Historical Painting

Historical Painting is a branch of painting that represents significant events of history, religion or literature. Their subjects can be taken from the Bible, from mythology or other forms of secular literature, from historical events; or they can be allegories. [1] It was viewed as the most important of the painting genres from about the 16th century until Paul Cezanne's era. It was a category of art in the old academic tradition, based on the values of ancient Greece and Rome. [2]

Moritz Stifter, A Beauty in Historical Costume, 1889.

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  William Blake, The Penance of Jane Shore, 1793.

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  The Declaration of Independence by John Trumbull, 1818.

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  Diogenes by John William Waterhouse, 1882.

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  Tristan and Isolde with the Potion by John William Waterhouse, 1916.

Palamedes before Agamemnon by Rembrandt, 1626.

See also

• History of painting