Styles and trends in fine arts. The main directions of fine art of the 20th century - SkillsUp - a convenient catalog of lessons on design, computer graphics, Photoshop lessons, Photoshop lessons Film comparison of painting styles

Style is called general direction development of art, representative examples of which are combined ideological meaning, transmission technique, characteristic techniques creative activity. Styles in the art of painting were closely intertwined, developed into related directions, existed in parallel, enriching each other.

Painting styles and directions were formed under the influence of ideology, political and economic development of society, religion, and traditions.

History of development

The history of the development of styles demonstrates a complex cultural evolution society.

Gothic

Originated in France in the 11th century XII centuries. The style developed in Western Europe, and from the 13th – 14th centuries in Central Europe. The origin and evolution of this trend were significantly influenced by the church. The Middle Ages was a period of dominance of church power over secular power, so Gothic artists worked with biblical stories. Distinctive features of the style are: brightness, pretentiousness, dynamism, emotionality, pomp, inattention to perspective. The painting does not look monolithic - it looks like a mosaic of several actions depicted on the canvas.

Renaissance or Rebirth

Came from Italy in the 14th century. For about 200 years this direction was dominant and became the basis for the development of Rococo and Northern Renaissance. Characteristic artistic features of the paintings: a return to the traditions of antiquity, cult human body, interest in details, humanistic ideas. This direction was focused not on religion, but on the secular side of life. It was different Northern Renaissance Holland and Germany - here the Renaissance was perceived as a renewal of spirituality and Christian faith that preceded the Reformation. Representatives: Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael Santi, Michelangelo Buonarroti.

Mannerism

Direction in the development of painting of the 16th century. Ideologically the opposite of the Renaissance. Artists moved away from the idea of ​​human perfection and humanism towards the subjectivization of art, focusing on the inner meaning of phenomena and objects. The name of the style comes from Italian word“manner”, which fully reflects the essence of mannerism. Representatives: J. Pontormo, G. Vasari, Brozino, J. Duve.

Baroque

A lush, dynamic, luxurious style of painting and culture that originated in Italy in the 16th century. Over the course of 200 years, the trend developed in France, Germany, and Spain. Baroque painting is full of bright colors, special attention is paid to details and decorations. The image is not static, it is emotional, which is why Baroque is considered the most intense and expressive stage in the development of painting.

Classicism

It originated in Western European countries in the 17th century, and 100 years later it reached the countries of Eastern Europe. The main idea is a return to the tradition of antiquity. Portraits, landscapes, and still lifes are easy to recognize thanks to dogmatic reproduction and adherence to clear rules of style. Classicism degenerated into academicism - a style that absorbed the most striking features of antiquity and the Renaissance. N. Poussin, J.-L. David, and the Russian Itinerants worked in this style.

Romanticism

Replaced classicism in the second quarter of the XIX century. Artistic traits: the desire to convey individuality, even if it is imperfect, emotionality, expressiveness of feelings, fantastic images. The art of romantic artists denies the norms and rules of the classical stage of the development of painting. There is renewed interest in folk traditions, legends, national history. Representatives: F. Goya, T. Gericault, K. Bryullov, E. Delacroix.

Symbolism

The cultural direction of the late 19th – 20th centuries, its ideological basis was drawn from romanticism. The symbol came first in creativity, and the artist was a mediator between reality and the fantastic world of creativity.

Realism

Artistic research that puts the accuracy of conveying shapes, parameters, and shades in the foreground. Characterized by naturalness and precision of implementation inner essence and outer shell. This style is the most large-scale, popular and multifaceted. Its branches are modern trends– photography and hyperrealism. Representatives: G. Courbet, T. Rousseau, Itinerant artists, J. Breton.

Impressionism

Originated in late XIX– beginning of the 20th century. Homeland - France. The essence of the style is the embodiment of the magic of the first impression in the picture. The artists conveyed this short moment using short strokes of paint on the canvas. It is better to perceive such pictures not at close range. The artists' works are filled with colors and light. Post-Impressionism became a phase in the development of the style - it is characterized by greater attention to form and contours. Artists: O. Renoir, C. Pissarro, C. Monet, P. Cezanne.

Modern

An original, vibrant style that became the basis for the formation of many picturesque movements of the 20th century. The movement collected features of art from all eras - emotionality, interest in ornaments, plasticity, and the predominance of smooth, curvilinear outlines. Symbolism became the basis for development. Modernism is ambiguous - it developed in European countries in different ways and under different names.

Avant-garde

Artistic styles that are characterized by a rejection of realism, symbolism in the transmission of information, bright colors, individualization and freedom of creative design. The avant-garde category includes: surrealism, cubism, fauvism, futurism, expressionism, abstractionism. Representatives: V. Kandinsky, P. Picasso, S. Dali.

Primitivism or naive style

A direction characterized by a simplified image of reality.

The listed styles have become major milestones in the development of painting - they continue to transform into new forms of creative expression of artists.

This article contains short description main art styles of the 20th century. It will be useful to know for both artists and designers.

Modernism (from French moderne modern)

in art, the collective name for artistic trends that established themselves in the second half of the 19th century in the form of new forms of creativity, where it was no longer so much following the spirit of nature and tradition that prevailed, but rather the free gaze of a master, free to change the visible world at his own discretion, following personal impressions, internal ideas or a mystical dream (these trends largely continued the line of romanticism). Its most significant, often actively interacting, directions were impressionism, symbolism and modernism. In Soviet criticism, the concept of “modernism” was ahistorically applied to all movements of art of the 20th century that did not correspond to the canons of socialist realism.

