Naive Art

Naive Art is characterised by a simple approach, strong use of pattern and detail, saturated colour, and a refreshing childlike vision.

Naive art reflects a distinct separation from the proper fundamentals of painting. Showing a non-scientific perspective and an honest portrayal of imaginary scenes it is created by self taught, amateur, popular and vernacular artists who lack or reject formal art training and do not follow any particular movement or aesthetic.

Sometimes referred to as primitive art, Naive art is commonly regarded to be a segment of the school of folk art.

The Naive Art Style & Noteworthy Artists

As naive painters (also called naifs) have become a continuing cultural phenomenon and artistic influence, naive art has become a highly recognisable and intriguing style of art of the 20th century.

Outstanding naive artists include Alfred Wallis, Camille Bombois, and Henri Rousseau, who produced a famous array of surreal jungle scenes.

The term can also be used to describe the work of formally trained artists that have imitated the boundless naive style to create renowned artworks, for example LS Lowry and Grandma Moses.

Naive Artists in Australia

Acclaimed as one of Australia’s leading naive artists, Narelle Wildman has become internationally recognised for her charmingly rich canvasses inspired by the naive art of Paris and Brazil.

Her most celebrated works are her humorous depictions of everyday Australian events. Of note, her scenes of Sydney Harbour, featuring ferries, sailboats, and picknickers, and her country scenes of cottages, townsfolk, and jacaranda trees.

Celebrated for capturing the heart, laughter, and joy of the Australian way of life, Wildman was given many lucrative corporate commissions. These included an Australian Naive series of plates for the Luxembourg porcelain makers, Villeroy & Boch, and her work has been reproduced on place mates with Hale Imports, Jigsaws with Blue Opal, greeting cards with Card Sharp. Prints and cards are sold in Sydney’s NSW Art Gallery.

Other 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