I was chatting with Donna yesterday about the various art movements through history. This came about because we have recently visited the National Gallery in London and the Musee d’Orsay in Paris, which give a wonderful insight into these things. Over the centuries we can see that there have been several art revolutions, some of which have become movements in their own right and some which, I suggest, were just stepping stones to the next big thing.

But in the course of our conversation something dawned on me:

I think there is a new revolution happening right now. A new and exciting art movement is underway.

In the past these art movements were restricted to a group of painters (the Pre-Raphaelites, the Impressionists, the Nabis for example) or to an individual ( Dali, Picasso etc..). It was they who were recognised, who pushed the boundaries, who did something new. But there were only a few of them. Today, there is a new movement that is happening and it is open to all. You and I can be a part of the new art revolution. And it is happening right now.

The new art movement

This new art movement is actually a combination of two things that have resurged in the past few years. They compliment each other, and therefore can be seen as one art movement, but they are also different to each other.

One is the growth of Plein Air Painting as a valid form of creating fully finished pictures, and the other is the popularity of Urban Sketching. Both involve going outdoors to record the world around us. Both involve taking compact kits and completing the painting in one go. Both have attracted large followings in recent years, with conventions, paint-outs, podcasts and even magazines aiding their growth.

But that is where the similarities end. Let’s see what they are and how they differ.

Urban sketching

The intro on the official Urban Sketcher’s website says:

In 2007, a global community of urban sketchers began to form when Seattle-based journalist and illustrator Gabriel Campanario created an online forum “for all sketchers out there who love to draw the cities where they live and visit, from the window of their homes, from a cafe, at a park, standing by a street corner… always on location, not from photos or memory.”

A year later, Campanario invited a group of sketchers to share their drawings and storytelling in a blog, Urban Sketchers, where readers could “See the World, One Drawing at a Time.” The blog helped the community gain visibility and inspired drawing enthusiasts from all over to sketch.

This movement has now grown to involve people from almost every nation on earth.

Urban sketching then is about capturing the world around you, usually in a sketchbook and often for your own personal use. Check out my post on two great Urban Sketching books which give hundreds of examples of this style of painting. Here are a few of my recent urban sketches:

As you can see they are often not the finished article, but a quick reminder of an event, a holiday, a trip out, or the effect of atmosphere or light.

Plein Air Painting

The Plein Air movement has also taken off in recent years, and is nowadays another worldwide phenomenon. While present in every country, it is largest in the USA, where the magazine Plein Air is produced. Plein air paintings are usually finished works of art that can be framed and sold, rather than sketches, but they are completed on site. Below are a couple of my small recent Plein Air paintings:

Join the revolution

The wonderful thing about this new art movement whether it be Urban Sketching or Plein Air Painting is that it is not restricted to one or two people, or even to a small group of artists. It is open to everyone, and that includes YOU. In my view, that’s what makes it the biggest art movement in history. It really is a revolution in art.

Why not join in?

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