Impressionism
Impressionism focuses on light, atmosphere, and visible brushstrokes. Use loose brushstrokes, vibrant colors, outdoor scenes, natural light, and changing shadow. Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and Edgar Degas are useful references.
An Impressionist garden scene can include loose brushstrokes, dappled sunlight, and figures in motion.
Fauvism
Fauvism uses intense color, simplified forms, and expressive brushwork. Ask for vivid non-naturalistic colors, flattened forms, and bold brushstrokes. Henri Matisse, André Derain, and Maurice de Vlaminck are useful references.
Try a Fauvist landscape with vivid color, simplified forms, and an emotional color choice.
Cubism
Cubism breaks forms apart and shows several viewpoints at once. Use fragmented forms, geometric shapes, multiple perspectives, angular lines, and muted earth tones. Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque, and Juan Gris are central references.
A Cubist still life is a good first test because its objects are easy to break into planes.
Surrealism
Surrealism uses dreamlike scenes, unrelated objects, symbolism, and precise rendering of impossible things. Use unexpected object combinations and hyper-realistic surreal elements. Salvador Dalí, René Magritte, and Max Ernst are useful references.
Try a landscape with melting clocks, floating objects, and impossible juxtapositions.
Abstract Expressionism
Abstract Expressionism centers gesture, marks, and color. Use large-scale canvas, gestural brushstrokes, dynamic lines, abstract composition, and textured color. Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, and Mark Rothko are useful references.
Keep the subject broad. Let the brushwork and color carry the image.
Tips for Midjourney 6.1
Start with one movement and one subject. Add only the terms that define the style. Keep a record of the prompt and result so you can compare changes.
- Research the original work and its historical context.
- Test prompts, revise parameters, and compare outputs.
- Mix influences after you understand each one on its own.
- Use composition terms for balance, focal point, and framing.
- Keep reference images nearby when you need a closer match.
- Watch Midjourney updates and share work with the community.
Conclusion
Styles are starting points. Learn their marks, colors, forms, and subjects, then combine them with your own idea. A short style phrase can give a prompt a clear direction.
Related walls
Published here first. This one never made it to Medium.