Famous author, Madeline L'Engle once said, "The discipline of creation, be it to paint, compose, write, is an effort towards wholeness."
Every artist knows the ups and downs of creating something from scratch. For painters, the whole process begins with the first sketch, the colour combination, right to the last final touch.
Apart from technical skills, a good painter also needs to be open to various artistic techniques, and art trends (or movements) to make something extraordinary out of the ordinary.
In this article, we will look at some remarkable artists who have established themselves during different art movements in history.
Behold The Influence of the Renaissance and Baroque Art
Fellow Malaysians, raise your hands if you first read about the term "Renaissance" through your Sejarah textbooks.
Renaissance originated from the Italian word rinascimento, which means rebirth. It is widely known as a significant cultural and historical transition from the Middle Ages that took place in Italy during the 14th century.
The Renaissance advocated the spirit of inquiring new knowledge to revive past ideas. This gradual development eventually established Italy as a great global trading and cultural hub.
Soon, it led to the rise of rich merchants across Italy such as the Medici Family in Florence who eventually became patrons for many talented painters, sculptors, musicians, scientists, and writers.
Not only that, the Pope in Rome also became the main patron for painters and sculptors for religious artworks at cathedrals and chapels.
First, let's look at one of the most celebrated Renaissance artists of all time, Michelangelo.
Renaissance Art Representative: Michelangelo
Born in 1475, Michelangelo was initially known as an established sculptor rather than a painter. Before the age of 30, he had completed two Italian Renaissance marble stone masterpieces: Pietà and David.
He was later commissioned by Pope Julius II to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. It took him approximately four years to complete the paintings which depict several Biblical narratives including The Creation of Adam, and the Great Flood (Noah).
After some time, he was commissioned by Pope Clement VII to complete another painting in the same chapel, The Last Judgement, this time covering the whole altar wall of the chapel.
In his later years, he was often commissioned to be an architect to oversee several constructions of various chapels and churches.
Together with Leonardo Da Vinci and Raphael, they were the most celebrated artists of Renaissance art. He passed away at the age of 88.
Photo by Calvin Craig on Unsplash
On the other hand, the Baroque art movement was a period of Western art (architecture, painting, music) that flourished after the Renaissance movement.
Baroque Art Representatitve: Caravaggio
Born in 1571, in Milan, Caravaggio underwent systematic training to become a painter before moving to Rome in his 20s. He became famous for incorporating dramatic realism (to paint as he sees) as well as tenebrism techniques in his paintings to create a spotlight effect.
This soon became one of the key trademarks of Baroque art, where more realistic emotions are being depicted and the figures in the painting are highlighted through a contrast of shadow and light. As a result, the paintings were more impactful and in-depth.
Some of his notable art pieces include The Calling of Saint Matthew, The Raising of Lazarus, and The Incredulity of Saint Thomas.
Sadly, he passed away at the young age of 38.
Explore these masterpieces that have impacted the art world throughout history.
The Entrance of The Dutch Golden Age & Painters
If Italy has the Renaissance, then the Netherlands has the Dutch Golden Age. In a period which spanned the 17th century, the Dutch also dominated the trade industry and began to expand their maritime and economic dominance around the region.
Like Italy, their advancement in arts was also driven by religion, particularly the rise of Protestantism. To break free from the influence of Catholicism, there were fewer paintings on religious subjects but more on ordinary people (especially the middle class) during that era.
Here are two notable painters during the Dutch Golden Age.
Johannes Vermeer
Born in 1632, Johaness Vermeer was famous for depicting great details and how to create balance through various elements in his interior paintings.
From the structure of the background, colour composition, the focus on the person and their facial expressions, and the use of light and shadowing, as well as the inclusion of windows, his paintings are imbued with a sense of closeness.
It is believed that Vermeer often used his own house as the primary setting of his pictures, with different human subjects.
Some of his artworks include The Astronomer, Officer and Laughing Girl, A Lady Writing A Letter and the most famous of them all — Girl with a Pearl Earring.
A true master of interior painting, Johannes Vermeer passed away at the age of 43 in 1675.
