Custom Framed Classic and Abstract Modern Art Paintings
At Framed-Arts.com, we offer a broad selection of custom framed classic and abstract modern art prints, from Impressionism to Performance art. Our modern art painters and paintings can be browsed from the custom search page, while this page contains information on a variety of modern art styles. Read on to find out how Impressionism inspired shifts in the late 19th century art world that eventually led to new media art in the contemporary period.

Classic Modern Art
The term modern art refers to a new approach to creating art that placed emphasis on the representation of themes, emotions, and other abstractions. Beginning in the late 19th century, artists began to experiment with new ideas about the nature of materials and functions of art, moving away from figurative representation toward abstraction.

History of Modern Art Styles: Roots in the 19th Century
In the latter half of the 19th century, several movements which were to be influential in modern art had begun to emerge: Impressionism, post-Impressionism and Symbolism. At the time, a piece of art was generally expected to be accurate in its depiction of objects as it worked to express the ideal, or the domestic. The most successful painters of the time worked either through commissions, or through large public exhibitions of their work. Governments regularly held public exhibitions of new fine and decorative arts, and even sponsored official painters’ unions.

When modern artists such as the Impressionists began to break away from traditional art methods and ideas, they did not initially regard themselves as being associated with progress or artistic freedom. Instead they argued, in keeping with the times, that they represented universal values and objective reality. The Impressionists asserted that people do not see objects, but only the light that objects reflect; therefore, they said, painters should work in natural light rather than in studios, and should aim to capture the effects of light in their work.

Impressionist artists formed a group to promote their work, which, despite internal tensions and an initially hostile public, mounted a number of successful exhibitions. As the years passed, the Impressionist style was adopted by artists in different nations, which leant credence to the view that Impressionism was an art "movement." The strategies developed by the Impressionists would be duplicated by artistic movements throughout the Modern period of art: establishment of an integral working method, establishment of a visibly active core of support, and international adoption of the new form.

Early 20th Century Movements
Many new art movements flowered in the early 20th century, including Fauvism, Cubism, Expressionism and Futurism. World War I brought an end to this developmental phase. Soon after, a number of anti-art movements got their start, such as Dadaism, Surrealism, and the work of Marcel Duchamp. Also in this period, art groups like de Stijl and Bauhaus began to develop new ideas about the connection between the arts, architecture, design and art education. The Armory Show in 1913 officially introduced modern art to the United States, along with European artists who moved to the U.S. during World War I.

After World War II - The Evolution of Abstract Modern Art
However, it wasn’t until after World War II that the U.S. became the focal point of new artistic movements. 1950s and ’60s America witnessed the emergence of Abstract Expressionism, Pop art, Op art, Color field painting, Hard-edge painting, Lyrical Abstraction, Minimal art, Postminimalism and various other movements. In the late 1960s and ’70s, Land art, Conceptual art, Photorealism and Performance art, among other movements, emerged.

Around that period, a number of artists and architects started rejecting the idea of "the modern" and began to create contemporary art based on Postmodern notions, which challenge certain precepts of Modernism. Beginning in the latter half of the 20th century, fewer artists used painting as their primary medium. Instead, larger installations and performances became widespread. Since the 1970s, as digital and other technologies have evolved, new media art has become a category in itself, with a growing number of artists experimenting with technological advances such as video art.

Custom Framed Modern Art Paintings and Prints from Framed-Arts.com
We hope this brief description of the history of modern art has provided insight into the wide variety of modern art styles You can browse our selection of classic and abstract modern art paintings and prints by visiting our custom search page. Happy print shopping, and don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions.