| Styles |
| Before introducing a selection of artists I want to first spend some time identifying a number of styles that were significant in the 20th century. More information on these and more styles can be found by accessing the links on the References page. Surrealism Surrealism combined art from the abstract tradition (the Automatists) as well as art from the symbolic tradition (the Veristic Surrealists) and often stemmed from the works of psychoanalysts Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung. The Automatists came to focus on feelings and the subconscious and believed that their expression need not be burdened with meaning. Academic discipline was seen as being antithesis to subconscious creating and abstractionism was favored. Interpreting automatism slightly differently, the Veristic Surrealists subconscious images could be depicted, analyzed, and given meaning. They sought to represent images in order to link spiritual meaning with real-world forms. This type of art is often characterized by metaphor; where objects stand for something more important... an underlying meaning. Abstract Expressionism With the advent of Abstract Expressionism, American artists began to make their mark in the international art world. The New York artists who evolved in the middle of the century were no longer concerned with depicting regional life. In a reaction to conventional styles and subject matter, individuality and spontanaeity were heralded. This style is as much characterized by it's variations as by it's common theme of free self-expression. Pop Art Pop Art made its way from Europe to the United States in the 1950s and 60s. Artists working in this style explored 'popular' imagery including consumer goods packaging, advertising, mass media images, and comic strips. Graffiti Art Generally seen as painting and writing on outside walls and sidewalks and viewed as a form of vandalism, graffiti art evolved in the 1960s. Moving from New York subways into the galleries, it is still generally regarded as 'low' or uneducated art form by many. |