You may be familiar with the phenomenon of questioning the seriousness of certain works of art or even considering them to be of no artistic value. There are paintings that look as if they were drawn by a child.
When you delve deeper into the creator's life, the artist's age often causes surprise. Can you recall any such instances?
You were most likely standing in front of a work of naive art (also called amateur painting).
What is Naive Art? – Definition, characteristics and related styles
What is meant by naive painting?
The term “naive art” is defined as a collective term for artistic works by self-taught artists who primarily opt for simplified, carefree and imaginative motifs, without having received any formal training.
Naive painting is therefore practiced by artists who have acquired their knowledge independently by experimenting with various painting techniques. For this reason, this style is also referred to as amateur painting , as they often lack conventional expertise in formal methods.
However, these painters should not be confused with people who paint purely for fun or pursue their passion as a mere hobby . A follower of naive art creates their works with the same passion as a trained painter and pursues certain intentions, such as expressing their feelings and ideas in a non-academic way.
Characteristics of Naïve Art:
Simple depictions of objects (often with a childlike character)
carefree and imaginative realization of visions
Typical lack of perspective in objects that appear to float in space (disregard for the rules of perspective from the Renaissance)
Correct proportions and geometric principles are given little consideration
no use of shadows
very detailed work with saturated and brilliant colors
Often, the artworks represent individual wishful dreams or inner worlds of experience that the creator feels deep inside.
When choosing their subjects for artworks, naive artists often draw on everyday objects or their immediate surroundings. Sometimes they are also inspired by dreamlike imagery. The depictions are frequently simple, with objects and living beings greatly simplified.
Many artists deliberately avoid depicting light and shadow, opting instead for bold, bright colors. Naïve artists often develop an emotional connection to their works, as they choose motifs linked to personal experiences, dreams, or fates.
Classification within the art world and related styles
Naive painting seeks to distinguish itself from the insincere, formalized approach of other arts and to focus on clarity and simplicity , without trying to convince through methodological knowledge.
Naive art seems to be related to the art concept of primitivism , to which important representatives such as Max Ernst, Paul Gauguin, Henry Moore, Pablo Picasso, Amedeo Modigliani and Ernst Ludwig Kirchner can be attributed.
Primitivism in art is a movement of artists who engage with archaic and ethnological art that does not belong to the traditional canon of art history. During this period, at the beginning of the last century, these artists found the sculptures of tribal cultures particularly fascinating.
In contrast to Naïve Art, Primitivism is an intellectual stance that consciously draws inspiration from Western design dogmas and towards the more archaic approaches of indigenous peoples.
The primitivism of the early 20th century problematically oversimplified art by attributing a lack of rationality to non-Western artists. This reflects colonialist thinking and ignores the profound meanings behind non-Western artworks.
Contemporary artworks in this way imitate the naive painting of indigenous peoples without taking their cultural development into account. While the avant-garde appreciated this unconventional art for its vitality, it appropriated it disrespectfully.
Furthermore, naive painting and forms of primitivism overlap with the art movements of Anglo-American Outsider Art or French Art Brut .
Both terms encompass artworks created by people who lack formal artistic training. Instead, they follow their inner urge to express themselves through color. Children, people with disabilities or mental illnesses , and social outcasts are considered the main participants in this form of simple art.
Her works are characterized by creative inventiveness, an extensive imagination, and unconventional visual languages .
avant-garde art movements they can be characterized by a particular radicalism towards existing political conditions or prevailing aesthetic norms. However, unlike the self-proclaimed avant-garde, this need not be intentional and can arise entirely intuitively.
The diversity within self-taught art movements, as well as the individuality, is extremely pronounced. This is primarily due to the diverse influences and the open creative possibilities without rigid rules and techniques.
It is virtually impossible to precisely define the boundaries of self-taught art movements.
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Origin story of the art movement
Although Naïve art officially originated in the 19th century , its core ideas and principles reach far back into the past. Even if it cannot be considered an art movement , many people nevertheless longed for a return to simplicity and clarity.
References to primitive models can be seen in almost every artistic style period.
Early approaches in antiquity
Ancient texts lament the lack of clarity and simplicity in rhetoric, for example. Throughout history, people have repeatedly admired the simple lifestyles of indigenous peoples.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, Europeans on their voyages of discovery described such indigenous peoples as noble, innocent, wise, and unspoiled. The simplicity of their thoughts was considered the basis of pure virtue and stood in stark contrast to the superficial and effeminate European society. Their values were seen as artificial.