Abstractionism(art under the sign of “zero forms”, non-objective art) - artistic direction, formed in the art of the first half of the 20th century, completely refusing to reproduce the forms of the real visible world. The founders of abstract art are considered to be V. Kandinsky, P. Mondrian and K. Malevich. V. Kandinsky created his own type of abstract painting, freeing the impressionist and “wild” stains from any signs of objectivity. Piet Mondrian arrived at his non-objectivity through the geometric stylization of nature initiated by Cézanne and the Cubists. Modernist movements of the 20th century, focused on abstractionism, completely depart from traditional principles, denying realism, but at the same time remaining within the framework of art. The history of art experienced a revolution with the advent of abstract art. But this revolution did not arise by chance, but quite naturally, and was predicted by Plato! In his late work Philebus, he wrote about the beauty of lines, surfaces and spatial forms in themselves, independent of any imitation of visible objects, from any mimesis. This kind of geometric beauty, unlike the beauty of natural “irregular” forms, according to Plato, is not relative, but unconditional, absolute.

Futurism- literary and artistic movement in the art of the 1910s. Assigning itself the role of a prototype of the art of the future, futurism as its main program put forward the idea of ​​​​destructing cultural stereotypes and instead offered an apologia for technology and lowness as the main signs of the present and the future. An important artistic idea of ​​futurism was the search for a plastic expression of the speed of movement as the main sign of the pace of modern life. The Russian version of futurism was called cubofuturism and was based on a combination of the plastic principles of French cubism and European general aesthetic installations of futurism ism. Using intersections, shifts, collisions and influxes of forms, the artists tried to express the fragmented multiplicity of impressions of a contemporary person, a city dweller.

Cubism- “the most complete and radical artistic revolution since the Renaissance” (J. Golding). Artists: Picasso Pablo, Georges Braque, Fernand Léger Robert Delaunay, Juan Gris, Gleizes Metzinger. Cubism - (French cubisme, from cube - cube) direction in art of the first quarter of the 20th century. The plastic language of cubism was based on the deformation and decomposition of objects on geometric planes, a plastic shift of shape. Many Russian artists went through a fascination with cubism, often combining its principles with the techniques of other modern artistic trends - futurism and primitivism. A specific version of the interpretation of cubism on Russian soil has become cubofuturism.

Purism- (French purisme, from Latin purus - pure) flow during French painting late 1910-20s The main representatives are the artist A. Ozanfan and architect S. E. Jeanneret (Le Corbusier). Rejecting the decorative tendencies of Cubism and other avant-garde movements of the 1910s and the deformation of nature they accepted, the purists sought a rationalistically ordered transfer of stable and laconic object forms, as if “cleansed” of details, to the depiction of “primary” elements. The works of purists are characterized by flatness, smooth rhythm of light silhouettes and contours of similar objects (jugs, glasses, etc.). Without being developed in easel forms, the significantly rethought artistic principles of purism were partially reflected in modern architecture, mainly in the buildings of Le Corbusier.

Serrealism- a cosmopolitan movement in literature, painting and cinema that arose in 1924 in France and officially ended its existence in 1969. It significantly contributed to the formation of the consciousness of modern man. The main figures of the movement are Andre Breton- writer, leader and ideological inspirer of the movement, Louis Aragon- one of the founders of surrealism, who was later transformed in a bizarre way into a singer of communism, Salvador Dali- artist, theorist, poet, screenwriter, who defined the essence of the movement with the words: “Surrealism is me!”, a highly surreal filmmaker Luis Buñuel, artist Joan Miro- “the most beautiful feather on the hat of surrealism,” as Breton called it, and many other artists around the world.

Fauvism(from the French les fauves - wild (animals)) Local direction in painting early. XX century The name F. was mockingly assigned to a group of young Parisian artists ( A. Matisse, A. Derain, M. Vlaminck, A. Marche, E.O. Friez, J. Braque, A.Sh. Mangen, K. van Dongen), who jointly participated in a number of exhibitions from 1905 to 1907, after their first exhibition in 1905. The name was adopted by the group itself and firmly established itself. The movement did not have a clearly formulated program, manifesto or its own theory and did not last long, however, leaving a noticeable mark on the history of art. Its participants in those years were united by the desire to create artistic images exclusively with the help of extremely bright open color. Developing the artistic achievements of the Post-Impressionists ( Cezanne, Gauguin, Van Gogh), relying on some formal techniques of medieval art (stained glass, romanesque art) and Japanese engravings, popular in artistic circles in France since the time of the Impressionists, the Fauvists sought to make maximum use of the coloristic possibilities of painting.

Expressionism(from the French expression - expressiveness) - a modernist movement in the West European art, mainly in Germany, the first third of the 20th century, formed in a certain historical period - on the eve of the First World War. The ideological basis of expressionism was an individualistic protest against the ugly world, the increasing alienation of man from the world, a feeling of homelessness, collapse, and the collapse of those principles on which European culture seemed to rest so firmly. Expressionists are characterized by an affinity for mysticism and pessimism. Artistic techniques characteristic of expressionism: rejection of illusory space, desire for a flat interpretation of objects, deformation of objects, love of sharp colorful dissonances, a special coloring containing apocalyptic drama. Artists perceived creativity as a way to express emotions.

Suprematism(from Latin supremus - highest, highest; first; last, extreme, apparently, through Polish supremacja - superiority, supremacy) The direction of avant-garde art of the first third of the 20th century, the creator, main representative and theorist of which was a Russian artist Kazimir Malevich. The term itself does not reflect the essence of Suprematism. In fact, in Malevich’s understanding, this is an evaluative characteristic. Suprematism is the highest stage of development of art on the path of liberation from everything extra-artistic, on the path of the ultimate identification of the non-objective, as the essence of any art. In this sense, Malevich considered primitive ornamental art to be suprematist (or “supremacist”). He first applied this term to a large group of his paintings (39 or more) depicting geometric abstractions, including the famous “Black Square” on a white background, “Black Cross”, etc., exhibited at the Petrograd futurist exhibition “Zero-Ten” in 1915 g. It was these and similar geometric abstractions that gave rise to the name Suprematism, although Malevich himself attributed many of his works of the 20s to it, which outwardly contained some forms of specific objects, especially human figures, but retained the “Suprematist spirit.” And in fact, Malevich’s later theoretical developments do not give grounds to reduce Suprematism (at least by Malevich himself) only to geometric abstractions, although they, of course, constitute its core, essence, and even (black-and-white and white-white Suprematism) bring painting to the limit of its existence in general as a form of art, that is, to the pictorial zero, beyond which there is no longer painting itself. This path was continued in the second half of the century by numerous trends in art activity that abandoned brushes, paints, and canvas.


