With each new year comes new visions in the artistic realm. Art and design elements in 2021 seem to offer a refreshing glimpse of 2020’s hardships. Several themes can be identified in 2021’s current creative trends. For starters, themes of condolence and kindness seem to emanate in the art scene. Following a year of great loss and despair, 2021 is resurging with themes of unity, nature, and community. In using art to convey emotion, 2021 is reflective of the empathy we feel following a challenging year.
There’s been a greater interest from the consumer in candid, real-life imagery. Shutterstock photography trends predict more people will be looking for realistic, rather than picture-perfect, settings, likely because COVID lockdowns illustrated what everyday life looks like through an unsaturated, organic lens. To the opposite side of the spectrum, Shutterstock also predicts more artists are utilizing innovative, bright, and patterned elements in their work.
One of the most prevalent trends thus far has been the appreciation of the great outdoors. Likely due to having to be locked indoors for so long, photographers are now appreciating the beauty of nature. People are itching to travel, and explore new places, and photographers are embodying this.
All in all, there has been an “uplifting rhythm” to 2021’s art scene. In remembering 2020, the bridge between art and society may be what allows for us to reflect on a challenging time period.