Baroque to Neoclassical art in Europe

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This course is a part of Art history, a 20-course Topic series from Khan Academy.

Brought to you by Smarthistory. 1600-1800: The monarchs of Europe embraced the most ornate elements of 17th-century art. Rulers invested vast resources on elaborate church facades, stunning, gold-covered chapels and strikingly-realistic painting and sculpture. While in the newly independent Dutch Republic, a market emerged to meet the Protestant tastes of the growing merchant class. By the 18th century, Voltaire, Rousseau and other intellectuals had put forward Enlightenment ideas that would spark an age of revolution and usher in the modern world.

This course contains 4 segments:

Baroque art

Brought to you by Smarthistory. Stone becomes flesh and ceilings dissolve into the infinity of heaven—artists such as Bernini, Caravaggio, Rubens, Velazquez and Rembrandt were masters of drama and illusion.

Rococo

Brought to you by Smarthistory. Overgrown gardens heavy with the scent of roses, palaces and luxury; the artists Watteau, Boucher, and Fragonard typify the aristocratic style known as Rococo.

Neo-Classicism

Brought to you by Smarthistory. Jacques Louis David invented a style reflecting Enlightenment ideas by looking back to ancient art. He became a revolutionary and 1st painter to Napoleon.

British art in the 18th century

Brought to you by Smarthistory. Britain and America were at war but shared a common artistic tradition. From Hogarth’s biting satire to Jefferson’s Monticello—here is invention, wit, nobility.