What is art? There exists not one but hundreds of definitions of art offered by renowned artists, scholars, and philosophers throughout the ages. Considered literally, art refers to any specialized skill, or human activities encompassing a wide range of fields like literature, music, painting, or sculpting. It’s the end but not the means that constitutes the success of art. A lot many artists believe in the cult of art for art’s sake. However, this function of art has been subjected to severe criticism by some of the noted scholars of the late 19th century who believed in the instructional quality of art. To them, art existed not just for aesthetic pleasure but was also associated with the purpose of converting the mind into a particular trend of thought.
Theories abound as to the true purpose of art. Whether didactic or aesthetic, there is no denying that art casts its influence on the observer’s mind. Times have changed and with it, artistry has undergone multiple changes too. If Romanticism and Classicism influenced art works of yester years, it is Realism, Impressionism, Fauvism, Dadaism, and Surrealism that have laid their impact on contemporary art. No wonder, contemporary art is distinctly different from the art works of earlier generations.
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The public has always had some interest in art. Today’s media quite often does a superficial reading in the art world – probably more just to attract readers/viewers. There is so little understanding in the culture today about contemporary art that it leaves interested people somewhat isolated. The public funding for arts education has been cut – and with it so has any communication or appreciation of contemporary art in the public schools.
To find out more about contemporary art you can read articles on the topic in various places. I hope you will read some of them at Contemporary Art Gallery Magazine. CAG has several fine writers working on basic education of people to contemporary art, as well clearing up some of the more controversial questions on contemporary, and even some articles on esthetics and artists’ interviews.
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Contemporary Art – The History
The actual period for Contemporary Art is undefined. However, the period from World War II until date, is loosely regarded as the eon of Contemporary Art.
The Correlations
Many art forms are related to and identified with this era of artistic excellence. Marked by ‘Pluralism,’ in Contemporary Art, new forms kept originating and been added to the existing ones, through decades. Among the most popular art movements of painting identified with Contemporary Art are Abstract Expressionism, Color Field, Conceptual Art, Neo-Dadaism, Pop Art, Post-Minimalism, Body Art, Photorealism, Graffiti, Stuckism, Lyrical Abstraction, Nouveau Réalisme, Installation Art, Postmodern Art, Figurative Expressionism, and Hard-edge Painting.
The Details
Amidst the co-existence of different genres, some common characteristics mark the Contemporary Art scene. The underlying philosophy for most of these styles is unencumbered forms and expressions, as opposed to the rigid portrayals in the dimensions of space and time. The key sect of the modern day art is more expressional, such as Abstraction, Stuckism, and Color Field. Here, the painters put a heavy premium on the choice of individual colors as well as color harmony and themes. This is more so because such styles do not use a distinctive delineation of shapes as a tool for expression. The focus is on the thematic depiction of tides of sentiments associated with the subject under coverage. For instance, orange, in combination with red or yellow, is a color of optimism and vigor, whereas, it is a color of spiritualism, when mixed with earthy tones.
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