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The earliest painted art known to us is cave painting in Chauvet in southeastern France dating back 30,000 years. These and cave painting in Lascaux depict animals with style, full of color and life. What a fitting beginning for a country that has such a long tradition of world famous art. From there we move to the primarily religious art of the Medieval and Gothic periods including the manuscripts done for Louis IX and Philip the Fair. Renaissance art saw a revolutionary change of focus to the accomplishments of man in classical antiquity. This was, of course, also the time of monumental building from the great gothic cathedrals to the Renaissance chateaux of Francis I at Chambord and Fontainebleau (see French Architecture). Below you will find all the major French artists from these periods arranged chronologically. Books on the Louvre, Musee d'Orsay, the entire period or a collection of artists of that time, will be found under the "general" heading. Once you've read the books, plan to see them in person--travel to France! For books on other art periods, Art Directory; for books on the kings of this time, Bookstore Directory.
GeneralPrehistoricPaleolithic Art including cave painting in Lascaux dates from the Old Stone Age, circa 15,000 BC, cave painting in Chauvet is older at 30,000 years. Medieval
Gothic 12th-15th-centuryRomanesque architecture of the 9th and 10th centuries which had thick walls, heavy pillars and rounded arches with square bell towers and few windows gives way to Gothic with thinner and taller walls using buttresses and pointed arches. They were decorated with sculptures. Often the windows were filled with beautiful stained glass. The cathedral at Chartres with its 130 stained glass windows is one of the best. Renaissance Art and Mannerist 16th-centuryGeneral
Jean Clouet
Francis I c.1525-1530
Jean Goujon (sculptor) c.1510-1565 Finest French sculptor of mid-sixteenth century. Often collaborated with architect Lescot, e.g., sculptural decoration Louvre. Germain Pilon (sculptor) c.1535-1590 Best French sculptor of the late-sixteenth century. Sculptor in the round, several media, e.g., tomb for Henry II and Catherine de Medici.
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Copyright © 2009 Last Modified: January 28, 2010
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Paintings in the Louvre
Treasures of the Musee D'Orsay
Dawn of Art: The Chauvet Cave
Art and Architecture in Medieval France: Medieval Architecture, Sculpture, Stained Glass, Manuscripts, the Art of the Church Treasuries (Icon Editions, In-22)
