Last week, we looked at five “isms” in art history: Mannerism, Neo-Classicism, Romanticism, Realism, and Impressionism. This week, we’ll consider five of the more recent “isms.”
Post-Impressionism – (very late 1800s and into the turn of the 20th century) Seurat, Van Gogh, Rousseau, Cezanne. This movement overlapped with impressionism, but those who tried an impressionistic approach soon abandoned it for a more structural approach to composition and color theory, using dots (Seurat) or patches (Cezanne) of color and optical mixing.3 The actual quality of the paint took on a greater role, as in the works of Van Gogh with his short, thick strokes.
Symbolism – (turn of the 20th century) By the end of the 19th century, there was an air of discontent over the continent of Europe and the Art world. There was a group of artists eager to abandon the realism of impressionism. This gave birth to Symbolism where symbols from mythology and dream imagery took on greater significance. Some of the major artists of this period were Odilon Redon, Marc Chagall, Edvard Munch, and Gustav Klimt.
Cubism – (the first two decades of the 1900s) This well-known movement came on the heels of Post-Impressionism and overlapped with Symbolism. Cubism was a term coined by an art critic after he viewed a landscape painting by Georges Braque. Braque and Pablo Picasso were good friends and the co-founders of this movement that truly turned the art world on its head. Influenced by the masks of African tribes, this style is characterized by dividing the picture plane into what appears to be facets. Because we see multiple surfaces and vantage points in viewing an object all at once, it is clear that the cubist artists had abandoned all traditional rules of perspective or realism.4 Though started by Picasso and Braque, other artists soon adopted this style of painting – Fernand Leger, Robert Delauney and Marcel Duchamp to name a few.
Surrealism – This movement had its birth in 1924 with a publication by artist Andre Breton about spontaneous creation. Surrealism is rooted in the burgeoning field of psychiatry, and the influential theories of Sigmund Freud.5 The dreamy and bizarre imagery is simultaneously intriguing and disturbing. Some of the most notable surrealist painters are Salvador Dali, Rene Magritte, Yves Tanguy, and Giorgio De Chirico.
[NOTE: Due to copyright restrictions, we cannot display paintings from this period. However, you
can see an example of Salvador Dali’s iconic painting, The Persistence of Memory at: http://www.moma.org/collection/works/79018]
Abstract Expressionism – this movement came about in New York in the 1940s, as a break from conventional subject matter and techniques. The label of abstract expressionist includes a wide circle of artists over a span of many years where the emphasis was more on the process of creating rather than the finished product. The early years were focused on abstracted, but recognizable subject matter and certainly more figurative. This morphed into more and more gestural (such as the drip and splatter paintings of Jackson Pollock) to the flat and simple color field work of Morris Louis, Mark Rothko and Helen Frankenthaler. What contributed to the impact of abstract expressionist paintings on the public was the scale: most canvases were of an immense size. Other well-known artists of this genre are Willem deKooning, Robert Motherwell, Franz Kline and Adolf Gottlieb.
[NOTE: Due to copyright restrictions, we cannot display paintings from this period. However, you
can see examples of Jackson Pollock’s work at http://www.moma.org/collection/artists/4675]
Take your art to the next level with See the Light videos:
Black Light
Our battery-powered “See the Light” black light is a great tool (and safe for children to use) and will add a new dimension to your artwork. Why not get one today?
Art Projects: Sunflowers (Vincent van Gogh)
Art Projects – Sunflowers Create an oil pastel in the style of Dutch artist Vincent Van Gogh in 4 step-by-step video lessons with master artist, Pat Knepley.
Art Class 36-Lesson Download
Learn how to draw with 36 step-by-step lessons, taught by Master Artist Pat Knepley. All lessons include art history, and Biblical truth is integrated into every lesson.This digital download set contains a full school year’s worth of art instruction and will give your children the tools they need to unleash their creativity.
And don’t miss these free resources from our blog:
Learning Composition, pt. 2: The Golden Ratio
How do you create an artistic composition that is pleasing to the eye? Many artists use a mathematical concept called the golden ratio, (also known
How to Integrate Art with History
There are four components to a well thought out art program as described in the Discipline-Based Arts Education (DBAE): Art History, Art Criticism, Art Production,
Art Project: His Eye is on the Sparrow (Pastel)
Part 1: Drawing the Sky In Part 1 of this 5-part art project, I’ll show you how to draw a cloud-filled sky with soft pastels.
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