This is a continuation of earlier discussions of art styles. Traditionally, African Art is art from Sub-Saharan Africa. This is the art that so strongly influenced European artists in the early 20th century, leading to Cubism, Expressionism and Abstract Art. African Art represents a wide variety of cultures starting at least 6,000 years ago. This work is generally abstracted, is creative, expressive, innovative, and has meaning on many levels, giving it great depth and lasting value.

More about African Art can be found on Wikipedia, African Art Museum, Stanford University, and Museum for African Art. As you look at this art work, notice the similarities between African art and the work of Picasso and Matisse. Modigliani is another early 20th century European artist strongly influenced by African sculpture and masks. Many think that African artists were influenced by the early European abstract artists. In reality, it was the other way around.

Two art greats, Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, developed Cubism, and because of their importance to the art world, this style can't be ignored. Their point was to show reality in a new way, not easy to do. This dramatic development continued the massive changes in the art world that were begun by the Fauves, Seurat and Cezanne.

Try a Google search if you would like to know more about Cubism.

Do you enjoy this art style? Please comment.

One of my favorite artists is Henri Matisse (1869-1954), who was French, and considered to be one of the most important artists of the twentieth century, equal to Picasso. I love his bold use of color; his sensuality, which makes me feel like I am one step away from being part of his paintings; and his civilized grace which at the same time feels primitive. I don't want to copy Matisse, but I want to absorb his artistic sense.

A clue to Matisse's sensibility is in his statement: I do not literally paint that table, but the emotion it produces upon me. Some of his paintings can be seen at the WebMuseum and at the Baltimore Museum of Art.

Speaking of art styles, Matisse started out as a Fauve. Instead of using objects to define space, Fauves used color to define space. Popular in the late 1800's and early 1900's, people thought the Fauves were wild beasts. They didn't know that Cubism and Abstract art would follow, and change art forever. More about these styles of art later.

Today's blog is the start of a series on different art styles.

Feminist Art came into its own in the 1960s, when women became very outspoken about who we were politically, economically and socially, and the changes that were wanted. Much anger was, and still is, expressed in Feminist Art. Some examples:
The Guerilla Girls
Feminist Fashion Show
Links to feminist and women's artwork on the Internet
n. paradoxa: international feminist art journal
More about Feminist Art

What do you think of this art style? Please comment, below.

If this style isn't for you, stay tuned over the next few days for a discussion of other art styles.

As you probably noticed, there are tons of different styles of art. Which one(s) do you want to spend time learning about, growing with and creating? There is a long list of art styles, such as this one from the University of Southern California. However, artists today don't always fall predictably into any of these categories. Over the next few days, I will show you examples of some of these styles.

This watercolor of mine probably falls into the Transcendentalism or Fantasy Art categories. It isn't my main style. I like to go with my mood, and that was my mood that day.

A larger version can be seen in my photo album.

Do you have a favorite style? Please tell us about it by using the comment link, below.