Discovering and Enjoying Art

Art Styles and Movements

Prehistoric Art (c. 40,000 BCE – 3500 BCE)

The earliest known art, featuring cave paintings, sculptures, and engravings with symbolic meaning.

Ancient Art

• Ancient Egyptian Art (c. 3100 BCE – 30 BCE): Characterized by monumentality, symbolism, and focus on the afterlife. Hieroglyphics were a prominent feature.
• Ancient Greek Art (c. 800 BCE – 146 BCE): Emphasized realism, idealization of the human form, and balance, often depicting gods, heroes, and philosophical themes.
• Ancient Mesopotamian Art (c. 4500 BCE – 330 BCE): Known for detailed sculptures, reliefs, and intricate cylinder seals depicting mythology and daily life.
• Ancient Roman Art (c. 500 BCE – 476 CE): Heavily influenced by Greece but incorporated Etruscan elements. Roman artists excelled in architecture, engineering, and realistic sculptures.

Medieval Art (c. 4th century – 14th century)

A broad term encompassing European art during the Middle Ages. Primarily religious, with Christian themes in paintings, sculptures, and stained glass windows.

Renaissance Art (14th century – 16th century)

A shift from the Middle Ages, emphasizing realism, humanism, and classical ideals. Notable artists include Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Raphael.

Baroque Art (16th century – 18th century)

Characterized by drama, emotionality, and the use of light and shadow. Often depicted religious themes in a grand and theatrical style. Artists like Caravaggio, Rubens, and Rembrandt are well known from this period.

18th & 19th Century Art

• Impressionism (19th century): Emphasized capturing the fleeting effects of light and atmosphere, with loose brushstrokes and vibrant colors.
• Neoclassicism (18th century – 19th century): A reaction to the Baroque style, drawing inspiration from ancient Greece and Rome. It emphasized clean lines, geometric forms, and historical themes.
• Realism (19th century): Focused on depicting everyday life and social issues in a realistic and objective manner.
• Romanticism (18th century – 19th century): Highlighted emotion, imagination, and nature. It often depicted dramatic landscapes, historical events, and individual emotions.

Late 19th & Early 20th Century Art

• Art Nouveau (late 19th century – early 20th century): An ornate and decorative style inspired by natural forms.
• Expressionism (early 20th century): Focused on expressing emotional experiences rather than depicting reality objectively.
• Fauvism (early 20th century): Emphasized bold, non-naturalistic colors and simplified forms.
• Post-Impressionism (1880s – 1900s): Built on Impressionism but incorporated more symbolic and expressive elements.
• Symbolism (late 19th century – early 20th century): Used symbolic imagery and metaphors to convey deeper meanings.

20th & 21st Century Art

• Abstract Expressionism (mid-20th century): Focused on the artist’s emotions and gestures rather than depicting recognizable objects.
• Conceptual Art (mid-20th century – present): The idea or concept behind the work is more important than the physical object itself
• Constructivism (early 20th century): Used geometric forms and industrial materials to create abstract sculptures.
• Cubism (early 20th century): Fragmented objects into geometric forms to depict them from multiple viewpoints.
• Dada (early 20th century): An anti-art movement that challenged traditional aesthetics and embraced absurdity.
• Futurism (early 20th century): Glorified speed, technology, and violence, often depicting motion and dynamism.
• Minimalism (mid-20th century – present): Emphasized simplicity, geometric forms, and the use of industrial materials.
• Pop Art (1950s – 1960s): Drew inspiration from mass media and popular culture, often using bold colors and recognizable imagery.
• Surrealism (1920s – 1930s): Explored the subconscious mind and dream imagery, often using fantastical and dreamlike elements.

• Explore art collections and exhibitions online.
• Search for art galleries, museums, and exhibitions near you.
• Subscribe to art newsletters or install art apps for a recurring dose of art.
• If you feel a more scholarly approach might enhance your experience, explore art books and courses.
• Curate your digital art collection and make your home a gallery for free.

