艺术风格多种多样，在短短的一篇课文里不可能去全面的描述它们。因此，本文只谈及从公元6世纪以来最主要的几种(艺术风格)。

　　中世纪(公元5世纪到15世纪)

　　在中世纪，画家的主要目的是表现宗教主题。这个时期传统的艺术家无意于如实地展现自然和人物。这个时期的典型的绘画充满了宗教的特征，体现出了对上帝的敬重与爱戴之情。但是，很显然在13世纪时，(人们的)思想正经历着变化，像乔托这样的画家们开始用一种比较现实的风格来画宗教场景。

　　The Renaissance⑫ (15th to 16th century)

　　During the Renaissance, new ideas and values gradually replaced those held in the Middle Ages. People began to concentrate less on religious themes and adopt⑬ a more humanistic⑭ attitude to life. At the same time painters returned to classical Roman and Greek ideas about art. They tried to paint people and nature as they really were. Rich people wanted to possess⑮ their own paintings, so they could decorate their superb⑯ palaces and great houses. They paid famous artists to paint pictures of themselves, their houses and possessions⑰ as well as⑱ their activities and achievements.

　　One of the most important discoveries during this period was how to draw things in perspective⑲. This technique⑳ was first used by Masaccio\s\up1(21(21) in 1428. When people first saw his paintings, they were convinced that they were looking through a hole in a wall at a real scene. If the rules of perspective had not been discovered, no one would have been able to paint such realistic pictures\s\up1(22(22). By coincidence\s\up1(23(23)， oil paints were also developed at this time, which made the colours used in paintings look richer and deeper. Without the new paints and the new technique, we would not be able to see the many great masterpieces\s\up1(24(24) for which this period is famous\s\up1(25(25). ⑫renaissance/rI'neIsns; US'renəsɑːns/n.新生；复兴；复活

the Renaissance文艺复兴(时期)

⑬adopt/ə'dɒpt/vt.采用；采纳；收养

⑭humanistic/ˌhjuːmə'nIstIk/adj.人道主义的

⑮possess/pə'zes/vt.拥有；具有；支配

⑯superb/suː'pɜːb；sjuː'pɜːb/adj.卓越的；杰出的；极好的　

⑰possession/pə'zeʃn/n.(尤作复数)所有；财产

⑱as well as 既......又......；也，连接两个并列成分。

⑲perspective/pə'spektIv/n.透视画法；透视图；观点

⑳technique/tek'niːk/n.技术；方法；技能

\s\up1(21(21)Masaccio/mə'sɑːtʃIəʊ/马萨乔(意大利画家)

\s\up1(22(22)If the rules of perspective had not been discovered, no one would have been ...是含有虚拟语气的复合句，表示与过去事实相反的情况。

\s\up1(23(23)coincidence/kəʊ'InsIdəns/n.巧合(的事)；(事情、口味、故事等)相合

by coincidence 巧合地

\s\up1(24(24)masterpiece/'mɑːstəpiːs/n.杰作；名著

\s\up1(25(25)这里without引导的介词短语表述非真实条件，整个句子叫含蓄虚拟条件句。

for which ...是"介词＋关系代词"引导的定语从句。