Elena Rossi
There are innumerable painting types, styles, and techniques. Paintings can be classified based on genre (landscape, portrait, still life, etc.), style (Renaissance, Impressionism, etc.), medium (oil, acrylic, watercolour, etc.), period (medieval, contemporary, etc.), technique (plein-air, chiaroscuro, etc.), and purpose (decorative, commissioned, religious, etc.). Some of the most well-known painting styles include Realism, Impressionism, Abstract, Expressionism, Surrealism, Symbolism, Cubism, and Futurism.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of commonly recognized types of painting | 7 |
| Examples of painting types | Abstract, Genre, Impressionism, Realism, Renaissance |
| Number of unique art styles | 50 |
| Examples of art styles | Abstract Expressionism, Art Deco, Surrealism, Symbolism, Futurism, Cubism, Expressionism, Photo-realism, Pop Art, Action Painting, Collage Painting, Ink Painting |
| Classification criteria | Genre, style, medium, period, technique, purpose |
| Examples of mediums | Oil, acrylic, watercolor, ink, pencil |
| Examples of techniques | Plein-air, chiaroscuro, alla prima, wet-on-wet, layering, pouring, dry brushing |
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What You'll Learn
- Painting styles: Abstract, Impressionism, Realism, Expressionism, Surrealism
- Painting mediums: Oil, Acrylic, Watercolour, Gouache, Tempera
- Painting genres: Landscape, Portrait, Still Life, Genre, Abstract
- Painting periods: Medieval, Renaissance, Contemporary, Post-Impressionism, Cubism
- Painting techniques: Plein-air, Chiaroscuro, Alla Prima, Action Painting, Collage Painting
Painting styles: Abstract, Impressionism, Realism, Expressionism, Surrealism
Paintings can be classified based on genre, style, medium, period, technique, and purpose. There are seven commonly recognized types of painting: Abstract, Genre, Portrait, Still Life, Landscape, etc.
Abstract art emphasizes non-representational forms, colors, and lines, often departing from recognizable objects or subjects. It is more concerned with conveying emotions, ideas, or exploring formal elements of art, such as color, shape, and texture. Abstract artists use oil paint for depth and acrylic for bold color. Some famous abstract artists include American abstract artists and global artists.
Impressionism is a 19th-century art movement characterized by visible brush strokes, open composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light and its changing qualities, ordinary subject matter, unusual visual angles, and inclusion of movement as a crucial element of human perception and experience. Impressionism emerged in France at the same time that a number of other painters, including the Italian artists known as the Macchiaioli, and Winslow Homer in the United States, were also exploring plein-air painting. French painters who prepared the way for Impressionism include Eugène Delacroix, Gustave Courbet, and painters of the Barbizon school such as Théodore Rousseau.
Realism, or naturalism, is a style depicting the unidealized version of the subject. It is a precise, detailed, and accurate representation in art of the appearance of scenes and objects. Gustave Courbet was a prominent figure in the Realism movement, capitalizing on the mundane, ugly, or sordid, motivated by the renewed interest in the commoner and the rise of leftist politics. Realism rejected Romanticism, which had dominated French literature and art in the late 18th century.
Expressionism is a late-19th-century art movement that emerged in Europe as a response to major changes in society. Artists in this movement focused on the inner turmoil and anxiety of their subjects, often using violent brushstrokes and contorted lines to communicate an almost unnerving tension. Edvard Munch, with his painting "The Scream", is considered an important source of inspiration for the Expressionists. Other influential figures include James Ensor and Gustav Klimt.
Surrealism is an art and cultural movement that developed in Europe after World War I. Surrealist artists aimed to allow the unconscious mind to express itself, resulting in the depiction of illogical or dreamlike scenes and ideas. The movement was led by André Breton, who sought to "resolve the previously contradictory conditions of dream and reality into an absolute reality, a super-reality", or surreality. Notable Surrealist artists include Salvador Dalí, René Magritte, Wolfgang Paalen, Gordon Onslow Ford, and Roberto Matta.
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Painting mediums: Oil, Acrylic, Watercolour, Gouache, Tempera
Paintings can be classified based on genre, style, medium, period, technique, and purpose. While there are several types of painting mediums, this answer will focus on five common mediums: oil, acrylic, watercolour, gouache, and tempera.
Oil
Oil painting involves using pigments combined with a drying oil as a binder. Linseed oil, which comes from the flax seed, is commonly used as a binder. However, other oils such as safflower oil, walnut oil, poppyseed oil, and castor oil may be used, especially for lighter colours like white, as they "yellow" less on drying than linseed oil. The paint is usually applied to the painting surface using brushes, palette knives, or rags. Oil paint remains wet for an extended period, allowing the artist to change colours, textures, or forms. The earliest known oil paintings are Buddhist murals created in Bamiyan, Afghanistan, in the 7th century AD.
