(less)... In 1880, an art style called Art Noveau where mysterious and stunning art prints of women were the most popular at the time, and served as an inspiration to impressionists and other famous painters such as Van Gogh. It is also believed that the Art Deco style is an updated version of the Art Noveau. Another style, originated by Pablo Picasso is Cubism, where geometrical forms and fragmentations are used in paintings.

Impressionists adapted to the fast paced Industrial Revolution in the 19th century by painting outdoors, doing it in a rapid manner. The goal was to capture the splendor of the sunlight, and the magnificent atmosphere of nature. This type of style has marked the beginning of the separation from the Renaissance period, where in art were mostly presented in human form, and a central, focused design on the canvas.

In the beginning of the 20th century, science played an important role in influencing the way art interpreted the world. Inventions like the telescope and microscope inspired artists to isolate their crafts and create a new dimension that is reflected in their work. Modern art depicted the 20th century as a fast paced life, where speed, and multitasking are essential, depicted in pictures of trains, cars, and airplanes, and abstract art. Abstract art prints have continued to evolve into modern art as having the viewer to not just see the whole picture, but to look deeper and find meaning in it.

The shapes in modern art prints continue to represent the rhythm and harmony behind each picture. Photography continues to inspire in black and white, color, and colorized styles. The boundary between realism and abstract is also represented in contemporary art, and Art Deco and Pop Art have become a trend in modern art prints through the vivid colors, stylistic effects, and forms from many inspirations. Andy Warhol, known for his legendary Pop Art, created portraits of different personalities in cartoon-like presentations. In the field of technology, this art style is now being used as picture effects on digital photographs, and can be done instantly with the click of a button from mobile phones, or by uploading it to web sites that provide image manipulation applications.

Up until now, the modern art styles are continuously inspired by all the art styles from past centuries. From canvass to paper, and art exhibits to online galleries, technology has played a significant role in the evolution of art as well. This so called evolution in modern art prints can be pointed out to the contribution of science and technology, which are also used as inspiration for artists in the generations to come.

(less)... Some of the late 20th century influences persist today, for instance the likes of abstract expressionism, assemblage art, minimalism, neo expressionism, performance art and photographic art but most movements that thrived in the first half of the 20th century have become almost obsolete or nonexistent. The contemporary art prints forms or art trends are more hybrids of different styles. Figurative work has been blended with abstraction, obscurities are being minced with blatancies and symbolic arts are being interspersed with bold colors. In effect, there is no specific movement that is influencing the art form of present day, like it had done for several centuries.

The excessive popularity of film, photography and pop literature has overshadowed the omnipresence of art forms like painting, sculpture, literary fiction and performance arts in the traditional forms. Music, as an art form, has also transformed largely. In the world of painting, the prevalent variety of canvases, brush strokes, techniques, mediums and colors have been replaced by different media and items such as acrylic and latex paint, charcoal, pastels, resin and newspaper clippings.

Modern art prints trends do not own allegiance to erstwhile movements of surrealism, action painting or cubism which thrived in the early 20th century. Expressionism has also taken a backseat. Increasingly, one can observe the influence of economics, finance and global concerns such as war, technology and similar contexts being formed as the crux of the artworks.

Popular culture and the intermingling of various races, nationalities and demographics are leading to new kinds of art but they have not yet formed a specific movement. The focus is shifting to third world countries and artists from demographics earlier not explored enough and that is where the movements of the modern times in art prints may emancipate from.