With 2021 behind us, now is the perfect time to look back on the year and all the artistic trends that came and went.
Every year, new art styles, mediums and subjects become popular. The constantly changing nature of the artistic space means there’s always new perspectives, artists, and fashions for art-lovers to enjoy.
At Art2Arts, we are always adding new artists to our collections, and allowing them to bring something new to our gallery, and we always love seeing how much our customers enjoy these pieces.
We hope that you were able to find new pieces, unleash your creativity and get artistic last year too.
Here are some of the top art styles, mediums and subjects that were popular in 2021.
Abstract Art
During 2021, we saw a big surge in popularity for abstract art. This covers any form of art that doesn’t try to show an accurate representation of reality; instead, artists will use varying shapes, colours, forms to convey a message or situation.
Despite not showing reality in the way that we may be most familiar with, abstract art has a unique ability to evoke a sense of emotion and stir up feelings within us.
Popular artists – that we’re sure you’ve all heard of – in this genre include people like Jackson Pollock, Pablo Picasso, and Mark Rothco.
Emerging in the early 1900s, this art style has seen many iterations, but in 2021 it saw a new resurgence, with many artists using the freedom and expression of the abstract form in their work.
We host thousands of abstract paintings and drawings from a whole host of artists at Art2Arts; some of which are inspired by nature, the human form, music, landscapes, and even everyday life.
Whatever your artistic style, or interior design tastes, you’re sure to find an amazing piece and transform your walls at Art2Arts. Here are some of our favourite abstract paintings that you can purchase from us today.
Summer Flowers from the Garden II by Jan Rippingham – a vibrant and eye-catching piece that uses confident strokes and bold colours to display a beautiful bouquet of summer flowers that will remind you of warmer months, all year round.
Moving Through by Graham Evans – features a nude study of a figure walking through an abstract scene. A piece that stops and makes you think, with the abstract nature conjuring up questions that creates an interesting centrepiece for any room.
Autumn Embers No 2 by Jennifer Taylor – if your favourite season is Autumn, this stunning large-scale oil painting will remind you of Autumnal scenes, no matter the time of year. With abstract shapes, colours and strokes, this piece offers a captivating warmth to bring life to any wall.
Acrylic & Oil
Every artist has their favourite medium to get creative with, but in 2021 we saw more and more creatives turn to acrylic and oil paints in their work.
These two popular mediums, create very different – but equally as beautiful – works of art, making it easy to see why both have been such mainstays in artistic paintboxes throughout the year.
Popularity of acrylic paints
For a range of colours, fast drying time and mess-free results, many artists choose acrylic paints as their preferred medium.
This medium can also be used across many surfaces, like wood, canvas, fabric and even ceramics, making it a truly unique paint to have in your kit.
The water-based paint became widely used by artists around the 1960s but was first developed in the early 30s. Since then, the popularity of the medium never diminished, mainly as it allowed artists to create work quickly and explore new realms of artistic expression.
Acrylic paint art can be very varied, lending itself to impressionist paintings like Freespirits by Colette Baumback, and contemporary pieces like Solstice Dawn by Ian Stewart. The medium looks just as striking when used in abstract pieces, like Paradise Song by Paresh Nrshinga.
Popularity of oil paints
Oil paints are as versatile as they are beautiful. Used in many art styles, this medium can be used to create opaque, transparent, and translucent paintings in a range of finishes.
These paints can also be applied using many tools like brushes, knives or cloths that offer many different effects.
Straight out of the tube, oil paints can achieve a smooth and opaque finish but can be thinned down using solvents to fit any artistic requirements.
With thick strokes, you end up with striking pieces like Landscape 40 by Kestutis Jauniskis, but when thinned out you can achieve beautifully misty pieces like A Lingering Magic by Gill Bustamante, even clear and vibrant scenes like Glorious Moment I Framed by Carol Ann Wood.
Abstracts and Landscapes
Finally, we’ll be talking about some of the most popular subjects for art in 2021, being abstract and landscape scenes, both of which you can find in abundance in our Art2Arts collection.
Abstract subjects
Abstract subjects can be imaginative and immersive, displaying scenes that may not appear exactly like they are in real-life, but are still able to tell a story in our minds.
With abstract subjects like flowers in Orange Blossoms 1 by Simon Fairless being a great example of how art can be used to display a subject, even if the forms and shapes being used aren’t as realistic as we’re used to them being.
This is similarly shown in A Summer Garden VIII by Jan Rippingham, which uses bright colours and irregular forms to depict a bunch of summer flowers.
Landscape subjects
With the pandemic locking many of us inside our houses, the popularity of landscape paintings increased as we all yearned for our previous travels and memories from across the world.
Artists in the Art2Arts collections have some beautiful pieces that will evoke memories in any of our customers. From the peace and tranquillity that comes from watching the sunset in Olive Trees at Sunset by Colette Baumback, to a peaceful walk in the country as shown in Amid the Springtime Blue by Paula Oakley.
For those who craved their summer holidays, reminders can be found in the paradise pictured in Karpathos Island, Greece by Maureen Greenwood.
