Art is essential to completing a space, but choosing the right type of art for your space can be incredibly overwhelming, especially for beginners. With so many eras, subject matters, mediums, and sizes, how do you know which style of art is best?
When choosing art for your home, you want to first consider the goal of the art piece, whether that be to open up a room, to draw attention to itself, to calm, or to excite.
In this article, we'll specifically explore different subject matters in art and how they affect the experience of a space.
Landscapes
Landscapes are perfect for opening up a room. They act as a window to a picturesque world that calls to you. They add the serenity of a forest, the excitement city skyline, or the drama of a stormy ocean view. At the same time, landscapes are uncontroversial and likely will not overpower a room. This makes landscapes a popular and low-risk option for adding beauty, openness, and elegance to a space.
Portraits and People
Portraits bring a personal feel to a space. Depictions of people can tell a story, evoke emotion, or create a sense of dynamic action. A portrait of a loved one or historical figure can serve as a focal point that provides direction within a room that can serve as a point of conversation or remembrance. Portrait paintings tend to be more specific and less adaptable but are often more meaningful to the viewer.
Abstracts
Abstracts manifest a certain mood and can greatly enliven a space. They portray emotions rather than physical objects or scenes. This lack of context makes abstracts possibly the most adaptable genre of art. You can be certain that there is a piece out there which will fit into any home's aesthetic style. Abstracts art is especially popular when placed in contrast to modern architecture with angular lines and stark surfaces. Although the vibrant colors of some abstracts are prone to overpowering a room, they can also act as the keystone which completes a space if skillfully implemented.
Era Art:
Era art adds specific character to a room. Whether it be cowboys on a cattle drive in the Wild West, or aristocrats walking through a park in Victorian England, they give the room a specific atmosphere and take the viewer to another place and time. Pictures with activity and objects reflect your interests and hobbies and are perfect for tying a theme of a space together.
We've reviewed a few of the most prominent categories in fine art. Hopefully this article has given you some inspiration as to what type of art you will want to include in your home. It can be easy to get wrapped up in what others might think of an art piece when they walk in the room, or in the acclaim of the artist who created it. Ultimately however, the most important question to ask yourself is... which piece do you love most? If you follow the lead of that question, you cannot go wrong.