Further development in the 18th century
This era was characterized by the Enlightenment, which embraced the ideas of a simple life. Enlightenment thinkers saw in this way of life the potential for a state of happiness marked by a special euphoria.
Since then, it has been considered a classic element in religious, political, and aesthetic thought. For the first time, ideas of simplicity established themselves as methods in painting. Clear lines with a focus on detail and natural, aesthetic forms now became established as methodological norms Neoclassicism
Birth in the 19th century
Paul Gauguin was a French painter whose early works Impressionist . He was known as a restless person, marked by inner turmoil and conflict. When he became aware of these gaps in his own soul, he made himself a promise.
He wanted to study the original and primitive in order to advance the process of self-healing. He believed that simplified forms radiated a power of superiority.
In 1888, after his Caribbean travels, he returned to his native Brittany, France. His experiences inspired him to develop a distinctive painting style with a unique visual language. This style has been described in the literature as Symbolism , Post-Impressionism , or Synthetism . However, Gauguin is in fact the founder of Primitivism.
His painting “The Vision After the Sermon – Jacob’s Struggle with the Angel” is considered a milestone in his artistic development. Forms, objects, and colors are no longer influenced by impressions from nature, but are guided by his imagination.
In this work, the artist combines the visible, in the form of a praying woman, with his visions, represented by an angel. It symbolizes the shift from visually driven art to the representation of spiritual concepts. Gauguin's naive painting follows a more philosophical approach and relegates aesthetics to the background.
The artist liked to describe himself as a wild personality. Many interpreters see his depictions as a return to the artistic practices of ancient cultures.
His works aimed to draw attention to simple and original motifs. He wanted not only to rejuvenate painting, but also to renew it.
Gauguin consciously turned away from modern art . It went against his principles to use his paintings to create an illusion of reality. Rather, he expressed his own feelings and thoughts through colors and forms. These inner aspirations are clearly evident in a line from a letter in which the painter admonished one of his friends:
Don't paint too much from nature. The artwork is an abstraction. Draw it from nature by contemplating and dreaming before it
20th century
The key theme of modern primitivism lies in the demand for clarity , but it goes far beyond that.
The term “Naive Art” was first used in the 1920s by the German art writer Wilhelm Uhde . Under this “new banner,” the art expert united artists such as Henri Rousseau and André Bauchant in one exhibition.
He was particularly supportive of Adalbert Trillhaase , an important naive painter in Germany who was defamed during the Nazi era.
His works, such as "The Good Samaritan," reflect simple, fateful moments. Trillhaase died in 1936 and is still honored today by Trillhaase Park. He is still considered the most important naive painter in Germany.
The popularity of this art movement rose rapidly when the traveling exhibition “Maîtres populaires de la réalités” was first shown in Paris and Zurich in 1937. Nevertheless, the style was not particularly highly regarded at that time. The appreciation of such simple art forms as Art Brut or Outsider Art are phenomena of the present day.
It was after the Second World War that Naïve art from Kovačica, Serbia, gained widespread recognition and popularity. Numerous books of paintings were published, and international exhibitions, including some with UNESCO participation, took place.
Well-known figures in this movement, such as Zuzana Halupova , Martin Jonaš , and others, significantly shaped the artistic landscape. Zuzana Halupova's works have even been featured on UNICEF greeting cards and incorporated into various projects. The diversity and quality of her art have made her a globally recognized figure.
Many living and contemporary artists continue to strive for recognition of their works and view naive painting as a professional art form, while other painters refuse such commercialization.
Important representatives of self-taught arts
Henri Rousseau & Contemporaries
Henri Rousseau (1844-1910), also known as "The Customs Officer" (French: Le Douanier), is considered the most famous artist of this movement. His Naïve art is reflected in depictions of the jungle with its tropical vegetation, and the painter also created portraits in a simple style.
The French painter Henri Rousseau was famous for his naive paintings. At the same time, he is also considered a forerunner of Surrealism. His work "The Dream" illustrates this in an impressive way. In a lush jungle landscape, wild animals, colorful birds, climbing monkeys, palm trees, and trees with bright orange fruit can be seen. The idyllic scene is bathed in a paradisiacal light by the round, white moon.
