ARTS+ENTERTAINMENT
a look at art... cont.
Baroque Art
Modernism
Two hundred years after
Renaissance art began,
Baroque art took its
place. It began in 1600
in Italy, but was soon
found in most of
Europe. The church,
perhaps worried about
how much more secular
Renaissance art was
becoming, staged a comeback and employed a number of artists to produce
impressive works of art with a religious theme. The idea caught hold, and
the Baroque style, with its dramatic flair and exuberant style, was soon the
art of the moment. Baroque art was big and bold, and the artists weren’t
afraid to use colour and movement within their works. Soon enough, the
nobles decided that this was the art for them, and competed with one
another as to who could find the most impressive art for their homes. These
homes themselves then also became part of the Baroque style, with grand
staircases, enormous entrance halls, and sweeping architecture being
added.
Neoclassicism
Neoclassicism means ‘new classicism’,
and it's the style that Europe went back
to after the grandeur of the Baroque
period had faded. Drawing on inspiration
from ancient Greece and Rome, the
18th century began with a step back
from the art that had gone before,
almost as though the western world
was taking a breath. This new, pared
down art, was a far cry from the
excesses of the Baroque period. This
period also coincided with the Grand
Tour, in which the sons of noblemen
would go travelling through Europe. On their way, they would collect art to
bring home, and thus the fad for more minimalist art grew.
The period of modernism started around 1860 and continued into the
1970s. Artists who enjoyed success during this time (or who created art in
this period, which was subsequently found to be popular, after their deaths)
include Cezanne, van Gogh, Toulouse-Lautrec, and Matisse. Tired of the
brutality of Realism, the artists turned again and started to manipulate the
world around them, changing it to create a more modern, more dreamlike
version of it. No longer was art required to show what was happening, as
newspapers were doing that job; now artists could create anything they
wanted to, without needing to give it a narrative.
Contemporary Art
Neoclassicism was all about simplicity, and the style has continued into the
modern day.
Realism
Realism began in
France after the
revolution of 1848.
It seemed it was
time to face real life,
and show it in all its
sometimes
wonderful, always
gritty reality in art.
The people of
France had seen
many terrible sights
during the
revolution, and many wanted to ensure that the rest of the world became
aware of what had happened; art became the conduit by which that was
able to happen. No longer were paintings exotic and fanciful – now they
depicted real life situations, no matter how sordid or unpleasant. Landscapes
showing rural life, visions of cities full of beggars or the lame, commercial
and industrial life were all shown in the period of Realism. And it wasn’t just
the subject matter that became more true to life – the figures shown within
did too.
If modernism was thought to be abstract, then contemporary art was a
shock to the system of many. Beginning in the 1970s as a new and innovative
way to create art, contemporary or postmodern art continues today, and
includes well-known artists such as Tracey Emin and Damien Hurst. Defined
as having no definition, contemporary art is a mixture of genres, styles, and
media that means different things to everyone who sees it. Contemporary
art is about making your own narrative and using your own life experiences
to influence how and what you see.
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