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Abstract art is any art which does not contain figurative or representational content however crudely or naively it may be painted. |
A true abstract painting is composed only of shapes and colours. Just as a piece of instrumental music is composed only of sounds, so an abstract painting is an attempt to convey a mood through the use of colour, shape and texture. The story of abstract painting began in the 1920's and 30's with Kandinsky and Mondrian bringing different approaches in the early years. Many European painters later settled in America. After the war New York became the Mecca of abstract art and the term Abstract Expressionist was coined to describe painters like Rothko, Pollock and Frankenthaler. In the UK prominent artist's included Howard Hodgkin, Patrick Heron and later Bridget Riley with her dizzying 'Op Art' images.
Abstract art from more recent years and by a host of lesser known artists can be found in our Contemporary Abstract section.
Representational Art is any type of art that represents the physical world, however naive or stylistic that representation may be. Picasso's distorted and sometimes disjointed view of the world can not be described as abstract; it remains representational throughout. Many artists of the 20th century developed approaches that emphasised design and colour above perspective and form. The earliest innovators were the Fauves (see Post-Impressionism), who included Matisse and Dufy, and the cubists; Picasso, Braque, Gris and Leger.
Perhaps inspired by the madness of the First World War, the Surrealists, were another influential group; Salvador Dali being their most famous member, although he left the group after only a short time. The Expressionists were another European movement who explored the human psyche as well as the physical world; Munch, Klee, Macke, Klimt and Marc are associated with expressionism.
A more realistic approach can be found in the post-war paintings of American's Georgia O'Keeffe and Edward Hopper. Hopper's work often presents a rather ironic view of the American dream. In the 1960's the pop art movement under the influence of Warhol, Lichtenstein, Johns and others also took contemporary society and consumerism it's suject. In Britain pop art's leading proponents were David Hockney and Peter Blake.
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For current works | Home |
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From this section you can explore great artworks of the 20th Century including Picasso's radical innovations, realism in America by Hopper and O'Keeffe, Pop art, Abstract expressionism and more.
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Browse by category, choose a genre or an artist or type in a descriptive keyword or words to begin your tour. |
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