The Modern Art movement was dominated by abstraction; however, now there is an abundance of representational painters who are looking back, before Modernism, for inspiration. People all over the world are hungry for high-quality artwork with technical mastery and heartfelt content that reflects today’s concerns. This is evident in Odd Nerdrum’s popularity.

“The themes and style in Nerdrum’s work, based on anecdote and narrative, and the major influence of the painters Rembrandt and Caravaggio place him in direct conflict with the abstraction and conceptual art considered acceptable in much of his native Norway. ” Wikipedia

From 1920-1995, artists quietly carried on the tradition of representation while it was overlooked by the Modern Art movement. Artists looked for training at small ateliers and studio schools while most Universities and Colleges brushed over classical training. Some artists struggled to paint representational themes with only surface knowledge of anatomy, perspective, and figure drawing, while others sought out classically-trained artists to mentor them. Now, the thirst for training has gained momentum resulting in a new breed of artist. This resurgence gives a new dimension to representational art that differs from the Contemporary Realism of the 1970s. Artists like Philip Pearlstein, Neil Wellilver, and William Bailey were more akin to Modern artists. Today’s Realists, with newly attained skill, give you a deeper look into a subject’s psychology by capturing subtle emotions reflected in an expression.

The Derriere-Garde movement, founded in the late 1990’s by Stefania de Kenessey, marked the beginning of this trend. The movement called out to “celebrate technique as artistically liberating, and beauty as a universal value.” The article, Adieu to the Avant-Garde — As the artistic regime shifts, realism, rhyme, and representation make a comback by Kanchan Limaye explains how this movement encompassed not only art but also music and writing. As for art, Derriere-Garde sought to acknowledge the artists with contemporary themes, but a solid, deep admiration of the academic art. These values have strengthed since the 90’s. Artists like Dan Thompson, Lisa Bartolozzi, Aaron Westerberg, Aldo Balding, and Richard T. Scott are a handful of contemporary artists who have followed the lead of artists who stood behind Derriere-Garde in the 90’s, such as Steven Assael, Martha Mayer Earlebacher, Vincent Desiderio, and Wade Schuman.

I look forward to seeing the Derriere-Garde movement evolve over the next decade; marking a time when vision and skill intertwine to communicate the beauty and complexity of the human condition.