The 20th century opened new vistas and possibilities that expanded everyday human experience and greatly influenced the world of art and original painting. From the earliest years of the turn of the century, artists were beginning to experiment with subject matter, creating realities reflective more of their own inner visions than what lay before them in nature. Concurrent with this was a search for new techniques, materials, and approaches to support these forays into new terrains. As a result, 20th century painting movements and trends inspired artists to set out in many divergent directions, resulting in a broad range of styles and forms. They tended to break with tradition. They preferred to look forward instead of backward and experiment with new artistic choices rather than relying on old methods. Art in the 20th century was all about progress. Artists wanted to contribute to the development of their viewers and their society.Artists explored new ways of creating and distributing their works with important roles such as Science and Technology. They highly valued free expression. They refused to conform to standard practices and instead painted what they thought, felt, and envisioned, even if no one else appreciated or understood it.The subject matter was less important than the way that subject matter was communicated to the viewer.