Paintings are traditionally divided into five t ypes (Genres) of Painting

Paintings are traditionally divided into five categories or 'genres'. The establishment of these genres and their relative status in relation to one other, stems from the philosophy of arts promoted by the great European Academies of Fine Art, like the the Accademia di San Luca in Rome, Accademia dell'Arte del Disegno in Florence, the Royal Academy in London, and the French Académie des Beaux-Arts. The five types of fine art painting, listed in order of their official ranking or importance, are as follows:

1. History Painting (works with message or moralistic content) 2. Portraits (individual, group or self-portraits) 3. Genre-painting (everyday scenes) 4. Landscapes 5. Still Life