Art Styles [Part II]

[Khoo Ee Hoon]

Neoclassicism
In the 1700s, archaeological discoveries in Greece and Rome revived interest in the study of classical art and literature. As a result, Neoclassicism became a popular art style, especially in France where the heroic, moral themes in classical history were used to inspire the causes of the French Revolution. Art of this time reflected calm, serious subjects presented with simple lines and a sense of order and purpose.

Some of the better known artists of the Neoclassical style are the painter Jacques-Louis David and the sculptors Antonio Canova and Bertel Thorvaldson.

Op Art
Op Art, also called Optical Art, was popular along side Pop Art. Op art is a branch of geometric, abstract art that deals with optical illusion. Op art artists used colors and shapes in precise ways to make colors, lines and shapes seem to pulsate and flicker. Two techniques used to achieve this effect are perspective illusion and chromatic tension. Artists used colors, lines and shapes repetitive and simple ways to create perceived movement and to trick the viewer's eye.. Some well-known artists of this period were Victor Vasarely, Bridget Riley and Larry Poons.

Pop Art
Pop art started in Britain in the 1950s and spread to America in the 1960's. Pop artists used popular culture in their works. They neither praised nor condemned what they saw, but wove the flood of popular culture into their art in much the same way popular culture flooded into people's subconscious. They often used media, advertising and comic book art styles to bring art closer to real life.

Andy Warhol's paintings of soup cans and movie stars are classic examples of Pop art. Pop artists wanted to bring art back to the people and to make it more meaningful to everyday folks. Critics saw Pop art as vulgar, sensational and without merit. Supporters liked it because they felt it was an art everybody could understand and that it brought all elements of art and life to one level. Some well-known artists of this period were Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein and Claes Oldenburg.

Post-Impressionism
Post-Impressionism refers to an artistic style that followed Impressionism at the end of the 1800s. Most Post-Impressionist artists began as Impressionists, but then decided to try new ideas. Some, like Vincent van Gogh and Paul Gauguin, leaned toward a more spiritual and expressive approach. They wanted to add emotion and symbolic meaning to their art. Their works often contain bold, unrealistic colors and expressive brushstrokes.

It was the Post-Impressionists who bridged Impressionism's faithfulness to nature to the styles of the early 1900s-Fauvism, Cubism and abstract art.

Some major Post-Impressionists were Paul Cezanne, Vincent van Gogh and Paul Gauguin.

Pre-Raphaelites
In 1848, a group of young artists rebelled against the style of art that was being taught at the Royal Academy and other art schools. They felt the art of the day was dark and muddy in color. Nor did they like the subject matters, which they felt to be artificial.

Instead they admired the work of the artists of the fifteenth century, with their careful brushwork, serious subjects and bright, fresh colors. These artists began to sign their work with the initials: P.R.B., the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, taking their name from the Renaissance master Raphael. Pre-Raphaelite artists chose subjects from the Bible, Shakespeare and the legend of King Arthur. They used bright colors and painted on a white canvas, rather than a brown one, to give their paintings a lighter, fresher look.

Pre-Raphaelite artists believed art should have a serious, moral purpose and often filled their work with many symbols suggesting deeper meaning. While the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood lasted less than ten years as a group, other artists carried on with the style.

Artist and poet Dante Gabriel Rossetti founded the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. Other artists of the P.R.B. were Ford Maddox Brown and William Dyce.

Realism
In the 1800s, the Industrial Revolution caused many social and economic problems. Jobs were hard to find and working conditions were poor for those lucky enough to find employment. There was growing concern on the part of artists and writers about the plight of ordinary persons at home and at work. This concern was reflected in the style of art that became popular in the mid-nineteenth century. This style was called Realism.

At first, Realism shocked the critics and public. Artists didn't follow the rules taught to them in art school. The subjects of their work were humble citizens doing everyday work, rather than mythical heroes, Biblical or classical subjects, and portraits of the rich. These artists used new ways of handling brushes and paint so that their pictures had more texture and interest. The invention of the camera gave them the possibility of working from a photograph, an entirely new concept. Realists also were very interested in painting landscapes from a realistic point of view, and were especially interested in how the land looked during different weather and different times of the day. In fact, Realists' desire to paint in the open air and in their interest in how light affected one's perception of a scene paved the way for the work of the Impressionists.

Some of the better known Realist artists are painters Gustave Courbet and Francois Millet.

Renaissance
The Renaissance (1450 - 1600) was great rebirth of humanism, and a revival in cultural achievements for their own sake. The Renaissance began in Italy and then spread throughout northern Europe. Art, science and literature all grew tremendously during the Renaissance, led by artists like Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci, scientists like Galileo, and writers like Shakespeare.

