The exhibition, covers 800 years of Western art history, ranging from 14th century religious paintings to 21st century contemporary art. This special journey highlights European art and showcases masterpieces that illustrate major art movements which revolutionized Western art and influenced artists across Europe. The carefully selected works demonstrate how artists consistently draw from the lessons of their predecessors, building upon artistic traditions while challenging conventions to create art that resonates with their historical moment.

전시구성

Section 1. Fourteenth and Fifteenth Centuries: Gothic Devotional Art
Beginning in the fourteenth century, artworks come from an age where life and religion were inseparable. This period was intrinsically linked to religion and doctrine, leading to the creation of radiant religious paintings with golden backgrounds that evoked a sense of reverence and meditation. These paintings were mainly painted using tempera – a paint made from pigment mixed with water-based binding medium, often egg yolk. Due to its element, it was fast-drying and extremely durable, meaning that the artists had to work quickly and had a limited number of colors that they could achieve.

Section 2. Invention of Oil Paints: Religious Painting from the Sixteenth Century
By late 15th century, the medium of oil paint, invented by Dutch painters had spread throughout Europe. European artists eagerly embraced this new technology, as it allowed them to mix or layer paints and express a wide range of colors, enabling much more detailed depictions. Most paintings still depicted religious subjects, but the opportunities offered by oil paints enabled artists to develop personal styles, allowing a greater range of compositions and increasingly elaborate settings and embellishments. With an understanding of perspective, artists could create works that appeared more realistic, thus more impressive and valuable to the patrons who commissioned them.

Section 3. The Caravaggesque and the Seventeenth Century
The early years of the seventeenth century were marked by the radical genius of the master Caravaggio. The key radical aspect that he manifested in his paintings was the dramatic contrast of light and dark. The Caravaggesque revolution quickly spread not only through Italy but across Europe. Parallel to the Caravaggesque style of painting and the rise of the Italian Baroque, an important chapter in the history of landscape painting was underway. Nicolas Poussin, a French painter who spent most of his artistic career in Rome, was the leading exponent of the classical landscape genre.

Section 4. Eighteenth Century View Paintings and Capricci
Rome continued its prominence as a cultural and political center in the eighteenth century, but during this time the city of Venice also experienced a golden age, with its wealth and power establishing it as a political, mercantile, cultural, and artistic hub. In this context, the genre of architectural landscape painting known as vedute became significant, depicting the beauty and grandeur of major cities.

Section 5. Eighteenth Century Classicism and Realism
This period saw a revival of interest in the aesthetics of ancient Greece and Rome, focusing on ethical themes and the depiction of idealized human forms. Louis-Gabriel Blanche’s paintings exemplified the neoclassical ideals of harmony and restraint, and Jean-Baptiste Oudry, known primarily as a painter of animals and still life, also contributed to the classicism of the period. While classicalism was greatly fashionable in academic circles, some artists instead turned to contemporary society for their subjects, especially the impoverished classes. Such ‘genre’ paintings, focusing on subjects from everyday life, became popular among growing middle class.

Section 6. ‘The Long Nineteenth Century’: Portraiture and Romanticism
On of the important painting genres of the 19th century was portraiture. Alongside portraiture, other painting genres also gained popularity, reflecting diverse tastes of the middle class. Artists of this period moved away from the historical and religious themes of academy. Works based on popular literature, such as Shakespeare’s play “Romeo and Juliet,” also emerged.

Section 7. Twentieth Century Art: Reflections of Modern Society
After the First World War, artists sought to find new ways of representation, moving away from traditional styles of painting and sculpture. Pablo Picasso, in his long and prolific career, was a pioneer of Cubism. Another influential painter who created his own unique visual language was Joan Miro, a contemporary of Picasso. His paintings incorporate elements of Surrealism, Fauvism, and Expressionism, yet his art defies categorization in any single movement. Sculpture by Marino Marini demonstrates how the move towards abstraction is also a feature of twentieth century sculpture.

Section 8. Post-War Italian Art: The Search for a Purer Form of Art
The Second World War marked a watershed in Italian art, ushering in a remarkable period of innovation and experimentation, bringing diverse movements and artists who challenged traditional artistic conventions. Many of these artists respected the art of previous eras while striving to break away from the art of the past century to create new forms of art suited to modern age.
Section 9. Contemporary Art
Contemporary art continues to evolve and diversify in the twenty first century, with artists exploring a wide range of themes, techniques, and media. The increasingly international art scene has caused many of these artists to become global superstars, some of whom are represented in this exhibition. Damien Hirst is one of the world’s most famous and recognizable artist, and his ‘butterfly paintings’ exemplifies the artist’s subversive approach to art and concepts of beauty. From conceptual experiments to immersive installations, their work continues to challenge conventions, provoke thought, and inspire audiences around the world.