Folk Art in Modern Art History: Knowledge of Its Influence and Evolution
Folk art is artwork made by non-artists that depicts the traditions and lifestyles of people. It can be characterized by its frequently chosen simple and bright color combinations. Folk art has a kind of connection with modern art since, during some periods, it started to dictate to modern artists the usage of popular motifs accompanied by radical innovations for the current epochs.
Today, folk art is still prevalent and still changes with the addition of new techniques. This article seeks to examine folk art, its passage through history, and how it has influenced modern art.
Today, folk art is still prevalent and still changes with the addition of new techniques. This article seeks to examine folk art, its passage through history, and how it has influenced modern art.
folk art
Sep 24, 2024
Daryna Markova
contributor DOM Art Residence
Defining Folk Art
Folk art is easily recognizable by its stylized, brilliant, and naive imagery. It is made by hand, where the object’s function is combined with ornamentality. It is easily identifiable and uses the simplest of designs, coupled with some bright and intentionally over-the-top patterns. Some of the characteristics of folk art are the portrayal of life scenes, customs, and religious beliefs, as these represent part of people’s artistry passed on from generation to generation.
Folk art can be seen as an artifact that retains and documents the traditions of a community, tells about local stories and views, and provides us with information about the artist’s origin and background through the use of motifs in objects such as quilts or pottery.
Characteristics of Folk Art
Folk art can be seen as an artifact that retains and documents the traditions of a community, tells about local stories and views, and provides us with information about the artist’s origin and background through the use of motifs in objects such as quilts or pottery.
Characteristics of Folk Art
- Cultural expression. It preserves and demonstrates the norms that prevail in particular cultures and societies. Conventional Native American beadwork design has been associated with spiritual roles and other features like intricate patterns.
- Simplicity and accessibility. Folk art is free from academic structures and is characterized by simple contours and clear, unmixed hues.
- Functional and decorative. Some of the most common folk arts include quilts and pottery; they are useful artifacts that offer ornamental features to societies, towns, or cities.
The Historical Significance of Folk Art
Folk art has a deeper meaning in that it provides ethnological and historical documentation of a group’s or society’s lifestyle at that particular time. The significance of oral tradition is found in the fact that it enables history and cultural essence within various communities to be passed down and depicted as they are.
Early Origins
Folk art has its origins in ancient societies. For example, in ancient Egypt, pottery and wall paintings in the form of art represented the social culture of the Egyptians, including their religious practices. In like manner, in early Greek and Roman civilizations, basic yet meaningful motifs on pottery and sculpture recounted myths, folk productions, and routines.
Medieval and Renaissance Periods
During the medieval period in Europe, folk art was represented in the form of illuminated manuscripts and religious items. These were mostly accompanied by detailed ornate patterns and telling motifs. In the Renaissance, folk and fine art started to get separated due to folk being more concerned with the use of value and common people as opposed to fine art.
Colonial and Regional Developments
Folk art was the simplest form of artistic production in colonial America since it allowed the settlers to maintain cultural symbols and transform European culture in a new environment. Some items, such as quilts, furniture, and ceramics, were made to represent certain aspects of the lives of the settlers and their culture and beliefs. As folk art, it progressed as such in other parts of the world, although styles differed by region and the resources, tools, and customs available locally.
Preservation of Cultural Heritage
Aspects like beadworks, motifs, and pottery from the indigenous population of the Americas have their own culture, bearing icons of historical and religious meanings.
Modern Recognition and Revival
Folk art is being displayed in museums all over the world and in cultural institutions and festivals. The focus has shifted to diversity and quality. This modern approach helps to maintain the art form and introduce it to new generations, as well as the history behind it.
One of the many ideas that is always supported by street art is the use of visuals and images for social change. Artists deal with a plethora of problems, such as poverty, war, pollution, and agendas for dictatorship. These artistic genres promote dialogue, encourage thinking ahead, and help hold people in power accountable.
The world was taken aback in November 2022 by the secretive graffiti artist Banksy's seven murals he had painted in war-torn Ukraine. The capital city of Kyiv, the severely devastated suburbs of Irpin, and Borodyanka were among the places where these murals could be found.
The paintings were not immediately verified as Banksy's work, but speculation arose online due to their unusual style and emotive messages about the war's impact on people. Finally, in November 2022, Banksy verified the murals' existence on their Instagram account, cementing their reputation as significant creative reactions to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine
Early Origins
Folk art has its origins in ancient societies. For example, in ancient Egypt, pottery and wall paintings in the form of art represented the social culture of the Egyptians, including their religious practices. In like manner, in early Greek and Roman civilizations, basic yet meaningful motifs on pottery and sculpture recounted myths, folk productions, and routines.
