By Rachael Quek
Throughout the years, art has evolved tremendously, from ancient art, renaissance, impressionism, modernism, and et cetera, et cetera. The numerous art movements have left us as confused as a kid on his first day of school. As different as some movements may seem to be, they are usually influenced and a continuation of the previous movement - even overlapping one another. These movements sometimes occurred due to be social or political issues happening at the time. We summarized the key art movements of each era from the early 20th century till now:
Cubist painters emphasized two-dimensionality of the canvas through the reduction of objects into geometric forms, and depicts the subject from numerous viewpoints, through the breaking and reassembling of objects into abstract form. Even so, they are never dull or flat - contrasting points are added to achieve a realistic image. 
Three Musicians by Pablo Picasso // Bottle and Fishes by Georges BraqueImage credits: Picasso, TATE
Considered one of the most influential art movements, Cubism is an avant garde movement headed by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque who were inspired by repetitive brush strokes and the myriad of small, flat shapes in Paul Cezanne’s works.
Transition of Virgin into a Bride by Marcel DuchampImage credits: Marcel Duchamp The influence of Cubism was great, even beyond paintings, extending to sculptures and architecture. The movement was further developed by other painters during the era, and adopted by architects, where, up till now, buildings are developed with the concept of playing with geometric shapes. Cubism, as such, can be referred to as the antecedent of diverse art movements - the one that gave rise to diversity and many other later forms of art.
Rather than landscapes, still lifes and humans are usually used as subjects by Cubist painters. 
The House of the Black Madonna Image credits: Prague FM
Designed by Josef Gocar, the House of the Black Madonna is one of the greatest architecture built inspired by the Cubism movement. Both the interior and exterior of this building represent Cubist art - from its facade and windows, to its staircases and even furnitures.
As a creative movement that served to liberate imagination, Surrealism has went a long way and left an impact on many areas such as literature, art and culture. Today, Surrealism is still present, as many are influenced by the idea and techniques of the movement. 
Persistence of Memory by Salvador Dali
Image credits: Dali Paintings
Moving away from portrayals using geometric shapes, Surrealism is a movement that has its roots planted in both Cubism and Dadaism, with the latter asserting greater influence. French poet André Brenton, known as the “Founder of Surrealism”, wrote the first Surrealist Manifesto to define Surrealism as a movement that aims to spark the imagination of the unconscious. Originally a literary movement, it was later adopted by painters and sculptors, who felt that art was a good channel to tap into the unexplored areas of the mind.
Coined by Surrealists, the Automatism technique, which refers to subconscious drawing, was used to unleash the creativity of the unconscious. Surrealists were largely influenced by Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalytic theory of making an unconscious mind conscious, hence believing that images produced (even though it may appear peculiar to the conscious mind) under an unconscious mind actually suggests a person’s true identity and behaviour. 
Profile of Time // Nobility of Time by Dali Image credits: Ode To Art
Apart from the unique technique developed as a result of the movement, colours were also a potential form of expression of the movement. Painters like Mark Rothko and Barnett Newman developed the concept of art based on simplified, large-format, color-dominated fields. These paintings were large-scaled, supposed to be seen up-close, emphasizing intimacy rather than flamboyance, so that viewers will be overwhelmed by experience of viewing the work.
Woman I by Willem de KooningImage credits: Willem de Kooning
Post-world war II, Abstract Expressionism was started as a result of the crisis of war. Young artists who were affected by the dark side of humans, shown through the war, as well as the influence from leftist policies, used art as a platform to direct their concerns. 
Convergence by Jackson PollockImage credits: Jackson Pollock
Jackson Pollock, one of the major figures of the movement introduced the style of drip painting - the technique of dripping and pouring paint on a canvas directly from above, a breakthrough from the traditional style of painting by brush on an easel.
Abstract Expressionists often placed their emphasis on the directness and immediacy of expression - it is not meant to be a painting, but the evidence of the process of the creation. 
