Modern Art Glossary

The departure from accurate, representational depiction in art, ranging from slight distortion to complete non-representation. A defining tendency of modern art.

A method of creating art in which the artist suppresses conscious control over the process, allowing the unconscious mind to have influence. Central to Surrealism.

Artists or works that are experimental, radical, or unorthodox with respect to art, culture, or society. From the French military term meaning 'advance guard.'

A German art school (1919-1933) that combined crafts and fine arts, becoming famous for its approach to design that unified art, craft, and technology.

The use of strong contrasts between light and dark to model three-dimensional forms. While rooted in Renaissance tradition, modern artists both employed and subverted it.

An artistic technique of assembling different materials such as paper, photographs, and fabric onto a surface. Introduced into fine art by Cubists around 1912.

A style of abstract painting featuring large expanses of flat color spread across the canvas, creating an immersive visual experience. Associated with Rothko and Frankenthaler.

Art in which the concept or idea behind the work takes precedence over traditional aesthetic and material concerns. Rooted in Duchamp's readymades.

A Russian artistic and architectural movement that rejected the idea of autonomous art, advocating art as a practice for social purposes using industrial materials.

A revolutionary movement (c. 1907-1914) that depicted objects from multiple viewpoints simultaneously using fragmented geometric forms, pioneered by Picasso and Braque.

An anti-art cultural movement that emerged in response to World War I, embracing absurdity, randomness, and the rejection of conventional aesthetic standards.

A modernist movement in which the artist seeks to depict subjective emotions and responses rather than objective reality, typically through distortion and exaggeration.

An early 20th-century movement characterized by the use of intensely vivid, non-naturalistic color. From the French 'les fauves' (wild beasts).

An approach to art criticism and theory that emphasizes the visual elements of a work (line, color, shape, texture) over its narrative content or social context.

An Italian movement (founded 1909) that glorified speed, technology, youth, and modernity. It influenced art, literature, music, and architecture.

A technique in which paint is laid on a surface thickly enough that brush or palette knife marks are visible. Used expressively by artists from Van Gogh to de Kooning.

A 19th-century movement emphasizing the accurate depiction of light and its changing qualities, often with visible brushstrokes and an emphasis on movement and ordinary subject matter.

A movement using pared-down geometric forms and industrial materials, stripping away metaphor and personal expression to focus on the object and perceptual experience.

A broad cultural movement from the late 19th to mid-20th century characterized by a break from tradition and a search for new forms of expression across all the arts.

The process and result of making a composite image by combining and overlapping multiple photographs, prints, or other visual elements.

The practice of painting outdoors to capture natural light and atmosphere directly. A foundational technique of Impressionism.

A movement emerging in the 1950s-1960s that incorporated imagery from popular and commercial culture such as advertising, comic books, and mass-produced consumer goods.

An everyday manufactured object selected and designated as art by the artist. Coined by Marcel Duchamp, this concept challenged the nature of artistic creation.

A movement founded by Kazimir Malevich (c. 1915) focused on basic geometric forms and a limited range of colors, seeking to express pure artistic feeling free from representation.

A movement that sought to resolve the contradictory conditions of dream and reality into a surreality, using techniques of automatism, dream imagery, and unexpected juxtapositions.