Mapping the World of Art: Part VIII — The Great Unraveling

For centuries, Western art was governed by rules that seemed permanent. Then, one movement after another began challenging those assumptions, creating a chain reaction that transformed the entire landscape of art. In this installment of Mapping the World of Art, we explore how Neoclassicism, Romanticism, Realism, Impressionism, and Cubism fit together as part of a larger story—the gradual unraveling of a visual order that had dominated for centuries and the opening of new possibilities for artists around the world.