El Contemporary Art It is a manifestation that attempts to capture the thinking of today's society through what the artist perceives in their reality and conveys it in the work of art. This is so that the public can grasp what is happening. That's why art has become an act of emotional extroversion that always seeks new stimuli. Read on to learn more!
The Contemporary Art
Contemporary Art is the art that begins to manifest itself from the beginning of the XNUMXth century, and that has a lot to do with today's society, although many specialists say that it is a reflection of society's thinking. That is why it can be said that contemporary art is born from the works made at the beginning of the XNUMXth century.
But the concept of art is very relative because it is defined by the era in which it is situated. This means that contemporary art is produced by artists in the present. A very clear example is the paintings Leonardo da Vinci created in the 16th century; for that society at that time, it was their contemporary art.
Criteria for Contemporary Art
In order to determine whether a work of art belongs to contemporary art, several criteria are used to establish whether the work corresponds to contemporary art and the artistic expressions of the moment, which are the following:
Contemporary and avant-garde art: A very prominent point to know if the work concerns the manifestations of contemporary art are those works that have been made from the avant-garde explosion that occurred at the beginning of the XNUMXth century.
The works of art created after the avant-garde explosion had a series of characteristics that differentiated them from other works created before, as they presented a more conceptual and formal level.
Furthermore, artists had clearer ideas that revolutionized art, breaking the traditional molds that had been used in painting and the experimental nature of the work.
The movements that occurred most at that time and belong to contemporary art are expressionism, surrealism, fauvism, Dadaism, cubism, futurism and neoplasticism.
Art and contemporary age: Another widely used criterion to determine whether a work of art belongs to art is that it is related to the contemporary age at the end of the 1789th century and to the French Revolution, which took place between the years 1799-XNUMX.
This is why contemporary art is closely related to the Romantic movement, as this movement is characterized by freedom, feelings, subjectivity, and individuality.
Contemporary art and postmodernity: A third criterion that stands out for determining whether a work of art is related to art is to consider the starting point of postmodernism, since many art specialists place it between the 60s and 70s. Others say that contemporary art began with the end of World War II in 1945.
Contemporary art is also reflected in the return of the avant-garde wave, shaped by the movement known as Pop Art and French New Realism. Other artistic movements also emerge, such as conceptual art, minimalism, and abstract expressionism, as well as hyperrealism, neo-figuration, installations, deconstruction, and urban art.
Background
Contemporary art has many similarities with modern art or so-called avant-garde art, as it challenges the conventions and traditions framed within postmodern thought. Thus, it stems from poststructuralist theory, which emphasizes postmodern art over modern art simply because of the creator of the work.
In this way, the originality and subjectivity of artists are taken as a spearhead in contemporary art, as it draws on other art forms created by artists in previous eras. But what the artist does in contemporary art is reinterpret it and give the work a different meaning.
By giving a different perspective to the work of art, the artist exploits other qualities in the works, such as the cultural, political, social, and communicative characteristics of the present era. This is done with the goal of overcoming the romantic and subjective ideals of artistic creation.
A very prominent feature of contemporary art is its close relationship with the institutions and structures that validate works of art, such as art galleries, museums, and art fairs or biennials. These institutions are used by artists to legitimize their work and thus label it as contemporary art.
One of the most notable examples in contemporary art is the French artist Marcel Duchamp's work known as The Urinal, which was exhibited as a major work of contemporary art in 1917.
This work became known as a found object, which in English would be called a readymade, and has been one of the most important works of contemporary art of the 20th century.
This approach to contemporary art originated from the idea that any object can be art. This phrase emphasizes the importance of works of art from the perspective of their artistic structure in the process a work must undergo to be validated.
Furthermore, by breaking the stereotype of the work of art, it transforms into a new model, and the artist moves away from the craftsmanship that has been practiced by breaking the mold of work. With Marcel Duchamp's work, he breaks with a set of paradigms, as the former dispenses with all manual activity to create a work of art and presents himself as a steward of his work.
Furthermore, it began to reshape the ideas held for contemporary art; even avant-garde artists embraced it as highly original, as they placed greater importance on thought or so-called intellectual work than on the artistic object itself.
One of the conditions that a conceptual artist must meet to bring his or her artwork into the contemporary realm is a paradigm shift; thus, it has been said that all contemporary artists are post-conceptual artists.
One before and one after
Contemporary art dates back to the late 14th and early 20th centuries, emerging from a set of techniques that were used in the 19th century. Although many art specialists claim that contemporary art arose from the techniques of Impressionism and so-called Post-Impressionism.