Acrylic
Acrylic paint is a versatile and affordable medium that offers flexibility in creating detailed work, layering, and textured impasto techniques. It can adhere to various surfaces, with canvas being the most popular. Before painting on canvas, wood, or MDF, it is recommended to apply a layer of gesso (an acrylic primer) to create a smooth and even surface for better colour vibrancy and longevity. Acrylic paint comes in different consistencies, including heavy body, medium or soft body, and fluid acrylics.
Watercolour
Watercolour is a water-based medium prized for the luminosity of its transparent colours. It is typically applied by brush to white paper, which contributes to the jewel-like quality of the colours. Watercolour can be packaged in pans or tubes and is composed of finely-ground pigment combined with water and gum arabic, a binder that disperses the pigment particles to create a uniform solution and adheres it to the support. Layered washes of different hues and densities can modify colours, and additives can produce a range of effects.
Gouache
Gouache is similar to watercolour but has a higher ratio of pigment to binder, resulting in a more densely packed paint. The pigments are ground into a powder and combined with a binder, typically gum arabic. Other binder ingredients may include dextrin, ox gall, honey, and calcium carbonate. Acrylic gouache uses a polymer binder (plastic) instead of gum arabic, making the paint permanent and unable to be rewet and moved like traditional gouache.
Tempera
Tempera, also known as egg tempera, is a permanent and fast-drying medium consisting of pigments mixed with a water-soluble binder, usually a glutinous material such as egg yolk. The paint dries rapidly and is typically applied in thin, semi-opaque, or transparent layers, producing a smooth matte finish. Tempera paintings are very long-lasting, with examples from the first century AD still existing. Tempera was a primary method of painting until around 1500 when it was superseded by oil painting.
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Painting genres: Landscape, Portrait, Still Life, Genre, Abstract
There are countless types and styles of painting, and new ones are being created all the time. Contemporary art, for example, is an umbrella term for art created in the present time, which includes a wide range of artistic practices and styles.
However, there are some commonly recognised types of painting, including landscape, portrait, still life, genre, and abstract.
Landscape
Landscape painting depicts natural scenery and may include mountains, valleys, bodies of water, fields, forests, and coasts, as well as man-made structures and people. Although paintings from ancient times have included natural elements, landscape as an independent genre emerged in the Western tradition during the Renaissance in the 16th century. In Eastern art, the genre can be traced back to 4th-century China.
Portrait
Portrait paintings depict the likeness of individuals, often in a realistic manner. Portraits have been used throughout history as a record of status and position, and to affirm the authority of important individuals. In the Baroque and Rococo periods, for example, Flemish painters Sir Anthony van Dyck and Peter Paul Rubens excelled at this type of portraiture. In other cultures, such as ancient China, portraiture was influenced by Confucian patriarchal cosmology, with women being depicted as idealized, exemplary women.
Still Life
Still life paintings depict mostly inanimate, commonplace objects, which may be natural (such as food, flowers, plants, rocks, and shells) or human-made (such as drinking glasses, books, vases, and jewellery). Still life emerged as a distinct genre in Western painting during the late 16th century, with origins in the Middle Ages and Ancient Greco-Roman art. Although it occupied the lowest rung of the hierarchy of genres, it has been extremely popular with buyers.
Genre
Genre paintings (or petit genre) depict aspects of everyday life by portraying ordinary people engaged in common activities. They often include symbolic or moral meanings underneath the realistic representation. Genre scenes can vary from intimate interior scenes to bustling street scenes, and have proven popular with the middle class due to their familiar and sentimental subject matter. Genre subjects appear in many traditions of art, including ancient Egyptian tomb decorations, medieval illuminated manuscripts, and Renaissance panel paintings.
Abstract
Abstract art emphasises non-representational forms, colours, and lines, often departing from recognisable objects or subjects. It is concerned with conveying emotions and ideas or exploring formal elements of art, such as colour, shape, and texture. Pioneers of pure abstract painting include Kazimir Malevich and Piet Mondrian from about 1910-1920. Abstract art has formed a central stream of modern art since the early 1900s.
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Painting periods: Medieval, Renaissance, Contemporary, Post-Impressionism, Cubism
Painting styles and types can be classified based on genre, style, medium, period, technique, and purpose. There are seven commonly recognized types of painting: abstract, genre, landscape, portrait, still life, etc. Paintings can also be categorized based on the period they were created in, such as the Medieval, Renaissance, Contemporary, Post-Impressionism, and Cubism periods.
Medieval Period
Medieval art, which emerged in the Middle Ages, was not purely aesthetic but also served as a symbol of one's status, identity, education, and culture. It consisted mainly of architectural designs of churches, castles, and monasteries, as well as paintings, sculptures, and manuscripts. Medieval artists collaborated with skilled craftsmen, including carpenters, woodcarvers, masons, metalworkers, sculptors, and painters, to create ornamental artwork. This period also witnessed the use of precious materials like metals, ivory carvings, enamel, and embroidery, which were highly valued.
