The isms of Western Art

What all these artistic movements have in common is their rejection of traditional, academic art but it is not always easy to understand what they stand for or what separates them. Here is a concise but not complete guide that might help you navigate the complex world of art movements. 

San Giorgio Maggiore at Dusk by Claude Monet

Impressionism was a French art movement of the 19th-century that changed the emphasis from realistic representation to capturing fleeting moments and sensations. The changing effects of light on landscapes and urban settings became a cornerstone of the movement. The brushstrokes became short and visible; the colors used were bolder and pure.

Where Did We come From, Who Are We, Where Are We Going? by Paul Gaugin

Post-Impressionism grew out of Impressionism in the late 19th-century. It rejected Impressionistic emphasis on naturalism. Subjective and symbolic meaning, structured and distorted shapes together with vivid colors and thick paint were used to convey inner feelings rather than fleeting impressionistic moments.

Orpheus by Gustave Moreau

Symbolism was a late 19th-century European movement that used symbols, colors and images to portray ideas, emotions, spiritual themes and abstract concepts like love or death. Symbolism often borrowed from mythology, folklore, dreams and the subconscious.

The Turning Road by André Derain

Fauvism was a short-lived 20th-century art movement that used intense colors and often colors that were not true to life to create emotionally charged works. Bold brushworks, simple forms, expression over realism. It was a precursor to Cubism and Expressionism.

Melancholy by Edvard Munch

Expressionism developed in the early 20th century. With bold, jarring colors, distorted images and intense brushworks, the artists in this movement were more concerned with inner feelings than outward appearances. It differed from Post-Impressionism by the intensity of the inner feelings it portrayed. Anxiety, deep psychological moods, alienation were often done with harsh lines and simple forms. Expressionism was a rejection of both Impressionism and Post-Impressionism.

Man In Prayer by Erich Heckel

German Expressionism was a branch of Expressionism. Stemming from Germany from pre-WWI to the Weimar Republic period, it was specifically affected by the political and social turmoil of the time. It manifested itself with darker, contrasting colors and sometimes unsettling colors like blood-red skies. Post Expressionism rejected the intensity of the emotions expressed in Expressionism while still using exaggerated colors and expressive brushwork. The focus became seeking deeper meaning and structure with clearer depictions. 

Weeping Woman by Pablo Picasso

Cubism was developed by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque in the 20th-century. Breaking objects and figures into geometric forms, showing multiple viewpoints at the same time became the new perspective to represent reality.

Eyes by Salvador Dalí

Surrealism was a 20th century movement that challenged the perception of reality with mysterious and dreamlike images, inspired by dreams or the subconscious.

Fountain by Marcel Duchamp

Dadaism was an early 20th-century art movement from Europe and America. Traditional aesthetics, logic and reason were replaced by satire, nonsense, absurdity. Dadaists declared that anything could be art and that led these artists to embrace collage, photomontage and “ready-made” objects as art.