Art History
Painting movements
Explore painting movements through their defining ideas, visual styles, notable painters, and connections to other periods in art history.
Compare painting movements
Compare established painting movements by their approximate dates, origins, and defining characteristics, from nineteenth-century Realism to Pop Art.
| Movement | Approximate period | Origin | Defining characteristics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Realism | 1840s–late 1800s | France | Ordinary people and everyday life portrayed without idealization |
| Impressionism | 1860s–1880s | France | Changing light, visible brushwork, and fleeting visual impressions |
| Fauvism | 1905–1908 | France | Intense, non-naturalistic color and simplified forms |
| Expressionism | 1905–1920s | Germany and Austria | Distorted forms and heightened color conveying emotional experience |
| Cubism | 1907–1914 (early phase) | France | Fragmented geometric forms, compressed space, and multiple viewpoints |
| Futurism | 1909–1910s (early phase) | Italy | Movement, speed, machines, and the energy of modern life |
| Suprematism | 1915–1920s | Russia | Nonrepresentational geometric shapes and limited, contrasting colors |
| Dada | 1916–mid-1920s | Zürich and New York | Chance, absurdity, anti-art ideas, and unconventional materials |
| De Stijl | 1917–1930s | Netherlands | Rectangular geometry, straight lines, and primary colors |
| Surrealism | 1924–1940s | France | Dream imagery, unexpected combinations, and exploration of the unconscious |
| Abstract Expressionism | 1940s–1950s | United States | Large-scale abstraction, expressive gestures, and color fields |
| Pop Art | 1950s–1960s | Britain and United States | Advertising, comic books, consumer goods, and mass-media imagery |
Dates describe periods of early activity or prominence, not fixed boundaries. Movements often overlapped and spread beyond their places of origin. Sources: The Met: Realism, French Ministry of Culture: Impressionism, The Met: Fauvism, and MoMA art terms.