Styles and themes in art are constantly changing and this has given rise to many different art movements over the years, such as Impressionism, Post-Impressionism, Abstraction, Vorticism and Surrealism.

Choose two or three of these ‘…isms’ and find out more about what the terms mean. In particular, identify:

• the dates of the movement and the context for it. That means finding out more about social and political conditions at the time of the movement. How did these conditions influence
• the artists? What did artists hope to say or do?
• key figures and stylistic characteristics associated with the movement. Are any of these artists or styles represented in the Hull University Art Collection?
• whether some artists were involved with different movements at different times.

When you visit the Collection, bear in mind that many of the artists were unfashionable at the time they were working because their work was new and different to some but derivative and unoriginal to others. Artists often find that their style, techniques or the subjects they choose are unacceptable to the general public – then a few years later, they become major figures in the art world.

Henry Moore, a sculptor whose work is represented in the Collection, is a good example. His work was at the cutting edge of British art. His second one-man show was savagely attacked by the press and led to him losing his job as a teacher at the Royal College of Art. By the time of his death in 1986, he had received many honours and become a respected establishment figure around the world.