Russian avant-garde The 1910s presents a rather complex picture. It is characterized by a rapid change of styles and trends, an abundance of groups and associations of artists, each of which proclaimed its own concept of creativity. Something similar happened in European painting at the beginning of the century. However, the mixture of styles, the “confusion” of trends and directions were unknown to the West, where the movement towards new forms was more consistent. Many masters younger generation with extraordinary swiftness they moved from style to style, from stage to stage, from impressionism to modernism, then to primitivism, cubism or expressionism, going through many stages, which was completely atypical for the masters of French or German painting. The situation that developed in Russian painting was largely due to the pre-revolutionary atmosphere in the country. It aggravated many of the contradictions that were inherent in all European art as a whole, because Russian artists learned from European models and were well acquainted with various schools and artistic movements. A peculiar Russian “explosion” in artistic life played this way historical role. By 1913, it was Russian art that reached new frontiers and horizons. A completely new phenomenon of non-objectivity appeared - a line beyond which the French Cubists did not dare to cross. One after another they cross this line: Kandinsky V.V., Larionov M.F., Malevich K.S., Filonov P.N., Tatlin V.E.

Cubofuturism Local direction in the Russian avant-garde (in painting and poetry) of the beginning of the 20th century. In the fine arts, cubo-futurism arose on the basis of a rethinking of pictorial finds, cubism, futurism, and Russian neo-primitivism. The main works were created in the period 1911-1915. The most characteristic paintings of Cubo-Futurism came from the brush of K. Malevich, and were also painted by Burliuk, Puni, Goncharova, Rozanova, Popova, Udaltsova, Ekster. Malevich's first cubo-futurist works were exhibited at the famous exhibition of 1913. “Target”, on which Larionov’s rayism also debuted. By appearance Cubo-Futurist works echo the compositions of F. Léger created at the same time and are semi-objective compositions composed of cylindrical, cone-, flask-, shell-shaped hollow volumetric colored forms, often having a metallic sheen. Already in the first similar works of Malevich, a tendency towards a transition from natural rhythm to purely mechanical rhythms of the machine world is noticeable (“The Carpenter”, 1912, “The Grinder”, 1912, “Portrait of Klyun”, 1913).

Neoplasticism- one of the early varieties abstract art. Created in 1917 by the Dutch painter P. Mondrian and other artists who were members of the “Style” association. Neoplasticism is characterized, according to its creators, by the desire for “universal harmony,” expressed in strictly balanced combinations of large rectangular figures, clearly separated perpendicular lines black and painted in local colors of the main spectrum (with the addition of white and gray tones). Neo-plasticisme (Nouvelle plastique) This term appeared in Holland in the 20th century. Piet Mondrian defined by them his plastic concepts, erected into a system and defended by the group and the magazine “Style” (“De Sti-ji”) founded in Leiden in 1917. The main feature of neoplasticism was the strict use expressive means. To construct a form, neoplasticism allows only horizontal and vertical lines. Intersecting lines at right angles is the first principle. Around 1920, a second one was added to it, which, by removing the brushstroke and emphasizing the plane, limits the colors to red, blue and yellow, i.e. three pure primary colors to which only white and black can be added. With the help of this rigor, neoplasticism intended to go beyond individuality in order to achieve universalism and thus create a new picture of the world.

Official "baptism" orphism happened at the Salon of Independents in 1913. So the critic Roger Allard wrote in his report on the Salon: “... let us note for future historians that in 1913 a new school of Orphism was born...” (“La Cote” Paris March 19, 1913). He was echoed by another critic Andre Varnaud: “The Salon of 1913 was marked by the birth of a new school of the Orphic school” (“Comoedia” Paris March 18, 1913). Finally Guillaume Apollinaire reinforced this statement by exclaiming, not without pride: “This is Orphism. This is the first time that this direction, which I predicted, has appeared” (“Montjoie!” Paris supplement to March 18, 1913). Indeed, this term was invented Apollinaire(Orphism as the cult of Orpheus) and was first publicly stated during a lecture on modern painting given in October 1912. What did he mean? It seems he didn't know it himself. Moreover, I didn’t know how to define the boundaries of this new direction. In fact, the confusion that reigns to this day was due to the fact that Apollinaire unknowingly confused two problems that are interconnected, of course, but before trying to connect them he should have emphasized their differences. On the one hand, the creation Delaunay pictorial means of expression entirely based on color and, on the other hand, the expansion of Cubism due to the emergence of several different directions. After breaking up with Marie Laurencin at the end of the summer of 1912, Apollinaire sought refuge with the Delaunay family, who received him with friendly understanding in their workshop on the Rue Grand-Augustin. Just this summer, Robert Delaunay and his wife experienced a profound aesthetic evolution leading to what he later called the “destructive period” of painting based solely on the constructive and spatio-temporal qualities of color contrasts.

Postmodernism (postmodern, post-avant-garde) -

(from the Latin post “after” and modernism), the collective name of artistic trends that became especially clear in the 1960s and are characterized by a radical revision of the position of modernism and the avant-garde.

Abstract expressionism post-war (late 40s - 50s of the XX century) stage of development of abstract art. The term itself was introduced back in the 20s by a German art critic E. von Sydow (E. von Sydow) to refer to certain aspects of expressionist art. In 1929, the American Barr used it to characterize Kandinsky’s early works, and in 1947 he called the works “abstract expressionist” Willem de Kooning And Pollock. Since then, the concept of abstract expressionism has been consolidated behind a fairly broad, stylistically and technically variegated field of abstract painting (and later sculpture), which received rapid development in the 50s. in the USA, in Europe, and then throughout the world. The direct ancestors of abstract expressionism are considered to be early Kandinsky, expressionists, orphists, partly dadaists and surrealists with their principle of mental automatism. The philosophical and aesthetic basis of abstract expressionism was largely the philosophy of existentialism, popular in the post-war period.

