Art Movements

As artists we draw our inspiration from historical art movements whether consciously or subconsciously.

Spanning centuries and continents, these historical art movements have left an indelible mark on our collective consciousness, shaping the way we perceive and interact with the world around us. From the revival of classical ideals during the Renaissance to the avant-garde experiments of Minimalism, each movement has its own unique story to tell, fueled by the passions of visionary artists and the ever-changing backdrop of culture and history.

Below we will investigate the various art movements worldwide, the societal and historic influences, and key artists within those movements.

We will also take a look at leading Australian artists who have participated or been influenced by those art movements.

Please feel free to reference any of our articles, but include a link back to us as the source.

Historical Art Movements

• Abstract Expressionism
• Academic Art
• Arabesque
• Art Deco
• Art Nouveau
• Baroque
• Conceptual Art
• Cubism
• Expressionism
• Fauvism
• Figurative Art
• Futurism
• Gothic
• Impressionism
• Minimalism
• Modernism
• Naive Art
• Neoclassicism
• Pop Art
• Post-Impressionism
• Realism
• Renaissance
• Romanticism
• Surrealism / Surrealist Art
• Symbolism

In the above series of articles, we discover the world of the Renaissance, where painters like Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo ushered in a rebirth of classical aesthetics and laid the foundations for Western art as we know it.

We will journey to the sun-dappled landscapes of Impressionism, where artists like Claude Monet and Edgar Degas defied convention and captured fleeting moments of beauty and emotion with their vibrant brushstrokes.

From there, we’ll venture into the dreamlike realms of Surrealism, where Salvador Dalí and René Magritte explored the depths of the human psyche and challenged the boundaries of reality and imagination.

And finally, we’ll immerse ourselves in the spare elegance of Minimalism, where artists such as Donald Judd and Dan Flavin embraced simplicity, geometry, and form as they reshaped our perceptions of space and materiality.

Through this series of articles on art movements, I hope we offer you a deeper understanding of the profound impact they’ve had on our world of art.