锻炼知觉二, Cognizance Instilled II // 时间之书二, Book of Time II by Liu Zhengyong
Find more of his works here
Harran II by Frank StellaImage credits: Guggenheim
A stark contrast from Abstract Expressionism, Minimalism distanced itself from noise and personal expressivity and focused on the creation of sleek works that were aesthetically appealing. As distinct the two movements were, there existed a relation - Minimalism was a reaction against Abstract Expressionism. Minimalist art, portrayed by the simplicity of its form and content, was often associated with the use of industrial materials (think wooden crates and steel boxes) and repeated geometric forms. As minimalist painter Frank Stella had said, “what you see is what you see”, implying that minimalist art is as literal as it is - it focuses not on the artist’s interpretation, but on the medium and materials used. 
Monochrome bleu sans titre by Yves KleinImage credits: Artsy
Sun, Moon and Eclipse (Triptych) by Max Kong
Minimalism can be said to be an advancement of Abstract Expressionism. While Abstract Expressionism was a style used to express personal emotions, Minimalists felt that it was too personal, too pretentious and insubstantial - that art should not reflect anything else other than itself. 
Bao Bao by Issey Miyake // Crown Hall by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe Image credits: lyst, Pinterest
From this era, Minimalism has impacted our lives in many different aspects - from everyday lives such as fashion, to scales as huge as architecture. In fashion, colours and patterns are kept to a minimum, often employing the Minimalist colour palette of monochrome black and white, with little or no patterns. Issey Miyake’s famous Bao Bao bags are a prominent example of Minimalism in fashion, where although there are seasonal color variations, in its primitive form was the monochromatic colours of black and white.
In architecture, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, influenced by the Minimalism art movement, prides his works with the saying “less is more”. Minimalism in architecture can be identified with building designs reduced to a minimally optimal number of elements, such as basic geometric shapes, open spatial layout, neat, straight and clean finishes, large windows, and a flat or nearly-flat roof.
From the two-dimensionality of Cubist paintings to the interactive form of New Media installations, art has evolved tremendously with time, bringing us a sense of novelty. References:
While there hasn’t been any one popular art movement in the 21st century, there exists a form distinct from the rest - New Media art. With the proliferation of technology and the penetration of the Internet, artists have begun to create art that is related to new media, such as digital art and video installations, among many other forms of New Media art, shifting away from the traditional canvas. 
SeulgaeUboo - Happiness by Lee Lee NamWatch a short timelapse of the installation here
Using new media as a form of art provides viewers with novelty, as they step out of traditional non-moving, non-digital art form such as paintings and sculptures. South Korean artist Lee Lee Nam is known for making use of technology to create innovative and dynamic aesthetic masterpieces encompassing both traditional and modern images, which are as fictitious as dreams overlapping reality. To him, new media art is no different from traditional forms of art, with the exception that monitors are used instead of canvasses. Watch this video for more of his works, as well as an interview in which he speaks about his motivations for creating new media art.
JUST DIG/IT! by Maurice BenayounImage credits: Maurice Benayoun
Popular French new media artist Maurice Benayoun employs a diversity of new media mediums such as video, virtual reality, wireless technology, art installations as well interactive exhibitions. His recent exhibition, JUST DIG/IT!, showcased three interactives and two video installations about the interiors of the Paris-New Delhi Tunnel and the Transatlantic tunnel. Filmed with four virtual cameras, participants of the exhibition will be able to see floating live images of themselves within the space they have dug. Exchanges between both sides of the tunnels will be converted from auditory to visual, as both parties attempt to find their way to one another, just like they would in an actual tunnel. Leveraging on new media technologies, Benayoun’s works provide viewers a platform to interact with one another, as well as the opportunity to be immersed in the art, distancing itself from the conventional one-sided relationship between a viewer and an artwork.
http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/cube/hd_cube.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cubism
http://www.theartstory.org/movement-surrealism.htm
http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/surr/hd_surr.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surrealism
http://www.simplypsychology.org/Sigmund-Freud.html
http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/abex/hd_abex.htm
http://www.theartstory.org/movement-abstract-expressionism.htm
https://www.guggenheim.org/artwork/movement/minimalism
http://understandingminimalism.com/introduction-to-minimal-art/
http://www.anothermag.com/fashion-beauty/8485/the-impact-of-minimalism-on-modern-fashion
http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/history-of-art/minimalism.htm
http://www.benayoun.com/bio.php?id=37
http://benayoun.com/projet.php?id=14
