MODERN ART

1. Impressionism – the term precisely captured what this group of artist sought to represent in their works: the
viewer’s momentary “impression” of an image. It was not intended to be clear or precise, but more like a
fleeting fragment of reality caught on canvas, sometimes in mid-motion, at other times awkwardly positioned-
just as it would be in real life.
PAINTING STYLES
Claude Monet – He is best known for his landscape paintings, particularly his beloved flower
gardens and water lily ponds.
Auguste Renoir – His early works were snapshots of real-life, full of sparkling color and light.
Edouard Manet – He was a key figure in the transition from realism to impressionism.

Irises in Monet’s Garden Luncheon of the Boating Party Argenteuil

Claude Monet, 1900 Auguste Renoir, 1881 Edouard Manet, 1874

2. Post-Impressionism – The European who were at the forefront of this movement continued using the basic
qualities of the impressionist before them, they expanded and experimented with these in a bold new ways like
using objects and distorting people’s faces or body parts.
Two of the foremost postimpressionist were Works of Paul Cezanne and Vincent Van Gogh

Harlequin Still Life: Vase with Fifteen Sunflowers

Paul Cezanne. 1888-1890 Vincent Van Gogh, 1888
2. Expressionism – Expressionist artists created works with more emotional force, rather than with realistic or
natural images. To achieve this, they disorted outlines, applied strong colors and exaggerated forms.

PAINTING STYLES

1. Neoprimitivism – art style that incorporated elements from the native

arts of the South Sea Islanders and the wood carvings of African tribes.

HEAD
Amedeo Modigliani, 1913

2. Fauvism – style that used bold, vibrant colors and visual distortions.

BLUE WINDOW
Henri Matisse, 1911

3. Dadaism – style characterized by dream fantasies, memory images

and visual tricks.

MELANCHOLY AND MYSTERY OF A STREET

Giorgio de Chirico, 1914

4. Surrealism – style that depicted an illogical, subconscious dream

world. It’s name called “Super Realism” with its
artworks clearly expressing a departure from reality-as
though the artists were dreaming, seeing illusions or
experiencing an altered mental state.

PERSISTENCE OF MEMORY
Salvador Dali,1931
 5. Social Realism – Artists used their works to protest
against the injustices, inequalities, immorality
and ugliness of the human condition.
GUERNICA
Pablo Picasso, 1937

ABSTRACTIONISM – It was logical and rational. It involved analyzing, detaching, selecting and simplifying.
Natural appearances became unimportant. Artist reduced a scene into geometrical shapes, patterns, lines,
angles, textures and swirls of color.

Representational Abstractionism – depicting still recognizable subjects.

Pure Abstractionism – where no recognizable subject could be discerned.

Grouped under abstractionism are the following art styles:

1. Cubism – derived its name from the cube, a three

dimensional geometric figure composed of
strictly measured lines, planes, and angles.

GIRL BEFORE A MIRROR

Pablo Picasso, 1932

2. Futurism – They admired the motion, force, speed and

strength of mechanical forms.

ARMORED TRAIN
Gino Severini, 1915

3. Mechanical Style – Basic forms such as planes, cones,

spheres and cylinders all fit together precisely and
neatly in their appointed places.

THE CITY
Fernand Leger, 1919

4. Nonobjectivism – Did not make use of figures or even

representations of figures.

NEW YORK CITY

Piet Mondrian, 1942