Modern Art Performance Art

What is meant by the term ‘Modern Art’

The term ‘Modern Art’ applies to the forward thinking architects, designers and artisans who from the 1880s onwards created new and diverse ideas, particularly to escape the oppression of stark representation. Artists became frustrated with the inability to convey emotion and real meaning. Modern artists saw that representationalism had all been done many times over. Perhaps the introduction of photography added to this mood, was there still a need for realism? Modernists broke with tradition and a progression of many new art movements was developed.

It began with Impressionism. Artists created works that depicted the effects that light has when it falls on objects. This gave a new found freedom to art. Soon after, the Expressionists became interested in the depiction of emotions and the types of responses those same emotions evoke. Artists worked with a freely expressive use of colour and form. A fine example of th...