Do We Understand Contemporary Art?

If you are interested in art, you probably went to several museums or just scroll through artworks online. Now, think about the artworks you have seen and could not even predict what it is. These artworks mostly tend to be contemporary art. Why this is the issue about contemporary artworks?

The reason is contemporary art is art created today by living artists. As such, it represents the diverse, global, and rapidly evolving issues that form our world. Consequently, both the changes in the artist and the world makes this art style subjective. Most of the artists that use contemporary art to explore personal or cultural identity, to criticize social systems. Some of these artists also try to redefine art according to their own perspectives.

Why Was the Berlin Wall Built? How and Why Was the Berlin Wall Fallen? (2020, September 4). [Photograph]. https://www.raillynews.com/2020/09/Why-was-the-berlin-wall-built%3F-How-and-why-was-the-berlin-wall-destroyed%3F/

When Did It Emerge?

The emergence of the term “contemporary art” is not certain. Even, there is a debate going on for years about this issue. Contemporary art is being used as a term since the 1960s. However, there are people claiming that the roots of this term ground in the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. Another group of people grounds the roots of the term at the end of World War II, the 1970s, or in the 1910s. 

Due to contemporary art representing the present day, we can debate on its roots all day. This is because that it is difficult to describe what “present day” actually means. Characters of contemporary artworks are related to their construction period. This is accepted regardless of artwork’s style, form, or artistic movement.

Differences With Modern Art

In the world of art, there is a distinction between the word contemporary and modern. The words contemporary and modern represent two distinct periods of construction. Also, their functions as artistic styles are different. For understanding what contemporary art is, it would be better for us to understand this distinction.

This Is The Difference Between ‘Modern’ And ‘Contemporary’ Art. (n.d.). [Photograph]. https://theuijunkie.com/difference-modern-contemporary-art/                                                                                                                                            

We know or possibly are familiar with the achy process of artistic styles. Thus, before mentioning contemporary art, there is another artistic style that we should know. The term “postmodern” emerged in the 1970s. This emergence ended the era of modern art. In addition to previous interest in experimentation, video art and performance art started to emerge. There was a domination of the presence, as in the present day.

In what way does contemporary art is related to postmodern art? The importance of presence resulted in the formation of contemporary art. What am I living right now? What are the social problems of today’s world? What do I think of them? And last but not least, how can I show my ideas about this? This was and is the route of contemporary artists’ creation process. 

Andy Warhol- Campbell’s Soup Cans. (n.d.). [Photograph]. https://www.monacowoman.com/andy-warhol-adoptive-father-of-pop-art/

Major Contemporary Art Movements and Artists

It would not be sensible to think that there would not be different art movements related to contemporary art. The main reason is that contemporary art makes people think about problems of the world, to question things. Let’s look at two of the examples.

As a reaction to modern art, contemporary art started with the Pop Art movement. There is a depiction of popular culture and reimagining consumer goods as parts of artworks. Artists such as Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein are examples of Pop Art artists. In regard to Jeff Koons, after the end of Pop Art in the 1970s, Pop Art was born from its ashes as Neo-Pop Art in the 1980s.

Radical Presence: Black Performance in Contemporary Art. (2014, July 21). [Photograph]. https://walkerart.org/magazine/radical-presence-black-performance

Marina Abramović e Ulay – MoMA 2010. (2012, December 15). [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OS0Tg0IjCp4&ab_channel=GMazz

Sources:

1. When Did Contemporary Art Begin? (2019, March 21). ArtLife. https://www.artlife.com/when-did-contemporary-art-begin/
2. Arn, J. (2019, February 11). When Did Contemporary Art Start? Artsy. https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-contemporary-art-start
3. My Modern Met. (2021, May 19). What is Contemporary Art? Ultimate Guide to the Modern-Day Movement. https://mymodernmet.com/what-is-contemporary-art-definition/
4. P, S. (n.d.). What is Contemporary Art and How Can We Define it Today? | Widewalls. Widewalls.Ch. https://www.widewalls.ch/magazine/what-is-contemporary-art