European art

Visual art of centuries past with origin in Europe is a popular attraction; seeing an impressive collection can be one of the most memorable parts of your trip. For more recent artistic traditions, see Modern and contemporary art.

Understand
The art described in this article was, at the time it was made (in Europe from the 15th to the 19th century) known just as "art", and is usually categorized by period, genre, medium, and country. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the study and recognition of art broadened, and came to include folk art and modern art.

Most non-European art used to have lower status in Europe and among people of European heritage. It was labeled with terms such as primitive art or tribal art, with some exceptions; art from Imperial China and pre-modern Japan was highly appreciated in Europe. The institutions have given more recognition to non-Western art today; the Louvre devotes a whole section to pre-colonial art from Africa, Oceania and the Americas. Similarly, the status of artists has changed - while most notable artists of the Renaissance could make a living with government or church work, later artists like van Gogh struggled to keep financially afloat and there is even "outsider art" made by people who have seemingly no connection to the wider art world - some of them patients in mental institutions or people who lived a "normal" life producing art that only came to the attention of the wider world after their death.

Periods and styles
Much of the art in European museums originates from what can be broadly called the Middle Ages and early modern period, i.e. up to the late 19th century.

Artistic moments and periods have usually been defined by posterity, and contain expressions of painting, sculpture, interior design, architecture and literature. They overlap in time, and were usually more prominent in some countries than others. Many of them have had a later revival period, marked by affixes such as neo- or revival.

Medieval art includes works from the 5th to the 15th centuries, by nations such as the Franks and Norsemen. Many styles came and went during this 1,000-year period; some of the most prolific are Romanesque and Gothic art.

With its origins in Ancient Greece and the Roman Empire, the Renaissance was a period especially remembered for its art; see Medieval and Renaissance Italy.

Oil paintings on canvas became widespread in the 15th century. The painters were usually not celebrities in their time, and many of the "old masters" are anonymous. Oftentimes art was produced by apprentices of a master under the "collective name" of the master, and it is thus often difficult to identify who painted what, even if the names of people who might have contributed are known.

Mannerism (or Late Renaissance) was a 16th-century movement to refine Renaissance art techniques, such as shading, perspective, and anatomic realism, though the result was often asymmetry such as elongated necks.

Baroque was a 17th- to 18th-century art style recognized for florid ornamentation, rich colours, nudity, and motion.

Rococo art, which was popular in the mid 18th century, took the Baroque penchant for decoration further and concentrated on pleasing the viewer, not necessarily moving them.

Neoclassicism was an 18th- to 19th-century style, a kind of updated version of ancient Greek and Roman style, often based quite directly on ancient art and known for geometric symmetry and harmony. It was revived in the early 20th century, inspiring the Art Deco movement.

Romanticism was a mainly 19th-century style which revolted against rationality and the industrial revolution, promoting individualism, spirituality, mythology, nature, and cultural heritage, in particular that of the Middle Ages. Many Romantic artworks were inspired by folklore, folk culture and history, and expressed the national identity of countries in Europe and on other continents.

From the mid-19th century, photography made other arts increasingly unnecessary as documentary media. Some painters began challenging the norms of art with schools such as Impressionism, marking the origin of modern and contemporary art. These works were originally dismissed as "mundane art" or "not art" (fascists called it degenerate art), and took a generation or more to find recognition. For historical reasons, pre-modern and modern works of art are usually displayed in different museums.

Genres
Art had a clear hierarchy of genres, in which the highest-ranked art was historical art including Biblical scenes, history of Christianity, Graeco-Roman mythology, and profane history.

Mundane motifs such as portraits, genre painting (scenes of everyday life), landscapes, animals and still lifes were easier to depict, and therefore had lower status.

Biblical art and Christian art depict events from the Old and New Testament, or post-Biblical figures such as saints or martyrs. Many of these works are part of church architecture, as sculptures, reliefs, murals or altars. Among the most common Old Testament themes are the Creation, the Fall of Adam and Eve, Noah's Ark, the Exodus of Moses, Hebrew kings, and the Prophecies. New Testament art describes Jesus and his apostles, with the crucifixion as the most iconic event, represented at nearly all Christian buildings in some form. As the Bible was by far the most widespread book in pre-industrial Europe (together with cathecisms and other Christian literature), and the churches were the dominant communication platforms up to the 16th century Protestant Reformation, Christian art was the highest genre. Cities with a Christian tradition usually have a patron saint, depicted in statues and paintings around the city.

