Examples of painting, genres, styles, various techniques and trends

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Painting is perhaps the most ancient form of art. Even in the primitive era, our ancestors made images of people and animals on the walls of caves. These are the first examples of painting. Since then, this type of art has always remained a companion of human life. Examples of painting today are numerous and varied. We will try to cover this type of art as much as possible, tell about the main genres, styles, directions and techniques in it.

Painting techniques

Let's start with the basic painting techniques. One of the most common is oil. This is a technique in which oil-based paints are used. These paints are applied in strokes. With the help of them, you can create a variety of different shades, as well as convey the necessary images with maximum realism.

Tempera is another popular technique. We are talking about it when emulsion paints are used. The binder in these paints is animal glue, egg or water.

Gouache is a technique widely used in graphics. Gouache paint is made on an adhesive basis. It can be used to work on cardboard, paper, bone or silk. The image is durable, and the lines are clear. Pastel is a technique of drawing with dry pencils, while the surface must be rough. And, of course, it is worth mentioning about watercolors. This paint is usually diluted with water. A soft and thin layer of paint is obtained using this technique. Watercolor landscapes are especially popular. Of course, we have listed only the main techniques that are used most often in painting. There are others.

What are paintings usually painted on? The most popular painting on canvas. It is stretched on a frame or glued to cardboard. Note that in the past, wooden boards were used quite often. Today, not only painting on canvas is popular, but any other flat materials can be used to create an image.

Painting types

It can be divided into 2 main types: easel and monumental painting. The latter is related to architecture. This type includes paintings on the ceilings and walls of buildings, decorating them with images made of mosaics or other materials, stained-glass windows, and so on. Easel painting is not associated with a specific building. It can be moved from place to place. In easel painting, there are many varieties (otherwise they are called genres). Let's dwell on them in more detail.

Painting genres

The word "genre" is French in origin. It translates as "genus", "species". That is, under the name of the genre there is a content of some kind, and, pronouncing its name, we understand what the picture is about, what we will find in it: a person, nature, an animal, objects, etc.

Portrait

The most ancient genre of painting is the portrait. This is an image of a person who looks only like himself and no one else. In other words, a portrait is an image in painting of an individual appearance, since each of us has an individual face. This genre of painting has its own varieties. A portrait can be full-length, chest-length, or only one person is painted. Note that not every image of a person is a portrait, since an artist can create, for example, "a person in general" without writing him off from anyone. However, when he depicts a specific representative of the human race, he is working on a portrait. Needless to say, there are numerous examples of painting in this genre. But the portrait below is known to almost every resident of our country. We are talking about the image of A. S. Pushkin, created in 1827 by Kiprensky.

Self-portrait can also be added to this genre. In this case, the artist depicts himself. There is a paired portrait, when in the picture there are people in a pair; and a group portrait, when a group of people is depicted. One can also note the ceremonial portrait, a variety of which is equestrian, one of the most solemn. It was very popular in the past, but such works are rare now. However, the next genre that we will talk about is relevant at any time. What is it about? This can be guessed by sorting through the genres that we have not yet named, characterizing painting. Still life is one of them. It is about him that we will now talk, continuing to considerpainting.

Still life

This word is also of French origin, it means "dead nature", although the meaning would be more accurate "inanimate nature". Still life - the image of inanimate objects. They are of great variety. Note that still lifes can also depict "living nature": butterflies subsided on the petals, beautiful flowers, birds, and sometimes a person can be seen among the gifts of nature. However, it will still be a still life, since the image of the living is not the most important thing for the artist in this case.

Landscape

Landscape is another French word meaning "view of the country" in translation. It is analogous to the German concept of "landscape". Landscape is a depiction of nature in its diversity. The following varieties join this genre: the architectural landscape and the very popular seascape, which is often called the single word "marina", and the artists working in it are called marine painters. Numerous examples of painting in the genre of seascape can be found in the work of I. K. Aivazovsky. One of them is "Rainbow" of 1873.

This oil painting is difficult to make. But it’s not difficult to create watercolor landscapes, so at school, in drawing lessons, this task was given to each of us.

Animal genre

The next genre is animalistic. Everything is simple here - this is an image of birds and animals in nature, in their natural environment.

Consumer genre

Everyday genre is a depiction of scenes from life, everyday life, funny "incidents", home life and stories of ordinary people in an ordinary environment. And you can do without stories - just capture everyday activities and affairs. Such paintings are sometimes referred to as genre painting. As an example, consider Van Gogh's The Potato Eaters (1885), presented above.

Historical genre

The themes of painting are diverse, but the historical genre stands out separately. This is an image of historical heroes and events. The battle genre adjoins it, it presents episodes of war, battle.

Religious and mythological genre

In the mythological genre, paintings are painted on the themes of ancient and ancient legends about gods and heroes. It should be noted that the image is of a secular nature, and in this it differs from the images of the deities represented on the icon. By the way, religious painting is not only icons. It brings together various works written with religious themes.