Readymade(English ready-made - ready) The term was first introduced into the art historical lexicon by the artist Marcel Duchamp to designate their works, which are objects of utilitarian use, removed from the environment of their normal functioning and exhibited on display without any changes art exhibition as works of art. Ready-mades affirmed a new view of things and thinghood. An object that had ceased to perform its utilitarian functions and was included in the context of the space of art, that is, had become an object of non-utilitarian contemplation, began to reveal some new meanings and associative moves, unknown either to traditional art or to the everyday utilitarian sphere of existence. The problem of the relativity of the aesthetic and the utilitarian has emerged acutely. The first ready-mades Duchamp exhibited in New York in 1913. The most notorious are his readymades. steel “Bicycle Wheel” (1913), “Bottle Dryer” (1914), “Fountain” (1917) - this is how an ordinary urinal was designated.

Pop Art. After World War II, America developed a large social class of people who earned enough money to buy goods that were not particularly important to them. For example, the consumption of goods: Coca Cola or Levi's jeans become an important attribute of this society. A person using this or that product shows his belonging to a certain social class. Mass culture was now being formed. Things became symbols, stereotypes. Pop art necessarily uses stereotypes and symbols. Pop art(pop art) embodied the creative quest of new Americans, who relied on creative principles Duchamp. This: Jasper Johns, K. Oldenburg, Andy Warhol, and others. Pop art gains the significance of mass culture, so it is not surprising that it formed and became an art movement in America. Their like-minded people: Hamelton R, Tone China chosen as authority Kurt Schwieters. Pop art is characterized by a work that is an illusion of a game that explains the essence of the object. Example: pie K. Oldenburg, depicted in various variants. An artist may not depict a pie, but rather dispel illusions and show what a person really sees. R. Rauschenberg is also original: he glued various photographs to the canvas, outlined them and attached some kind of stuffed animal to the work. One of his famous works is a stuffed hedgehog. His paintings, where he used photographs of Kenedy, are also well known.

Primitivism (Naive art). This concept is used in several senses and is actually identical to the concept "primitive art". IN various languages and different scientists most often use these concepts to designate the same range of phenomena in artistic culture. In Russian (as in some others), the term “primitive” has a somewhat negative meaning. Therefore, it is more appropriate to dwell on the concept Naive art. In the broadest sense, this designates fine art, characterized by simplicity (or simplification), clarity and formal spontaneity of figurative and expressive language, with the help of which a special vision of the world is expressed, not burdened by civilizational conventions. The concept appeared in modern European culture last centuries, therefore, reflects the professional positions and ideas of this culture, which considered itself the highest level of development. From these positions, Naive art also includes the archaic art of ancient peoples (before the Egyptian or ancient Greek civilizations), for example, primitive art; the art of peoples delayed in their cultural and civilizational development (indigenous populations of Africa, Oceania, American Indians); amateur and non-professional art on a wide scale (for example, the famous medieval frescoes of Catalonia or the non-professional art of the first American settlers from Europe); many works of the so-called “international Gothic”; folk art; finally, the art of talented primitivist artists of the 20th century, who did not receive professional art education, but felt the gift artistic creativity and devoted themselves to its independent implementation in art. Some of them (French A. Rousseau, C. Bombois, Georgian N. Pirosmanishvili, Croatian I. Generalich, American A.M. Robertson etc.) created true artistic masterpieces that are included in the treasury of world art. Naive art in its vision of the world and its methods artistic presentation in some ways it approaches the art of children, on the one hand, and the creativity of the mentally ill, on the other. However, in essence it differs from both. The closest thing in worldview to children's art is the naive art of the archaic peoples and aborigines of Oceania and Africa. Its fundamental difference from children's art lies in deep sacredness, traditionalism and canonicity.

Net art(Net Art - from the English net - network, art - art) The newest type of art, modern art practices, developing in computer networks, in particular on the Internet. Its researchers in Russia, who also contribute to its development, O. Lyalina, A. Shulgin, believe that the essence of Net art comes down to the creation of communication and creative spaces on the Internet, providing complete freedom of online existence to everyone. Therefore, the essence of Net art. not representation, but communication, and its unique art unit is an electronic message. There are at least three stages in the development of Net art, which emerged in the 80s and 90s. XX century The first was when aspiring Internet artists created pictures from letters and icons found on a computer keyboard. The second began when underground artists and just anyone who wanted to show something of their creativity came to the Internet.

OP-ART(English Op-art - shortened version of optical art - optical art) - an artistic movement of the second half of the 20th century, using various visual illusions based on the peculiarities of perception of flat and spatial figures. The movement continues the rationalistic line of technicism (modernism). Goes back to the so-called “geometric” abstractionism, the representative of which was V. Vasarely(from 1930 to 1997 he worked in France) - the founder of op art. The possibilities of Op art have found some application in industrial graphics, posters, and design art. The direction of op art (optical art) originated in the 50s within abstractionism, although this time it was of a different variety - geometric abstraction. Its spread as a movement dates back to the 60s. XX century

Graffiti(graffiti - in archeology, any drawings or letters scratched on any surface, from Italian graffiare - to scratch) This is how works of the subculture are designated, which are mainly large-format images on the walls of public buildings, structures, vehicles, made using various types of spray guns, aerosol spray paint cans. Hence another name for “spray art” - Spray-art. Its origin is associated with the massive appearance of graffiti. in the 70s on New York subway cars, and then on the walls of public buildings and store shutters. The first authors of graffiti. were mostly young unemployed artists from ethnic minorities, primarily Puerto Ricans, so the first Graffiti showed some stylistic features of Latin American folk art, and by the very fact of their appearance on surfaces not intended for this, their authors protested against their powerless position. By the beginning of the 80s. a whole trend of almost professional masters of G. was formed. Their real names, previously hidden under pseudonyms, became known ( CRASH, NOC 167, FUTURA 2000, LEE, SEEN, DAZE). Some of them transferred their technique to canvas and began exhibiting in galleries in New York, and soon graffiti appeared in Europe.

