Art

Nihonga Nihonga, translating to "Japanese painting," was a term first  coined in 1882  for a way of painting that was intended to preserve the traditional Japanese style of art. Nihonga began when Japan opened its trade borders for the first time in over two centuries. In response, Japan's society experienced a push toward modernity during a time known as the Meiji Period. Nihonga artists wanted to combat Japan's adoption of Western artistic styles. Nihonga is still practiced today, the style experienced a revival in the 1980s.  Nihonga is based on Japanese painting traditions that are over one thousand years old. Traditional Japanese works had a matte finish that resembled watercolor. Brushstrokes were not apparent, and line was emphasized. Nihonga utilizes only traditional materials like sumi ink (made from the soot of burnt lamp oil or pinewood, animal glue, and perfume) and kofun (chalk). The artists did add a modern twist, however, by broadening the range of subj

Postmodern Art Around the 1960s, artists began to react against Modernism, and as a result, Post Modern art was born. Where Modernism was centered around idealism and reason,  Postmodernism  challenged notions of universal truths through skepticism and a suspicion of reason. Postmodernism is not defined by a specific style; in fact, a cornerstone of postmodernism is its refusal to accept rules and definitions regarding what art should be . Thus, the unifying aspect of art from this era is its non-traditional approach.  The non-traditional approach that defines Postmodernism was influenced in part by the social happenings of the era. The Vietnam War was a point of contention during the 1960s. After World War I and II's devastations, many people wanted the world to exist in peace, not war. Students on college campuses across America began protesting the Vietnam War . Around the same time, the Civil Rights movement was gaining ground. Congress passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 , wh

Cut with the Kitchen Knife Dada Through the Last Weimar Beer-Belly Cultural Epoch in Germany  (c. 1919 ) by Hannah Höch Cut paper collage Berlin, Germany Dada Dada  arose as a direct reaction to World War I (WWI) and the nationalism that many thought led to the war. Although Dada artists did not have a unifying style, they did have  unifying ideals . Dadaists were not focused on creating aesthetically pleasing works; rather, Dadaists produced works that generated questions about society, offended upper-class sensibilities, and showed an irreverence towards traditional art.  Hannah Höch's collage above is certainly different from the more traditional works that were typical up to this point. This work does not have a distinct subject, and the eyes wander trying to make sense of all the components. Germany's government had completely changed after WWI and the country was rife with conflict. Here, Höch is creating a juxtaposition by taking political figures that the Dadaists were