Clash of genres

The richer the content of the genre, the more its "companions" appear. Genres can merge, so there is a painting that cannot be put into the framework of any of them at all. In art, there is both a general (techniques, genres, styles) and an individual (a particular work taken separately). A separate picture carries something in common. Therefore, many artists may have one genre, but the paintings painted in it are never alike. Culture has these features.painting.

Style

Style in the fine arts is an aspect of the visual perception of paintings. It can combine the works of one artist or the works of artists of a certain period, direction, school, area.

Academic painting and realism

Academic painting is a special direction, the formation of which is associated with the activities of the academies of arts in Europe. It appeared in the 16th century at the Bologna Academy, the natives of which sought to imitate the masters of the Renaissance. Since the 16th century, methods of teaching painting began to be based on strict adherence to rules and norms, following formal patterns. The Royal Academy of Arts in Paris was considered one of the most influential in Europe. She promoted the aesthetics of classicism that dominated France in the 17th century. Parisian academy? contributing to the systematization of education, gradually turned the rules of the classical direction into a dogma. So academic painting has become a special direction. In the 19th century, one of the most prominent manifestations of academicism was the work of J. L. Gerome, Alexandre Cabannel, J. Ingres. Classical canons were replaced by realistic ones only at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. It is realism that becomes at the beginning of the 20th century the basic method of teaching in academies, turns into a dogmatic system.

Baroque

Baroque is a style and era of art, which is characterized by aristocracy, contrast, dynamism of images, simple details when depicting abundance, tension, drama, luxury, fusion of reality and illusion. This style appeared in Italy in 1600 andspread throughout Europe. Caravaggio and Rubens are its most prominent representatives. Baroque is often compared with expressionism, however, unlike the latter, it does not have too repulsive effects. Paintings of this style today are characterized by the complexity of the lines and the abundance of ornaments.

Cubism

Cubism is an avant-garde art movement that originated in the 20th century. Its creator is Pablo Picasso. Cubism made a real revolution in the sculpture and painting of Europe, inspiring the creation of similar trends in architecture, literature, and music. Artistic painting in this style is characterized by recombined, broken objects that have an abstract form. They are portrayed from multiple points of view.

Expressionism

Expressionism is another important trend in contemporary art that appeared in Germany in the first half of the 20th century. At first, it covered only poetry and painting, and then spread to other areas of art.

Expressionists depict the world subjectively, distorting reality to create a greater emotional effect. Their goal is to make the viewer think. Expression in expressionism prevails over the image. It can be noted that many works are characterized by motifs of torment, pain, suffering, screaming (the work of Edvard Munch, presented above, is called "The Scream"). Expressionist artists are not at all interested in material reality, their paintings are filled with deep meaning and emotionalexperiences.

Impressionism

Impressionism - a direction of painting, aimed mainly at working in the open air (open air), and not in the studio. It owes its name to the painting "Impression, Sunrise" by Claude Monet, which is shown in the photo below.

The word "impression" in English is impression. Impressionistic paintings convey primarily the light sensation of the artist. The main features of painting in this style are as follows: barely visible, thin strokes; change in lighting, accurately conveyed (attention is often focused on the effect of the passage of time); open composition; a simple common goal; movement as a key element of human experience and perception. The most prominent representatives of such a trend as impressionism are Edgar Degas, Claude Monet, Pierre Renoir.

Modernism

The next direction is modernism, which originated as a combination of trends in various fields of art in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The Parisian "Salon of the Rejected" was opened in 1863. Artists whose paintings were not allowed in the official salon were exhibited here. This date can be considered the date of the emergence of modernism as a separate direction in art. Otherwise, modernism is sometimes called "another art". His goal is to create unique paintings that are not like others. The main feature of the works is the author's special vision of the world.

Artists in their work rebelled against the values of realism. Self-consciousness isbright characteristic of this direction. This often leads to experimentation with form as well as a penchant for abstraction. Representatives of modernism pay special attention to the materials used and the work process. One of its most prominent representatives are Henry Matisse (his work "The Red Room" of 1908 is presented above) and Pablo Picasso.

Neoclassicism

Neoclassicism - the main direction of painting in Northern Europe from the middle of the 18th century until the end of the 19th. It is characterized by a return to the features of ancient art, the art of the Renaissance and even the times of classicism. In architectural, artistic and cultural terms, neoclassicism emerged as a response to Rococo, which was perceived as a shallow and artsy style of art. Neoclassical artists, thanks to their good knowledge of church laws, tried to introduce canons into their work. However, they avoided simply reproducing classical motifs and themes. Neoclassical artists tried to place their painting within the framework of tradition and thus demonstrate mastery of the genre. Neoclassicism in this respect is directly opposed to modernism, where improvisation and self-expression are considered virtues. Its most famous representatives include Nicolas Poussin, Raphael.

Pop Art

The last direction we will look at is pop art. He appeared in Britain in the mid-50s of the last century, and in the late 50s - in America. Pop art is believed to have originated as a reaction to the ideas of abstract expressionism,dominant at the time. Speaking of this direction, it is impossible not to mention Andy Warhol. In 2009, "Eight Elvises", one of his paintings, was sold for $100 million.