De Stijl
De Stijl is an interesting form of art, comprised of straight lines, right angles, and primary colors, and was from around the 1920s. I find it to be very satisfying in how it’s not symmetrical, but still comes off as very even, neat, and perfectly formed. The primary colors in this just add to that “basic, yet beautiful” kind of look. De Stijl is used both in print, as well in architecture, which I love. This style of art, in print, gives off a sort of basic, satisfying look, like I mentioned before. But when De Stijl is used in architecture, it gives it a more unique, interesting look. It’s no longer basic. I love that aspect to De Stijl. To read more specifically about this style of art, click here! I’ve added a few photo examples of De Stijl below, but to view more examples, click here.
1960s Psychedelic Language
I love this style and always have. I love the use of color and movement in the art, as well as the concept/meaning behind it. As explained in the reading, Hippies of the 1960s embraced past styles and lived alternative lifestyles as a way to defy the more modern, clean aesthetic of that time. LSD and Acid were often used and that’s sort of where this idea came from. The effects of LSD/Acid were designed into this form of art, this form of art that was so very different than any other. So very different than what people had studied about in school. It can and does give off this Psychedelic effect, hence the name, where the colors contrast so much that it appears to be vibrating. This artwork is so incredibly unique and I love that about it. For a little more background on this beautiful form of art, click here. Here is link to a video explaining even more and showing the music as well as the art from this time.
Dada (1916-1923)
Dada came about during the first world war, and continued to be a popular style until about 5 years after the war had ended. The first world war was a very scary time for everyone, it was the first anyone had ever seen of such violence and hate in the world. That is how Dada came to be, it was artists’ reactions to what had become of the world. These artists, called Dadaists, created art that went against any and all traditions and standards of art. Pretty much, Dada was a form of art that stood for exactly the opposite of art. This came to prove that absolutely anything and everything can be turned into art. There are so many different forms of Dada artwork; to view more examples of this art and learn about each piece, click here. If you’d like to read about what the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) has said about Dada, click here.
Surrealism (1924-1955)
Surrealism is definitely my favorite of all the art categories in the reading. Surrealism became popular just after Dada sort of died out, but surrealism only lasted about a year. This form of art is based around dreams and the idea of, you guessed it, surrealism. The qualities of something bizarre, a fantasy-like idea. Sort of hallucinatory, of course, like a dream. This idea for art came about because of Sigmund Freud and his dream analysis work that was being done. To understand more how “art illustrates the unconscious”, click here. Here, is a video on how to actually make surrealism art.
