What is Dada really? Is it an art movement? A way of thinking? The truth is, Dada art is in every possible way the opposite of traditional art—it's anti-art that was meant to shake the art world to its core.. . . read more
Art Nouveau was an exceptionally popular art movement in the late 1800's, beginning around 1880 and lasting into the second decade of the 20th century. It was so popular in fact, that many of us still recognize it when we see it, especially in posters like this one by Jules Chéret.. . . read more
Art Deco was an art movement that lasted from the 1920s until around 1940. It began in France with a group of French decorators, designers, and artists at an event called the "Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes." The name Art Deco was later coined from that. . . read more
As movements go, Abstract Expressionism is a little tricky to describe because it revolved primarily around the individuality of its leading artists, Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, and Mark Rothko, just to pick a few. However, if you break down the name itself (Abstract Expressionism) it. . . read more
The term Impressionism (or Impressionist) is a rather popular word in art circles—sometimes it seems that once a painting is labeled as having an Impressionist style, it has an extra air of appeal about it that it didn’t before. For those of you who aren’t completely sure what. . . read more
Fauvism was a brief art movement made up of several young Parisian painters at the beginning of the 20th century. Led by Henri Matisse, this group of painters often used vivid colors - without much mixing or blending - to create flat shapes in their paintings while still being. . . read more
I came across a great discussion between several bloggers last week about the differences between "arts" and “crafts” and how artists view themselves within those categories. The term “arts and crafts” however, comes from the historical period in art history - and that history might. . . read more
Minimalism - A canvas painted with two colors of black. Simple shapes. No brushstrokes and no emotion. Can art like this truly have meaning for the average person? I think so. . . but let's take a look at the history behind the movement and find out.. . . read more
So there you are, standing in front of another abstract art piece. Abstract art is so varied and (usually) so strange that people often wonder what it means or why it is the way it is. But believe it or not, abstract art started out looking not so very different than "normal" representational. . . read more
It’s hard for me to imagine what life must have been like before the camera was invented. We're all so used to being flooded with images every day that we don't realize how comparatively scarce pictures were before the 20th century. Continue reading. . .. . . read more