NEO-EXPRESSIONIST ART

Just when modern art reached a point where the craftsmanship of the artist was no longer as important as their ideas, a group of artists returned to the place where representational art had gone off in abstract directions. Unlike Expressionism which was distinctly European or Abstract Expressionism which was driven by Americans, this movement had more of a universal feel. Neo-Expressionism was primarily made up of American, Italian, and German artists.

After the Expressionist movement of the early 20th Century, modern art had moved in increasingly abstract directions. The passion of the Expressionists had given way to the cool, unadorned art of the Minimalists, and the modern sensibilities of the Bauhaus. By the late 1970s, the tide began to turn back to the roots of avant-garde art. Increasingly popular artists like Julian Schnabel and Jean-Michel Basquiat began to create expressive, emotionally-charged works inspired by mythology, culture, relationships, and historical events.

These avant-garde artists had returned to their roots.