An artistic style that privileges "simpler" times or cultures over a more "advanced" or modern way of life. Primitivism idealizes earlier times and it looks to rural living as an answer to the problems of modern civilization. Many twentieth-century poets idealized classical times by using mythology in their poetry. Other writers turned to Africa and images of the noble savage as an antidote to modern life.
Twentieth century musical style resembling some of the characteristics of the art movement of the same name. Stravinsky's ballet The Rite of Spring exemplifies many of the common features: persistent and driving rhythms, bold dissonances, and the simultaneous use of more than one key.
Admiration and appropriation of Indigenous art as a source of inspiration for western art.
a genre characteristic of (or imitative of) primitive artists or children
A contemporary style of art which is influenced by prehistoric and non-western cultures. Africa, South America, and Eastern civilizations are the most influential.
Belief that nature provides truer and more healthful models than does culture. An example is the myth of the "noble savage."
belief in the superiority and vitality of a simple, unsophisticated, natural way of life. Primitivist artists use techniques such as bold colors, formal simplicity, tribal masks, and distortion to show savage, passionate, pre-civilized life.
A term used to describe artistic and literary styles that borrow from cultures (usually non-European) considered less advanced than the artist's own. Primitivism in painting enjoyed a vogue in the early decades of the twentieth century, and artists such as Picasso incorporated style and symbol from African art, while literary figures looked to rural settings and "simple" folk for their stories and poems. These seemingly less complex societies and modes of life appeared to provide an answer to the confusion caused by the modern world.