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Lost in hues and cries of daily lives, we do not find time to regain peace and introspect. We no more have time to indulge in our favorite hobbies to make our living style much more enjoyable. Art in its varied forms serves as an escape from our hectic lives and helps us rejuvenate.

Indian art is famous for its traditional paintings but India has left no stone unturned for emerging out beautiful modern paintings as well. Indian artists are now creating designs of different styles of modern art. Modern art can be categorized into various other artistic styles like abstract art, figurative art, Avant-grade art, futurism, symbolism, Cubism, post-impressionism, naming a few. One of the most popular modern arts is abstract art. It is appreciated for its deviation from any natural attributes and non-representational qualities. Whereas, figurative art which was originated by artists who wanted to paint naturalism in their artworks and therefore was in contrast to Abstract art styles. Figurative art paintings represent real objects and are known as “art that represents human figures”.

Modern art emerged as artists felt an urge to express art in a way which is devoid of traditional and conventional norms.  They realized that modern society cannot relate to traditional art forms as much as they can to new ways of art. 

Do you know originating these varieties of styles which come under Modern art wasn’t that easy? Numerous art movements emerged out for making modern art popular in the public.
 
An art movement is basically a style in art where a group of artists follow the same philosophy or goal. The concept of art movement originated when artists were inclined to create a modern form of art which does not include any traditional attributes.

Post-Impressionism was a significant French movement which developed in the 19th century. These artists worked up against Impressionist artwork which gave more emphasis to the depiction of light and color. They were more concerned about the symbolism and abstract qualities of the painting. Vincent Van Gogh, Paul Gauguin and Georges Seurat are popular for their post-impressionist paintings. They employed the use of vivid colors subjects would be relatable to the real world. The thick application of paint and a bend from expressive effect could be noticed.

Abstract expressionism was an art movement initiated after World War II in America. Artists wanted to create paintings which could be related to the subconscious mind of people. It was influenced by surrealism. They wanted to portray the destruction which occurred during the war. Paintings of that movement employed themes based on the re-development of society both physically and emotionally. It was though inspired by abstract art as artists used bold colors extravagantly. Jackson Pollock was a famous artist of that era and that movement.

Similarly, when abstract expressionism became prominent, artists wanted a return in figuration, so they collaborated together to display a range of beautiful figurative art painting called “Bay Area Figurative Movement”. This movement originated in the 20th century in San Francisco where a group of artists stopped working for Abstract Expressionism and started painting figurative art forms. Bay area refers to rein that surrounds major cities like San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose. Bay area include the nine countries  Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano, and Sonoma. So figurative art emerged out which was basically influenced by abstract art form which employs the use of shapes, lines, color, volume, texture and perspective. The only difference is that abstract art does not include any particular visual reference which a person can make out whereas, figurative paintings include figures of the real world. 

Surrealism was a cultural movement which originated in the early 1920s in which paintings portrayed imagery of a sub-conscious mind. The subjects were illogical and dream-like. It was a technique which helped artists imitate views of their unconscious mind. Everyday objects were depicted in a strange way which did not make any sense. The artists were inspired by theories of Sigmund Freud who deduced that the unconscious mind has all those thoughts which a person cannot know by his/her own conscious mind. Surrealism could be noticed in poetry, literature, music and various films. 

When you go to buy paintings online, you should pick a painting after knowing the general summary of the artwork and how the form has evolved. This gives you a better perspective on why or how the artist created the piece.