The term Modern art may lead some to believe it refers to present-day art, but Modern art refers to a collection of art movements during a specific period of time. This period of time is often arguable, but is generally accepted to be between the 1860’s and 1960’s. Artwork since the 1960’s is considered Post-Modern or Contemporary Art.¹
Modern art is also a term used to describe the Modernism art movement, which contains many “isms”, such as, Impressionism, Post-Impressionism, Romanticism, Symbolism, Suprematism, Futurism, and Surrealism, which all shift the boundaries of art away from true-life representations. This was a period of art with a grand spirit of experimentation. Traditional practices were tossed aside and replaced with new perspectives, daring colours, and unique compositions; all based on the artist’s own vision, and not meant to be set in reality.
Artists such as Vincent van Gogh and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec were the pioneers of the Modern art movement with artists such as, Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, and Edvard Munch to follow. The later part of the era saw American artists such as, Roy Lichtenstein, Jackson Pollock and Andy Warhol, debut their Pop art works.²
The Scream (1893) by Edvard Munch
Road with Cypress and Star (1890) by Vincent van Gogh
Woman with Mustard Pot (1910) by Pablo Picasso
References:
1. Art Periods. (n.d.). Retrieved January 4, 2014 from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_periods
2. Modern Art. (n.d.). Retrieved January 4, 2014 from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modern_art
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