What is the 21st Century’s movement?

From the 18^th to the 20^th centuries, most artists were defined by an art movement. These artists would learn from one-another and stretch each other to produce works that are collected around the world until today. Yes, some strayed and utilized their creativity in different ways and became who we would consider innovators. But there are also those who stayed and became world-renowned because they ran in packs of inspiration.

Each art movement is an evolvement to the next. If an artist felt confined to a certain style, they would break away from the group and capitalize on their own individual flare. Paul Gauguin, a post- impressionist, used bold colors to describe emotions in his artwork. This would introduce a new style for young inspiring artists to master. It was his use of symbolic color that pushed art towards the style of Fauvism.



Henri Matisse and Adrian Derain became the forerunners of Fauvism. They formed a group that equally enjoyed using outrageously bold colors on their canvas. George Braque, who painted with the fauvists, helped develop the Cubist movement along with Pablo Picasso. These artists chose to break down the subjects they were painting into a number of facets, showing several different viewpoints of one object cohesively. And even Picasso flirted with the idea of Surrealism along greats like Salvador Dali and Andre Breton, giving his unique style of cubism a whimsical edge.

In the 20^th century alone there seemed to have been a least fourteen or fifteen recognized art movements that lasted well into the 70’s. Now it seems that artists have so much to choose from that their movement choices have either been recycled or evolved from its origin.Many artists today paint in such a way that multiple styles are often found in one image. But there is one art movement that is taking its stand in the 21^st century. Some may call it “Conceptual Art”, (which is not to be confused with the Conceptual art movement of the 70’s) while most of us know it as “Graphic Design”.

There are some who may feel as if computer savvy artists are not equal to painters, but the core development stems from the same place: the imagination. Just like all artists, Graphic Designers are inspired and motivated by emotions. The desire to create is birthed within them in the same way. Their imagination allows them to create new worlds and a new concept that is so detailed that is in hard to believe you are not looking into reality.

Every artist has their choice of tool in which they want to create. Some may use a paintbrush or a sculpting knife while others use a computer keyboard, but thankfully art lives on.