What are the genres of painting

Painting refers to one of the most ancient art forms. It was born even among prehistoric people, depicting on the walls of caves hunting scenes and totemic animals. Over time, of course, in it there were more and more new stories. But to distinguish different genres of painting began relatively recently. It began in the 17th century.

Traditionally, the following genres are distinguished in painting: portrait, landscape, still life, historical genre, household genre, animal art, fantastic painting, religious painting.

The portrait suggests that the central object in the picture is a person. And, contrary to popular belief, this does not necessarily have to be an image of the face in the entire canvas. There are pictures on which the central person stands aside, or even such where the person in general hardly guessed. But the main task of the portrait, in any case, remains an image of personality and character transfer.

Initially, with the inclusion of the landscape in the genres of painting, it was assumed that he must depict nature. Nowadays this concept has become wider, and now distinguish the urban landscape, industrial landscape, seascape (marina), sky scenery and so on. But most artists still prefer to depict the classical expanses of fields, forests, meadows and lakes, affirming the beauty and grandeur of the surrounding world.

Still life is an image of a staged composition from elements of inanimate nature. Like the landscape, still life is sometimes subdivided into subgenres depending on the subject, but, as a rule, it is not accepted.

The historical genre of painting, as it follows from its name, depicts the iconic scenes from the history: coronations, battles (battle genre), etc. Or important figures.

In the domestic genre, the central place is occupied by random events from the daily life of people. Eating, meeting on the street, torn shirt - all this can become an object for such a picture.

Artists-animalists create images of animals. And the latter include absolutely all representatives of wildlife from bedbugs to whales. They, as a rule, are depicted naturally, without any metamorphosis.

Fantastic painting is the image of any supernatural beings or events. This genre is also referred to as fantasy and surrealism. Scenes of fantastic painting can occur in space, the world of the future, alternative universes and other unnatural places. And the characters can be like ordinary people, and fictional beings.

To religious painting include icons, frescoes and paintings depicting religious subjects. This genre was most widely spread in the Renaissance, when Christian ideology dominated Europe, inspiring such masters as Raphael, Botticelli, da Vinci.

Despite its diversity, all the genres of painting serve one purpose - the glorification of beauty, external or internal, and a demonstration of the artist's view of the world. Because once a person takes up the brush, then he has something to tell people. And the genres of painting are just different languages, from which he can choose any one that is most suitable for expressing one's thoughts.