Art Movements

The study of the development of art styles is an important component of art history.¹ An art movement can be said to have emerged when “a style or prevailing inclination in art or design that upholds a specific philosophy or ideal and is followed and promoted by a group of artists for a defined period of time.”²

With changing social and economic environment, in around mid-19th century, artists who self-consciously challenged traditional art practices in a radical way emerged. At around the turn of the 20th century, the numbers of such aesthetically radical artists grew large enough to form a community.³ The 20th century thus became a period of interest as it saw many different types of art movements, such as Fauvism, Cubism, Dadaism, Surrealism and Pop Art, advocating for different artistic ideals appeared. During the same period in Singapore, while the development of art was influenced by international art movements, other historical circumstances also played an integral role in the emergence of art movements, like the Nanyang art movement in Singapore. (Click to find more resources on the Nanyang artists and modern art in Singapore.)

This guide provides resources for those who are keen to know more about selected art movements in the West and in Singapore, particularly from the 20th century onwards. You can also visit catalogue.nlb.gov.sg to search for more resources. This resource guide was first authored in December 2021 by Goh Yu Mei, a Librarian at the National Library, Singapore.

Books, Book Chapters, and Exhibition Catalogues

Books	Description
	Abstract painting exhibition. Singapore: Singapore Art Society, 1972. (Call no.: RCLOS 759.95957 ABS) Catalogue of one of the early exhibitions of abstract paintings in Singapore. It lists the artworks and features the images of some of the artworks on display in the exhibition.
	Anfam, David. Abstract Expressionism. London: Thames and Hudson, 1990. (Call no.: RART 709.04052 ANF) This book discusses the origins and development of abstract expressionism in North America by putting it in its political and cultural context, citing alongside some of the works that exemplified the development. The author also includes a chapter on the influence of this art trend on later works.
	Britt, David (Ed.). Modern Art: Impressionism to post-modernism. London: Thames & Hudson, 2007. (Call no.: RART 709.04 MOD) First published in 1974, this book traces the development of some of the major art trends since the second half of the 19th century through eight essays, including Impressionism, Fauvism, Cubism, Dada and Surrealism, Abstract Expressionism and Pop Art.
	Goldberg, RoseLee. Performance art: From Futurism to the present (third edition). London; New York: Thames & Hudson, 2011. (Call no.: RART 700.904 GOL) This book highlights some of the early forms of performance art and discusses the development of this art form from the early 20th century till 2010.
	Hopkins, David. Dada and Surrealism: A very short introduction. New York: OUP Oxford, 2017. Retrieved from OverDrive. (myLibrary ID is required to access the eBook.) In his examination of Dada and Surrealism, Hopkins traces the development of these two movements. He discusses the debates on aesthetic issues of different art forms regarding these two styles, highlighting the attitudes of artists as well as the influences of these art movements on recent artworks.
	Kwok, Kian Chow. Channels & confluences: A history of Singapore art. Singapore: Singapore Art Museum, National Heritage Board, 1996. (Call no.: RSING 709.5957 KWO) Published in conjunction with the 1996 Singapore Art Museum exhibition entitled Modernity and Beyond, this is arguably one of the most comprehensive and sustained examinations of Singapore art; as its blurb announces, it is the “first fully-illustrated historical survey of Singapore art.” Scrutinizes at length the genesis of modern Singapore art and its many tributaries, from the Nanyang School to the Singapore Art Society and the Society of Malay Artists, as well as highlighting the important art trends such as the Nanyang style and social realism.
	Sabapathy, Thiagarajan Kanaga. “The Nanyang artists: Some general remarks.” In Writing the modern: Selected texts on art & art history in Singapore, Malaysia & Southeast Asia 1973-2015, 340-345. Singapore: Singapore Art Museum, 2018. (Call no.: RSING 709.59 SAB) This essay was first published in the catalogue of a seminal exhibition at the Muzium Seni Negara in Malaysia in 1979 and was considered by researchers as one of the first attempts to define terms such as “Nanyang style” and “Nanyang art”.
	Shanes, Eric. Pop Art. New York: Parkstone, 2009. (Call no.: RART 709.04071 SHA) This book explores the formation and history of pop and mass-culture art. It highlights the major contributors to this art movement and includes a section that discusses the more representative works in detail.
	Sheares, Constance. “Introduction.” In National Museum centenary art exhibition, 8-12. Singapore: National Museum, 1987. (Call no.: RSING 709.5957 NAT) An introduction to the National Musuem centenary art exhibition, this article highlights that the artworks featured in the exhibition reflected most of the significant trends in Singapore art since 1950s. Sheares categorised the artworks into three broad categories, abstraction, non-objectivity and realism, giving each category a brief overview and cites relevant artworks featured in the exhibition.

Articles and academic writings

• Genter, Robert B. “Barnett Newman and the anarchist sublime.” Anarchist Studies, Vol. 25, Issue 1 (2017): 8-31. Retrieved from ProQuest Central via NLB eResources. (myLibrary ID is required to access the article.)

Using Barnett Newman as a case study, the author argued that anarchism was a dominant philosophy in abstract expressionism movement during the cold war period.

• Green, Gaye Leigh. “The return of the body: Performance art and art education.” Art Education, Vol. 52, No. 1 (Jan 1999): 6-12. Retrieved from JSTOR via NLB eResources. (myLibrary ID is required to access the article.)

While discussing the application of performance art in education, this article also provides a brief history of performance art.

• Hobbs, Robert C. “Early abstract expressionism and surrealism.” Art Journal, Vol. 45, No. 4 (Winter 1985): 299 – 302. Retrieved from JSTOR via NLB eResources. (myLibrary ID is required to access the article.)

This article examines the early development of abstract expressionism and the key concerns of the artists to discuss the difference between abstract expressionism and surrealism.

• Say, Jeffrey. “Groundbreaking: The Beginnings of contemporary art in Singapore.” Biblioasia, Volume 15 Issue 2 (July – September 2019): 30-35. Call no.: RSING 027.495957 SNBBA -[LIB] (Also available here.)

This article narrates the development of contemporary art in Singapore and sets the beginning of this movement to at least two to three years before the formation of The Artists Village. This differed from the viewpoint that the formation of The Artists Village marked the start of contemporary art in Singapore, which was widely accepted by researchers and critics of art in Singapore.

Websites

• Anderson, Mic. “10 Modernist art movements.” Encyclopaedia Britannica. Accessed December 14, 2021. https://www.britannica.com/list/10-modernist-art-movements

This page gives a short introduction to ten art movements in the 20th century, namely Surrealism, Dada, De Stijl, Suprematism, Constructivism, Vorticism, Futurism, Cubism, Fauvism and Post-Impressionism.

• “Art movements.” Sotheby’s. Accessed December 14, 2021. https://www.sothebys.com/en/art-movements

This page features 17 art movements, including Impressionism, Dada, Abstract Expressionism and Pop Art. Each art movement has a dedicated page which gives an overview and introduces its characteristics, legacy, timeline and artists involved in the art movement. It also links to other feature articles on the website related to the art movement.

• Wee, C. J. Wan-ling. “Shortlist : Singapore.” Asia Art Archive. Accessed December 9, 2021. https://aaa.org.hk/en/ideas/ideas/shortlist-singapore

This introduces the major developments in Singapore arts from the 19th century to the present and includes a list of recommended readings under the different topics covered.

The information in this resource guide is valid as at December 2021 and correct as far as we are able to ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history on the subject. Please contact the Library for further reading materials on the topic.

All Rights Reserved. National Library Board Singapore 2021.

References