What are the main artistic movements of the 20th century?

In the 20th century, the world witnessed major transformations, from the two world wars to the birth of the internet. In the artistic world in the first half of the century we saw the expansion of the concept of art. The Russian avant-gardes, Marcel Duchamp's ready-mades, the collages of Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, among other creations, transformed our perception of a work of art. After World War II, we see the western world divided. After the end of the war, the European countries destroyed by the war went through an economic crisis, a structural crisis and mainly an identity crisis. On the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, there was the American dream where there was economic prosperity and artistic production. Find out which were the main artistic movements in the century of great political, economic and social changes.

Expressionism

The expressionism movement is a reflection of the anguish and anxiety that dominated artistic and intellectual circles in Germany during the years before the First World War until the end of the Second World War. With an intense chromatic palette, this movement prioritizes the expression of feelings over the simple objective description of reality. Some of the most famous works of this movement are "The Scream" by the Norwegian painter Edvard Munch, "The First Animals" by Franz Marc, "Der Blaue Reiter" by Wassily Kandinsky, "Self-Portrait with Chinese Lantern Plant" by Egon Schiele, between others.

The First Animals by Franz Marc

Cubism

Cubism was characterized by the abandonment of classical perspective and the fragmentation of forms by representing three-dimensional objects on a two-dimensional surface. The origins of this movement conceived by just two artists, is usually identified with the creation of the famous painting of Demoiselles d'Avignon by Pablo Picasso, however it was from the works of Paul Cézanne that this one emerged. In 1907, Pablo Picasso and George Braque attended a retrospective of Cézanne's work, in which his paintings gave them an entirely new perspective, especially with regard to their treatment of space and form. The main works of this movement are "Guernica" by Pablo Picasso, "Violin and pitcher" by Georges Braque, "Portrait of Ambroise Vollard" by Pablo Picasso, "Self-Portrait with Seven Fingers" by Marc Chagall, Cubist Self-Portrait by Salvador Dalí, between others.

Guernica Pablo Picasso

Abstractionism

In a period of tension, war and violence, artists felt the need to express their emotions. Breaking with old paradigms, they expressed themselves by fleeing reality itself, in an abstract way with lines and above all with color. With abstract art, the spectator was given the possibility to interpret geometric shapes and the exploration of pigments freely. We can say that there are two genres in abstractionism, expressionism and geometric. As the name implies, the first invokes the artist's emotions, establishing connections between the sound experience and the pigments. Examples of this are the works of "Composition VII" by Wassily Kandinsky, "Composition with Red, Yellow, and Blue" by Piet Mondrian, "Suprematist Composition" by Malevich, "Explosion of Red on Green" by Gerardo Dottori, "Silhouette fantastique " by Victor Hugo, among others.

Composition with Red, Yellow, and Blue" by Piet Mondrian

Surrealism

Surrealism was an artistic and literary movement that emerged in France in the 1920s and quickly spread throughout the world. This movement emerged with the publication of its Manifesto, written by André Breton in 1924. Dreams, unconsciousness and lack of logic are the basis for the creations of artists such as Salvador Dalí, Max Ernst, René Magritte, André Masson, Joan Miró, among others. This aesthetic movement broke with rational understanding, without differentiating between dream and reality or between lucidity and delirium. Surrealist artists sought to create art that was spontaneous and automatic, and used techniques such as "automatism", in which artists produced art without concern for consciousness, to create surprising and unexpected images.

"The Persistence of Memory" by Salvador Dali, 1931

Minimalism

Minimalism was an artistic movement that emerged in the United States in the 1960s and quickly spread throughout the world. Minimalism was characterized by extreme simplicity, with works that emphasized form, color and structure rather than a representation of reality or narrative. Minimalist artists sought to create artwork that was essential and straightforward, eliminating unnecessary elements and focusing on a basic, fundamental structure. This movement is highlighted by the use of simple geometric shapes with symmetrical repetitions and the presence of precise finishes, with the use of a minimum of resources. The materials most used by minimalist sculptors were acrylic, brass, stainless steel, iron, wood and bricks. The main artists were Donald Judd, Frank Stella, Robert Mangold, Agnés Martin, Dan Flavin, Samuel Beckett, among others.

Donald Judd

Dadaism

Dadaism was an artistic and literary movement that emerged in Switzerland during the First World War and quickly spread throughout the world. Dadaism was a reaction to the chaos and absurdity of war and industrial society, and was characterized by an ironic and subversive approach to art and culture. Dadaist artists exploited the random nature of language and reality, creating works that were baffling. Dadaism included various art forms such as painting, sculpture, poetry, theater and music, and was an important precursor to Surrealism. Free of rationalism, it combined elements in a result of psychic automatism. Some of the main works were "LHOOQ"" by Marcel Duchamp, "Bicycle Wheel" by Marcel Duchamp, "Glass tears" by Man Ray and "Military Guards (Die Wachen)" by Sophie Taeuber-Arp. Some of the most important Dada artists include Marcel Duchamp, Francis Picabia, Hannah Höch and Tristan Tzara.

"LHOOQ" by Marcel Duchamp

pop art

 Pop Art was an art movement that emerged in the United States and the United Kingdom in the 1950s and 1960s. This movement reached its peak in the 1960s as a revolt against dominant approaches to culture and how art should be. Pop Art was characterized by an ironic and playful approach to art, which used mass images such as advertising, newspapers and magazines as inspiration for works. Pop Art artists generally worked with reproduction techniques such as silkscreen and lithography, and used bright, vibrant colors in their works. Pop Art was a critique of consumer society and popular culture, and many of Pop Art's works were satirical and mocked the values and icons of modern society. Artists like Andy Warhol It is Roy Lichtenstein were inspired by the culture around them, from Hollywood movies, advertising, product packaging to pop music and comics. "Brillo Box and Campbell's Soup Cans" by Andy Warhol, "Crying Girl" by Roy Lichtenstein, "Radiant Baby" by Keith Haring were some of the most popular works. Some of the most important Pop Art artists are Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Jasper Johns and Tom Wesselmann.

"Brillo Box" by Andy Warhol

futurism

Futurism was an artistic and literary movement that emerged in Italy at the beginning of the 20th century and quickly spread throughout the world. This aesthetic revolution was triggered by the publication, by Marinetti, of the manifesto "Foundation and Manifesto of Futurism", on the front page of the newspaper Le Figaro, on February 20, 1909. Futurism was a modernist movement that welcomed the modern era, the enthusiasm for machine, technology, speed and progress, and sought to capture the dynamics and energy of modern life. Futurist artists explored form and color in innovative ways, creating works that were vibrant and vibrant. They also used montage and collage techniques to create dynamic effects and to suggest speed and constant change. The main works were "Unique Forms of Continuity in Space" by Umberto Boccioni, "Ascending Forms" by Gerardo Dottori, "Dynamism of a Car" by Luigi Russolo, "Dynamic Decomposition" by Umberto Boccioni. Some of the most important artists of Futurism include Fortunato Depero, Umberto Boccioni, Carlo Carrà and Gino Severini.

"Unique Forms of Continuity in Space" by Umberto Boccioni