List of Art Movements

Abstract
Abstract art takes liberties when it comes to color and form. Objects are either simplified or exaggerated. Total abstraction does not reference anything recognizable. It encourages a departure from reality and what a piece of abstract art means is truly in the eyes of the beholder.

Abstract Expressionism
Mainly gaining acceptance in the 1940’s, it is considered an American form of art that came about after WWII. It was the first American movement to be accepted around the world. It put New York City ahead of Paris as the center of the Western art world. Jackson Pollack is an example of an abstract expressionism artist. It concentrated on depicting emotions rather than objects. Most of these paintings are done on large canvases. Colors are also very dramatic. Also known as the New York School.

Art Nouveau
A style developed in England during the 1880’s. Characterized by graceful and cursive lines it most often depicts flowers, insects, plants and other motifs that are nature related.

Ash Can School
Geared toward depicting authentic urban life in America as it really existed. This group was created by Robert Henri around 1891. The subject matters were considered shocking for the times such as alleys, bars and the streets. Colors are usually dark and paint applied thickly.

Barbizon School
Most of the painters belonging to the Barbizon School resided in the Barbizon village in Northern France. Barbizon painting depicts landscapes that are a true rendering of nature. They also included working class families in much of their work such as farmers, woodsmen and others. These artists were greatly influenced by the Dutch landscape painters of the 17th century. Theodore Rousseau was the leader of this movement that began in the 1830’s.

Bolognese School
Started in 1500, this school of Italian painting revolved around the movement of Classicism that was taught at the Carracci Academy. A couple of the artists associated with the Bolognese School were Lanfrance, Reni and Albani.

Byzantine
This art form mainly dealt with religious subject matters with no expressionism. Early art form dating back to the 4th century. Colors were very rich and usually the people were depicted with large eyes. Byzantine artwork was used to help teach religion so therefore the images were authentic and clearly defined.

Cubism
One of the artists responsible for this style was Picasso. Developed in the early 1900’s it takes what are the natural shapes of matter and uses geometric forms to produce a complete contrast to those same shapes as they appear in traditional art. Cubism portrays different subjects from many different perspectives.

Danube School
Begun around 1500 by a group of Austrian and German painters. One of the schools main artists was Wolfgang Huber. The members of this group concentrated on painting beautiful landscapes from Danube, Nuremberg and Vienna.

Dutch School
Begun in 1600, the Dutch artists painted genre scenes, still life, portraits, landscapes and seascapes from their homeland. Without many religious patrons, these artists were able to paint freely. Their art was geared to both the upper and middle classes.

Expressionism
From the early 20th century, expressionism paintings are usually abstract with the subjects distorted in both form and color in an effort to show the artist’s emotional intensity.

Flemish School
Known for inventing oil painting, Flemish artists concentrated on attention to detail, bright colors and outstanding techniques. Religious subjects were the rule rather than the exception. The most famous Flemish artist was Peter Paul Rubens in the 17th century.

Florentine School
This style had a Gothic influence and was characterized by work that was extremely realistic. Founded by Giotto, this school was made famous by Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo and Raphael.

Hudson River School
Founded by Thomas Cole, it was made up of a group of painters who worked mainly in the New York Hudson River Valley. Their depictions included lakes, forests, gorges and both the Catskill and Adirondack mountain ranges. Their work was distinctly American with no European influence. This movement was begun in 1825. These works were often panoramic views with a heavy concentration on light, especially as it relates to sunsets and water scenes. The technique used by these artists also became known as Luminism.

Impressionism
This form of art deals with breaking down light and capturing how it plays off various objects. Founded in France around the 1870’s or 1880’s. Usually characterized by bright colors that are used to create visual impressions of a subject matter – capturing light at a particular moment in time.

Indian River School
Encouraged by the works of the Florida Highwaymen, the Indian River School was a movement dedicated to the creation of paintings depicting Florida landscapes – palm trees, oceans, sunsets, Poinciana trees and other similar scenes.

Minimalism
This art form came about in the 1960’s and was associated with New York. It was used to counter abstract expressionism. Subject matters were reduced to only those elements that were necessary. Was usually very geometric and extremely simplistic.

Orientalism
This movement which began around 1800 lasted approximately 100 years. At that time artists began painting the unique things they saw as they moved around countries such as Egypt, Persia (Iraq), Turkey, Arabia and others. Europeans had become interested in both the Near East and Middle East once England had taken over Egypt.

Parma School
This school existed in Italy during the 15th century and for part of the 16th century. It had two main participants whose names were Parmigianino and Correggio. Correggio was particularly influenced by the Leonardo da Vinci style. The human figure was of particular interest in the works produced but there was a slight liberty taken with form, figures were created in a somewhat exaggerated manner.

Pop Art
This movement capitalizes on the depiction of items that are used in everyday life such as that found on television or in advertising. It got its inspiration from commercial items such as comic strips, popular foods and brand names. It began in England in the 1950’s and became popular in the United States during the 1960’s. Andy Warhol was a famous pop artist. One of his more famous pop art paintings was a can of Campbell’s Tomato Soup. Warhol used seriagraphy, a mass production printing method, to generate his works.

Pre-Raphaelite
Created in 1848 by seven artists. The artists were Dante Babriel Rosetti, William Holman Hunt, James Collinson, William Michael Rosetti, Frederic George Stephens, John Everett Millais and Thomas Wooner. They desired to model their work after the Renaissance artists before Raphael by using a more pointed depiction of nature. This movement was short lived but the style remained popular for many years. 

Realism
Painting a subject matter as it truly appears with no distortion or variations of style.

Renaissance
This is the period when artists first started to use oil paints. Artists had the luxury of making changes to their work since oil paints are so slow drying. Many masterpieces emerged during this time. Attention to light, perspective, shading and the human body were all important and were shown almost to perfection. During this era, heavy emphasis was placed on Biblical characters, Greek mythology, Roman mythology and nudes. Two of the most famous Renaissance painters were Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci.

Rococo
Instead of the depth of the subject matter, the artist concentrated on beauty. Usually depicting romance, fantasy and mythology as they apply to every day life. Graceful movements, elaborate style and lightness in color were commonly used. Begun in 17th century France. One of the famous Rococo artists was Francois Boucher. He is also known for his tapestry designs.

Romanticism
Usually historic or literary subjects with personal feeling, emotion and drama were reflected in the style of painting. A European style that was the pre-cursor to Pre-Raphaelite period. From the late 1700’s to the mid-1800’s.

Surrealism
From Europe, characterized by fantasy or a dreamlike atmosphere. Usually depicts unusual or strange objects. Developed in the 1920’s by Andre Breton. Somewhat based on the theories of Sigmund Freud and his ilk, the works from this movement emphasized imagination and subconscious images. More often than not, the arrangement of images was senseless.

Symbolism
Late 19th century. Most often spiritual or mystical in nature with the use of symbols and ideas at its center.

Trompe l'oeil
This means to fool the eye. Creates the illusion of dimension. Popular with the Romans thousands of years ago. Romans used this style in frescoes and murals. Also popular during the Renaissance and still popular today. Much of this artwork is quite impressive in its realism.

Written by Anne Benedetto, Auction House Talk
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