The time periods provided are representative of when the relative art movement held influence.
1. Fauvism (1899 - 1908)
Fauvism was the first twentieth century movement in modern art. Fauvism painting emphasized their use of unique and unnatural colour combinations. The unusual use of colour aims to evoke a variety of emotional responses. Their style used thick daubs and smears of paint which intensified the pure colours used.
Two famous artists from the Fauvism art movement are Henri Matisse and Andre Derain.
To see an example of Matisse’s work in the Fauvism style click the following link:
2. Suprematism (1913 - late 1920s)
Suprematism was one of the earliest developments in abstract art. It focused on arts bare essentials and aimed to achieve the ‘zero degree’ of painting. The style in which they painted used what we now refer to as the Elements and Principles of Design in it’s most basic form abandoning all realism and symbolism. Common motifs used by Supremists included squares, circles and crosses to describe the surface of the canvas as well as their use of texture.
Two famous Suprematism artists include Kazimir Malevich (the inventor of the movement) and Ilya Chashnik.
For an example of Kazmir Malevich’s work click the following link:
3. Analytical Art (1920s)
Analytical art depicted a jumble of madness. Each painting was made with what was referred to as ‘atoms’ which must be applied persistently and accurately within the content of the painting. It is believed that the value of these works was the perfection of the forms and the composition that they created. Analytical artists were driven by spontaneity and improvisation to depict their inner world, which may not even be realised by themselves. Every stroke that was made was believed to record the artist’s intellect and ‘inner physical process.’
The main features of an analytical painting is the creation of form using a maximum number of shapes working together as a whole to create one uninterrupted flow. The concentration of the number of shapes and forms and the use of contrasting colours are all visually ‘aggressive,’ and are aimed at capturing the attention of the viewer.
Two famous Analytical artists are Pavel Filonov and Pablo Picasso (Analytical Cubism).
For an example of Filonov’s work click the link below:
4. Lettrism (mid 1940s)
Letterism was essentially deconstructed poetry. It focused on the most basic form of poetic elements; ‘uninterpreted visual symbols and acoustic sounds.’ These were expressed through a technique known as ‘hypergraphics.’ This combined various forms of communication and was defined by Maurice Lemaître as an “ensemble of signs capable of transmitting the reality served by the consciousness more exactly than all the former fragmentary and partial practices (phonetic alphabets, algebra, geometry, painting, music, and so forth).”
Famous Analytical artists include Isidore Isou (founder) and Maurice Lemaître who is still pursuing Lettrism today.
To see an example of Isodore Isou’s work click the following link:
5. Fluxus (1959 - 1978)
Fluxus was an ‘anti-art’ movement that disagreed with the way that museums determined the value of art. They dimissed ‘high-art’ and the idea that only the educated could understand art. They wanted art to be available to the masses and change the way people viewed the world. In this way people would be creating art at all times simply by changing their perception of the world, blurring the lines between reality and art. The movement was more of a ‘do-it-yourself’ art form, where the importance of each piece was entirely dependant on the perception of the viewer. Fluxus artists often used humour to communicate their views, and believed that the importance of the art they created was the process and not the finished product. Fluxus art was often performance based and incorporated use of everyday objects and the element of chance.
Fluxus art is not defined by words as artists of the movement claim defining the movement in words to be too restrictive.
Two famous artists of the Fluxus art movement were George Maciunas (primary founder) and Yoko Ono.
To see an example of Yoko Ono’s art in the Fluxus style click the following link:
6. Arte Povera (1962 - 1972)
‘theartstory.org’ considers Arte Povera to be the “most significant avant-garde movement to emerge in Europe in the 1960s.” They used commonplace “poor” materials such as earth, rock, clothing and rope in a way that is similar to assemblege. They used ‘borrowed forms and materials from everyday life’ to create sculptural pieces as well as installations and performance art. Their choice of materials often evoked a sense of the ‘pre-industrial age.’ The group rejected styles that focused on technology. they believed that modernity threatened to earase the past and our sense of memory. Despite these fears some of the most popular Arte Povera pieces incorporated modern materials from the most recent consumer culture as they contrasted the old with the new to complicate the abstract pieces by confusing the passing of time.
