This publication examines the artistic production of the 19th century, its reception, and the wide-ranging influence of the spirit of a diverse and particularly fertile period of European culture. The artistic movements (Classicism, Romanticism,, Realism, Impressionism, other trends parallel to and beyond Impressionism) are presented in chronological order, but at the same time their coexistence to a certain extent and the absence of barriers that allow for the dynamic interaction and the multifaceted osmosis of their individual elements are highlighted. Particular emphasis is placed on social, political and economic developments, as well as on philosophical and literary movements, scientific discoveries, and especially on new possibilities for the rapid movement of people and the transmission of ideas. These developments marked a new relationship with space and time, contributing to the formation of a different vision of the world, which would also be reflected in art.

The text is accompanied by visual material, the fidelity and quality of which is the result of careful selection and diligent editing. Particular effort has been made to ensure that the images accompany, complement and support the text to the maximum extent possible.

The 19th century was an unprecedentedly innovative period, with its own, unrecognised mark on social and political history, which was the starting point for the transformations of the modern era. The rapid alternation of philosophical and literary currents is reflected in the constant search for identity and self-definition of architects, sculptors and painters, with the motif of ‘modernity’ ever-present in both their formative adventures and their theoretical debates. These fermentations and changes, together with technical conquests, confronted artists with new conditions for creating and disposing of their works. The high patronage of the Court and the Church was displaced by the favour of the critics of the Salons and art dealers.

Alkis Charalambidis is an art historian, professor emeritus of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.