Leonardo da Vinci wrote in reverse so his journals could only be read in the reflection of a mirror. Michelangelo created a name for himself after a failed attempt at art fraud. Donatello destroyed his sculpture rather than giving it to a patron who he thought devalued his work. The artists of modern times are surviving pandemics, upgrading their iPhones and entering a world of self-driving cars. Different time periods, different life experiences, different styles of art.

Whereas classical art depicts a scene and tells a story, often of mythology or religious references, artists of modern times focus more on expressing ideas and feelings. As they learn about famous art pieces in history and explore current works, students like Brinley Shuman have developed an opinion about the two time periods and the different styles of art they have created. Shuman said there were positive aspects to both old and new styles. 

“I don’t have one [style of art] that I think is better because I think they both have their pros and cons,” Shuman said. “For modern art, they’re generally a lot more colorful, it has a lot more different shades and tones of color. Whereas with classical art, they’re usually of the same color palettes. However, with classical art, it is usually easier to understand the meaning behind them while modern art is mainly personal interpretation.”

Shuman has developed her own style of art that reflects the current trends of modern art, she said.

“I like modern art, it’s fun,” Shuman said. “It’s more similar to my style of art so I can really understand what their point of view was with the piece. The vibrant colors of modern art draws my eye and keeps me more focused on it. It’s more pleasing to my tastes because I really enjoy interpreting artwork.”

Sophomore Meg Allaka said she agrees with Shuman’s statement about personal interpretation.

“I like being able to personally interpret [modern art],” Allaka said. “It’s up to my imagination, I get to feel how I want about it. Whereas, in classical art, I have no room to find myself in the painting.”

Going beyond the message of a painting, the focus has also changed, according to sophomore Braeden Murray.

“[Over time,] I think art has shifted more to emotion rather than human beauty, ” Murray said. “Modern art is significantly more abstract and doesn’t have an obvious theme in mind. Very simple shapes, no people to be seen, and more colorful. I think in the older [time period] the art was definitely more human based, with biblical [references] while modern art is more emotion-based because it’s not depicting a particular scene or action that’s happening.”

The focus may be different than what it once was, but modern art has aspects that classical art doesn’t have, according to Shuman.

“I think [classical art pieces] can be nice at times, but overall I feel like they don’t have as much life to them,” Shuman said. “During that time period, they didn’t really showcase expression. I think it is important to show expression because not only does it give a way for artists to showcase their work and what their mind is capable of, but it also gives people new ideas and a variety of options.”

Freshman Maggie Lee Wen said she prefers classical paintings over modern paintings because of the stories they depict and the history behind them.

“[Classical art] is very eye-catching while modern art is all kind of the same,” Lee Wen said. “[Classical art] paintings are interesting, they’re history and hold a lot of meaning. We may think we know a lot about history, but it’s always good to have a simple reminder about what happened in our past.”

Art is in a constant state of growth, according to Murray. The styles that are famous and considered modern today might look completely different twenty years from now.

“The styles of painting are still evolving,” Murray said. “As long as humans are still around, there will always be evolution. [Art] is influenced by the way humans see the world and that influences the art they create about it.”

An artist’s experiences reflect their work, and world events have an impact on the art of that day, Shuman says.

“Art is how you see the world and what you think of it,” Shuman said. “[Between the two time periods] I wouldn’t say they’re different art styles, I’d say it’s different people and different perspectives. Art styles tend to shift with people’s ideas and what is most prominent in their life.”