In art the Italian Renaissance broke away from the hieratic formalism characteristic of the Medieval styles of European art, and sought to imitate nature, spurred on by the example of Classical art.
This will allow the student to create a historical framework of visual monuments with which to evaluate and classify works of art of the same cultures and periods that are encountered after he or she has completed the course.
For example, the art of the Late Renaissance was imbued with a deep pessimism.
Artistic remains in France date back to the Paleolithic age (see Paleolithic art), and abundant examples attest to the art of the periods of Roman and barbarian occupation as well as to the Christian art of the subsequent periods (see Merovingian art and architecture; Carolingian architecture and art).
The hierarchic austerity characteristic of many Romanesque figures was modified in the period of Gothic architecture and art (12th15th cent.) by tendencies toward idealization and naturalism.
Characteristic gracefulness and delicacy prevailed in the minor arts, exemplified in the bronze work of Jacques Caffieri and in Sèvres porcelains, produced at the royal potteries established in 1745 at Vincennes and moved to Sèvres in 1753.