Make up Discussions

MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY ART

Topics
a. Modern and Contemporary Art Definition
1. Social Context: In between Modern and Contemporary Art
2. Other Contemporary Art Movements
2.1 Neo-pop Art
2.2 Photorealism
2.3 Conceptualism
2.4 Performance Art
2.5 Installation Art
2.6 Earth Art
2.7 Street Art
Contemporary Art
The term "contemporary” seems simple and straightforward enough to define.
There is this assumption that it need not be asked, rather, that it must already be
understood. But with an attempt to do so, one finds it is a lot harder to grasp. The
complexity of defining the term is attributed to the fact that people have dissenting views
on the interpretation of the "present" of "today" or what the "now" means- these are
often ideas that follow the word contemporary. Even more so, is when it is hinged on the
word "art" and suddenly it becomes a bit fuzzy. (Difficult to perceive clearly)
There are museums for example that include name of artists art forms artworks
in their institution's name but seem to champion works that arguably under an earlier
period. ( reason # 1). For example the Institute of Contemporary Art in London which was
founded in 1947 includes in de mandate the promotion of art that came to be from that
year onwards. Clearly the timeline is a bit skewed if the assumptions that contemporary
art started decades later. For the New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York its
starting point is dated at 1977 while the TATE framed contemporaneity in a ten-year
rolling basis and was placed under the bounds of their Museum of Contemporary Art.
Another source of confusion is the fact that in the colloquial "modern" and
"contemporary" are considered synonymous. (reason # 2). This, however, is not the case
when these terms are used in the context of art. Therein, they refer to two different (but
consecutive) periods qualified by different approaches to art making and the functions
that art served. To better make sense of contemporary art, perhaps it is best to dial
back to its predecessor (something that came before the current version), modern art.
Modern art saw the digression of artists away from past conventions and
traditions and toward freedom. There is the famous adage of "anything goes”. With the
world becoming increasingly complex, it required an art that could accommodate such
range and breadth. Roughly between the 1860s to late 1970s, creative celebrated the
novel opportunities in art, from the materials to its manipulation and ways of seeing and
thinking about art. The devotion of artists to a strict narrative was often illustrated in their
figurative works, however, these artists gave their nod to abstraction. The tenets of this
period were not only reflected in its art, but it was also evident in (1)the way people lived
and conducted themselves, (2)the social issues that were relevant, (3)fashion, (4)music
and the (5)wide range of images and activities they were engaged in . This period saw
the heavy mass production of goods, along with the encouraging environment made
possible by industrialization, new technology, urbanization, and rise of commercially
driven culture. There was also a palpable secularization of society interest in nature,
and primacy of the self and individuality. (6Artists were committed to developing a
language of their own original but representative. What this means is that artists drew
the world but in his own terms: It was no wonder that within this period grow a vast
number of different movements.
1. Social Context: In between Modern and Contemporary Art
Reaping the benefits and drawbacks of the dramatic changes that occurred at
the beginning of the twentieth century, the social, political and cultural context continued
to provoke the artist to create. There is a potent source of reference for his works so
that he may continue to question the existing and emergent values of society. This
multiplicity of perspectives brought to light a more difficult terrain to map out in terms of
clear and distinct movements because what compelled artists' works were not prevailing
medium, technique, or style; rather, it was the themes and concerns they addressed.
And the conversation was no longer limited to geographic locales, but became
increasingly a global conversation.
Contemporary art was heavily driven by ideas and theories, and the even the
blurring of notions of what is and can be considered as "art," with the involvement of
television, photography, cinema, digital technology, performance, and even objects of
the everyday. It was the idea that was more important than its visual articulation.
There were several art movements that were caught in between the succession
of modem and contemporary art. These movements laid the groundwork for the
transition into contemporaneity. Reeling after the war, one of the early movements was
(1) abstract expressionism (early 1940s to mid-1960s) which took the basic tenets of
abstraction and combined with it with gestural techniques, mark-making, and a rugged
spontaneity in its visual articulation. Two major styles emerged from this that of action
painting and color fields. Action painting underscored the process of creation in that it
showed the physicality, direction and most often, the spontaneity of the actions that
made the drips and strokes possible On the other hand, color fields emphasized the
emotional power of colors. From the vivid demarcations to the more toned-down
transitions, these bands of color were akin to the effect of landscapes.
Creating energy was at the center of "op art or optical art (early 1960s onward).
