What is modern art and where can you see it?

Throughout the centuries, art has changed a lot. You can often tell from the appearance of the artwork in which period the work was created. There are many different movements, but in this article, you can read more about modern art. How can you recognize modern art and how does this current differ from other movements? Although it is sometimes hard to see from which time period a painting exactly is, it is easy to recognize modern art. You can also read where you can see modern art.

How modern art originated

Before the 20th-century painters and artists had to follow strict rules in order to get sufficient commissions. At the end of the 19th century, more and more resistance to this came and painters demanded more and more freedom to do what they liked. Modern art emerged in the early 20th century and ended in the 1960s. At the end of the 1960s, modernism gave way to postmodernism or contemporary art. This no longer falls under the heading of modern art. There are four movements within modern art, Cubism, Futurism, Dadaism and Surrealism and that’s good to know.

The characteristics of modern art

An important characteristic of modern art is that the works of art are no longer made according to classical rules. Painters believe that their continuous drive for originality provides better artistic insight, both for the painter himself and for the enthusiast. In all four movements of modern art, the artists are mainly experimenting with which way they can represent reality in an abstract way. Reality is no longer interesting enough to represent without fantasy. The effect of the painting is more important than a precise representation of the image. With the help of shapes and colors, they try to create an intense contrast.

Modern Art is very important

You can visit modern art in every major city. In the Netherlands, the most popular is modern art Amsterdam. You have several museums in our capital where you can see modern art, but the most popular museum at the moment is perhaps the Moco Museum. In this museum, you can see a mix of modern art, contemporary art, and street art. The Moco Museum is especially popular among young people because they are attracted by the bright colors and abstract shapes. Works by Banksy, for example, are often found much more interesting than stately paintings from well before the 20th century.