Learn About Famous Artists of Twentieth Century Painting, Veiw their Famous Art

Gustav Klimt, "Emile Floge"

In art history, very recognizable famous artists influenced Twentieth century painting. Artists painting at the end of the nineteenth century or close to the end were van Gogh, Cezanne, Gogan, and Seurat. Trends influencing art at this time, and into the early 1900's were symbolism, impressionism, neo-impressionism, expressionism, fauvism, cubism, art nouveau, and the Nabis.

Artists were beginning to experiment with subject matter. Reality, or what the artists viewed in nature, was processed through their own inner vision. Artists began to find a new freedom to go in their own direction, and then incorporate their new discoveries in their work. Artists with similar views banded together and formed loosely knit groups that today are known by the suffix added, ism. Many of these artists in early twentieth century painting
The search for new subject matter and techniques, caused artists to go different directions in twentieth century painting. The directions were not mutually exclusive, and an artist's work can sometimes have roots of influence in multiple trends. The Fauves in the beginning of twentieth century painting, with Henry Matisse as it's leader, used new bright, bold, intense color to express form. The impressionists painted in terms of tone forgetting what the object looked like. They painted light on objects, not the object's form. Cezanne's stated direction for his paintings was "to make impressionism something solid and durable". He painted with a universal light, no shadows.

HenryMatisse himself learned color could be an entity unto itself and not used solely to describe objects in space, while Picasso in the beginning of cubism reduced nature to its simplest form using angular lines. The symbolist's thought it was their job not only to see reality in nature, but find a deeper meaning, a meaning related to inner experience. To other famous painters in art history, symbolism meant fantasy.

To see particular artists of the twentieth century, click on their names below.

Edvard Munch(Expressionist)
Gustav Klimt
Joan Miro
Marc Chagall
Henri Matisse
Odilon Redon
Pablo Picasso
Paul Klee
Raoul Dufy
Salvador Dali
Wassily Kandinsky

To view Twentieth Century Painting art styles, click here.


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