neoclassicism: 18th Century
• Romanticism: Late 18th Century to the middle of the 19th Century
• Realism: 19th Century

Impressionism and Post-Impressionism

Impressionism and Post-Impressionism: Photography arises and takes the place of portrait painting, and artists turn their focus to the fundamental search within painting, highlighting the emphasis on light and movement. Looking for new forms of expression and a dialogue with reality, artists emerged from the Impressionist movement, allowing for the advent of the modern. These artists are generically called Post-Impressionists.