CHARACTERISTICS OF CONTEMPORARY ART
Contemporary art is nothing more than the set of a series of different movements, avant-garde, techniques and
styles which resulted in the so famous and distinctive contemporary art we know today.
What are the characteristics of contemporary art
Since the 1950’s, artists have experimented on a variety of techniques and different ways of expressing their
emotions, convictions, ideas, ideology, and other things that could be expressed through art.
If you check the art timeline, you will realize that from the 1950s to 2000s, there are more than 100 art styles
and movements.
Artists like Jackson Pollock, Marcel Duchamp, Wassily Kandinsky, Andy Warhol, Henry Moore, and Henri Matisse
were identified with contemporary art because their styles and ways of art-making are very different from the
traditional ways.
VICTORIO EDADES
He was the first to break the rules of art. He did not show natural forms nor perspective and used bold strokes
and bright colors.
CARLOS “BUTONG” FRANCISCO & GALO OCAMPO
They were influenced by Western artists. Abstraction, expressionism and surrealism were evident in their
paintings.
ROMEO TABUENA
It shows the heavy black carabao standing on his thin legs that disappear in a flat background.
HERNANDO OCAMPO
He used geometric forms in strong red colors overlapping with shades of yellow to brown.
VICENTE MANANSALA
Painted in abstract cubism his human forms engaged in genre such as those in his market scenes.
CESAR LEGASPI
Used his art as a commentary to the state of hard labor in the Philippines. He employed transparent cubism with
a lot of flowing lines that give movements to his human forms.
Art is the expression or application of human creative skills and imagination.
3 TYPES OF ART
VISUAL ARTS –perceive with our eyes and which occupy space
AUDITORY ARTS –can be heard and expressed in time
COMBINED ARTS –combination of visual and auditory. Also known as performing arts
4 COORDINATION OF ART CRITICISM
SUBJECT
ARTIST
AUDIENCE
FORM
CHARACTERISTICS OF CONTEMPORARY ART
Contemporary art is not confined to the museum. They are also found in galleries, art schools, side streets, and
public places like the train or bus stations, shopping centers, or parks.
The practice of selling paintings has also changed in contemporary art. For example, many installation artworks
are intended for display only in a particular setting and for a given span of time.
Many artworks are posted online. This means that anyone who has access to the internet can view the artwork
and actually purchase it. This make it possible for somebody in other countries to purchase an artwork of an
artist who is in the Philippines.
Many contemporary artists are self-taught and did not have formal education.
Access to different kinds of materials that were originally used only for construction, for instance, has expanded
the choice of artists.
Cebu artist Mona Alcudia use paper to produce solid forms or artwork. The problem of weight is solved by the
use of technology, which has given artists enough flexibility and liberty to combine art material with found
objects.
In architecture, different shapes and forms have emerged as a result of the use of different materials. An
example is Quezon Province’s Pueblo por la Playa’s office in igloo-shaped architecture design. The shape is
unusual, especially in tropical Philippines but since the structure are not too big, good air conditioning can
improve the rooms temperature.
It is also not surprising to find contemporary artists who employ the help of fabricators, carpenters, electricians,
or welders in “constructing” their artworks. Some gather “found objects” and put these together in a certain
way that expresses their statement regarding an issue or disturbing reality that they are reacting to.
Originality, is not an issue in contemporary art. An artist can get another artist’s work and add to it, redesign or
interpret it using other materials.
What is essential to contemporary artists, therefore, is the process of art-making. It is the experience, for
example, of dipping’s one hand into pail of paint and making markings on a flat surface that matters to the
contemporary artist.
It is not about how much money they can make in their final artwork.
Given these characteristics, it can be said that contemporary art is a statement that an artist makes about
condition, thoughts, ideas, beliefs, and many other things that define human life through the use of various
mediums and materials.
SUBJECT MATTER & STYLE IN CONTEMPORARY ART
Subject matter in contemporary art is not confined to representation of human figures and landscape.