Medieval and Renaissance Periods
During the medieval period in Europe, folk art was represented in the form of illuminated manuscripts and religious items. These were mostly accompanied by detailed ornate patterns and telling motifs. In the Renaissance, folk and fine art started to get separated due to folk being more concerned with the use of value and common people as opposed to fine art.
Colonial and Regional Developments
Folk art was the simplest form of artistic production in colonial America since it allowed the settlers to maintain cultural symbols and transform European culture in a new environment. Some items, such as quilts, furniture, and ceramics, were made to represent certain aspects of the lives of the settlers and their culture and beliefs. As folk art, it progressed as such in other parts of the world, although styles differed by region and the resources, tools, and customs available locally.
Preservation of Cultural Heritage
Aspects like beadworks, motifs, and pottery from the indigenous population of the Americas have their own culture, bearing icons of historical and religious meanings.
Modern Recognition and Revival
Folk art is being displayed in museums all over the world and in cultural institutions and festivals. The focus has shifted to diversity and quality. This modern approach helps to maintain the art form and introduce it to new generations, as well as the history behind it.
One of the many ideas that is always supported by street art is the use of visuals and images for social change. Artists deal with a plethora of problems, such as poverty, war, pollution, and agendas for dictatorship. These artistic genres promote dialogue, encourage thinking ahead, and help hold people in power accountable.
The world was taken aback in November 2022 by the secretive graffiti artist Banksy's seven murals he had painted in war-torn Ukraine. The capital city of Kyiv, the severely devastated suburbs of Irpin, and Borodyanka were among the places where these murals could be found.
The paintings were not immediately verified as Banksy's work, but speculation arose online due to their unusual style and emotive messages about the war's impact on people. Finally, in November 2022, Banksy verified the murals' existence on their Instagram account, cementing their reputation as significant creative reactions to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine
The Influence of Folk Art on Contemporary Art
Folk art has influenced contemporary art through the adoption of its aesthetic features, which include vivid colors and numerous patterns. In particular, postmodernists freely borrow from folk art, incorporating its simplicity into their creations. In new ways, techniques such as hand-weaving and block printing are applied with the help of traditional and innovative ones.
Some modern artists, like Faith Ringgold, who quilts to tell stories directly, and Carmen Lomas Garza, who paints traditional Mexican folk art, represent this impact. Thanks to concertation on the issues of community history and culture, contemporary folk art encourages artists to consider identity, history, and societal questions
Some modern artists, like Faith Ringgold, who quilts to tell stories directly, and Carmen Lomas Garza, who paints traditional Mexican folk art, represent this impact. Thanks to concertation on the issues of community history and culture, contemporary folk art encourages artists to consider identity, history, and societal questions
Contemporary Folk Art in the US
At the beginning of the twentieth century, a group of American modernists started combining the simple geometric shapes and bright and primitive colors of the early folk arts with the movements they had studied in Europe and were adapting in America.
Contemporary folk art, including weathervanes, portraits, decoys, hooked rugs, theorem paintings, etc., has the longest and most evolving history, starting from the Summer School of Graphic Arts in Ogunquit, Maine, in 1911. Becoming part of the major art museums starting in the 1930s.
It went to the extent of establishing institutions to house art pieces in specialized museums, such as the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum in Colonial Williamsburg (Virginia) and the American Folk Art Museum (NY).
The collection of contemporary folk art is not so distinctive. It includes works by important figures in the art world, such as curator Holger Cahill, dealer Edith Halpert, and Juliana Force, the first director of the Whitney Museum of American Art. It features pieces by artists who collected and exhibited folk art, including Elie Nadelman, Yasuo Kuniyoshi, and Charles Sheeler. These pioneers saw folk art as a genuine school of art, an heir to American art, and a living tradition.
Contemporary folk art, including weathervanes, portraits, decoys, hooked rugs, theorem paintings, etc., has the longest and most evolving history, starting from the Summer School of Graphic Arts in Ogunquit, Maine, in 1911. Becoming part of the major art museums starting in the 1930s.
It went to the extent of establishing institutions to house art pieces in specialized museums, such as the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum in Colonial Williamsburg (Virginia) and the American Folk Art Museum (NY).
