Modern Art (late 19th century - mid 20th century):
Emphasis on Individual Expression: Modern art prioritizes the artist's unique perspective, emotions, and style. Artists sought to break away from traditional subjects and techniques, embracing more subjective and experimental approaches.
Abstraction: Many modernist artists moved away from representational art, creating works that were non-figurative and based on abstract forms, shapes, colors, and textures.
Cubism: A significant modernist movement, Cubism shattered the conventional depiction of objects by breaking them into multiple geometrical facets, creating a multi-dimensional view.
Surrealism: This movement sought to blend the conscious and subconscious minds by exploring dreams, irrationality, chance, and the unconscious through imagery and symbolism.
Dadaism: A response to the horrors of World War I, Dadaism rejected conventional artistic norms, emphasized chance and absurdity, and frequently employed collage, assemblage, and performance art.
Postmodern Art (mid-20th century - present):
Critique and Deconstruction: Postmodern art often questions and critiques traditional art historical narratives, conventions, and assumptions, exposing their underlying structures and ideologies.
Appropriation and Irony: Postmodern artists frequently incorporate imagery and elements from popular culture, mass media, and advertising into their work, often employing irony and parody.
Interdisciplinary Approach: Postmodern art defies traditional boundaries between different art forms, incorporating aspects of performance art, video, installation, photography, and digital art.
Pluralism and Diversity: Postmodern art encompasses a wide range of styles and approaches, embracing cultural diversity and challenging the idea of a single dominant aesthetic.
Self-Referentiality: Postmodern art often comments on its own nature as art, drawing attention to its own materiality, context, and process of production.
Conceptual Art: Postmodern art emphasizes the importance of concept and idea over traditional notions of craftsmanship or material value, blurring the line between art and life.
Installation Art: A prominent form of postmodern art, installations transform the gallery space by encompassing various mediums and elements to create an immersive and interactive experience.
Performance Art: This form incorporates live action, time, and the artist's body to create a temporal, ephemeral experience that blurs the boundaries between art and life.
Video Art and Digital Art: Postmodern artists utilize advancements in technology to explore new forms of expression through video installations, projections, electronic media, and digital manipulation.