Primitivism

Primitivism is a term used in art history, it is associated with societies that are outside the western, eastern and oriental societies. Some formal characteristics of primitivist art include sexuality, violence, dreaming and symbolism. Another characteristic of primitivist art includes abstraction, particularly of human figures.

Primitivism refers to the art movement, where as a primitivist is an artist who uses the characteristics of primitivism art to create artwork. Contemporary primitivism might manifest itself by modern artists being influenced by the traits of this movement. For example the abstraction of primitivism art, in particular the sort of painting style that was used which included flatness and geometric designs, as well as repetition and rhythm. An example of an artist who uses the contemporary primitivism style would be Picasso, who was well known for his abstraction and manipulation of shapes. Picasso also used African tribal masks as a source of imagery for his Les Demoiselles d’Avignon and is another reason Picasso could have been seen as a primitivist.

Ref: http://www.artrelish.com/artspeak/