Colonial to Contemporary Art Movements
Latin American Colonial Art
Latin American colonial art was initially significantly influenced by Medieval art, specifically Romanesque. This is apparent in the arches and dark ambiances of fortresses, convents, and churches.
Venezuelan Colonial Architecture
Early Venezuelan colonial architecture had very similar decoration: buildings were typically single-story, with rooms distributed around a central yard, surrounded by corridors.
Venezuelan Colonial Painting
The first paintings were inspired by European works, which arrived as prints or drawings in religious books. Their themes were primarily religious.
Venezuelan Colonial Sculpture
Venezuelan colonial sculpture was also linked to religious themes. The first sculptures were brought from Spain. Most sculptors were missionaries who had their own workshops.
The Baroque Period
The Baroque period developed in Europe during the 17th and 18th centuries.
Baroque Painting
Its characteristics included accented contrasts of light and shadow, expressive faces and gestures, complex compositions, and a predominance of curved rhythms. Notable Baroque painters include Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, Diego Velázquez, and Peter Paul Rubens. Famous works include Immaculate Conception and Las Meninas.
Baroque Architecture
Straight lines of pediments and cornices became sinuous and adorned; columns twisted and were called “Solomonic.” Famous architects include Gian Lorenzo Bernini and Francesco Borromini. Famous works: St. Peter’s Baldachin and the Trevi Fountain.
Baroque Sculpture
Its hallmark is ornamental sculpture, with mythological and religious themes. Famous works: Santa Cecilia by Stefano Maderno, and Christ of Clemency.
Círculo de Bellas Artes
In 1912, the Russian-Romanian artists Nicolai Ferdinandov and Samys Mützner arrived in Venezuela, influencing young Venezuelan painters.
Artists: Federico Brandt, Rafael Monasterios, Armando Reverón, Antonio Edmundo Monsanto.
Impressionism
Impressionism developed in France in the mid-19th century. It proposed to capture landscape changes, the effect of light on color, and its atmosphere. Artists painted outdoors with pure colors and loose brushstrokes.
Artists: Édouard Manet, Claude Monet, Edgar Degas, and Camille Pissarro. Works: Impression, Sunrise, Luncheon on the Grass.
The Caracas School
The Caracas School was a group of painters formed in 1920 who intended to replicate the Caracas landscape, highlighting local elements (vegetation, light, and atmosphere).
Artists: Pedro Rafael González, Ramón González, and Rafael Ramón González.
Pointillism
Born from a work by Georges Seurat, Pointillism is a technique of representing forms through small colored dots that appear from afar to “mix” in the eye of the beholder.
Artists: Paul Cézanne, Vincent van Gogh, and Paul Gauguin.
Expressionism
Expressionism was a post-war art movement in Germany in the mid-20th century. It represents ideas and emotions.
Artist: Edvard Munch, author of the celebrated painting The Scream.
Symbolism
Symbolism tries to provoke emotions and evoke spiritual ideas through mystical imagery.
Artists: Gustave Moreau, Odilon Redon, Pierre Puvis de Chavannes.
Cubism
Cubism represents the shape of a figure from various angles.
Artists: Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque.
Surrealism
Surrealism is an art movement related to fine arts and unconscious psychological concepts.
Artists: Salvador Dalí, Max Ernst, René Magritte.
Fauvism
Fauvism is characterized by the use of spots of pure color, lines, and spontaneous recreation of real or imagined motifs.
Artists: Henri Matisse, André Derain.