Modern art is a movement of art that spanned approximately 100 years, from the mid-19th century to the mid-20th century. Modern art is the movement that spurred the careers of Pablo Picasso, Paul Cezanne, Claude Monet, Jackson Pollock and others.
Time Frame
While it sounds like a generic reference to all art in contemporary life, the term "Modern art" actually refers to a movement in fine art that began in the 1860s and continued through the early 1970s. What may be confusing is that Modern art isn't actually the most modern art in existence---the term "Contemporary art" actually refers to art that is more recent.
Definition
Modern-art paintings were notable for their departure from realistic or literal representation of the real world. Modern-art paintings often tried to capture abstractions such as music, rhythm, thoughts and emotions, or specific qualities of light or form in innovative and experimental ways.
Movements
Modern-art paintings may be subdivided into movements all stemming from, and influenced by, the environment of experimentation and the political and cultural attitudes of the times. These movements include Expressionism, Cubism, Dadaism, Fauvism and Surrealism.
Famous Ties
Famous painters in the Modern-art movement included Monet, Van Gogh, Picasso, Cezanne, Kandinsky, Pollock and Warhol. This is just a small handful of many famous Modern-art painters.
Common Features
Modern-art paintings may be representational or nonrepresentational. The common denominator among all movements in Modern art is the presence of an individual theory, belief or convention that spurred their development. For example, the Dada artists embraced the rejection of reason and logic. They applied this credo to their art as well as their political beliefs, writings and everyday lives.
Compared to Previous Traditions
Modern art represented a departure from earlier traditions in art because it redefined the convention of paintings. Previous to Modern art, most paintings were strictly representational (as in the case of portraiture and landscapes) or religious and/or allegorical in nature.