HYPERREALISM(hyperrealism - English), or photorealism (photorealism - English) - artistic. a movement in painting and sculpture based on photography and the reproduction of reality. Both in its practice and in its aesthetic orientations towards naturalism and pragmatism, hyperrealism is close to pop art. They are primarily united by a return to figurativeness. It acts as an antithesis to conceptualism, which not only broke with representation, but also questioned the very principle of the material realization of art. concept.

Land art(from the English land art - earthen art), a direction in the art of the last thirdXXc., based on the use of a real landscape as the main art material and object. Artists dig trenches, create bizarre piles of stones, paint rocks, choosing for their works usually deserted places - pristine and wild landscapes, thereby, as if trying to return art to nature. Thanks to his<первобытному>In appearance, many actions and objects of this kind are close to archeology, as well as photo-art, since the majority of the public can only contemplate them in a series of photographs. It looks like we will have to come to terms with yet another barbarism in the Russian language. I don't know if it's a coincidence that the term<лэнд-арт>appeared at the end 60s, at a time when in developed societies the rebellious spirit of students directed its forces towards overthrowing established values.

MINIMALISM(minimal art - English: minimal art) - artist. a flow that comes from minimal transformation of the materials used in the creative process, simplicity and uniformity of forms, monochrome, creativity. artist's self-restraint. Minimalism is characterized by a rejection of subjectivity, representation, and illusionism. Rejecting the classic techniques of creativity and tradition. artist materials, minimalists use industrial and natural materials of simple geometric shapes. shapes and neutral colors (black, grey), small volumes, serial, conveyor methods of industrial production are used. An artifact in the minimalist concept of creativity is a predetermined result of the process of its production. Having received its most complete development in painting and sculpture, minimalism, interpreted in a broad sense as an economy of art. means, has found application in other forms of art, primarily theater and cinema.

Minimalism originated in the USA in the lane. floor. 60s Its origins are in constructivism, suprematism, dadaism, abstract art, formalistic amer. painting from the 50s, pop art. Directly forerunner of minimalism. is American artist F. Stella, who presented a series of “Black Paintings” in 1959-60, where ordered straight lines prevailed. The first minimalist works appear in 1962-63. The term "minimalism." belongs to R. Wollheim, who introduces it in relation to the analysis of creativity M. Duchamp and pop artists who minimize the artist's intervention in environment. Its synonyms are “cool art”, “ABC art”, “serial art”, “primary structures”, “art as a process”, “systematic”. painting". Among the most representative minimalists are K. Andre, M. Bochner, U. De Ma-ria, D. Flavin. S. Le Witt, R. Mangold, B. Murden, R. Morris, R. Ryman. They are united by the desire to fit the artifact into the environment, to play with the natural texture of materials. D. Zhad defines it as “specific. object”, different from the classic one. works of plastic arts Independently, lighting plays a role as a way of creating minimalist art. situations, original spatial solutions; are used computer methods creation of works.

Painting is perhaps the most ancient look art. Even in the primitive era, our ancestors made images of people and animals on the walls of caves. These are the first examples of painting. Since then, this type of art has always remained a companion human life. Examples of painting today are numerous and varied. We will try to cover this type of art as much as possible, talk about the main genres, styles, trends and techniques in it.

Painting techniques

Let's first look at the basic painting techniques. One of the most common is oil. This is a technique that uses oil-based paints. These paints are applied in strokes. With their help, you can create a variety of different shades, as well as convey the necessary images with maximum realism.

Tempera- another popular technique. About her we're talking about when using emulsion paints. The binder in these paints is egg or water.

Gouache- a technique widely used in graphics. Gouache paint is made with an adhesive base. It can be used to work on cardboard, paper, bone or silk. The image is durable and the lines are crisp. Pastel- This is a technique of drawing with dry pencils, and the surface should be rough. And, of course, it’s worth mentioning watercolors. This paint is usually diluted with water. A soft and thin layer of paint is obtained using this technique. Particularly popular Of course, we have listed only the main techniques that are used most often in painting. There are others too.

What are paintings usually painted on? The most popular painting is on canvas. It is stretched onto a frame or glued to cardboard. Note that in the past, wooden planks were used quite often. Today, not only painting on canvas is popular; any other flat materials can be used to create images.

Types of painting

There are 2 main types of it: easel and monumental painting. The latter is related to architecture. This type includes painting the ceilings and walls of buildings, decorating them with images made from mosaics or other materials, stained glass windows, etc. Easel painting is not associated with a specific building. It can be moved from place to place. IN easel painting There are many varieties (otherwise called genres). Let's look at them in more detail.

Genres of painting

The word "genre" is French in origin. It is translated as “genus”, “species”. That is, under the name of the genre there is a content of some kind, and by pronouncing its name, we understand what the picture is about, what we will find in it: humans, nature, animals, objects, etc.

Portrait

The most ancient genre of painting is portraiture. This is an image of a person who resembles only himself and no one else. In other words, a portrait is an image in painting of an individual appearance, since each of us has an individual face. This genre of painting has its own varieties. The portrait can be full-length, bust-length, or only one face can be painted. Let us note that not every image of a person is a portrait, since the artist can create, for example, “a person in general” without copying him from anyone else. However, when he depicts a specific representative of the human race, he works specifically on a portrait. Needless to say, there are numerous examples of painting in this genre. But the portrait presented below is known to almost every resident of our country. We are talking about the image of A. S. Pushkin, created in 1827 by Kiprensky.

You can also add a self-portrait to this genre. In this case, the artist depicts himself. There is a couple portrait, when the picture shows people in pairs; and a group portrait, when a group of people is depicted. It can also be noted ceremonial portrait, a variety of which is equestrian, one of the most solemn. It was very popular in the past, but such works are rare now. However, the next genre we will talk about is relevant at any time. What are we talking about? This can be guessed by going through the genres that we have not yet named when characterizing painting. Still life is one of them. This is what we will talk about now, continuing to look at painting.

