Modern and contemporary art are two distinct periods in art history that have seen the emergence of some of the greatest and most influential pieces of artwork ever created. Modern art is usually defined as a period in art history beginning around the 1860s or 1870s and ending around 1945.
This period saw artists experiment with new techniques, materials, and subjects. The most popular Modern art movements include Impressionism, Cubism, Expressionism, Surrealism, and Abstract Expressionism.
Contemporary art is often defined as a period in art history beginning after 1945 until today’s present day. During this time, many different styles emerged such as Pop Art, Minimalism, Conceptual Art, Postmodern Art, Performance Art, Installation Art, and Video Art. These movements have challenged traditional notions of what constitutes fine art while focusing on more conceptual ideas such as politics or social commentary.
Impressionism was a movement that started in France in the late 19th century that focused on capturing a fleeting moment in time via short brushstrokes and vibrant colors. This style of painting sought to capture the “impressions” of nature rather than its exact details. Famous Impressionist painters include Claude Monet and Pierre-Auguste Renoir.
Cubism was an avant-garde movement developed by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque in the early 20th century that entailed representing objects from multiple angles to create abstracted works that appeared three dimensional. This style often used fragmented shapes to create an overall composition.
Expressionism was an early 20th-century movement that sought to express emotion through color and brush strokes rather than realism. Many German Expressionist painters used symbolic images to express their inner feelings.
Surrealism, which began in France following World War I, was a movement led by renowned artist Salvador Dalí.
This style sought to combine dreamlike imagery with reality to create bizarre compositions with symbolic meaning.
Abstract Expressionism, which began in America during the 1940s and 1950s, focused on expressing emotion through gestural brush strokes, vivid colors, shapes, and lines rather than realistic representation. Notable abstract expressionists include Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko.
Pop Art, which began in Britain during the 1950s but gained popularity in America during the 1960s was a movement based upon consumer culture iconography such as comic books or advertisements. Notable Pop artists include Roy Lichtenstein or Andy Warhol.
Minimalism, which started during the 1960s focused on creating artwork with few elements using basic geometric shapes such as squares or circles to convey meaning through simplicity rather than complexity.
Conceptual Art, which emerged during the late 1960s focused on ideas over aesthetics or materials for their artistic expression rather than traditional forms of painting or sculpture making it one of the most controversial movements ever created.
Postmodern Art, which began after 1970 emphasized self-referentiality while questioning traditional notions of what constitutes fine art while examining our culture’s relationship with technology and mass media.
Modern and contemporary art have seen some of the most innovative movements ever created within these two distinct periods throughout history – from Impressionism to Pop Art – each one pushing boundaries while challenging traditional conventions associated with fine art.
What Are The Movements Exist In The Modern And Contemporary Arts? Modern art is characterized by Impressionism , Cubism , Expressionism , Surrealism , Abstract Expressionism .
Contemporary art is characterized by Pop Art , Minimalism , Conceptual Art , Postmodern Art , Performance Art , Installation Art , Video Art .