What kind of art is this?

Question

http://s94.photobucket.com/albums/l103/lexi07ale/?action=view&current=snowy-path-vector_wallpaper_1920x12.jpg

Because I've always liked art like this the way it's drawn and stuff but wouldn't know how to describe it, is there a name for it?

Answer 1

It just looks like a timeless illustrative style, i can't quite tell if it's watercolor or digital. It looks painterly and definitely stylistic, you could probably describe it as "rustic," "illustrated," or "whimsical."

EDIT: jplatt clearly is more observant than myself, i didn't even bother to look at the filename. I'm surprised at the organic quality, since vector art usually lends itself toward the clean/modern look. (also, i'm not a fan of inkscape, everyone knows that illustrator is more intuitive) but yes, "greeting card" is certainly a descripition that comes to mind. and "timeless" is usually just a convenient way to say something that looks retro/rustic/vintage, but i suppose "timeless" is a better description for something like Helvetica.

Answer 2

It's not timeless, and it's a little too old to be called modern.  Illustrative is a term you can reasonably be satisfied people will understand.  Modernist is technically accurate: it evolved in the twenties, among artists like Raoul Dufy in Paris.  It's too organic to be called Art Deco, though.

Regarding what the other guy said about medium: the answer in this case is in the title: snowy-path-vector_wallpaper.jpg.  Vector means this particular one is a computer graphic most likely done in Illustrator (I use Inkscape because I'm an Open Source kinda guy -- and having learned on Freehand I just find Illustrator's interface too annoying).  Most of it, of course is done in watercolor or gouache.  And you'll find it on cards (in the US mainly Christmas/Wintery type cards) wherever slick illustration is used (books, old magazines).  Paris has had extensive treatment with it of course, though not all the artists who've worked with it are French.