The most notable early flourishing of European art occurred in classical Greece and Rome. Much of the art of medieval Europe was religious in inspiration and intended for the decoration of churches. In the 15th century, the Renaissance, which began in Italy, looked back to the Greco-Roman period and reintroduced myth and history as subjects for art. Leonard da Vinci and Michaelangelo were masters of the Renaissance. Seventeenth century artists such as Rembrandt and Velázquez showed the possibility of painting stunning works based on ordinary people and everyday lives.
The attention paid by 18th century artists such as Goya and Turner to the effects of light and color were early signs that painters were becoming as interested in the art of painting itself as in the scenes depicted. The Impressionist movement of the 19th century aimed to represent the shifting hues and shades of the visual field as much as the objects (or landscape) before them. Van Gogh used Impressionist techniques to express powerful emotions, while the post-Impressionist Cézanne found ways to recreate the solidity and independence of objects in nature. Twentieth century European art flowered in the works of Matisse and Picasso, influenced by everything from interior design and furnishings to African paintings and sculpture.
The foundations of European literature were laid by the Greeks in the poetry of Homer and the plays of Sophocles and Aeschylus. In the 14th century, two of Europe's epics were written: Dante's "Divine Comedy" in Italy and Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales" in England. In the 17th century, Cervantes wrote Europe's comic novel "Don Quixote" in Spain, while his contemporary, the Englishman William Shakespeare, embarked on a career as playwright. A parade of major novelists and poets followed, increasingly susceptible to non-European influences such as Russian literature in the 19th century and American literature in the 20th century.
Europe gave birth to classical music and made a significant contribution to the development of modern popular music. Unlike folk music and classical music in other parts of the world, European classical music is based not on improvisation but on notes written by composers using stave notation. With its origins in church music, classical composition's great period fell between the late 17th and the late 19th centuries. German composers especially were masters of the form, including Bach, Handel, Beethoven and Wagner. Although Western pop music has its roots in the United States, European artists such as The Beatles from England decisively influenced its direction.
European architectural styles, beginning with the classical period, have been influential throughout the world. Classical Greece created Western philosophy in the works of Plato and Aristotle, and until the 12th century, most major work in philosophy was done in Europe. Europe was the birthplace of cinema as art, with French director Georges Méliès making the first imaginative short movies at the beginning of the 20th century. Some of the most talented directors in the United States were Europeans who had fled Hitler. The most notable movement of recent years, however, has been the arrival in Europe of cultural influences from all over the world, as local cultures have gradually become truly international and cosmopolitan.