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The question “what makes art modern?” is a very conceptual question. To me, modern art is anything that was modern for its time. What I mean by this is that when new techniques or styles become “mainstreamed” it becomes very common for artists to start using those techniques or styles making these traits “of their time.” For example, today, art is centered around self-expression and how the artist views a specific subject. This would be the modern art style of today’s world.

Another example that can be used is Impressionism. Impressionism was characterized by broken brush strokes, pure unblended colors, and the emphasis on the effect of life. Artists during this period broke a barrier in a way. They decided to do what worked best for them at the time. Impressionist art is very different from art from the Renaissance period in the way that it did not have specific rules to how art pieces were “supposed” to be created. Art was created by current moment inspiration.  

Post-Impressionism was a more “modern” version of Impressionism. These artists had the same techniques and styles as impressionism except in a more controlled setting. They used rules and methods to make their art in a “scientific way”. Another method that was used during this time was the use of paint straight from the tube. Instead of artists mixing paint on a pallet or on the canvas, they used the exact hue and used other colors to create shading or highlights instead of adding to the color that they are already using. Also, instead of their brushstrokes being “messy”, they were neat and orderly.