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Overview
What is Naïve Art?
OngoingPeriod
InternationalBegan in
12Key artists on this page
7Works with free images
5Museums to visit
Naïve art is usually defined as visual art that is created by a person who lacks, or chooses not use, the formal education and training that a professional artist undergoes (in anatomy, art history, technique, perspective, and ways of seeing). When this aesthetic is emulated by a trained artist, the result is sometimes called primitivism, pseudo-naïve art, or faux naïve art. Unlike folk art, naïve art does not necessarily derive from a distinct popular cultural context or tradition; indeed, at least in the advanced economies and since the Printing Revolution, awareness of the local fine art tradition has been inescapable, as it diffused through popular prints and other media. Naïve artists are aware of "fine art" conventions such as graphical perspective and compositional conventions, but are unable to fully use them, or choose not to.From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Original Art Movements text
This is the text that appeared on this page on the original Art Movements site. It is kept for reference; some statements are simplified or out of date. Where it differs from the overview, characteristics and dates above, which are checked against Wikipedia and Wikidata, trust those instead.
Artwork, usually paintings, characterized by a simplified style, nonscientific perspective, and bold colors. The artists are generally not professionally trained. Henri Rousseau and Grandma Moses worked in this style.
The Sleeping Gypsy by Henri Rousseau, 1897 · Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
Period
Ongoing
Began in
International
Key artists
Maria Prymachenko, Niko Pirosmani, Henri Rousseau, Grandma Moses
Related
Post-Impressionism, Pointillism, Les Nabis
How to recognise it
Key characteristics of Naïve Art
Artists without academic training
Simple, flat forms and bright colours
Unusual or no perspective
Great detail and pattern
Sincere, direct vision
Timeline
When was Naïve Art?
Naïve Art is usually dated Ongoing, beginning in International. Dates for art movements are approximate: artists joined and left, and styles overlapped.
Each bar shows an artist's life; the shaded band is the main period of Naïve Art.
Carl Ludwig Jessen
Ferdinand Cheval
Henri Rousseau
Grandma Moses
Niko Pirosmani
Séraphine Louis
Olga Sacharoff
L. S. Lowry
Horace Pippin
Maria Prymachenko
Ivan Rabuzin
Nino Camardo
Naïve Art
1833–1917
1836–1924
1844–1910
1860–1961
1862–1918
1864–1942
1881–1967
1887–1976
1888–1946
1908–1997
1921–2008
born 1949
1850190019502000
Who
Key Naïve Art artists
Artists linked to Naïve Art in Wikidata, ordered by how widely they are covered on Wikipedia. Artists marked Art Icons have a full profile on our sister site.
Art by artists without formal training, with clear outlines, bright colour and a direct, childlike vision.
When was Naïve Art?
Naïve Art: Ongoing. It began in International. Dates for art movements are approximate.
What are the main characteristics of Naïve Art?
Artists without academic training; Simple, flat forms and bright colours; Unusual or no perspective; Great detail and pattern; Sincere, direct vision.
Who are the most famous Naïve Art artists?
Maria Prymachenko, Niko Pirosmani, Henri Rousseau, Grandma Moses, Ferdinand Cheval.
What are some famous Naïve Art works?
The Sleeping Gypsy by Henri Rousseau; Tiger in a Tropical Storm by Henri Rousseau; The Dream by Henri Rousseau; The Repast of the Lion by Rome; Emma Van Name by Joshua Johnson.
Where can I see Naïve Art art?
Museum of Modern Art (New York, United States), Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, United States), National Gallery (London, United Kingdom), Colonial Williamsburg (United States), Baltimore Museum of Art (United States) hold works shown on this page.
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