Primitivism

The Dream by Henri Rousseau

http://www.canvasreplicas.com/Rousseau.htm

When 'western' people began to travel to poorer and less developed countries they were amazed when confronted by strange new animals and plants and societies lived by different rules. Art and clothing were bright and vibrant, music was raw and enticing, people seemed less inhibited. Everything was new, colourful, enticing, dangerous and exotic. There was a feeling that with all the western world's structure and order there was something missing, something primal that was the spark of life.

Primitivism is characterised as being flat yet colourful. The artists would try to paint in unconventional ways because they felt that this style demanded that they abandon the traditions of classical style with it's rules and rigidness. Some artists were untrained such as Henri Rousseau who became the leader in this style.