Who Laid the Groundwork for Modern Art?

Art|Modern Art

The term modern art is generally used to describe art from the period beginning in the 1860s, and as such, it is difficult to define a single artist who was responsible for laying the groundwork for this movement.

However, there are several key figures who are credited with introducing certain ideas and techniques that were integral to the development of modern art. French Impressionist painter Claude Monet is often cited as having a major influence on modern art due to his use of light and color in his paintings.

Monet’s use of light and color emphasized the changing effects of light on nature, creating an atmosphere that was not present in traditional works. His work also broke away from traditional painting techniques, such as using brushstrokes to create texture, instead relying on small dabs of paint to create an impressionistic effect.

Another artist credited with helping to lay the groundwork for modern art is post-Impressionist Paul Cezanne. Cezanne rejected traditional painting conventions such as perspective and proportion, instead using geometrical shapes and planes in order to create a sense of volume. His work also introduced a more abstract approach to painting that helped pave the way for future abstractionists like Pablo Picasso and Wassily Kandinsky.

The Cubist Movement, led by Picasso and Georges Braque, was very influential in the development of modern art. This movement rejected traditional representational painting techniques in favor of an approach which fragmented objects into geometric forms and planes. This new way of seeing had a major impact on artists who followed, including Piet Mondrian and Kazimir Malevich who created abstract works based on shapes and colors rather than objects or figures.

Finally, Expressionism was another important development in modern art that had its roots in earlier movements such as Impressionism and Fauvism. Expressionist artists sought to express emotion through their paintings by using intense colors and exaggerated forms. Painters like Edvard Munch and Ernst Kirchner were major contributors to this movement whose works explored themes such as alienation, anxiety, fear, love, death, etc., which resonated strongly with viewers at the time.

In conclusion, there are many different figures who can be credited with laying the groundwork for modern art but it can be said that Monet’s emphasis on light and color; Cezanne’s introduction of geometrical forms; Cubism’s fragmentation of objects; Expressionism’s emotional intensity; all played significant roles in paving the way for future artistic movements.