Art and Home Decor

European art tends to refer to the cultural and historical art traditions that precede the artist or time period in question. Essentially, this means there is more of a focus on imparting a feeling or a sense around the artwork rather than the subject aside from the exact image and appearance of it. The subject would be placed in surroundings imparting larger than life imagery.

American artists, on the other hand, are more focused on the accurate rendering of what is in front of the artist. If the subject of the artist were someone sitting in a chair holding a book then the painting would be of a guy sitting in a chair holding a book but with great attention to the textures and lighting of the subject. Some artists in America’s earlier days were considered trompe l’oeil, which means the art could be mistaken for the real thing.

This essential difference still holds true today in the 21^st century. American art and European art, while there are different artists with different styles, fall into that basic distinction. There are always artists who step outside the bounds of the expected and the norm for art in the geographic location and the world today makes it easier for the lines to blur.

If you are looking to purchase artwork but aren’t sure exactly what you want you can start by thinking about what you want, in general. Do you want realistic artwork that depicts life almost exactly as it really is or, perhaps; you prefer something that is a bit more abstract and not as realistic? It is really up to the person’s individual needs and how they will be displaying the artwork.

In this day and age, with the proliferation of the Internet and the immediate communication possibilities all over the globe, styles are blending and blurring more and more. Soon, there will be no distinction between European and American art other than specific notions or techniques. The less intermixing between cultures, the more distinct the differences, that is just not the case for the most part these days.

However, if you wish to really get down to the basics of the differences here is it:

• American art – What you see if what you get.

• European art – Sometimes a vase of flowers is more than just a vase of flowers.

Who to watch? American or European artists? In this case beauty is truly in the eye of the beholder. Decide what you want in your home or office. Do you want realism? Then go more towards American artwork. Do you want something not as realistic and can be interpreted? Time to go European. In the end, it’s all up to you and your personal taste.