Abstract Art came about in the last few centuries where artists sought to move away from pure realism painting and put in their own style and emotion into the subject of their painting. From the Renaissance and Baroque styles of almost photo-realistic paintings, abstract contemporary art began to become popular.
Romanticism, Impressionism and Expressionism followed on from the traditional art styles and started to allow artists to impress their own creativity. Such styles laid the foundations for the later art movements which are collectively referred to as Abstract art, in the modern era.
Post-Impressionism continued the change towards abstract art yet further, thanks to works by the likes of Paul Gauguin, Georges Seurat, Vincent van Gogh and Paul Cezanne. Inspired by the likes of Paul Cezanne, Fauvism & Cubism were created, bringing famous artists like Henri Matisse, Georges Braque, Wassily Kandinsky & Pablo Picasso to the public’s attention. Synthetic Cubism also followed. The Abstract Contemporary style that we have now was ready to be created at this point.
In Britain the first Abstract art exhibition was opened in 1935, with paintings by the likes of Piet Mondrian, Joan Miro, Barbara Hepworth and Ben Nicholson on display the following year at a more international event.
The attack on art by the Nazi party in the 1930s and 1940s forced some abstract artists to flee to America which resulted in the likes of Modernism, Late Modernism, American Modernism, and Surrealism starting to gain popularity, particularly in New York. These attempts to control art’s direction actually helped to spread communication of these new art movements to the rest of the world.
The 1950s to now have brought us the likes of Neo-Dada, Fluxus, Conceptual Art, Neo-expressionism, Installation art, Performance Art, Video Art and Pop art. Pop Art of course remains hugely popular today with the likes of Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein still selling well.
Modern Abstract Contemporary art styles include the likes of Abstract expressionism, Color Field, Lyrical Abstraction, Post-Painterly Abstraction, Sculpture, and Minimal Art, though new movements appear all the time, particularly with the influx of computer based artists, and different styles of digital art.
By: Tom Gurney
How To Take Stock Photo Images That Sell
March 3rd, 2010 by admin No comments »
Taking stock photo images that sell is not difficult at all. In my opinion, it is actually a lot easier than when I took photos that were artistic and had very complex meanings and messages woven within them. Stock photos that sell have usual characteristics within them. If you try to follow these characteristics your photos will most likely sell much better.
One of the main necessities for stock photos that sell is the quality of the picture. You must ensure that the photo is the highest quality you can get it at. Do not settle for less than your best. What I mean by this is that you need to make sure your photo is as perfect as you can get it and has flawless as possible. If your stock photo has errors it will not get accepted.
The technical aspects of stock photos are very difficult for the beginner. You must be sure your photograph is focused right and is as sharp as possible. An out of focus stock photo will not sell and you should not waste any time or money trying to fix it.
Lighting plays a major role in how great your stock photo looks. Be sure not to go cheap when lighting your photos. Take extreme care to ensure that the transition from light to dark areas of light on your photo are right.
Another very important part of stock photos is the noise. When you use larger ISO settings you will get more noise. It is NOT acceptable to submit your photos if they have a substantial amount of noise within them. Use photo editing software and get rid of that noise if possible.
Stock photos that sell are usually more simple than you think. One of the most selling photos on a popular stock photo agency is a picture of two hands shaking. The angle is a side shot showing both hands and the background is white. I can guess that if you’ve been taking photos for a couple weeks you could take a photograph just like this.
When taking stock pictures be sure that you are photographing a subject that is desired by people that buy stock photos. However, make sure that it is not too competitive unless you are able to compete and know how to do so. The best selling stock photos may be simple but they are precisely executed and nearly flawless.
By: Al Sanez
