A journey through World Painting Eras
Select an era below, or step through them in order with the Previous and Next buttons. Each one comes with context, defining traits and key artists.
Compare the movements
A quick side-by-side view of the six eras covered on khiar.
| Movement | Years | Known for | Key artist |
|---|
Words you’ll meet along the way
A few terms that come up often when people talk about painting.
Linear perspective
A system that uses converging lines to create the illusion of depth on a flat surface.
Chiaroscuro
Strong contrast between light and dark used to model forms and create drama.
Sfumato
Soft blending of tones without hard outlines, famously used by Leonardo da Vinci.
Plein air
Painting outdoors, directly from observation, rather than in a studio.
Impasto
Paint applied thickly enough that brushstrokes and texture remain visible.
Collage
Gluing materials such as paper onto a surface, introduced into painting by the Cubists.
Tronie
A Dutch term for a character study of a face or type, not a portrait of a specific sitter.
Ukiyo-e
Japanese woodblock prints and paintings of the Edo period, often called “pictures of the floating world”.
See the movements in action
Open the gallery to read the story behind eight landmark paintings.
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