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Expressionism
With roots from artists like Vincent van Gogh, Expressionism displayed the feelings of being spiritually out of touch and conflicted in the world. Strong colors represented such strong emotions and anxieties. -
Cubism
Cubism discarded traditional art forms such as copying nature. This style paired abstraction with geometric surfaces. Pablo Picasso was a popular Cubist. -
Surrealism
Surrealism branched off from rationale and took the route of imagination. Surrealists like Salvador Dali were influenced by Karl Marx and Sigmund Freud, and their theories on psychoanalysis and the power of imagination. -
Abstract Expressionism
Abstract Expressionism displayed spirituality. This art form was influenced by Surrealism and included canvases placed on the floor. Jackson Pollock is known for his drip painting art style in the form of Abstract Expressionism. -
Optical Art
Using shapes, colors, and patterns to create optical illusions, painters of this style were influenced by science and technology advances of the '50s. -
Pop Art
Pop Art used everyday items and products to convey a challenge towards consumerism. Andy Warhol's Campbell's Soup Cans production is a perfect example of this. -
Minimalism
Focusing on simplicity, artists of this style paid more attention to materiality rather than overly expressiveness. Minimalism sprouted from New York.
Summary of Minimalism -
Arte Povera
Inspired by pre-industrial times, artists of this style used elements like rocks, soil, and paper to challenge modernism. Many of this style's art works were sculptural. Arte Povera translates to "poor art" and some artists expressed an anti-elitist sentiment. -
Conceptual Art
Conceptual Art centered concepts and ideas, creating art with performances and ephemera, or (often paper-based) memorabilia. There was no specific style or form.
Artist: Joseph Kosuth -
Contemporary Art
Contemporary Art is made up of many subcategories and reflects the diverse world we live in. Artists challenge cultural or personal circumstances, social and institutional systems, and/or the parameters of art itself. Examples of this form are Digital Art, Feminist Art, and Street Art.