8 Essential Concepts for Art Lovers

Expand your knowledge of art through concepts such as color, style, movements, and techniques

Despite their importance, many fundamentals of art are often unfamiliar. We have included a list of some of those concepts below. Even if you are already familiar with some of these ideas, you’ll probably learn something new: how they came to be, their traditions, and their development.

It is a varied selection that includes essential notions, such as color theory, popular artistic movements such as Pop Art, professions, and techniques such as collage. If you want to explore the topics in detail, click on the red links to access the full blog post.

What is color theory?

There are rules applicable to color to help us understand how colors are formed and complement one another. It is called ‘color theory.’ Studying these rules will allow you to develop your art projects in unique and practical ways. Understanding the color wheel will also help you create your own color palettes, so it is paramount to master the concepts of color theory to be a successful artist.

6 Interesting Facts about Color Theory

One way to learn about the world of color is by exploring some interesting facts about colors. Do you want to know the reason behind the Pantone classification? Or why the color orange did not exist before the 15th century? Did you know there is a type of pink with calming properties? Colors surround us, and yet, what do we really know about them?

What Is Pop Art and How Did It Revolutionize the Art World?

This art movement revolutionized the visual arts universe in the 50s and 60s. Considered by many as the initial milestone of Postmodernism, Pop Art was described as ‘a joke’ by the critics when it emerged. Andy Warhol’s screenprint of Marilyn Monroe, one of the most famous movie stars of the times, is one of Pop Art’s most iconic pieces. His name is the first one we associate with this movement. The article will demonstrate that he was not the only exponent.

What is Contemporary Art?

Given that the words “modern” and “contemporary” are synonyms, meaning current, recent, or present-day, it’s not surprising that modern and contemporary art often get confused. Contemporary art evolved out of postmodernism and movements such as pop art and Fluxus. According to art historians, the term “contemporary art” refers to art being produced today or within our lifetime (although this definition gets confusing given that we all have our own interpretation of when this would be). It is generally accepted that the late 60s and early 70s–the end of modern art–mark the beginning of contemporary art.

What Are NFTs, and How Are They Transforming Digital Art?

NFTs have taken the creative world by storm in recent weeks and prompted many questions. In short, an NFT (non-fungible token) is a unit of data that functions as a unique signature, a digital certificate that certifies the authenticity of a creation. It can be an image file, a song, a tweet, a text posted on a website, a physical item, and various other digital formats. Through technology, artists and creatives can generate a certificate of authenticity for their digital work, which increases the value of their work.

What Is an Art Curator?

Have you ever wondered who selects the artwork in a museum? This highly rigorous process follows a variety of criteria. The person in charge of this selection is the art curator, one of the most influential figures in a museum, although less visible or recognized. You can learn about this profession with Julius Wiedemann (@julius_wiedemann), senior editor for design and popular culture at TASCHEN.

What Is Ikebana?

Ikebana is one of the most popular traditions in Japan. The art of flower arrangement requires a set of established rules and symbolism. Branches, leaves, seeds, and fruits are used as well as flowers. Each composition is created to last shortly, as it will begin to wither within twenty-four hours. And yet, this is one of the virtues of ikebana. Be inspired by the most popular styles, exploring the beauty of plants.

What is Collage, And How Has It Evolved?

Collage is a technique that allows the use of virtually any material, and, over time, it has become a versatile art form, with many exponents and styles. Similar artistic techniques have existed since the Middle Ages, but many critics, art historians, and museum institutions consider that collage itself was born in the 20th century. The precursors to modern collage were Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, who applied different materials to a canvas, like newspaper cuttings, paper, fabric, and even found objects. It was an important part of artistic movements such as pop art, and today it has evolved and is used with digital and analog techniques.

If you want to know more about the world of art and its most important concepts and techniques, consult Domestika's courses in Fine Art, Art Direction, Fine Art photography or Artistic Drawing.

English version by @acesarato.

You may also like:

- What Is Botany, and How Does It Inspire Creativity?
- Superflat: How Murakami’s Popular Art Movement Emerged
- How Can Artists Tokenize Their Work and Enter the New Crypto Art Market?
- The Art of Sketching: Transform Your Doodles into Art, a course by Mattias Adolfsson
- Botanical Sketchbooking: A Meditative Approach, a course by Lapin