Art Trends: Abstracting the Human Form

This week, we explore a recent trend that’s not directly related to art market sales. When looking at gallery exhibits and solo shows, I’ve noticed that art galleries and collectors give more recognition to artists who abstract the human form in their work. In other words, they illustrate subjects that read as human, but with unrealistic bodies and/or faces. Meaning unnaturally smooth skin, simplified faces, abnormal limbs, etc. Our brains are able to recognize the human elements, even though theRead more

World Building: Queer Black Artists and the Portrayal of Desire (Warning: NSFW Images)

CAUTION: This post on queer Black artists features art depicting nudity and sexually explicit acts, as well as photography with partial nudity. In honor of Black History Month, I want to focus on a trend within a specific group of artists, rather than the art market. It is important to note how Black artists, especially queer Black artists, have created their own spaces and modes of representation in the art world. Their contribution to the development of contemporary art isRead more

Art Trends: The Resurgence of Post-Impressionism

Art movements stem from a desire to break away from the confines of previous artistic conventions. For example, Impressionism is a departure from realism, not only in technique, but also in composition. The expressive brushstrokes of Impressionist works emphasize how light hits the planes of a particular subject. The artists of this movement also created in-the-moment impressions of their subjects, further separating themselves from realism’s true-to-life depictions of the world. Therefore, Post-Impressionism is a departure from the spontaneity and useRead more