Still life

This word is also of French origin, it means “dead nature”, although the meaning would be more accurate “inanimate nature”. Still life is an image of inanimate objects. They are very diverse. Let us note that still lifes can also depict “living nature”: butterflies quiet on the petals, beautiful flowers, birds, and sometimes you can see a person among the gifts of nature. However, this will still be a still life, since the image of a living thing is not the most important thing for the artist in this case.

Scenery

Landscape is another French word that means "view of the country." It is similar to the German concept of "landscape". Landscape is an image of nature in its diversity. The following varieties join this genre: architectural landscape and the very popular seascape, which is often called one word “marina”, and the artists working in it are called marine painters. Numerous examples paintings in the seascape genre can be found in the works of I.K. Aivazovsky. One of them is "Rainbow" from 1873.

This painting is done in oil and is difficult to execute. But creating landscapes in watercolor is not at all difficult, so in school drawing lessons this task was given to each of us.

Animalistic genre

The next genre is animalistic. Everything is simple here - this is an image of birds and animals in nature, in their natural environment.

Everyday genre

The everyday genre is a depiction of scenes from life, everyday life, funny “incidents”, home life and stories of ordinary people in an ordinary environment. Or you can do without stories - just capture everyday activities and affairs. Such paintings are sometimes called genre painting. As an example, let's take the above work by Van Gogh (1885).

Historical genre

The themes of painting are varied, but the historical genre stands out separately. This is the image historical heroes and events. The battle genre is adjacent to it; it presents episodes of war and battle.

Religious and mythological genre

In the mythological genre, works of painting are written on the themes of ancient and ancient tales about gods and heroes. It should be noted that the image is of a secular nature, and in this way it differs from the images of deities presented on the icon. By the way, religious painting is not only about icons. She unites various works written on religious subjects.

Clash of genres

The richer the content of a genre, the more its “companions” appear. Genres can merge, so there is painting that cannot be placed within the framework of any of them. In art there is both general (techniques, genres, styles) and individual (a specific work taken separately). A separate picture also contains something in common. Therefore, many artists may have the same genre, but the paintings painted in it are never similar. The culture of painting has such features.

Style

Style is an aspect of the visual perception of paintings. It can combine the works of one artist or the works of artists of a certain period, movement, school, or locality.

Academic painting and realism

Academic painting is a special direction, the formation of which is associated with the activities of European art academies. It appeared in the 16th century at the Bologna Academy, from which people sought to imitate the masters of the Renaissance. Since the 16th century, methods of teaching painting began to be based on strict adherence to rules and regulations, following formal patterns. art in Paris was considered one of the most influential in Europe. She promoted the aesthetics of classicism that dominated France in the 17th century. Paris Academy? Having contributed to the systematization of education, it gradually turned the rules of the classical direction into dogma. Thus, academic painting became a special direction. In the 19th century, some of the most prominent manifestations of academicism were the works of J. L. Jerome, Alexandre Cabannel, and J. Ingres. The classical canons were replaced by realistic ones only at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. It is realism that becomes at the beginning of the 20th century basic method training in academies turns into a dogmatic system.

Baroque

Baroque is a style and era of art characterized by aristocracy, contrast, dynamic images, simple details when depicting abundance, tension, drama, luxury, a fusion of reality and illusion. This style appeared in Italy in 1600 and spread throughout Europe. Caravaggio and Rubens are its most prominent representatives. Baroque is often compared to expressionism, however, unlike the latter, it does not have too repulsive effects. Paintings of this style today are characterized by the complexity of lines and an abundance of ornaments.

Cubism

Cubism is an avant-garde art movement that emerged in the 20th century. Its creator is Pablo Picasso. Cubism made a real revolution in sculpture and painting in Europe, inspiring the creation of similar movements in architecture, literature, and music. Art painting in this style is characterized by recombined, broken objects that have an abstract form. When depicting them, many points of view are used.

Expressionism

Expressionism is another important direction contemporary art, which appeared in Germany in the first half of the 20th century. At first it covered only poetry and painting, and then spread to other areas of art.

Expressionists depict the world subjectively, distorting reality to create greater emotional effect. Their goal is to make the viewer think. Expression in expressionism prevails over image. It can be noted that many works are characterized by motifs of torment, pain, suffering, screaming (the work of Edvard Munch, presented above, is called “The Scream”). Expressionist artists are not at all interested in material reality; their paintings are filled with deep meaning and emotional experiences.

Impressionism

Impressionism is a style of painting aimed primarily at working in the plein air (open air), rather than in the studio. It owes its name to the painting “Impression, Sunrise” by Claude Monet, which is shown in the photo below.

The word "impression" in English is impression. Impressionistic paintings primarily convey the artist’s sense of light. The main features of painting in this style are the following: barely visible, thin strokes; changes in lighting, accurately conveyed (attention is often focused on the effect of the passage of time); open composition; simple common goal; movement as a key element of human experience and perception. The most prominent representatives of such a movement as impressionism are Edgar Degas, Claude Monet, Pierre Renoir.

Modernism

The next direction is modernism, which originated as a set of trends in various fields of art in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The Parisian "Salon of the Rejected" was opened in 1863. Artists whose paintings were not allowed into the official salon exhibited here. This date can be considered the date of the emergence of modernism as a separate movement in art. Otherwise, modernism is sometimes called “another art.” Its goal is to create unique paintings, not like others. The main feature of the works is the author’s special vision of the world.

Artists in their work rebelled against the values ​​of realism. Self-awareness is a striking characteristic this direction. This often leads to experimentation with form, as well as a penchant for abstraction. Representatives of modernism pay special attention to the materials used and the work process. Some of its most prominent representatives are considered to be Henry Matisse (his work “The Red Room” of 1908 is presented above) and Pablo Picasso.

