MODULE NO.

6
Contemporary Art
 MODULE OVERVIEW
People nowadays caught into confusion of what is modern and what is
contemporary. It is a common tendency to describe the present as ”modern”, up
to date and technologically advanced. Because of this characteristic, modern is
associated with contemporary. Likewise, turning away from “traditional” can be
considered as modern. This lesson will introduce to look at the two periods in art
differently. There is a big difference between MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY,
first is the historical and next is chronological aspect. These two periods could
share some characteristics, sources and influence. Thus, a possibility to integrate
both elements in creating artwork may take place. It is important to consider that
through the various differences of both modern and contemporary periods in the
development in art, still they themselves are testament and intertwined into the
facet of arts and culture and in our daily lives. The twenty-first century art
encompasses a wide variety of art movement and will continue to conceive
diverse movements in the future
Contemporary Arts
Art produced by artists living in the 21st Century are called
contemporary arts. Most of it reflects our contemporary milieu and
relevant issues affecting today’s world. Coming up with a conclusive
definition of what is contemporary art can be a difficult task for others but
fortunately, comprehending the word “contemporary” offers hope when
one simply considers as the current-ness of production either in painting,
music, dance, theater, video, photography, installation and architecture.
Most contemporary art revolve around their being process based,
collaborative and interactive. Many art historians consider the late 1960s
(the end of modern art, or modernism) to be adequate estimate for the
exact starting point of the genre.
But is still debated; however, pinpointing an exact starting point for
contemporary art remains a subject of debate, reflecting the fluidity and
complexity of artistic expression. Nonetheless, what is undeniable is its
profound impact on shaping cultural discourse and challenging societal
norms, ensuring that contemporary art continues to push boundaries and
inspire thought-provoking conversations well into the future.

21st century began on 1 January 2001 and will continue through 31

December 2100
 Other Contemporary Art Movements
Performance Art is a unique movement in art because the artist uses his or
her body to create art and that artis presented and performed “live.” The
artist is usually alone but sometimes the art is done with collaborators or
performers. Artists have often turned to performances as means to reinvent
themselves and rejuvenate their work whenever they become discontented
with conventional forms of art, such as painting and traditional modes of
sculpture. While playing an important part in anarchic movements such as
Futurism and Dadaism, the genre had also a role in avant-garde art
throughout the 20th century.
Performing arts may include dance, music, opera, theatre and musical
theatre, magic, illusion, mime, spoken word, puppetry, circus arts, stand-
up comedy, improv, professional wrestling and performance art
Installation Art
It is an category characterized by artworks which are three-dimensional in a specific site
aimed to change the perceptional in a specific site aimed to change the perception of a
space. It can be either permanent or temporary and can be installed in exhibit area like public
and private spaces as well as galleries and museums. Natural material and broad range of
ordinary materials are incorporated in a critical manner to create evocative properties,
immersive virtual reality and new media such as performance, sound, video and the internet
are also utilized to obtain specific qualities of a three-dimensional immersive medium. The
first use of installation art as a name for different genre of art came relatively recently and is
documented by the Oxford English Dictionary in 1969. Until the mid-20th century, it was not
thought or considered as a distinct category in reference to a type of art that had existed
since prehistory. In this context, the term Installation Art was coined. It’s roots can be traced
in earlier artists such as Marcel Duchamp and his utilization of the readymade are ordinary
manufactured objects that he selected and modified, as an antidote to what he called “retinal
art.”
There are 3 primary categories of virtual reality simulations used today: non-immersive,
semi-immersive, and fully-immersive simulations.
INSTALLATION ART
Conceptualism
In the genre of conceptual art, the idea behind the work of art takes precedence.
Conceptual artists argue that the concept(s) or idea(s) involved on the work of art
take precedence over traditional aesthetic, technical, and material concerns.
Some works of conceptual art, sometimes called installations, may be constructed
by anyone simply by following a set of written instructions. The technique was
fundamental to American artists Sol LeWitt’s definition of the genre. He said, “In
conceptual art, the idea of the concept is the most important aspect of the work.
When an artist uses a conceptual form of art, it means that all of the planning and
decisions are made beforehand and the execution is a perfunctory affair. The idea
becomes a machine that makes the art.” Conceptualism fought against the idea of
art as a commodity. Conceptual art emerges as a formal movement in the 1960s
and currently remains a major contemporary art movement though this major
conceptual artists include Damien Hirst, Ai Wei Wei, and Jenny Holzer. There are
many examples of conceptual art from the early 1900s to modern day. Some
examples include Duchamp's "Fountain" and works by Sol LeWitt such as "Wall
Structure Blue".
• Conceptual art
This type of art emphasizes the important techniquence of an idea or
concept over technique and aesthetic, largely used to express the
abstract. Unlike other forms of art, it is not defined by physical forms,
but rather the foundation of a concept that serves the engine of
creating art.
Neo-Pop Art
During the mid-to-late 1950s, there was art movement which
emerged In the United Kingdom and the United States and it
was called Pop Art. With the inclusion of imagery from popular
and mass culture, such as advertising, comic books, and
mundane cultural objects, it posed a challenge to traditions of
fine art. Contemaporary art began in the offshoot of pop art as
a reaction to modernism. Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein
pioneered Pop Art which was heavily characterized by an
interest in portraying mass culture. It lasted roughly from the
1950s through the 1970s. and thanks to artists like Jeff
Koons, it was reborn as Neo- Pop Art in the 1980s
Photorealism
Another art genre was introduced by a group of artists who called
themselves as photorealists. Their art is characterized by reproducing a
photograph or an image realistically in another medium, may it be drawing,
painting or sculpture. They had an ultimate goal to create hyper realistic
drawings and paintings and sculptures. With the aid of photographs, they
were able to accurately reproduce images like portraits, landscapes,
seascapes and other icons. Chuck Close and Gerhard Richter are
practitioners of this style. As a counter to Abstract Expressionism as well as
Minimalist art movements In the late 1960s and early 1970s in the United
states, Photorealism evolved from Pop Art. With an aide of a photograph or
several photographs, Photorealists gather information to create their painting.
Despite the fact that visual devices had been utilized since the fifteenth
century to aid artists with their work, the admittance to the use of photographs
in photorealism was met with intense criticism when the movement began to
gain momentum in the late 1960s.
Street Art
Visual art created in public locations is Street Art. It is a form of artwork that
is displayed in a community on its surrounding buildings, streets, trains, and
other publicly viewed surfaces. Art in this genre are usually unsanctioned
artwork executed outside of the context of traditional art vehicles. Other terms
for this type of art include “independent public art”, “post-graffiti”, and “neon-
graffiti”, and is closely related to guerilla art which is composed to make a
public statement about the society that the artist live within. The work has
moves from the beginnings of graffiti and vandalism to new modes where
artists work to bring messages, or just to produce simple beauty, to an
audience.

. Graffiti is word-based, whereas Street Art is image-based

 Common forms and media include spray paint graffiti, stencil graffiti, wheat
pasted poster art, sticker art, street illustrations, and sculpture. Video
projection and yarn bombing have also gained some popular near the turn of
21st century. In the late 60s, graffiti arrived in New York City, after an
introduction on the Philadelphia side. Whatever the legend, no one really
knows if it happened in a deliberate effort or as spontaneous occurrence, but
it seems it all started in Manhattan’s Washington Heights section. Bansky,
Shepard Fairey and Invader are some of the most popular practitioners of
this style.
END