Common subject matter used in art
The favorite subjects used in contemporary art are children, women, or the environment, such as Juan
Alcazaren’s Flora and Fauna.
Note
In some artworks, the subject matter is not easily recognized. If the artwork is an experiment on technique, the
subject matter is the technique itself.
In others, such as those in conceptual art, the viewer has to engage in thinking and exploring the meaning of the
artwork.
Some artworks are intended to make a statement about an issue so the viewer is guided by a written
explanation.
PLET BOLIPATA’S CAT DOLLS
In this artwork, the subject matter combines human figures and cat heads. The artist constructed a human
skeleton made of wires and covered it with textile. The cat head is made of resin.
SAM PENASO’S METALSCAPE
His artwork considered as abstraction using metal. This is an example of contemporary art style.
There were art movements and styles that dominated contemporary art through the decades since the 1950’s
ABSTRACT EXPRESSIONISM
It is an art style in which the artist applies paint, for example, in a manner that expresses emotions and feelings
in a spontaneous way. The figures may be heavy in lines and color without solid mass.
KINETIC ART
Is a type of sculpture that may be moved by the wind or powered by a machine or electricity.
OP ART
Uses lines or images repeatedly to create optical illusion
PERFORMANCE ART
Combines a variety of media and the human body to execute an artistic theatrical expression performed before
live audience.
ENVIRONMENTAL ART
It involves the artistic creation or manipulation of space such as landscape or architectural design that may
enclose its audience. Earthwork of art using stones, leaves, trees, grass, or other natural elements are included
in this category.
FEMINIST ART
Emerged from concerns of female artists expressed through art. They tackle issues of identity, sexuality, gender
roles, equality, and the ways in which the female is treated in society, among others.
MINIMALISM
Has a stripped-down, prefabricated look, free of details, and often with flat surface, but expresses a specific
content or statement.
VIDEO ART
It consists of images that are recorded through video and viewed through televisions, computers or projection
screen.
GRAFFITI ART
Considered as a drawing, inscription, or sketch done hastily on a wall or other surface made to be seen by the
public.
POSTMODERN ART
It carries modern styles to extreme practices, often expressing an idea through a mix of materials such as found
objects welded together.
BODY ART
It is an art form that uses body as the medium or main material. It can be painted or clothed and used for art
performance in public. Tattooing and piercing are examples of body art.
DIGITAL ART
Done with the aid of a computer to create an image or design composed of bits and bytes. The image can be
printed on paper, tarpaulin or other mediums.
Below are the list of some of the art movements and styles grouped by the decades they are known to have flourished.
1950s 1960s 1970s
• Abstract Expressionism • Abstract Expressionism • Body Art
• Color Field • Color Field • Environmental Art
• Fantastic Realism • Computer Art • Feminist Art
• Conceptual Art • Installation Art
• Happenings • Postminimalism
• Kinetic Art • Video Art
• Light and Space • Pattern and Decoration
• Minimalism
• Neo-Dada
• Op Art
• Performance Art
1980s 1990s 2000s
• Electronic Art • Arte Intervention • Kitsch Movement
• Environmental Art • Body Art • Renewable energy sculpture
• Graffiti Art • Bio Art • Street Art
• Live Art • Cyberarts • Videogame Art
• Postmodern Art • Digital Art
• Neoconceptual • Hyperrealism
• Art • Internet Art
• Neo-expressionism • New Media Art
• Neo-Pop
• Sound Art
• Video Installation
FACTS
In contemporary art in the Philippines, there is a dominance of abstraction, expressionism, social realism and
mixed media art.
Interactive art-making is also practiced among Filipino artists. In some cases, visual art is combined with
performance art to make a statement or express an idea about an issue.
Theatre performances are no longer confined to the theatre stage. They can also be performed at the streets
with minimal props.
Although the trend in contemporary art is one of explorative use of new materials aided by technology, its
content does not leave out human elements, concerns, issues, and things of high value to human beings.
