The terrestrial impact of the Three Gorges Dam
Cubism was pioneered by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque in the early 20th century. Indeed, Picasso’s paintings are some of the more prominent depictions of this art movement, which shows a subject broken down into geometric shapes and abstract forms.
Picasso and Braque were responsible for creating what has been known afterwards as “Analytical Cubism,” which is considered to be the first phase of the art movement. The second phase has been proactively called “Synthetic Cubism,” and it is distinguished by its use of collage elements and colorful compositions.
Surrealism emerged in the 1920s and aimed to explore the unconscious mind, dreams, and fantasies. Artists like Salvador Dalí and René Magritte created bizarre and dreamlike imagery that took the world by storm.
To capture the unconscious mind in a piece of art, Surrealist artists often used techniques like automatism, where the artist would allow the subconscious to guide their hand in creating art. These works often feature unexpected juxtapositions, dreamlike imagery, and heavy symbolism.
This movement–primarily developed in New York City after World War II–emphasized spontaneous creation and the exploration of the subconscious. You may find similarities between this art movement and Surrealism, since they both dive into the same bucket of inspiration. Artists such as Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning were central figures.
Abstract Expressionism is characterized by large, abstract canvases filled with brushstrokes, drips, and splatters. Artists of this movement aimed to convey their emotions and inner experiences through their art, often refusing to represent tangible things in favor of pure abstraction.
This was a European avant-garde movement that emerged during World War I as a protest against the senselessness of war and society. This art style rejected traditional artistic values and often embraced absurdity, nonsense, and chaos.
The Dada movement began primarily as performance art, but eventually covered visual art, sculptures, and even music. Cubism was a major inspiration for Dadaism, since Cubism was able to detach from the constraints of reality and convention.
Artists of this movement often appropriated images from advertisements, comic books, and everyday life, and then elevated them to the status of ‘high art.’ This art movement challenged people’s understanding of authenticity and originality.
Pop Art emerged in the 1950s and '60s as a reaction against Abstract Expressionism. It celebrated imagery from popular culture and mass media, often employing techniques of commercial art. One of the most prolific artists from this movement was Andy Warhol.
Minimalist artists sought to strip away all non-essential elements from their art so that they could focus on pure form, color, and materials. Sculptures from this movement often feature simple geometric shapes and are characterized by their precise, industrial aesthetics.
Minimalism emerged in the '60s via artists like Donald Judd and Sol LeWitt. It focused on extreme simplicity of form and color, often with geometric shapes and a lack of embellishment. This has, quite possibly, been one of the more enduring art movements, since you can see its impact in visual art today, and even architecture and interior design.
Futurism originated in Italy in the early 20th century as a way of celebrating modernity, technology, and the dynamism of urban life. It embraced speed, machinery, and the aesthetics of the industrial age.
Futurist artists wanted to capture the energy and movement of the modern world through their art, and they did so by using fragmented compositions and bold colors.
This art movement emerged in Russia after the Russian Revolution. It emphasized the integration of art with everyday life, resulting in the production of works with a utilitarian purpose. The movement was influenced by abstract geometry and industrial materials.
Constructivist artists believed in the use of art as a tool for social and political change. They often worked in sculpture, architecture, and graphic design to create art that was both aesthetic and functional.
France in the earth 20th century saw the rise of Fauvism, which emphasized bold colors and vigorous brushwork that often departed from realistic representation. Artists like Henri Matisse and André Derain were central to the movement.
Fauvist artists used intense, non-naturalistic colors and bold brushstrokes to convey emotion. They often depicted scenes from everyday life with a heightened sense of color and abstraction, rejecting traditional techniques in the process.
Art Deco was mainly a movement that was geared toward decorative arts in the 1920s and '30s. It featured sleek geometric designs influenced by industrialization and modernity, while often incorporating luxurious materials and motifs.
Interestingly, the Art Deco movement was influenced by a variety of artistic and cultural movements that came before, including Cubism, Futurism, and the Machine Aesthetics of the early 20th century.
This movement emphasized the artist's subjective emotional experience, often conveying intense feelings and distorted imagery. A particularly well-known painting from this movement was 'The Scream,' created by Edvard Munch near the turn of the century.
Expressionism emerged in the early 20th century, particularly in Germany, and it was originally confined to poetry and painting. But time saw the movement encompass a wide range of styles, including architecture, theater, and film.
Suprematism was an abstract art movement founded by Kazimir Malevich in Russia in the early 20th century. It focused on geometric shapes painted in a limited range of colors in a way that expressed pure artistic emotion.
Suprematist artists believed in the purity of artistic feeling and they aimed to transcend the material world and access a higher, spiritual realm through their art. Artists from this movement were strongly opposed to Constructivism (another art movement from Russia), which they believed to be too concerned with the mundanity of everyday life.
Post-Impressionism refers to a diverse range of styles that emerged in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, following Impressionism. Artists like Paul Cézanne, Vincent van Gogh, and Paul Gauguin explored new ways of depicting form, color, and emotion.
Post-Impressionist artists built upon the innovations of the Impressionists while rejecting their emphasis on capturing the fleeting effects of light and atmosphere. Post-Impressionists like Van Gogh focused on subjective emotion and innovative techniques for composition.
Fluxus was an international avant-garde movement of the '60s and '70s that emphasized the fusion of different art forms and everyday life into single experimental art performances. The movement was known for breaking down the traditional barriers between the artist and the audience.
Fluxus artists embraced humor, spontaneity, and audience participation as central aspects of their practice. The movement is sometimes described as "intermedia," due to its rich history of usage in all manner of mediums–including music, poetry, architecture, and even publishing.
Conceptual art emerged in the 1960s as a way of disregarding art’s traditional aesthetic concerns in favor of the idea or concept behind the artwork. It often involved the use of language, documentation, and everyday objects to convey artistic concepts.
Artists from this movement challenged notions of materiality and originality in art. Conceptual art can take many forms, from written instructions to photographs to everyday objects arranged in unconventional ways.
Sources: (Britannica) (M. S. Rau) (Artsy) (Artland Magazine) (TheCollector)
See also: Banksy’s art around the world
A century of artistry saw the rise of abstract creation, performance, and the shattering of creative boundaries. A glimpse of some of the most popular ideas in art in the past 100 years.
Influential art movements of the 20th century
A visual summary of a hundred years of art
LIFESTYLE Art history
In the kaleidoscopic canvas of 20th-century art, each brushstroke told a story of rebellion, innovation, and the relentless pursuit of expression. Entire movements exploded into existence so that ideals could be brought to life in every possible way. A century of artistry saw the rise of abstract creation, performance, and the shattering of creative boundaries.
Intrigued? Click through this gallery to see which art movements rose to prominence in the 20th century.