Library & Innovation Centre

The history of art is immense, the earliest cave paintings pre-date writing by almost 27,000 years! If you’re interested in art history, the first thing you should do is take a look at this table which briefly outlines the artists, traits, works, and events that make up major art periods and how art evolved to present day.

The foundation of art history can be traced back tens of thousands of years to when ancient civilizations used available techniques and media to depict culturally significant subject matter.

Here is a selected list of all major periods in the history of art since the early Stone Age. Dates given are approximate. Incorporating details of arts and crafts from Prehistory, Classical Antiquity, The Dark Ages, The Middle Ages, and The Renaissance, as well as Modern and Postmodern movements.

This article is an abbreviated tour of art through the ages.