In the center of the painting, a Black figure gently plays a wind instrument, while a naked woman reclines on a red velvet sofa, gesturing with her arm and hand towards flowers, the musician, and the animals. Is she the dreamer? Is the viewer taking a journey through her dream world? The painting exudes a peaceful serenity, in which everything exists harmoniously side by side: colorful flowers sway in unison to the musician's melody.
Key stylistic elements of Rousseau's Naïve paintings are movements that appear frozen in a still, deep space. The figures' faces are typically depicted in either strict profile or direct frontal views. This style is considered characteristic of Naïve painting, in which people are never shown from behind or rarely with their faces obscured.
A deep passion is concealed in the fixed gaze of Rousseau's subjects and in his precise lines. Many of his contemporaries pursued a similarly passionate connection to various subjects:
André Bauchant (1873-1958): Passion for ancient mythology and close connection to nature
Alfred Wallis (1855-1942): primitive boat paintings created from memory
Ben Nicholson (1894-1982): A penchant for clean lines and primary colors
Camille Bombois (1883-1970): Landscapes, female nudes and fairground scenes
Louis Vivin (1861-1936): Love of flowers, hunting, cities and still lifes
Séraphine Louis (1864-1942): floral motifs in abstract form, mystically and religiously influenced.
Frida Kahlo
Frida Kahlo was one of the most important artists of the 20th century and, together with her husband Diego Rivera, formed a legendary couple. Despite serious health challenges, she remained passionate, rebellious, and independent.
The tragic love story between Kahlo and Rivera, as well as Kahlo's revolutionary personality, profoundly shaped her eventful life. Her artistic work and political activism left an unforgettable mark on the art world of her era.
Although the Mexican art icon was often associated with Surrealism – presumably also due to the admiration of the surrealist poet André Breton – Frida always rejected this classification.
In fact, she was a self-taught artist and had not received any traditional training (only some basic knowledge from an engraver named Fernando Fernández, a friend of the family). She always followed her intuitive creative process and can therefore undoubtedly be classified as belonging to the Naïve Art movement.
Thematically, her art spanned a range from self-portraits and gender issues to identity and postcolonial themes. This approach combined the fantastic with the real in a way reminiscent of Surrealism and magical realism, and exhibiting the directness of murals.
Her work gained international attention like no other by a naive artist, partly due to her moving biography.
In which museums can you find exhibitions of naive art?
Works of art by self-taught artists are now exhibited in numerous museums in Europe, Russia and America.
The following museums (a selection) feature permanent and, in many cases, special exhibitions by self-taught amateur artists:
Germany
Zander Collection Art Museum in Stadion Castle in Bönnigheim
Department of Naive Art at the Clemens Sels Museum in Neuss
Collection area for naive art at the Museum of European Cultures in Berlin
Collection of Polish naive art (Hans-Joachim and Christina Orth Collection) in the painting and sculpture collection of the city of Nuremberg (on permanent loan to the Berlin museums)
Haus Cajeth Museum in Heidelberg
Belgium
Musée d'Art Spontané in Brussels
Art and Marges Museum in Brussels
MADmusée in Liège
France
Musée International d'Art Naïf Anatole Jakovsky in Nice
Halle Saint Pierre in Paris
Musée d'art naïf de Vicq en Île-de-France in Vicq
Musée d'Art naïf et d'Arts singuliers at Laval Castle in Laval
Musée municipal d'Art Naïf et Populaires in Noyer-sur-Serein
LaM – Lille Métropole, musée d'art moderne, d'art contemporain and d'art brut in Villeneuve-d'Ascq
MAN Musée d'Art Naif in Béraut
Italy
Museo Nazionale delle Arti NaÏves Cesare Zavattini in Luzzara
Spain
Museum of Naive Art in Figueres
Portugal
Museu De Arte Primitiva Moderna in Guimarães
Poland
Galerie d'Art Naif in Krakow
Switzerland
Museum in the warehouse in St. Gallen
Croatia
Croatian Museum of Naive Art in Zagreb
Galerija naive umjetnosti in Hlebine
USA
American Folk Art Museum in New York City
Anthony Petullo Collection in Milwaukee
Croatian Naive Art Gallery & Museum collection in Saint Petersburg, Florida
Canada
Le Musée International d'Art Naïf in Magog
Brazil
Museu do Sol in Penápolis
Museo Internacional de Arte Naïf de Brazil in Cosme Velho, Rio de Janeiro
Galeria Jacques Ardies in São Paulo
Where can you buy naive art?