• 3 Ways to Appreciate Art – wikiHow
• How to Enjoy a Museum (with Pictures) – wikiHow
• How to Make Your Home an Art Gallery, Possibly for Free – Hobbies 4 Life
• NFT Introduction: How to Collect Digital Art | Getting Started on Sotheby’s Metaverse

• Art museums as institutions for human flourishing: The Journal of Positive Psychology | Taylor & Francis
• Beyond Learning: Exploring Visitors’ Perceptions of the Value and Benefits of Museum Experiences – The Museum Journal – Wiley Online Library
• Frontiers | Art and Psychological Well-Being: Linking the Brain to the Aesthetic Emotion
• Influence of an Art Museum Visit on Individuals’ Psychological and Physiological Indicators of Stress – Master of Arts in Museology | University of Washington
• Inner Vision: An Exploration of Art and the Brain. Semir Zeki | The Quarterly Review of Biology | The University of Chicago
• Normalisation of salivary cortisol levels and self-report stress by a brief lunchtime visit to an art gallery by London City workers : WestminsterResearch
• Original research: Evidence for the effects of viewing visual artworks on stress outcomes: a scoping review – PMC
• Self-Relevance Predicts the Aesthetic Appeal of Real and Synthetic Artworks Generated via Neural Style Transfer | Sage

Art Discovery, Events and Sales Platforms

• ArtRabbit is a platform for international contemporary art exhibitions and events
• Artspace – Contemporary Art for Sale From The World’s Best Artists – Homepage
• Artsy — Discover, Buy, and Sell Fine Art
• Buy, Sell, and Research Contemporary Art Online: Artnet

Public Domain Artwork

Public domain artwork is free to use without restrictions.

• Artstor | JSTOR
• Discover Europe’s digital cultural heritage | Europeana – Over a million public domain artworks
• Open Access – The Metropolitan Museum of Art – Around half a-million public domain artworks
• Smithsonian Open Access | Smithsonian Institution

Art News and Publications

• Apollo – The International Art Magazine
• ARTnews.com – The Leading Source for Art News & Art Event Coverage
• The Art Newspaper – International art news and events

Art Education

• Google Arts & Culture
• Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History | The Metropolitan Museum of Art
• Tate Etc. | Tate

Art Museums and Galleries Virtual Tours and Collections

• 360 tour of Tate Modern | Tate
• Collections — Google Arts & Culture
• Explore the Metropolitan Museum of Art from Home — Google Arts & Culture
• How to explore the British Museum from home | British Museum
• Online tours – Enjoy the Louvre at home!
• Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum — Google Arts & Culture
• The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, United States — Google Arts & Culture
• The Met 360° Project | The Metropolitan Museum of Art
• Video tours – Rijksmuseum
• Virtual tours | Visiting | National Gallery, London

Digital Art Subscriptions

• Art Stream | Sedition
• Enjoy $3 Billion of Art in One Digital Frame | Meural by NETGEAR
• Niio Art – Experience Art Digitally – Stream

• Art history | Arts and humanities | Khan Academy
• Online courses | MoMA
• Study the history of art online | Oxford University Department for Continuing Education
• Top Art History Courses – Learn Art History Online | Coursera

• Art Exhibitions Near You
• Art Galleries Near You
• Art groups | Meetup
• Art Walks and Tours Near You
• Nearby — Google Arts & Culture

💡Tip: Search for art passes for your area.

• Art in Your Inbox | Colossal — The best of art, craft, and visual culture
• ARTnews Email Alerts & Newsletter Preferences
• Newsletters | Apollo Magazine
• Newsletters | Hyperallergic
• Newsletters | The Art Newspaper
• Signup for the My Modern Met Newsletter and Get Culture Delivered
• Subscribe | ArtRabbit

💡Tip: Subscribe to newsletters of art venues near you.

• Become an art collector and turn your home into an art gallery for free.
• Subscribe to newsletters of art venues near you.
• Search for art passes for your area.