Interesting Facts

Naive Art: The Best Art Genre That People Always Forget

In her artworks, we can almost sense the abandoning of the world’s chaos and the dipping of paint into her heart and soul. It is her brush and color towards a creation of idealised images that hold a refreshing sense of innocence.

Naive art is art that is simple, unaffected and unsophisticated. The world is spilled with childlike simplicity, playful spirit and innocence. It is the freedom of self-expression where the artists erode sometimes harsh, brutal themes and images of contemporary art. Instead, the artists aim to return us to the simple things in life.

“To beсome truly immortаl, a work of art muѕt escape all hυman limits…But once theѕe barriers аre broken, іt will enter the realms of childһood visions and dreams.” — Giorgio dө Chirico

Misconception: Naive artists lack of training

There has been a misconception that all naive artists lack the formal education and training that a professional artist undergoes. However, a distinction between self-taught artists and amateurism must be noted here. The naive produces with the same passion, and sometimes the same amount of training as the trained artist.

What makes naive artists different is the absence of scale and perspective. The use of saturated colours rather than more subtle mixtures and tones. (Learn more about colours mixture and tones here.) Also, the refusal to follow the compositional rules and theory of art elements. Therefore, this allows for complete self-expression.

Art Shop Online | Lin Daud | Original Artwork Malaysia Artroom 22 — *“Pantai Kelulut” by the artist Lin Daud*

Never too late to learn

Like the American folk artist Grandma Moses who began painting at an advanced age of 78, the Asian artist Lin Daud also started painting naive art at the age of 58. Lin Daud’s works have been sold in the United States and Australia. Besides, one of her artworks were collected by a hospital in Malaysia.

In her artworks, we can almost sense the abandoning of the world’s chaos and the dipping of paint into her heart and soul. It is her brush and colour towards a creation of idealised images that hold a refreshing sense of innocence.

Lin daud naive art | artroom 22 — *“It is never too late to start, never too late to learn. And it is never too late to express your soul” — Lin Daud*

4 Characteristics of Naive Art

Indeed, naive art turns the reality of adulthood into the childhood joy. Naive artists take the ordinary and makes it extraordinary. Being that, we can usually see four characteristics in naive art.

Bright and Bold Colours

Naive art utilises colours and mix media that are not true to reality and often juxtaposed against one another.

Surrealism Artworks | Kumar Nagalingam | The Lawful Artist — *“Tree Houses” by the artist Kumar Nagalingam (SOLD)*

View more of the artist Kumar Nagalingam’s original artworks in our art gallery!

Childlike Perspective

Next, naive art often creates the illusion that objects are floating or positioned without anything solid anchoring them in place.

Live Creatures

The focus is almost always on animated characters and never on inanimate objects.

Art Shop Online | Henri Rousseau | Original Artwork Malaysia Artroom 22 — *“The Football Players” by the Father of Naive Art — Henri Rousseau*
*Photo source: www.henrirousseau.net*

Precision of Details

Naive artists often pay very close attention to the soft borders, intense backgrounds, and fine lines of their figures and objects.

In short, naive art turns reality into something else, something better. You will remove yourself from the reality when you stare at a naive art for longer time.