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Art Movements

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Art Nouveau vs Art Deco: How to Tell Them Apart (and Why It Matters)
Art Nouveau vs Art Deco: How to Tell Them Apart (and Why It Matters)
The term "Art Deco" didn't exist until the 1960s. The style that now goes by that name was shown to the world at the 1925 Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs... Read more...
The Hudson River School Painted an Empire's Rise and Fall
The Hudson River School Painted an Empire's Rise and Fall
In 1836, an English immigrant named Thomas Cole finished five paintings that show one civilization being born, growing rich, and burning to the ground. He called the series The Course... Read more...
Why Ukiyo-e Woodblock Prints Are the Ultimate Modern Wall Art
Why Ukiyo-e Woodblock Prints Are the Ultimate Modern Wall Art
In 1853, Japanese ports opened to the West, and a flood of packing materials hit Europe. But the European artists weren't looking at the porcelain inside the crates. They were... Read more...
The Animal Inside the Frame: Bringing Organic Surrealism Home
The Animal Inside the Frame: Bringing Organic Surrealism Home
Picture a chimpanzee named Congo holding a brush. Between 1956 and 1959, he balanced colors and forms with an intuitive sense of composition that ended up hanging in Picasso's own... Read more...
What Is Contemporary Art? The Global Conversation Defying a Single Style
What Is Contemporary Art? The Global Conversation Defying a Single Style
You walk into a major gallery space. In the center of the first room, a massive pile of brightly wrapped candies spills across the concrete floor. In the next room,... Read more...
The Reality of Less: Understanding Minimalist Art
The Reality of Less: Understanding Minimalist Art
Most people look at a blank canvas or a steel box and ask, "Is that it?" They search for the hidden message, the emotional turmoil of the artist, or the... Read more...
Fauvism Art Movement: How the "Wild Beasts" Rewrote the Rules of Color
Fauvism Art Movement: How the "Wild Beasts" Rewrote the Rules of Color
What happens when you stop using color to describe reality, and start using it to describe how you feel? That is the core question behind Fauvism, a brief but explosive... Read more...
Art Nouveau vs Historicism: The Rebellion That Brought Nature Indoors
Art Nouveau vs Historicism: The Rebellion That Brought Nature Indoors
Why did everything suddenly look like vines and whiplashes in the 1890s? To understand why Art Nouveau matters, you have to look at what it was fighting against. It wasn't... Read more...
How to Identify a Romantic Masterpiece (And Why It’s Not Rococo)
How to Identify a Romantic Masterpiece (And Why It’s Not Rococo)
Rococo wanted to invite you to a garden party; Romanticism wanted to drown you in a storm. If you have ever stood in front of a painting and felt a... Read more...
What is Dada Art? The Absurd Movement That Changed Everything
What is Dada Art? The Absurd Movement That Changed Everything
In the middle of 1916, while Europe was destroying itself in the First World War, a small group of artists crammed into the Cabaret Voltaire in Zurich. They wore primitive... Read more...
Tate Modern Opens 'Frida: The Making of an Icon' (And Why She Belongs on Your Wall)
Tate Modern Opens 'Frida: The Making of an Icon' (And Why She Belongs on Your Wall)
The art world has a habit of flattening its most complex figures into merchandise, and few have suffered that fate quite like Frida Kahlo. But London's Tate Modern is aiming... Read more...
Pablo Picasso Wall Art: A Guide to Styling Modern Masterpieces
Pablo Picasso Wall Art: A Guide to Styling Modern Masterpieces
Pablo Picasso created over 50,000 artworks during his 80-year career. He didn't just paint one way; he constantly reinvented his style, moving from somber blue portraits to fragmented geometry and... Read more...
Bauhaus vs Brutalism Wall Art: How to Choose Your Statement
Bauhaus vs Brutalism Wall Art: How to Choose Your Statement
People treat minimalism like an excuse to leave walls completely blank. That is just a lack of confidence. Real, intentional minimalism requires a strong point of view, and you usually... Read more...
How to Decorate with Pop Art: Adding Bold Color to Your Home
How to Decorate with Pop Art: Adding Bold Color to Your Home
A massive, electric-pink print of a soup can might not be your typical living room decor. But that jolt of unexpected, almost defiant color is exactly what makes pop art... Read more...
Cloisonnism Art: The Bold Secret to Waking Up a Dull Room
Cloisonnism Art: The Bold Secret to Waking Up a Dull Room
You hang a painting, take two steps back, and it just kind of disappears into the wall. Everything matches perfectly, but the room still feels asleep. Some spaces need a... Read more...
The Evolution of Modern Art Movements: A Timeline
The Evolution of Modern Art Movements: A Timeline
You stand in front of a giant canvas covered in paint splatters and think, "How did we get here?" We all know what traditional art looks like. But looking at... Read more...
Impressionism vs Post Impressionism Art: How to Choose for Your Home
Impressionism vs Post Impressionism Art: How to Choose for Your Home
You finally decided it is time to bring some classic art into your space. You know you love those beautiful, painterly scenes from the late 1800s, but suddenly you are... Read more...
What is Naive Art? A Complete Guide to Styling It
What is Naive Art? A Complete Guide to Styling It
You're scrolling through interior design photos, and you spot a painting that stops you. It's bright. The perspective is completely wonky. The figures look almost like they belong in a... Read more...
Abstract Art Explained: How to Choose Prints for Your Home
Abstract Art Explained: How to Choose Prints for Your Home
Looking at a canvas covered in paint splatters and wondering if you're missing the point? You aren't alone. Abstract art can feel like an exclusive club where everyone else knows... Read more...