The art world has fostered a reputation of pretense so intense that it strikes fear into the hearts of many.  Clients often wear a total look of panic when asked about the kind of art they like.  But you don’t have to have a degree in art history to enjoy art and have it in your home.  Art belongs to every one.  Make a point to occasionally browse through galleries, flea markets, museums, and art and crafts fairs to see what you like.  Form opinions.  Art is not really complicated after all:  What gives you comfort, inspires or motivates you, disturbs or incites you is all very personal and subjective.  Buy what you respond to, not what you think you should like.  Choosing art by what is “in” or “out” is absurd anyway.  Everything is always either in or out, depending on your point of view.  There have been dozens of art movements in the Western world over the centuries—each new style rebelling against the previously established one, only to become the established style for the next rebellion.  Here is a quick primer on just a few of those movements in the last 500 years.

Renaissance
Anatomy and studies of the natural world were favorite subjects of 15th century artists like Michaelangelo, Leondardo da Vinci and Botticelli.

Baroque
17th century artists like Rembrandt, Rubens and Vermeer painted in this emotional style of muted tones and striking light, which at the time was considered the realism of the day.  Religious, historical and everyday topics were often their subjects.

Romantic
The 18th century brought a return to Classical styles from ancient Greece and the Renaissance, claiming itself to be “more realistic” than the period preceding it.  Copley, Blake and David represented themes of nationalism over religion.

Impressionism
Capturing the effects of light and movement in unique and naturalistic ways is the stamp of the 19th century movements often lumped together as Impressionism.  Painters as different as Monet, Manet, Goya, Renoir, Van Gogh, Gaugin and Seurat all grappled with the experiments of this category.  These painters and their contemporaries are among the most popular still today.

Cubism
If you’ve ever looked at the 20th century artist, Picasso, you’re probably familiar with this style of chopping up a single image into its several parts and then revealing it from multiple angles.

Dada
Another early 20th century movement, Dadasim was reacting against the horrors of WWI, nihilistic and anti-art, it was based on found-objects, industrial items and nonsensical combinations of form and intent.  Still quite popular with performance artists, the French artist Marcel Duchamp was its most famous proponent.  If you can’t afford to buy art, you can probably craft Dada from items in your local dumpster.

Surrealism
If you enjoy the sight of melting timepieces strewn across a surreal landscape, you’ll love the fantastical movement of surrealism, which Salvador Dali employed.

Expressionism
If abstractions triggered by the emotions or inner rage of the artist stirs you, you’ll love the mid-20th century style of expressionism, which is designed to agitate.  Kandinsky perfected this form.  Some believe that graffiti is the expressionism movement of today.

Pop Art
Soup labels and comic strips as art?  The 1960’s artist superstar Andy Warhol thought so.

Contemporary Realism
If you’d rather that you knew exactly what it was that the painter was painting, you’ll like work by Andrew Wyeth and Ken Danby, artists whose work is defined by a realistic brush.
 
This is by no means the final word or even an exhaustive list of art styles or trends.  Art casts a wide net into the ancient world, as well as across the wide world of other continents, cultures and sensibilities, each equally valid and equally popular.  Today you will find African art, Native American art, Japanese, Chinese and Indonesian art displayed in homes with modern, traditional or eclectic furniture styles.  You will find the most modern art created by iconoclastic individuals who have not grouped into any movement next to handcrafted works bought from a New England quilting bee.  As with today’s styles of clothing, music and cooking, thankfully, anything goes.  The main thing is that it expresses something intrinsic to you.