Neoclassicism

Neoclassicism was the main direction of painting in Northern Europe from the mid-18th century to the end of the 19th. It is characterized by a return to the features of the ancient Renaissance and even the times of classicism. In architectural, artistic and cultural terms, neoclassicism emerged as a response to Rococo, which was perceived as a shallow and pretentious style of art. Neoclassical artists, thanks to their good knowledge of church laws, tried to introduce canons into their works. However, they avoided simply reproducing classical motifs and themes. Neoclassical artists tried to place their paintings within the framework of tradition and thus demonstrate their mastery of the genre. Neoclassicism in this regard is directly opposed to modernism, where improvisation and self-expression are considered virtues. Its most famous representatives include Nicolas Poussin and Raphael.

Pop Art

The last direction we will consider is pop art. It appeared in Britain in the mid-50s of the last century, and in the late 50s in America. Pop art is believed to have originated as a reaction to the ideas of abstract expressionism that were dominant at the time. Speaking about this direction, it is impossible not to mention In 2009, “Eight Elvises,” one of his paintings, was sold for $100 million.

We continue the “Handicraft” section and the “” subsection with the article. Where we offer you definitions of several known and unknown modern and not so modern styles, and also illustrate them as clearly as possible.

Picture art styles are needed, in part, so that you can find out what style you draw (or handicrafts in general), or what style suits you best for drawing.

We will start with a style called “realism”. Realism is an aesthetic position according to which the task of art is to capture reality as accurately and objectively as possible. There are many substyles of realism - critical realism, socialist realism, hyperrealism, naturalism and many others. In the broader sense of the word, realism is the ability of art to truthfully, unvarnishedly depict a person and the world around him in life-like, recognizable images, without passively and dispassionately copying nature, but selecting the main thing in it and trying to convey the essential qualities of objects and phenomena in visible forms .

Example: V. G. Khudyakov. Smugglers (click to enlarge):

Now let's move on to the style called “impressionism”. Impressionism(French impressionnisme, from impression - impression) - a style where artists tried to most naturally and impartially capture the real world in its mobility and variability, to convey their fleeting impressions. Impressionism did not raise philosophical problems and did not even try to penetrate under the colored surface of everyday life. Instead, impressionism focuses on superficiality, the fluidity of a moment, mood, lighting, or angle of view.

Example: J. William Turner (click to enlarge):

Next on the list we have a much less famous style called “Fauvism” than impressionism and realism. Fauvism(from French fauve - wild) - the name was formed because the paintings left the viewer with a feeling of energy and passion, and the French critic Louis Vaucelle called the painters wild beasts (French les fauves). This was the reaction of contemporaries to the exaltation of color that amazed them, the “wild” expressiveness of colors. Thus, an accidental statement became established as the name of the entire movement. Fauvism in painting is characterized by bright colors and simplification of form.

The next style is modern. Modern- (from the French moderne - modern), art nouveau (French art nouveau, lit. "new art"), Art Nouveau (German Jugendstil - "young style") - an artistic direction in art, where the basis was the rejection of direct lines and angles in favor of more natural, “natural” lines, interest in new technologies. Art Nouveau sought to combine the artistic and utilitarian functions of the works created, and to involve all spheres of human activity in the sphere of beauty.

An example of Art Nouveau architecture is in the article “Gaudi's Magic Houses”. An example of a painting in the Art Nouveau style: A. Mucha “Sunset” (click to enlarge):

Then let's move on. Expressionism(from Latin expressio, “expression”) - an expression of the emotional characteristics of images (usually a person or group of people) or the emotional state of the artist himself. In expressionism, the idea of ​​emotional impact, affectation was put in opposition to naturalism and aestheticism. The subjectivity of the creative act was emphasized.

Example: Van Gogh, " Starlight Night over the Rhone":

The next movement we will touch on is cubism. Cubism(French Cubisme) - a direction in the visual arts characterized by the use of emphatically geometrized conventional forms, the desire to “split” real objects into stereometric primitives.

Next is a style called “futurism”. Style name futurism comes from the Latin futurum - future. The name itself implies a cult of the future and discrimination of the past along with the present. The futurists dedicated their paintings to trains, cars, airplanes - in a word, attention was paid to all the momentary achievements of a civilization intoxicated with technical progress. Futurism started from Fauvism, borrowing color ideas from it, and from Cubism, from which it adopted artistic forms.

And now we move on to the style called “abstractionism”. Abstractionism(Latin abstractio - removal, distraction) - a direction of non-figurative art that abandoned the depiction of forms close to reality in painting and sculpture. One of the goals of abstract art is to achieve “harmonization,” the creation of certain color combinations and geometric shapes in order to evoke various associations in the beholder.

Example: V. Kandinsky:

Next on our list is the “Dadaism” movement. Dadaism, or Dada - the name of the movement comes from several sources: in the language of the Negro tribe Kru it means the tail of a sacred cow, in some areas of Italy this is what they call a mother, it can be a designation for a children's wooden horse, a nurse, a double statement in Russian and Romanian. It could also be a reproduction of incoherent baby babble. In any case, Dadaism is something completely meaningless, which from now on has become the most successful name for the entire movement.

And now we move on to Suprematism. Suprematism(from Latin supremus - highest) - was expressed in combinations of multi-colored planes of the simplest geometric shapes (in the geometric shapes of a straight line, square, circle and rectangle). Combination of different colors and sizes geometric shapes forms balanced asymmetrical suprematist compositions permeated with internal movement.

Example: Kazimir Malevich:

The next movement that we will briefly consider is a movement with the strange name “metaphysical painting”. Metaphysical painting (Italian: Pittura metafisica) - here metaphor and dream become the basis for thought to go beyond ordinary logic, and the contrast between a realistically accurately depicted object and the strange atmosphere in which it is placed enhances the surreal effect.

An example is Giorgio Morandi. Still life with a mannequin:

And now we move on to a very interesting movement called “surrealism”. Surrealism (French surréalisme - super-realism) is based on a combination of dreams and reality. The primary goal of the surrealists was spiritual elevation and the separation of the spirit from the material. One of the greatest representatives of surrealism in painting was Salvador Dali.

