- After impressionism's experiments with light and color in the late 1800s, several noteworthy artists took some of the same ideas on different divergent visual paths. The British art critic Robert Fry coined the term "post-impressionism" to refer to this work of the early 1900s. Like the impressionists, the post-impressionists favored vivid colors, thickly applied paint and scenes from everyday life. They, however, were more likely to veer away from naturalism, distorting forms and colors for emotional and visual effect. Significant post-impressionists include Paul Gauguin, Paul Cezanne, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and Vincent Van Gogh.
- Cubism first appeared around 1906, and really thrived through the 1920s. It was an avant-garde movement that sought to experiment with how to best express three dimensions on the flat surface of a painting. The most noted proponent of the style was Pablo Picasso, who tried to depict multiple views of the same object at once, resulting in an angular, fractured rendition of that object. The other great, most famous Cubist was Georges Braque. Further significant cubist oil painters include Juan Gris and Fernand Leger.
- Abstract expressionism is a blanket term used for a huge school of painters who moved away from depicting real life, and instead chose to express feelings and ideas through color and form. It flourished in the United States after World War II, particularly in New York City. This was a purely visual, experimental style in which real-life objects and people could not necessarily be found. Famous painters from this style include Jackson Pollock, Arshile Gorky and Willem de Kooning.
- Minimalist painting flourished in the mid-20th century, from the 1950s to the early 1970s. It was a movement focused on reducing thoughts and visual elements down to their basic elements. Minimalist paintings often used just a few lines or large blocks of colors to express a feeling or mood. It was seen, actually, as a reaction to the excess of abstract expressionism. Notable minimalist painters of this time period include Mark Rothko, Barnett Newman, Frank Stella, Robert Ryman, and Piet Mondrian.
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