Art critics have also claimed that these movements also represented a development in avant-garde art in the 20th century. Among these movements, the following artistic movements stand out: Fauvism, Constructivism, Neoplasticism, Cubism, Expressionism, Surrealism, Futurism, and Dadaism.
It's important to note that all these artistic movements share a set of elements that will become very common. One of the most common elements is ideology. But stylistically, they don't complement each other, and when it comes to innovation, there's a passion for contemporary art that hadn't been evident before.
Therefore, it must be stated that contemporary art is characterized by a sense of contemporary art within each artistic movement, which can reflect each or several aspects of the artistic movements. Each movement seeks to find a new concept within contemporary art, thereby negating the past and constantly seeking a new artistic model.
Therefore, many contemporary artists try to find new meaning in works of art through a different vision of reality; they don't want to imitate other artists. That's why they're always looking for something new that can be explored, experimenting with color, composition, and shapes.
In this way, the artist will always be in search of new contemporary art that leaves the viewer enthralled. But at the same time, it won't fit into a set of repetitive works of art. In addition to dedicating himself to a set of new forms, he will always have the opportunity to begin anew in contemporary art, acquiring new forms in the color and representation of the work.
Contemporary Art in the XNUMXth Century
At the beginning of the 20th century, contemporary art broke with all previous definitions and was characterized by the fact that artists could enjoy complete freedom in creating their artwork. It should be noted, however, that contemporary art brought together poets and free thinkers, giving them a clearer perspective on reality and showing what might happen in the future.
Regarding the techniques used by artists in contemporary art, they will have the ability to interpret what happens in reality, adjusting it to their artwork or expressing their thoughts through unrest and dissatisfaction.
Although contemporary art is based on the idea that the artist can express the freedom he feels in his artwork, this is done without going overboard, and by placing a series of excesses in the artwork, ranging from the most creative to the simplest. However, by filling the artwork with excesses, many specialists have called it degenerate art.
Many artists who have championed various artistic movements have even argued that when contemporary works of art are too charged, they can cause discomfort among viewers, who have even described them as works in very poor taste.
Avant-garde Movements in Contemporary Art
In contemporary art, artists have always sought the best techniques and methods to create a work of art that captures the viewer's attention, showcasing the artist's reality or creativity. Therefore, artists combine techniques from various artistic movements to bring out the best and thus create a work that is valid as contemporary art. In this way, we will explain the concepts of the various avant-garde movements that exist, including:
Impressionism: in this movement we want to value the emotional attitudes that the artist expresses through stronger and more violent colors but with a lot of symbolic meaning to arouse the viewer's interest.
Fauvism: It is identified because the artist substitutes natural tones and uses very strong colors; the lines in the drawing are very marked to emphasize parts of the work.
The Futurism: In Futurism, the artist attempts to add some sort of movement or speed to the artwork through the lines and images so that the artwork has a rhythmic movement when viewed by the public.
The cubism: This artistic movement has stood out because artists have used two-dimensionality in their artwork, adding flat surfaces. In this way, it seeks to break down geometric forms to give the work a sense of depth and movement.
Dadaism. It is a movement that emerged as a form of protest to confront the aesthetic canons imposed on various works of art. This movement seeks to represent the freedom and creativity of the artist. One of its maxims is to overthrow logic and introduce abstract concepts into contemporary art.
Neoplasticism: It is based on the use of straight lines to delineate geometric figures, making use of primary colors. They also make use of two-dimensionality to express the purity and, at the same time, the power of contemporary art.
The surrealism: This artistic movement has focused on going beyond reality, making use of the artist's subconscious to create a work of art that attracts the attention of the viewing public.
Constructivism: This movement originated in Russia and then began to spread throughout Europe. It is characterized by the use of well-defined and delineated geometric figures in artwork, along with the use of many colors.
Stages of Contemporary Art.
Art has its origins at the beginning of the 20th century, but through the various artistic movements, it has gone through several stages that have led it to express many realities and creations of artists, among which we have the following:
Informalism: This period extends from 1945 to 1960; it runs parallel to the Expressionist movement in the United States and focuses on abstract art, but at the same time distinguishes many artistic movements, such as lyrical abstraction and matter painting.
The pop: Spanning from 1960 to 1975, it is based on the use of images from popular culture, such as advertisements and comics. It has even influenced the world of cinema, focusing on seeking out the banal through the use of irony.
Deconstruction and Postmodernity: It is characterized by its opposition to modern art and attempts to reflect contemporary society. However, it also rejects all artistic movements, assuming that all of them are failures, since art speaks of art in itself without having to be a social endeavor.
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