Famous artists of the Arte Povera movement include Giovanni Anselmo and Mario Merz.
Too see an example of Mario Merz’s work please follow the link below:
7. Minimalism (early 1960s - late 1960s)
“Minimalists attempted to remove the appearance of composition from their work. To that end, they tried to expunge all signs of the artists guiding hand or thought processes - all aesthetic decisions - from the fabrication of the object.” –theartstory.org
Minimalists sought to create objects which blurred the lines between painting and sculpture, to instead create “specific objects.” They aimed to erase all metaphors and symbolism from their pieces, aspiring to create art which appeared as though it was factory made objects. Emphasis was placed on the space surrounding the object rather than meaning within the object itself.
Famous artists from the 1960s Minimalism art movement include the likes of Donald Judd and Frank Stella.
To see an example of Donald Judds Minimalist works click the following link:
8. Op Art (1964 - Present)
Described by some as an abstract version of Pop Art, Op Art is an art form that focuses on the nature of perception. Op Art is usually in the form of abstract patterns using highly contrasting colours for the foreground and background, often black and white. The combination of the stark contrasts and patterning forms an optical illusion when viewed, creating the sense of movement from the confusion of the eye trying struggling to focus on the image.
Op Art, however, isn’t always in the form of abstract patterning. Another popular form of Op Art is anamorphosis; “the effect by which images are contorted so that objects are only fully recognizable when viewed from an oblique angle.” – theartstory.com
Two famous Op Artists are Victor Vasarely and Bridget Riley.
To see an example of Op Art by Bridget Riley click the link below:
9. Neo-Expressionism (late1970s - early 1990s)
The return to painting as an art form was carried on the back of the Neo-Expressionists, focusing again on the subject matter of art. “(Neo-Expressionists) turned in expressionistic, primitivist and romantic directions to create work which delved into history and myth, and affirmed the redemptive power of art.” – theartstory.com
The power of the traditional medium of painting was rediscovered and influence was drawn from earlier art styles, myths and history and the return to romantic subjects occurred.
A significant change in the perception of what constitutes as ‘art’ took place as the emergence of graffiti within galleries occurred, where aggressive brush strokes and broad paint splatters ‘emotionally-charged the subject matter’ of pieces by Jean-Michel Basquiat.
Famous Neo-Expressionism artists include the likes of Georg Baselitz and Jean-Michel Basquiat.
An example of Jean-Michel Basquiat Neo-Expressionist art is available to view at:
10. Stuckism (1999 - Present)
Stuckism is a group of painters that refer to themselves as ‘anti-anti-art,’ meaning that they are against movements which are ‘anti-art’ and are in favour of art. Their aim is to get back to the “true spirit of modernism, to produce art with spiritual value regardless of style, subject matter or medium.” They oppose conceptual art and instead opt to promote figurative painiting.
“Although painting is the dominant artistic form of Stuckism, artists using other media such as photography, sculpture, film and collage have also joined, and share the Stuckist opposition to conceptualism and ego-art.”
Two famous Stuckist artists are Billy Childish and Charles Thompson, both founders of the movement.
To see an example of Charles Thompsons work follow the link below:
References:
1. www.theartstory.org/movement-fauvism.htm
2. www.theartstory.org/movement-suprematism.htm
3. www.thegaertners.com/aa/index.html
4. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lettrism
5.
www.theartstory.org/movement-fluxus.htm
http://imaginepeace.com/archives/16344
6. www.theartstory.org/movement-arte-povera.htm
7. www.theartstory.org/movement-minimalism.htm
8. www.theartstory.org/movement-op-art.htm
9. www.theartstory.org/movement-neo-expressionism.htm
10. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stuckism