Much like what was discussed in the lesson on elements of art that dimension can be
implied even on a two-dimensional surface or plane, op art relied on creating an illusion
to inform the experience of the artwork using color, pattern, and other perspective tricks
that artists had on their sleeves. From making it seem like a section was protruding out
or receded in the background, to creating movement, works under this movement
showed a certain kind of dynamism. It inspired several artists in different countries to
create their own iteration of op art: Hungarian artist Victor Vasarely, British artists
Bridget Riley and Peter Sedgley, American Richard Anuszkiewicz, and Israeli Yaacov.
In Japan during the post-war platforms that were grounded on movement and a
sense of (2) dynamism were utilized to convey ideas attached to the new found freedom,
individuality and openness to the international sphere. Termed gutai (1950s-1970s)
which means embodiment or concreteness, it preceded the later forms of performance
and conceptual art. The goal was not only to explore the materiality of the implements
used in the performance, but also to hold a deeper desire to make sense of the
relationship that is struck between the body the movements, and the spirit of their
interaction during the process of creation. Gutai straddled between multiple platforms
from performance, theatrical events, installation, and even painting. The founder of the
Gutai Art Association or Gutai Group was Yoshihara Jiro in 1952. Other known gutai
artists were Tanaka Atsuko, Saburo Murakami, Kanayma Akira, Murakami Saburo, and
Shozo Shimamoto Entitled "Challenge to the Mud" (1955), Kazuo Shiraga utilized his
body, writhing in a pile of mud. The shapes formed, and the state of the mud were left
as is after his performance, and was kept as part of the exhibition as a kind of action-
painting. This is one the most important examples of gutai.
Another movement was (3) minimalism which cropped up in the early 1960s in
New York, and saw artists testing the boundaries of various media. It was seen as an
extreme type of abstraction that favored geometric shapes, color fields, and the use of
objects and materials that had an "industrial" the sparse.
"The new art favored the cool over the 'dramatic their sculptures were frequently
fabricated from industrial materials and emphasized anonymity over the expressive
excess of Abstract Expressionism. Painters and sculptors avoided overt symbolism and
emotional content, but instead called attention to the materiality of the works (Wolf, n.d.)
Another assumption was that its subtext was (4) deference to truth, as a thing
was presented as itself, without pretensions or embellishments. It also had a very utopic
aura about it. Some of the key figures in this movement were Agnes Martin, Robert
Morris, Sol LeWitt, Dan Flavin, Carl Andre, and Donald Judd.
The other movement is (5) pop art it first emerged in the 1950s but found its
footing in the 1960s. It drew inspiration, sources, and even materials from commercial
culture making it one of the most identifiable and relatable movements in art history.
Artists became increasingly critical about how what was being exhibited in art spaces
had no relationship with real life. What could be more real than what you saw, used,
ate, watched, heard, and read! Hence, they turned to commodities designed and made
for the masses, particularly drawing inspiration and material from ads, packaging, comic
books, movies and movie posters, and pop music. The aim was to also elevate popular
culture as something at par with fine art. A defining feature was the discussions on the
hierarchy (and divide between) of "high culture" and "low culture", "fine art" and "low art"
But perhaps the most pertinent movement that solidified the move to
contemporary art was (6) postmodernism. By the very name, it was a nudge to formalize
the critique toward modemism and its claim over art for the better of the twentieth
century. More than anything it was grounded on the shifts in the belief systems that
were in place in the 1960s. First used in 1970, the term was difficult to affix to any style
or theory and perhaps that was the point. Postmodernism encroaches on other smaller
movements that included conceptual art, neo-expressionism, feminist art, and the
Young British Artats of the 1990s, among others.
Contemporary Art
We can observe that there were overlaps with the acceptance and practice of
these movements. They were not only overlapping with each other but they were
embedded in a social order that was in fact somewhat "disordered”.
One of the main developments during this time was the turn from the traditional
notions of what art is from paintings and sculptures to the more experimental formats.
These included film, photography, video, performance, installations and site-specific
works, and earth works. Even these formats tended to overlap leading to interesting and
dynamic, and otherwise "unheard of combinations of concepts, subjects, materials,
techniques, and methods of creation, experience,
and even analysis. Compared to other periods, it
can be argued that contemporary art is the most
socially aware and involved form of art. The Class Activity: Research about other
subject matter of its works was one of the most Contemporary Art Movements (for future
discussions)
pressing, heated, and even controversial issues of 1. Neo-pop Art
contemporary society. 2. Photorealism
3. Conceptualism
4. Performance Art
5. Installation Art
6. Earth Art
7. Street Art