Designates the style and movement of the early 1900s centralized on the portrayal of pedestrian and ordinary aspects of urban living. The style challenges the academic aesthetic of 'art for art's sake' and champions the idea of 'art for life' in the abandonment of learned techniques and the focus on the vitality and idiosyncrasies of everyday street life.

Source: Art & Arhitecture Thesaurus

http://vocab.getty.edu/page/aat/300120324