The Modern Art Movement of the late 19th and early 20th centuries was a radical departure from traditional forms of art. Its proponents sought to create works that were expressive, experimental, and often controversial. This was in stark contrast to the conservative, academic styles of the time.
The primary figures associated with the Modern Art Movement are often referred to as the “avant-garde”—the French term for leading-edge innovators. The most prominent of these innovators include Claude Monet, Paul Cézanne, Pablo Picasso, and Georges Braque. Each of these artists was instrumental in introducing new techniques, materials, and subject matter to their work.
Monet is perhaps best known for his series of Impressionist paintings. These works featured a bold use of color and light in order to capture fleeting moments in nature.
Cézanne’s work focused on geometric forms and the structure of objects in space. His paintings were among the first to employ intentional distortion in order to add an element of expressionism to representational works.
Picasso is widely considered one of the most influential painters in modern art history. His Cubist works rejected traditional perspective in favor of fragmented shapes and overlapping planes which added an element of abstraction and dynamism to his paintings. Braque was another leader in Cubism who worked alongside Picasso for many years creating some truly revolutionary works that laid the foundation for abstract art as we know it today.
The Modern Art Movement would go on to inspire many other influential artists such as Wassily Kandinsky, Francis Bacon, Mark Rothko, and Jackson Pollock among many others who pushed artistic expression even further into abstraction and experimentation with color and form.
The Modern Art Movement has had a lasting impact on art history as it opened up many new possibilities for visual expression that have been explored by countless artists throughout time up until this day. It is thanks to these pioneering figures that we have such an exciting array of styles available today that can be used to express any idea or emotion with visual imagery.
Conclusion: The Modern Art Movement was started by several key figures including Claude Monet, Paul Cézanne, Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque among others who revolutionized visual expression by introducing innovative techniques and subject matter into their work which paved the way for abstract art as we know it today.