Modern art is a period in the history of art that began between the mid-1850s and 1870s with the emergence of Impressionism and ended in 1950 when Pop Art emerged. It is an innovative art that declares the end of the old, conventional and conformist art, annihilating the pictorial academisms. It is considered an art of the imagination because the artists no longer ilustrate their work in a real way, but in an unusual style, i.e. they distanced their work from reality.
Modern art as a movement
The concept of modernity arose in 1850 to represent the troubles that the industrialised countries had been going through since the beginning of the 19th century with industrial and technical innovations. However, modernity is a way of thinking, living and also creating that wants to appear categorically innovative, established on evolution and in reaction to the principles of the Academy of Fine Arts.
The painters of the modern arts who do not want to respect the principles founded by the Academy of Fine Arts have also contested the fact of displaying themselves with the academic painters. However, they succeeded in founding independent salons that allowed them to exhibit their art of the imagination in the 1885s.
What are the particularities of modern art?
It was the impressionist painters who first took the step towards creating modern art, which was greatly influenced by Edouard Manet, in 1870. Modern art does not respect the principles established by the “Academy”. However, painters outside it began to exhibit innovative works, such as the use of different shades without mixing and painting with a juxtaposed style.
Modern art is also characterised by the appearance of art criticism. Indeed, art became the subject of various writings during that period. For instance, Baudelaire and Zola published articles criticising the painters of modern art and Goethe and Matisse reproached them for the colour of their artwork.
What else should you know about this fantasy art?
Modern art is full of futuristic artists. The experiments of modern art painters were becoming more and more advanced and mature, as they constantly embarked further into the unexplored, hence modern art being considered an art of the imagination.
The artistic movements that occurred in the mid-1850s to 1950 are plentiful and Impressionism, Cubism, Surrealism, Expressionism and Fauvism are some of them. They were made famous by painters like Claude Monet, Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque, etc.