primitive art
Art before academies
Primitive art refers to art created by peoples outside the Western academic tradition—particularly indigenous, tribal, or prehistoric cultures.
The term gained currency when European artists like Picasso drew inspiration from African masks and Oceanic carvings.
It also describes work by self-taught artists in Western societies, sometimes called naive or outsider art.
The label has fallen from favor because it implies a hierarchy with Western art at the top: The museum renamed its primitive art collection.
- cave paintingsPrehistoric artwork on stone
- cave artPrehistoric images on stone
- hand stencilsTraced hand shapes
- petroglyphsCarvings on natural stone
- rock carvingsImages incised in stone
ritual objects · stone engraving · ceremonial masks · tribal masks · bone carving · wood carving · symbolic imagery · geometric shapes · folk art · outsider art · clay modeling · abstract forms · heritage crafts · earthy tones · rough · basket weaving · natural materials · African
- art formspainting, drawing, sculpture, photography, music
- art stylesimpressionism, surrealism, cubism, realism, pop art
- Outsider Artnaive art, self-taught artists, emotional honesty, religious visions, bold colors
- colonial artreligious art, altarpieces, portraits, portraiture, biblical scenes
- regional artHudson River School, Barbizon School, Dutch Golden Age
- Avant-Garde ArtDada, Dadaism, Surrealism, Cubism, Futurism
primitive artclassical art
Ancient Greek and Roman works
fine art · high art · beaux-arts · neoclassical art · Renaissance art
primitive artWestern art
European visual heritage
modern art · contemporary art · Old Masters · European art · industrial art
artist, artistic, artistry, primitive, artisan, artifact, artifice, artsiest, artsier