Source: The New York Times (Getty Images)
Frans Hals
Frans Hals is another Dutch Age painter who is best known for his ability to capture great details and expressions through his portraits and group portraits.
He adopts a loose painting technique (without focusing too much on drawn lines) and depicts his subjects in a lively and unique manner. Throughout his career, he has painted full-length portraits, to double portraits of married couples to group portraits.
Some of his most famous paintings include The Laughing Cavalier and The Gypsy Girl (now located at the Louvre Museum).
Today, you can find some of his main collections at the Frans Hals Museum in Haarlem, the Netherlands.
Meanwhile, don't forget to immerse yourself in various key art movements of art history.
Making Artistic Impressions From The West
From Italy to The Netherlands, now we will move on to France. Before Paris was known as the city of love, it was known as the hub where the Impressionism movement took place.
Learn more about these two key painters from the Impressionism art movement.
Pierre-Auguste Renoir
Born in 1841, Renoir showed promising talent in painting and received formal art training in Paris. He is known for his colourful hues and expressive brush strokes when painting scenes of large gatherings, landscapes as well as portrait paintings.
One of his most famous artworks — Luncheon of the Boating Party is often cited as the representative painting of the Impressionism art movement.
Paul Cézanne
Paul played a pivotal role in the later part of Impressionism (leaning more toward Post-Impressionism), as he began to explore different aspects of composition.
While he painted many landscapes, and portraits, he began to show interest in geometrical shapes and various visual perceptions (balance) in his later years and painted many still-life art pieces.
Some of his famous still-life artworks include Curtain, Jug and Fruitbowl as well as The Basket of Apples, which later influenced new art movements like Cubism and Fauvism.
Pop Artists That Challenged Contemporary Boundaries
Now, let's talk about painters who were leading figures in the pop art movement. Pop Art paintings usually revolve around famous icons, characters, and incidents that take place during a particular timeline, and it was extremely popular in America and the United Kingdom.
US Representative: Roy Lichtenstein
Born in 1923, Roy is best known for using comic strips and sculptures as his main inspiration in his paintings, with an element of parody.
Apart from teaching, he also participated in many art exhibitions and became the first American to exhibit at the Tate Gallery, in London in 1964.
Some of his most famous paintings include In The Car, Drowning Girl, Look Mickey, and Masterpiece which featured his hallmark artistry known as the Ben-Day dots.
He passed away at the age of 73 in 1997.
Photo by Erik Mclean on Unsplash
UK Representative: Peter Blake
Peter's signature style in the Pop Art movement revolves around the usage of collage and printmaking in his paintings.
Born in 1932, Peter is an artist who is well aware of the public figures of popular culture across different generations. He often works with big names in the entertainment industry, especially when it comes to designing album covers, concert posters and even award statutes.
Some celebrities that he has worked with include The Beatles, Eric Clapton, and Oasis.
In 2002, he was knighted at Buckingham Palace for his contributions to art, in particularly pop art in the UK.
As you are learning about these amazing artists, you can also review the intrinsic designs and talents of Picasso as he played a pivotal role as an artist in the 20th century.
Mastering Different Painting Styles From Different Art Movements
Now that you have learned about these eight different painters who showed tremendous talent during various art movements, do you have a favourite among them?
Is there a particular art movement that you are keen to explore more? Or do you simply want to learn them all?
Whether it is one thing or everything, you can master these different painting styles with the help of an experienced art tutor.
At Superprof, you can find the best art tutor to learn the basics of painting and the history of various art movements in just a few simple steps.
Once you head to the Superprof Malaysia homepage, you can start browsing the tutors' profiles, review their basic information and book your first painting lesson! You get to choose your tutor based on your preferred location, teaching mode, teaching methodology and even hourly rates! Now, isn't that super efficient and effortless?
As you take your first painting lesson with Superprof, you can also refer to these art learning resources in Malaysia to have a better idea of taking your passion for art to the next level.
We hope you enjoyed reading this article. May you find the joy of exploring new art techniques and movements, and one day develop your one and only painting style.
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