In art, the Renaissance renewed interest in naturalistic styles and formal rules of composition such as perspective. The Greek classical ideals of ideal proportions (for depicting the human body as well as for architecture and painting) also regained popularity. Important artists of the Italian Renaissance were Donetello, Piero, Raphael, Titian, along with Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci. In northern Europe, important Renaissance artists were Albrect Dürer, Hans Holbein, and Pieter Brueghel.

Roman
The Romans adopted much from Greek architecture, but they created their own style as well. The Romans created new types of structures, such as public baths and amphitheaters. Romans also developed two things that let them build larger structures than the Greeks had: the arch and the aqueduct. The arch eliminated the need for columns to support heavy roofs. Using arches, the Romans could build huge buildings (such as the Pantheon), long bridges, and long aqueducts that carried water to Roman cities. The Romans also invented concrete, a strong and cheap building material for their arches, walls and vaults.

Roman painting and sculpture also borrowed from the Greeks. Greek art portrayed lifelike, though idealized, human subjects. Roman sculptures created works that reflected the subject’s individual personality. Roman artists also illustrated important events by carving scenes on large monuments, tall columns and other public spaces. The art of portraiture was very popular during this time. At first, only the rich had portraits painted of their important male ancestors. But as portrait painting became more accessible, modest citizens, as well as women and children, had their portraits made.

Many rich Romans had artists paint the walls of their homes with large depictions of landscapes, historical events, and everyday events. These wealthy Romans felt the paintings brightened their homes and made the rooms feel larger.

Romanesque
Romanesque art in Western Europe was popular from about 800 A.D. to the 1100s. The name Romanesque indicates a style like that of the ancient Romans. That description is not entirely accurate, however, since Roman art was only one of many sources that inspired this period.

Romanesque art reflected the political and religious climate of the times. Europe was in upheaval, both from invading tribes and among the religions of the time: Catholicism, the Russian Orthodox Church, and Islam. Romanesque buildings had to be designed for defense, so cathedrals were massive in size.

Romanesque cathedrals were also built in the shape of a Latin cross. They were decorated with stone sculptures depicting Biblical scenes. The walls portrayed religious subjects and were painted in fresco, a durable style of painting done on wet plaster.

Most Romanesque painting took the form of church murals and illuminated manuscripts, or books. There are few Romanesque murals left, since they suffered from fading, damp air, dirt and bad restoration. And as people’s tastes changed, they scraped away or replaced old murals with new works. Most of the murals that have survived over the centuries are only fragments.

Romanticism
In the early 1800s, the drama, struggle and emotion of Romanticism replaced the calm, order and sense of purpose of Neoclassicism. New interests in exotic lands and travel fueled Romanticism. In France, despair followed the Battle of Waterloo in 1815 and was reflected in art of the time. Artists painted soldiers fleeing the battlefield and scenes of death, despair and destruction. Painters chose scandalous and tragic subjects from the news of the day and transferred, in great detail and graphic emotion, these events to canvas.

Some of the better known artists of Romanticism are painters Theodore Gericault and Caspar David Friedrich.

Rococo
Rococo was an outgrowth of the Baroque period. It flourished in Western Europe from about 1700 to 1780. The word rococo comes from a French word meaning "little rock" or "rockwork".

The Rococo style often appears in decorative art (tapestries, furniture and porcelain) as well as other art and architecture. It is playful, showy, and luxurious. It often draws on symbols from nature, including shells, rocks, vines and flowers. Rococo revered beauty, focusing on the delicate and the ornate, and celebrating the gratification of the senses. Much of Rococo art portrays scenes from classical mythology with a delicacy lacking in Baroque art.

Some of the better known Rococo artists were Antoine Watteau, Jean Honoré Fragonard, and Francois Boucher.

Surrealism
Surrealism is an invented word—"sur" means beyond or farther than, so "surreal" means to go beyond real. It was named this because surrealist art derives much of its meaning from the theories of Dr. Sigmund Freud and the unconscious.

Surrealism grew out of the Dada movement and flourished in Europe between World War I and World War II. Surrealism employed many of the techniques of Dada but emphasized the positive rather than the negative. Surrealism tried to meld the conscious and the unconscious, the world of dreams and fantasy along with reality so that the line between these ideas was completely blurred. Many artists of this time felt the unconscious was where the true center of art lay, and that artists could tap into this genius by bending and softening the lines between what one's eyes see and the dreamworld. Much of Surrealistic art portrays alternate realities; some created by accident, some using the unconventional realities of blind feeling and impulse. Some of the art of this time is quite cruel and violent as well as very beautiful. The artists, like the Dada artists before them, wanted to shock their viewers with the unexpected and make people think in new ways.

Some well-known artists of this period were Andre Masson, Rene Magritte, Max Ernst and Salvador Dalí.

Source: http://www.sanford-artedventures.com/study/study.html