The Truth About “Good” Art in 2025

Every year, paintings sell for $100 million+, Instagram artists go viral overnight, and people still argue: is today’s art actually good, or was everything better during Impressionism, Surrealism, and Abstract Expressionism? If you’ve ever felt confused (or secretly annoyed) by a giant red canvas or an NFT that looks like a 5-year-old made it, this comparison of modern art vs classic movements will finally give you clarity — and the confidence to decide for yourself which art form deserves the crown.

Here’s what you’ll discover in the next 3 minutes:

• How Impressionism, Surrealism, and Abstract Expressionism revolutionized art

• What “modern art” and “contemporary art” really mean in 2025

• The surprising parallels (and huge differences) between then and now

• Who actually gets to judge the best art movement — spoiler: it might be you

Impressionism (1870s–1890s): Capturing Light, Breaking Rules

Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and Mary Cassatt shocked Paris by painting loose brushstrokes and everyday scenes instead of perfect historical epics. Their goal? Capture a fleeting “impression” of light and moment. Today, their works sell for nine figures and feel timeless. Modern takeaway: Impressionism proved art doesn’t need photo-realism to be emotionally powerful.

Surrealism (1920s–1950s): Dreams on Canvas

Salvador Dalí’s melting clocks and René Magritte’s floating apples came straight from the subconscious. Influenced by Freud, surrealists wanted to liberate the mind. In 2025, surrealism lives on in everything from AI-generated dreamscapes to Billie Eilish music videos. The movement taught us that weird can be profound.

Abstract Expressionism (1940s–1950s): Pure Emotion, Zero Rules

Jackson Pollock dripped, Mark Rothko bathed us in color fields, and Willem de Kooning attacked the canvas. This was art as raw feeling — no objects required. Critics called it genius; others called it “my kid could do that.” Sound familiar? Today’s abstract neo-expressionists on Instagram owe everything to these rebels.

Modern & Contemporary Art in 2025: The Wild Grandchild

Today’s art world mixes hyper-realistic portraits, political installations, glitch art, AI creations, and yes — still plenty of giant canvases with one color. Movements like Street Art (Banksy), Digital Art, and Post-Internet Art dominate auctions and feeds. Prices are insane: Beeple sold an NFT for $69 million; a single Jean-Michel Basquiat (who bridged 1980s neo-expressionism and today) just hit $110 million.

So, Who Judges the “Best” Art Movement?

Here’s the uncomfortable truth: there is no universal judge.

• Auction houses and billionaire collectors vote with money.

• Museums and curators vote with wall space.

• Instagram and TikTok vote with likes.

• History votes last — and slowest.

Impressionists were mocked in their day. Van Gogh sold one painting in his lifetime. Pollock was called a fraud. Yet today they’re gods.

The Final Verdict

Every revolutionary movement — Impressionism, Surrealism, Abstract Expressionism, and today’s contemporary art — was hated at first, then loved, then copied. The “best” art form is the one that makes YOU feel something, think something, or question something. Period.

So next time someone says “modern art is trash compared to the old masters,” smile. History is still being written — and your opinion counts just as much as any critic’s.

Which movement speaks to you most: the light-chasing beauty of Impressionism, the mind-bending weirdness of Surrealism, the raw power of Abstract Expressionism, or the bold chaos of 2025 contemporary art?