They changed the way the world looks at art

Movements and developments in modern art are expressed in artworks of the ground-breaking abstract artists. The main forms of abstract art are Cubism, Neoplasticism and Abstract Expressionism. The most well-known artists of these movements are the Cubists Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, and Piet Mondrian of Neoplasticism. Representing Abstract Expressionism are Mark Rothko and Jackson Pollock.

Cubism was a reaction to Impressionism which placed the emphasis on light and color. In Cubism, geometric shapes are used to depict an object and these shapes are often arranged in unusual ways. The style is influenced by the idea of Paul Cézanne that everything can be shown in the shape of a sphere, cone and cylinder. The paintings “Candlesticks and Playing Cards” by Georges Braque and “The Guitar Player” by Pablo Picasso are two excellent artworks that exemplify Cubism. Some other famous abstract painters were Fernand Leger, Francis Picabia and Roger De La Fresnaye.

Neoplasticism is a movement that adopts a more philosophical approach towards art. The Neoplasticist abstract artists contend that art should depict life’s absolutes which are vertical and horizontal lines as well as primary colors. Artworks in this style are “Composition in Red, Yellow and Blue”, and “Lozenge Composition with Yellow, Black, Blue, Red and Gray” by Piet Mondrian as well as those by Theo van Doesburg. Both of them founded the art magazine De Stijl which was a main proponent of Neoplasticism.

The painter’s personality dominates Abstract Expressionism. Spontaneity is a characteristic of expressionist artworks which become studies in colors and brush strokes instead of depicting objects. The two forms of Abstract Expressionism are Action Painting and Color Field Painting. In the former, texture and the movement of the artist are the dominant elements. The most well-known action painter is Jackson Pollock who would use any object, dip it in paint and apply the paint to the canvas. One of his better-known artworks “Lavender Mist: No. 1, 1950” is an example of this. Color Field Painting, on the other hand, concerns itself with purely color and shape. The artworks of Mark Rothko with his use of rectangles and a wide variety of colors exemplify this style. Willem de Kooning, Adophn Gottieb and Jean Debuffet are other painters of the Abstract Expressionism genre.

Computer art, geometric abstraction, hyperrealism, assemblage and neo-Dada painting are among the many forms being explored by artists today. Art in these styles may be listed among the artworks of famous artists of the future.