Renaissance Period
The Renaissance period, spanning the 14th to 16th centuries in Europe, was marked by a revival of classical learning and an increased awareness of nature and individualism. Artists like Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo created iconic works, focusing on realistic human representations and expressions. This period transformed artists into celebrated individuals, with patrons supporting novel subjects and portraits. Scientific observations and classical studies contributed to the development of linear perspective and atmospheric perspective, enhancing the sense of depth in two-dimensional artworks.
Contemporary Period
Contemporary art is not a specific painting style but an umbrella term for artistic practices and styles created in the present time. It embraces diverse approaches, techniques, and mediums, reflecting current issues, ideas, and cultural contexts. Contemporary painting often explores themes like beauty, tradition, desire, the body, and spirituality. It is characterized by the interplay between abstraction and figuration, the use of mixed media, post-conceptualism, postmodernity, identity politics, new technologies, and collage.
Post-Impressionism
Post-Impressionism emerged as a response to Impressionism, extending its use of vivid colors and impasto while emphasizing geometric forms and unnatural colors. Artists like Georges Seurat explored pointillism, using tiny dots of color, while Paul Cézanne focused on structural arrangements and basic shapes. Post-Impressionism is typically associated with French art between 1886 and 1914, marking a split from classical Impressionism and influencing various artistic movements, including Cubism.
Cubism
Cubism, an early-20th-century avant-garde movement that originated in Paris, revolutionized painting and the visual arts. Pioneered by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, Cubism breaks down subjects into abstract forms, depicting them from multiple perspectives. Cubist artists analyze, fragment, and reassemble subjects, often using simple geometric shapes and faceting techniques. It sparked innovations in various art forms, including music, ballet, literature, and architecture, and is considered one of the most influential art movements of the 20th century.
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Painting techniques: Plein-air, Chiaroscuro, Alla Prima, Action Painting, Collage Painting
Painting is a diverse art form that encompasses a multitude of styles, techniques, and movements. While there are numerous painting techniques, we will focus on five notable ones: Plein-air, Chiaroscuro, Alla Prima, Action Painting, and Collage Painting.
Plein-air Painting:
Plein-air painting, derived from the French expression "in the open air," involves painting outdoors, surrounded by nature and the elements. This technique is particularly challenging due to the ever-changing light and weather conditions, requiring artists to work quickly and adapt their techniques accordingly. Plein-air painting enhances the creative process, allowing artists to uniquely observe and interpret the landscape. It is often associated with landscape painting, providing an opportunity to capture the beauty, detail, and essence of natural surroundings.
Chiaroscuro:
Chiaroscuro, an Italian term meaning "light-dark," refers to the use of strong contrasts between light and shadow to achieve a sense of volume and three-dimensionality in a composition. This technique, also known as "shadow-painting," has been employed by artists since ancient times, with the Ancient Greeks using it to create the illusion of three-dimensional volume. In drawings and prints, chiaroscuro is achieved through hatching or shading with parallel lines, while in cinema and photography, it is used to create dramatic lighting effects, as seen in film noir.
Alla Prima Painting:
Alla prima, an Italian phrase meaning "at the first attempt," is a technique where the artwork is completed in a single sitting, often using a wet-on-wet paint application. This approach requires bold and decisive handling of the materials, focusing on the edges of the composition. Artists like Van Gogh and Velázquez have utilized alla prima to achieve overall command of the picture, embracing both soft, blended edges and sharply defined lines. This technique suits plein-air painting as it captures fleeting moments and embraces the spontaneity of creating en plein air.
Action Painting:
Action painting, also known as "gestural abstraction," is a style that emerged after World War II, particularly in post-war America. This technique involves spontaneously dribbling, splashing, or smearing paint onto the canvas, emphasizing the physical act of painting. Artists like Jackson Pollock, Franz Kline, and Willem de Kooning are associated with this movement, which was closely linked to abstract expressionism. Action painting aimed to evoke a sense of the primeval and tap into the collective subconscious of the observer.
Collage Painting:
Collage painting is a unique technique that involves creating a composition by adhering various materials, such as paper, fabric, or other objects, to a surface. This technique allows artists to explore texture, colour, and the interplay between different elements. Collage painting offers a three-dimensional aspect to the artwork, creating a unique visual experience.
These five painting techniques represent a mere fraction of the diverse world of artistic expression, each offering a distinct approach to the creative process and the interpretation of the subject matter.
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Frequently asked questions
There are innumerable types of painting, but here are some of the most common ones:
- Oil
- Acrylic
- Watercolour
- Gouache
- Tempera
- Fresco
There are many different styles of painting, here are some of the most famous ones:
- Impressionism
- Abstract
- Realism
- Surrealism
- Expressionism
- Cubism
- Symbolism
- Pop Art
Different mediums used in painting include:
- Oil
- Acrylic
- Watercolour
- Ink
- Enamel
- Tempera
- Fresco
Paintings can be classified into different genres, including:
- Landscape
- Portrait
- Still Life
- Genre (scenes from everyday life)
Some of the many painting techniques include:
- Plein-air
- Chiaroscuro
- Alla Prima (wet-on-wet)
- Action Painting (gestural abstraction)
- Collage
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