Turn of the century style which was concerned with the significance of form, symbols, expressiveness, psychological intensity which aimed to show the spiritual significance of objects. This style originated from their reaction against the Impressionists its main exponent was Paul Cezanne (1839-1906). There were two main groups, expressionists, such as Gauguin and Van Gogh, and formalists, such as Cézanne and Seurat.
Some of the most renowned and acclaimed Post-Impressionistic artists were as follows
- Paul Cezanne (1839-1906) French
- Eugène Henri Paul Gauguin (1848-1903) French
- Vincent Van Gogh (1853-1890) Dutch
- Georges Seurat (1859-1891) French
Expressionism
20th Century style of artists, whose style of art is overridden by the intensity of an artist's emotional response to the subject, who expressed their emotional themes through distorted shapes and intense, violent, and non-naturalistic colours, painted in a textural manner. The only important thing is to achieve the highest expression intensity, both from the aesthetic point of view and according to the idea and human critics.
Some of the finest examples of this style were The Scream, View of Toledo, Blumengarten, Woman Reading, Dora Maar au Chat and Violin and Candlestick.
The Scream
Some of the most renowned and acclaimed Romantic artists are as follows
- Emil Nolde (1867-1956) German
- Max Beckmann (1884-1950) German
- Henri Matisse (1869-1954) French
- André Derain (1880-1954) French
- Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) Spanish
- Georges Braque (1882-1963) French
- Edvard Munch (1863-1944) Norwegian
- El Greco (1541-1614) Spanish
Fauvism
Style of painting featuring distorted, simplified shapes, bright or violent colours and a disregard of perspective. They were less concerned about the appearance of the subjects, they painted and primary emphasis was placed on rhythmic brushstrokes and powerful colour. Colour was used as an emotional force, translating their feelings into colour with a rough, clumsy style. Fauvist Painters emphasized freshness and spontaneity over finish. Henri Matisse was the leader of the school, whose members were known as Les Fouves, meaning ‘The wild beasts’.
Some of the finest examples of this style were Woman with Large Hat, Woman with a Hat, Charing Cross Bridge, The River Seine at Chatou, Matisse Souvenir de Biskra (Blue Nude) La Raie Verte (Green Stripe)
Matisse Souvenir de Biskra known as Blue Nude
Some of the most renowned and acclaimed Fauvistic artists were as follows
- Henri Matisse (1869-1954) French
- Maurice de Vlaminck (1876-1958) French
- Andre Derain (1880-1954) French
- Kees van Dongen (1877-1968) Dutch
Cubism
Geometrical style of drawing initiated by George Braque and Pablo Picasso. It was the most influential style of the20th Century. It emphasised the mind’s perception of an object, rather than attempting to reproduce actual appearance, breaking up objects, analysing them, and then re-assembling in an abstracted form. The subject is depicted from a multitude of viewpoints to present the piece in a greater context. Often the surfaces intersect at what seems like random angles presenting no coherent sense of depth. Early Cubist works represented objects, figures, and landscapes, developing into more cryptic and indecipherable works, in which the overall pattern became most important.
Some of the finest examples of this style were Three Musicians, Guernica, Dora Maar au Chat (Dora Maar with Cat), Bottle and Pitcher, Woman with a guitar, Le guitariste.
Le guitariste
Some of the most renowned and acclaimed Cubist artists were as follows
- George Braque (1882-1963) French
- Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) Spanish
- Juan Gris (1887–1927) Spanish
