Themes in Art

Primitivism

Used to describe both the naïve styles of outsider artists and attempts by trained artists to emulate the “pure” aesthetics of more “primitive” cultures, the term primitivism is Eurocentric, paternalizing, and a bit too vague to be useful. That said, you’ll run into it pretty often, especially describing Henri Rousseau’s guilelessness or Picasso’s appropriation of African mask motifs.

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A Shade Tree, Chang Ucchin

A Shade Tree Chang Ucchin, 1989

Black and White, Man Ray

Black and White Man Ray, 1926

Boy on the Rocks, Henri Rousseau

Boy on the Rocks Henri Rousseau, 1895 – 1897

Colonnade, or Roadside Trees, Chang Ucchin

Colonnade, or Roadside Trees Chang Ucchin, 1978

Face, Chang Ucchin

Face Chang Ucchin, 1957

Family, Chang Ucchin

Family Chang Ucchin, 1973

Landscape, Chang Ucchin

Landscape Chang Ucchin, 1978

Magpie, Chang Ucchin

Magpie Chang Ucchin, 1987

Myself: Portrait – Landscape, Henri Rousseau

Myself: Portrait – Landscape Henri Rousseau, 1890

One Who Understands, Paul Klee

One Who Understands Paul Klee, 1934

Palomar, Gonzalo Fonseca

Palomar Gonzalo Fonseca, 1975

Poison, Chang Ucchin

Poison Chang Ucchin, 1949

Portrait of a Man, Henri Rousseau

Portrait of a Man Henri Rousseau, 1905

Portrait of a Woman, Henri Rousseau

Portrait of a Woman Henri Rousseau, 1895

Portrait of a Woman, Henri Rousseau

Portrait of a Woman Henri Rousseau, 1895

Portrait of Leon-Paul Fargue, Henri Rousseau

Portrait of Leon-Paul Fargue Henri Rousseau, 1896

Portrait of Pierre Loti, Henri Rousseau

Portrait of Pierre Loti Henri Rousseau, 1891

Representatives of Foreign Powers, Henri Rousseau

Representatives of Foreign Powers Henri Rousseau, 1907

Self-portrait of the Artist with a Lamp, Henri Rousseau

Self-portrait of the Artist with a Lamp Henri Rousseau, 1903

Skeletons Fighting over a Hanged Man, James Ensor

Skeletons Fighting over a Hanged Man James Ensor, 1891

Soldier on Horseback, Mikhail Larionov

Soldier on Horseback Mikhail Larionov, 1911

Temple, Chang Ucchin

Temple Chang Ucchin, 1978

The Baker, Mikhail Larionov

The Baker Mikhail Larionov, 1909

The Night and an Old man, Chang Ucchin

The Night and an Old man Chang Ucchin, 1990

The Poet Reclining, Marc Chagall

The Poet Reclining Marc Chagall, 1915

The Sleeping Gypsy, Henri Rousseau

The Sleeping Gypsy Henri Rousseau, 1897

The Snake Charmer, Henri Rousseau

The Snake Charmer Henri Rousseau, 1907

Tree, Chang Ucchin

Tree Chang Ucchin, 1986

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Social Realism, Themes in Art

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Grimoires, Themes in Art

Grimoires

Forbidden knowledge

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