Art Nouveau is an elegant decorative art style characterized by intricately detailed patterns of curving lines. Somewhat rooted in the British Arts and Crafts Movement of William Morris, Art Nouveau became popular across Europe and in the United States.
Leading practitioners included Aubrey Beardsley, Gustav Klimt, Alphonse Mucha, and the American glassmaker Louis Comfort Tiffany.
Art Nouveau remained popular until about the time of World War I, and was ultimately replaced by the Art Deco style. .
Impressionism - French and American (1860's-early 1900's) .
A movement in painting that originated in France in the 1860's. Impressionist painters celebrated the overwhelming vision of nature seen in the splendor of natural light -- whether dawn, daylight or twilight. They were fascinated by the relationship between light and color, painting in pure pigment using free brushstrokes. They were also radical in their choice of subject matter, avoiding traditional historical, religious or romantic themes to concentrate on landscapes and scenes of everyday life. The movement's name, initially coined in derision by a journalist, was inspired by one of Claude Monet's paintings entitled Impression - Sunrise.
Post-Impressionism (1880-1910).
Post-impressionism is an art-historical term coined (1910) by British art critic Roger Fry to describe the various styles of painting that flourished in France during the period from about 1880 to about 1910. .
Post-Impressionism is an umbrella term used to describe a variety of artists who were influenced by Impressionism but took their art in different directions.
There is no single well-defined style of Post-Impressionism, but in general it is less casual and more emotionally charged than Impressionist work. .
Fauvism (1898 - 1908).
An early twentieth century art movement and style of painting in France. The name Fauves, French for "Wild Beasts," was given to artists adhering to this style because it was felt that they used intense colors in a violent, uncontrolled way.