First of all, you will find what you are looking for directly in the Kunstplaza online gallery, as we have included several contemporary artists from this category:
Naive art, apart from this, finds its place worldwide in major museums and art exhibitions , where the works can also be purchased. Some contemporary artists sell their paintings, which are tagged accordingly, on their own websites .
Auctions of naive art and Art Brut are also regularly held at art auctions
Catawiki
Catawiki is Europe's most visited curated marketplace for special objects – over 65,000 items are offered in auctions every week. The operators' aim is to provide their customers with an exciting and seamless experience when buying and selling special objects on the platform.
Furthermore, there are numerous virtual collections showcasing various painters and their primitive creations. Here, a template is printed onto a desired medium and thus reproduced.
If you're looking for unique pieces , browse reputable e-commerce platforms for art sales. These platforms offer established, as well as young, emerging, or still unknown artists of Art Brut and Outsider Art, an opportunity to present their creations to the world and sell them to enthusiasts.
Art finder
Artfinder was founded because artists exist everywhere – and so do people who value authentic, handcrafted artwork. The founders believe in "Made to Last ," ethical production, and building a company that improves all our lives by supporting creativity in communities around the world.
Artists sell their art directly through this platform. Art that sparks our imagination, transforms our homes, and expresses who we truly are. Find and buy original artworks, regardless of taste or budget. Including nearly 10,000 works of naive art.
ars mundi is Europe's largest art mail-order company.
At ars mundi you will find works by renowned artists of the 20th and 21st centuries, as well as high-quality reproductions of world-famous art objects. From Picasso and Chagall , Rodin and Degas to Hundertwasser and Immendorff.
Discover over 10,000 art objects that you'll hardly find anywhere else – many are exclusive to ars mundi – selected by ars mundi and produced exclusively for ars mundi. This includes nearly 1,000 works of Naïve Art.
Through the worldwide presentation of its artists, the team of the international online art gallery Singulart to accompany art lovers and collectors on a journey of discovery through new artistic horizons and cultures.
Singulart provides artists with tools that allow them to independently manage their PR and sales processes.
More than 600 artists are featured in the “Naive Painting” section.
Thomas Grochowiak : German Naive Art. Bongers Publishing House, Recklinghausen 1976, ISBN 3-7647-0253-2.
Sam Phillips: “Primitivism”, in: ‘Understanding Modern Art – From Impressionism to the 21st Century’, Leipzig, 2015, pp. 36ff.
Oto Bihalji-Merin and Nebojsa-Bato Tomasevic : World Encyclopedia of Naive Art. One Hundred Years of Naive Art. Parkland, Stuttgart, 1989
Volker Dallmeier : Naive Art. History and Present. Bielefeld 1981 (Catalogue of the exhibition of the same name, Museum of Cultural History)
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Owner and Managing Director of Kunstplaza. Journalist, editor, and passionate blogger in the field of art, design, and creativity since 2011. Successful completion of a degree in web design as part of a university study (2008). Further development of creativity techniques through courses in free drawing, expressive painting, and theatre/acting. Profound knowledge of the art market through years of journalistic research and numerous collaborations with actors/institutions from art and culture.
Like any subject area, art also has a wealth of specialised terminology, expressions, abbreviations, and foreign words.
In this section, we would like to introduce you to some of the most important and common terms from time to time.
You will be able to learn and deepen your understanding of a range of information, definitions, liturgical terms, notes, common technical terms and their abbreviations, as well as concepts from art theory, art history, and art philosophy.
In art, the classification of artists and artworks into stylistic periods occurs. These are based on common characteristic features of the artworks and cultural products of an era.
The division into epochs serves as a tool for structuring and classification of works and artists into a temporal framework and a cultural history.
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In this section of the art magazine, we would like to help you gain a better understanding of these epochs, styles and movements.
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The art style or also the direction in artworks refers to the uniform expression of the artworks and cultural products of an era, an artist or an artist group, an art movement, or an art school.
This is a tool for categorising and systematising the diversity of art. It denotes similarities that distinguish it from others.
The term is thematically related to the Art Movement, but it should not be viewed solely within a temporal framework and is therefore much broader.
In this section, we would like to help you gain a better understanding of styles and movements in art.
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Terracotta belly vase with rattan details, black (size: M)
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