Example: Salvador Dali:

Next we move on to such a movement as active painting. Active painting (painting by intuition, tachisme, from the French Tachisme, from Tache - spot) is a movement that represents painting with spots that do not recreate images of reality, but express the unconscious activity of the artist. Strokes, lines and spots in tachisme are applied to the canvas with quick movements of the hand without a pre-thought-out plan.

The penultimate style for today is pop art. Pop art (English pop-art, short for popular art, the etymology is also associated with the English pop - abrupt blow, clap) gives rise to works of art for which elements of “folk culture” were used. That is, the Image borrowed from popular culture is placed in a different context (for example, the scale and material change; the technique or technical method; information interference is detected, and so on).

Example: Richard Hamilton, “What makes our homes today so different, so attractive?”:

Accordingly, the latest trend for today is minimalism. Minimal art (English Minimal art), also Minimalism (English Minimalism), ABC Art (English ABC Art) is a movement that included geometric forms, cleared of any symbolism and metaphor, repetition, neutral surfaces, industrial materials and manufacturing method.

Thus, there are a huge number of art styles - which have their own purposes.

Style (direction, current) in art is a historically established community of artistic characteristics in one type of art or simultaneously in several arts, characteristic of different eras and peoples and conditioned by the unity of ideological and aesthetic aspirations of the creative minority. At present, a number of stable designations have traditionally developed for objectively existing (and existing) trends in European art, the main features of which everyone needs to know cultured person. In this regard, let us consider the basic terminology, while adhering to the chronological principle.

The Romanesque style (from the Latin Romanus - Roman) appeared in the X-XIII centuries. in architecture and sculptural decoration. Romanesque buildings inherit many of the features of Roman architecture and are distinguished by their simplicity and rationality. The thickness and strength of the walls were the main criterion for the beauty of the building. Main architectural buildings Romanics are a knight's castle and a monastery church.

The Gothic style (from the Italian Gotico - Gothic, barbarian) is associated primarily with religious architecture, sculpture and decorative arts of the 12th-14th centuries. The main Gothic architectural structure is the cathedral. Gothic cathedrals are characterized by aspiration upward, towards God, an organic connection between architecture and sculpture, pointed arches; windows decorated with multicolor stained glass, lush decor.

Baroque (from Italian Barocco - strange, bizarre) style in architecture, music, painting, literature, decorative arts late XVI-mid XVIII centuries. It is characterized by aesthetic affectation, richness of decoration, usually curvilinear forms. In music and literature - mannerism, capriciousness, ornateness, an abundance of decorations. In Baroque art, placed at the service of religion, the Jesuits saw a powerful tool for influencing the emotional world of man and forming new ideas for Europeans about the richness, complexity and variability of the surrounding world.

Classicism (from Latin classicus - correct, exemplary) style and direction in art and literature of the 17th and early 19th centuries. marking a return to the ancient heritage as the norm and ideal model. The main aesthetic postulate of classicism is fidelity to nature, the natural rationality of the world with its objectively inherent beauty, which is expressed in symmetry, proportion, measure, harmony, which must be recreated in art in perfect form.

Rococo (from the French rocaille - shell) is a style that occupies an intermediate position between Baroque and Classicism. Popular mainly in France during the time of Louis XV, the style is sometimes called by his name - “Louis XV style”. The defining feature of this style is the desire for grace, abundance of decor and the contrast between the external severity of buildings and the sophistication of their interior decoration. He expressed himself most clearly in architecture, painting, and decorative and applied arts.

Sentimentalism (from the French Sentiment - feeling) is an artistic movement of the second half of the 18th century, which developed as a result of disappointment in positive role“civilization”, “the kingdom of reason”, proclaimed by the ideologists of the Age of Enlightenment. Ideologically, sentimentalism goes back to famous saying J.J. Rousseau “Reason can make mistakes, but feeling never!” Sentimentalism has not developed its own aesthetics and is rather a special state of mind, melancholy daydreaming, a tendency to solitude, and increased sensitivity. His credo is rejection of any sophistication and depravity, the so-called. "civilized" society.

Romanticism is a broad ideological and artistic movement in world culture, covering all types of art and humanities in the late 18th and early 20th centuries. Romanticism was a reaction to the results of the Great French Revolution, which marked capitalist “progress” and the spirit of universal trading.

The credo of Romanticism is “an atypical hero in atypical circumstances.” The Romantics contrasted utilitarianism and depersonalization of the individual with aspirations for boundless freedom and the pathos of personal and civil independence.

Realism (from Latin realis - real, real) is a style that has shaped the focus on depicting life in the forms of life itself - “a typical hero in typical circumstances.” As a creative method, realism most fully manifested itself in the 19th century and was embodied, first of all, in painting and literature.

Naturalism (from Latin Natura - nature) - creative direction, which appeared in the last third of the 19th century. under the influence of the philosophy of positivism by O. Comte and G. Spencer. The aesthetics of naturalism, transferring the principles of positivism into the sphere of art, was based on the position that the artist must reflect the world around him without any embellishment, typification, conventions and taboos, with maximum objectivity. Representatives of naturalism claimed to tell “all the ins and outs” about a person, paying special attention to the biological aspects of his life. An extreme manifestation of naturalism, already going beyond the boundaries of art, is various kinds of porn products, depictions of the “dirty” sides of life and scenes of violence, which have received the apt designation “chernukha” among the people.

Modernism (from the French Moderne - new, modern) - is a set of aesthetic schools and currents of the late XIX-XX centuries. (cubism, futurism, expressionism, constructivism, fauvism, dadaism, abstractionism, etc.), opposing themselves to the art of the past and asserting a new approach to the depiction of social existence.

Postmodernism - (formed in the second half of the twentieth century). It is a special type of worldview, focused on the formation of a living space in which all kinds of norms and traditions are denied and the main values ​​become freedom in everything, spontaneity of activity, playfulness, cultural orientation, towards “deconstruction”, “decentralization”, absolutization of “novelty”. "as a way of assessing the world (R. Barth).