1. Renaissance (1400-1600)
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Characteristics: Realistic depiction of humans and nature, emphasis on perspective and symmetry.
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Female Artist: Sofonisba Anguissola (1532-1625)
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Example Work: Portrait of the Artist’s Sister and Child (1555)
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Emotional Associations: Harmony, rationality, calmness
2. Baroque (1600-1750)
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Characteristics: Dramatic lighting, emotional intensity, movement, and contrast between light and dark.
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Female Artist: Artemisia Gentileschi (1593-1656)
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Example Work: Judith Slaying Holofernes (1620)
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Emotional Associations: Intensity, drama, passion
3. Rococo (1730-1770)
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Characteristics: Light, playful styles with pastel colors, decorative details, and elegance.
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Female Artist: Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun (1755-1842)
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Example Work: Marie Antoinette and Her Children (1787)
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Emotional Associations: Lightness, joy, frivolity
4. Romanticism (1800-1850)
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Characteristics: Focus on emotions, nature, the sublime, and the human experience of desire and passion.
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Female Artist: Rosa Bonheur (1822-1899)
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Example Work: The Horse Fair (1855)
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Emotional Associations: Melancholy, longing, mysticism
5. Realism (1840-1880)
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Characteristics: Depiction of everyday life without idealization or romanticization, often focused on the working class.
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Female Artist: Berthe Morisot (1841-1895)
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Example Work: The Cradle (1872)
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Emotional Associations: Earthly reality, simplicity, the hardness of life
6. Impressionism (1870-1900)
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Characteristics: Quick brushstrokes, use of light and color, snapshots of everyday life.
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Female Artist: Mary Cassatt (1844-1926)
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Example Work: The Bath (1891)
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Emotional Associations: Joy, fleeting moments, lightness
7. Post-Impressionism (1880-1910)
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Characteristics: Personal expression of the artist, experimental use of color and forms, emotional depth.
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Female Artist: Suzanne Valadon (1865-1938)
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Example Work: Adam and Eve (1909)
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Emotional Associations: Expressive power, subjective reality, intense emotions
8. Symbolism (1880-1910)
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Characteristics: Use of symbols and allegories to represent inner emotions and ideas, often with mysterious or dreamlike atmospheres.
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Female Artist: Odilon Redon (1840-1916) (An exception, as there are few female Symbolist artists)
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Example Work: The Birth of Venus (1912)
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Emotional Associations: Mysticism, introspection, dream world
9. Fauvism (1905-1910)
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Characteristics: Bold, unrealistic use of color, simplified forms, and a focus on expression over realism.
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Female Artist: Georgette Agutte (1867-1922)
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Example Work: Self-Portrait (1910)
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Emotional Associations: Energy, freedom, joy
10. Expressionism (1905-1930)
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Characteristics: Distorted forms, intense colors, focus on conveying emotions over realistic representation.
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Female Artist: Paula Modersohn-Becker (1876-1907)
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Example Work: Self-Portrait on the 6th Month of Her Pregnancy (1906)
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Emotional Associations: Anxiety, pain, inner turmoil
11. Cubism (1907-1920)
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Characteristics: Geometric forms, multiple perspectives in one work, abstraction of shapes and figures.
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Female Artist: Marie Laurencin (1883-1956)
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Example Work: Group of Young Women (1910)
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Emotional Associations: Fragmentation, analysis, intellect
12. Surrealism (1920-1940)
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Characteristics: Dreamlike, unrealistic images, merging of the unconscious and reality.
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Female Artist: Leonora Carrington (1917-2011)
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Example Work: The Lovers (1947)
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Emotional Associations: Confusion, mystery, the subconscious
13. Abstract Expressionism (1940-1960)
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Characteristics: Abstract forms, expressive brushstrokes, focus on spontaneity and personal expression.
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Female Artist: Lee Krasner (1908-1984)
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Example Work: Gaea (1966)
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Emotional Associations: Inner strength, spontaneity, chaos
14. Pop Art (1950-1970)
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Characteristics: Uses images from popular culture, bright colors, often with an ironic or critical undertone.
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Female Artist: Marisol Escobar (1930-2016)
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Example Work: The Party (1965-1966)
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Emotional Associations: Consumer culture, irony, superficiality
15. Minimalism (1960-1980)
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Characteristics: Highly simplified forms, often focusing on geometry and reduction of details.
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Female Artist: Agnes Martin (1912-2004)
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Example Work: Untitled (1977)
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Emotional Associations: Calm, simplicity, contemplation