MAIN FEATURES OF NAÏF ART

NAÏF ART: MAIN CHARACTERISTICS, ITS GREAT ARTISTS AND MOST FAMOUS WORKS

Characterized as a style of painting known for its aesthetic freedom and whose precursor is Henri Rousseau, the origin of naïve art dates back to the 19th century.

With a spontaneous approach based on the simplification of elements, naïve painting is defined, by its admirers, as “an art free from conventions”. Thus, it is also described as poetic, creative, popular and naive, in addition to being characterized by self-taught artists without academic preparation.

Despite being experimental, naïve artists produce high quality work. After all, artistic ability cannot be linked only to technique. Talent is instinctive and has been expressed since the Paleolithic period through cave paintings. Therefore, the gift is innate and the existence of rules, techniques and dogmas do not limit its quality.

It is also worth highlighting that this current does not fit into the Pop-Art genre. This is because the experimental character is not the same, as naïve art represents an individual form of creation, generating unique and original works.

In the next topics of this article, you will learn about some of the main characteristics of naive art. In a simplified way, it is characterized by:

unreality;
the use of strong, contrasting colors;
the details of the scenarios;
the freedom of creation;
the flat composition;
the lack of perspective;
expressive creativity;
naivety.
This style also expresses feelings of:

purity;
happiness;
childishness;
spontaneity;
happiness.
Mixing the above elements can even result in shapes that are out of balance. However, at the same time, this mixture also expresses beauty. According to some critics, naïve artists produce their art without thinking much, as it is the soul that commands the execution of their work.

Works of naïve art, in addition to often using strong, bright and saturated colors, are extremely detailed. Another important characteristic of this style is the lack of perspective. This aspect makes the figures anchored in space. As a result, the works give the impression of floating.

Researcher Jacivaldo Machado defines naïve art this way:

“Using as a source of inspiration the universe of the collective imagination, the popular iconography present in popular festivals, the regional landscapes that show the flora, fauna, architectural aspects and people of the place, in an idealized way, the naïves portray the daily life of spaces with a strong link to their existence, their art alludes to the past and present as a way of expressing the celebration of life. Supported by aesthetic freedom and free practice, naïve artists resolve technical difficulties without the aid of pre-established norms, they conceive and produce their art free from conventions dictated by the field of visual arts”.

The best-known examples of naïve painting are represented by the works of French artist Henri Rousseau, whose portraits with scenes of jungle, forests and exotic vegetation are widely admired. Rousseau's paintings, like many others of this genre, convey:

frozen movement and depth;
tendency to symmetry;
immobile space;
figurative line;
figures displayed from the front or side.
Like many naïve artists, Rousseau projected his intensity and passion through his figures. The precision of line and color combined with expressive wide eyes are some of the aspects that make up his works. Below is an example of these characteristics of naïve art present in the painter's paintings.

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