20th-century art trends

Among the art styles you'll see reflected in the objects on display at the current Whitney Museum exhibition, ``High Styles: 20th Century American Design,'' are the following: Art nouveau -- literally ``new art.'' Term applies especially to work of painters, illustrators, and designers during the late 1890s and early 1900s. Art nouveau is sometimes considered a revolt against the rise of industrialism; it's characterized by flowing lines and ornaments of flowers, leaves, branches. Art deco -- Decorative style of the late 1920s and '30s that derived from the geometric forms of Cubism. The geometric trend, revived in the mid-1960s, extended to graphic arts, textiles, and furnishings. ``High-art modern'' -- A style that simplifies form and reduces decoration. Pop Art -- A realistic art style, especially in painting and sculpture, that uses popular techniques and subjects from commercial art and mass communications such as comic strips and posters. Post-modernism -- A current trend that reintroduces traditional and historical motifs into contemporary design. ``Streamlined modern'' -- A style that took its form from aerodynamics, popularizing a sleek look for everything from toasters to locomotives.