The collection of contemporary folk art is not so distinctive. It includes works by important figures in the art world, such as curator Holger Cahill, dealer Edith Halpert, and Juliana Force, the first director of the Whitney Museum of American Art. It features pieces by artists who collected and exhibited folk art, including Elie Nadelman, Yasuo Kuniyoshi, and Charles Sheeler. These pioneers saw folk art as a genuine school of art, an heir to American art, and a living tradition.
The Future of Folk Art in the Modern World
The future of folk art seems bright and dynamic, and it is in a position to adopt some modern trends as well as incorporate international influences, all while maintaining its traditional facets.
Contemporary artists are giving new meaning to the concept of folk painting by employing new techniques while incorporating the availability of technology. Digital media unlocks new possibilities with experimentation. It can be presented in various formats and engage with other types of art from around the world.
El Anatsui is a good example of how old art traditions can intersect with digital and contemporary practices. His large-scale sculptures, created from recycled materials like bottle caps, merge traditional African craft techniques with modern artistic methods.
- Embracing Digital Innovation
Contemporary artists are giving new meaning to the concept of folk painting by employing new techniques while incorporating the availability of technology. Digital media unlocks new possibilities with experimentation. It can be presented in various formats and engage with other types of art from around the world.
El Anatsui is a good example of how old art traditions can intersect with digital and contemporary practices. His large-scale sculptures, created from recycled materials like bottle caps, merge traditional African craft techniques with modern artistic methods.
- Global Exchange and Fusion
The globalization of art causes strong interconnections among cultures. This art combines traditions resulting from the ethnological developments of other countries and forms a synthesis of new trends. This cross-cultural input enhances the aesthetics of the art form by adding novel approaches and motifs.
Yinka Shonibare embodies the correlation of modern folk art with postmodern art. The artwork of the contemporary artist involves brightly patterned Dutch wax fabrics with African and European origins, through which Shonibare comments on the burning issues of identity and colonialism. By so doing, Shonibare’s art provokes the outside world to consider how different cultures and interactions may assimilate folkloric practices for inventive purposes.
- Sustainability and Innovation
Today’s folk artists are gradually moving towards sustainability. Some of them are opting for the use of recycled material and vernacular techniques in the project, noticeably incorporating art with environmental concerns and culture. This approach emphasizes the continued significance of using folk art to solve modern problems. It strengthens the link to traditional ones.
Mickalene Thomas provides insight into how folk art can serve to address contemporary issues like sustainability. Her artworks are primarily in mixed media, and the major raw materials she uses are recycled products. Using sustainable practices in artwork, like Thomas, several modern artists align with traditional folk art values, embracing environmentalism.
- Continued Cultural Preservation
As contemporary folk art receives recognition internationally, people pay much attention to maintaining its traditions. Institutions and museums aim to preserve folk art and engender the population's knowledge of its importance. Such efforts help people appreciate folk art as one of the most traditional forms of art in history.
One of the performers of contemporary folk art and its significance is the artist Faith Ringgold. Working in the tradition of narrative quilts, she applied different perspectives of quilting to such significant aspects of modern culture as social problems. Her work is in many large museums, receiving considerable attention.
- New Platforms and Engagement
Contemporary social media and the Internet greatly expose folk artists and their creations to audiences. Thanks to direct communication between the artists and the viewers, these platforms present new opportunities for visiting folk art.
Virtual exhibitions, galleries, and social media campaigns assist in getting folk art to a larger audience and bringing more interactivity into the art.
Carmen Lomas Garza is a very good example of how new platforms have led to folk art being more popular than before. Her artwork incorporates Mexican folk art, and has widely displayed her works through social networks and other new forms of media. With the help of online platforms, Garza has an audience all around the world and discusses various communities, providing more attention to folk art and extending access to it.
How Folk Motifs Inspire Contemporary Art
In the past hundred years, traditional forms and techniques have been modified and incorporated into so many aspects of today’s modern art style. It means that folk art, in addition to its presence in visual and material aspects, manifests in conceptually innovative paradigms that redefine such notions as identity, community, and sustainability.
Modern artists and designers use folk traditions to revive culture and create new symbols. Folk motifs and techniques make it possible to bring personal and shared emotions together, combining heritage and present-day experience.
Modern artists and designers use folk traditions to revive culture and create new symbols. Folk motifs and techniques make it possible to bring personal and shared emotions together, combining heritage and present-day experience.