Mythological art usually depicts Greek mythology, in many cases in its Roman interpretations, including well-known legends such as the Trojan War. Many of these works are inspired by preserved Graeco-Roman art. In the Nordic countries, romanticized depictions of Norse mythology were popular during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Non-religious historical art depicts battles, coronations, the Age of Discovery and other historical events, in many cases commissioned centuries after the depicted event. Historical art became a dominant genre with the national romanticism of the 19th century. Many historical paintings are large in format, with plenty of detail to provide a complex narrative, taking months or years to finish. They were usually sponsored by a head of state, or someone else of great wealth, for purpose of propaganda and prestige. Many of these paintings are printed in history books, and become the canonized image of historical events that took place before the age of photography, some of them more famous than the event itself.

Portraits of royals and other people of high estate were usually commissioned by the model, and are today more commonly kept in palaces or private collections, than in museums. Genre art depicted mundane scenes (such as working people or maritime painting), usually in a realistic manner. While some genre paintings were as elaborate as the historical paintings, they had lower status. They were especially prevalent in the Benelux and Germany. These motifs were called impressions, and became typical to the impressionist movement of the late 19th century. In modern times, these works are appreciated for describing the lifestyle of common people, who were otherwise omitted from early modern art and literature.

Landscapes, architecture and animals were perceived as easy motifs, and were of low status. Still life painting was considered the lowest genre of all. These still allowed painters to practice their skills to depict perspective, light and colour. The selection of the motif could also contain allegory and symbolism; a common theme was vanitas; the certainty of death.

Folk art, also called vernacular art, is art made by common people, usually not commissioned by governments, aristocrats or institutions. Folk art had low status before the 19th century, and is an often overlooked part of Europe's cultural heritage, rarely seen in museums. Open-air museums can have ornamented artifacts on display.

Sculpture
The Graeco-Roman civilizations left behind many statues and other sculptures, which inspired Europeans. Gothic sculptures are prevalent in Gothic churches. Renaissance sculpture had an ambition to copy the ancient tradition.

Marble has been a popular material for human statues, allowing a skin-like texture. As marble is brittle and does not carry its own weight as easily as the human models do, marble statues need a strong base.

Granite is among the most common rocks. Difficult to work by hand, it was up to the 18th century mostly used for gravestones. With steam power for mining, cutting and transportation, granite monuments became more prevalent.

Bronze is used for casted statues, allowing copies. Typically used for outdoor monuments.

Wood is cheap, but less durable. Wood sculptures have mainly been used for interiors and folk art. Many wood objects have been lost to fire.

Buy
Most well-known original works are not for sale and some are subject to export restrictions. When they do come on the market, they are usually sold by the great international auction houses at prices far beyond what most travellers could afford.

Reproductions of works from the 19th century and earlier, and some from the 20th century, are easy to find and buy, as copyright of art usually expires 70 years after the artist's death, which puts a lot of old art in the public domain in most countries. "New" art is still covered by copyright, but authorised reproductions may be available. Many museums offer reproductions, usually good quality and moderately priced.

However, don't count on a certain work being in the public domain in your home country, as rules vary between countries, and e.g. a descendant of an artist from Ancient Egypt could still claim copyright in the USA on art found in a tomb and published for the first time in the 1990s with their permission (given that they have evidence on their family tree). In practice, the issue arises with art published in a window varying by country, in the USA to 2002, in the EU after.

Art by contemporary artists is easy to find. You won't find works of world-famous artists in the random gallery, but you might find art by a to-be celebrity, or art that just suites your taste and your living room. Most cities have an abundance of galleries and even small places may have some. In some touristy areas such as Montmartre' Artists' Square, you can get a painting made for you.

Europe
Most European cities have some art on display. Here is a list of the most renowned and representative exhibitions.
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 * Raphael Madonna with Beardless St. Joseph.jpg
 * Creación de Adán (Miguel Ángel).jpg
 * Creación de Adán (Miguel Ángel).jpg