| History Painting - The Concept | | | | form was a dominant off shoot of Academic Painting. |
| The term 'History Painting' is derived from the Italian | | | | Mid-19thcentury saw the arrival of Historicism, which |
| word 'istoria,' meaning a story. As the name suggests, | | | | was was more about copying the styles and the |
| History Painting pertains to capturing past and historical | | | | concepts of History Painting. In addition, the mixing of |
| events on canvass, wall, or wood. They depict scenes | | | | History Painting with a new form called Genre Painting, |
| from a narration or a tale from mythology and classical | | | | which revolved around the routine life and people, |
| Christian history. Flavored with intellect and/or morality, | | | | further lessened its luster. Due to certain devastating |
| the artworks portrayed divine figures from ancient | | | | events in the 20th century and the rise of |
| mythological stories, the ones who contributed to the | | | | Romanticism, History Paintings finally ceased to uphold |
| then spiritual & ethical principles, allegories, religion, | | | | their status and the appreciation for the art form |
| and literature. | | | | started declining. |
| The History | | | | The Artists & the Artworks |
| French artist, historiographer, theoretician, and architect | | | | Leonardo's Mural Painting 'The Last Supper' (1495-98) |
| André Félibien (1619-95), is considered | | | | is one of the greatest History works known. |
| the father of this art form (1667). It was a medium to | | | | Michelangelo's Fresco 'Creation of Adam' (1511) that |
| spread moral & religious values across the | | | | adorns the ceilings of Sistine Chapel, Vatican, Italy, is |
| masses. During the Italian Renaissance (1420-1600), | | | | nothing but a miracle in its own right. Pablo Picasso's |
| History Painting flourished through the hands of great | | | | (Spain, 1881-1973) 'Guernica' (1937) was a reflection of |
| artists, like Leonardo Da Vinci (1452-1519) and | | | | the artist's view of this art form in the 20th century. |
| Michelangelo (1475-1564). During the 17th-18th centuries, | | | | Antoine-Jean (1771-1835), Jacques-Louis David |
| the genre had some real good artists. Its development | | | | (1748-1825), Claude Joseph Vernet (1714-89), Carle |
| however, was marred due to the controversial | | | | Vernet (1758-1835), Pierre-Narcisse Guérin |
| prescriptions of the academicians in distinguishing | | | | (1774-1833) were some of the key History Painters |
| between istoria and history. By the 19th century, the | | | | from France. |