Today's artists work in and respond to a global environment that is culturally diverse, technologically advancing, and multifaceted. The work of contemporary artists is a dynamic combination of materials, methods, concepts, and subjects that challenges traditional boundaries and defies easy definition. Contemporary artists often reflect and comment on modern-day society. Viewers consider whether this art is ‘challenging’ or ‘interesting.’ Contemporary artists may question traditional ideas of how art is defined, what constitutes art, and how art is made, while creating a dialogue with, and in some cases rejecting, the styles and movements that came before them.
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The Modern Art Movement evolved around the turn of the late 1800’s through the turn of the 20th century, to the late 1900’s. Visual Art in Western society moved from naturalism to abstraction during this time, and emphasis was placed on the Design Elements and Principles rather than representation. Modern Art was influenced by the invention of Photography as it freed artists from the constraints of realism.…
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Art can be and is a fundamental part of society and history. Many different perspectives are formed one any one piece of art because everyone see’s art in a different light. It is the artists’ job to come up with an idea that they want to convey to the masses and find a medium for which they can do so. However, in the end we all can come away with a different opinion of what we just saw. In today’s society, we are often opposed to reliving the harsh realities of our past, rape, enslavement, and war for a few examples.…
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Artists interpretations of the world tend to be tightly constrained on the basis of time and place. From a changing idea of beauty, a lack of tools or materials used to express an idea, to a passing muse that comes and goes such as a concept forgotten to the new generation. It becomes justifiable to state that artworks from the past, such as the Prehistoric Venus of Willendorf to Australian Contemporary pieces like Tom Roberts Shearing the Ram and John Brack’s Collins Street 5pm correlate in how they are constrained by cultural themes such as time and place. Art and culture are not black and white concepts; there is no way to say that one affects the other completely. Yet it is necessary to point out that time and place are intangible concepts…
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Many artists enjoy exploring new ideas and concepts and creating them. Most artists think of themselves in one or more of the roles when approaching their art work. First, artists believe they are helping people to see the world in new and innovative ways. Secondly, they believe they are making a visual record of places, people, and events of their time and place (Sayre, 2009). Third, they are making functional objects and buildings more pleasurable and giving them meaning, and finally, artists believe they are giving form to immaterial ideas and things (Sayre, 2009).…
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Art galleries are essential to the art world, however, is not the only source for audiences to view art. To begin with, art and artwork is defined as the application of human skill, creativity and imagination. Taking this into consideration, individuals need to examine the nature and purpose of art galleries as a facility to collaborate, organize and display a collection of artworks. As art however, is any expression of human creativity, its presence is not bound to art galleries and is evidently present in the world around us be it in photographs, the internet or even in graffiti.…
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“When the artist is alive in any person... he becomes an inventive, searching, daring, self-expressing creature. He becomes interesting to other people. He disturbs, upsets, enlightens, and he opens ways for better understanding and seeing.” Robert Henri, an American painter and teacher, expresses this statement in his book, ‘The Art Spirit’ (1939). He provides us with a subjective context that requires thoughtful reflection. In his statement, the person does not have to be a painter or sculptor to be an artist; they look beyond this simplicity and embrace the creature inside by becoming inventive, searching, daring and self-expressing in the way they use media. Viewers are lured towards their works and their attention is captured. Gordon Bennett, an Australian Aboriginal artist, demonstrates this theory through his work. Possession Island (Appendix 1), 1991 and Notes to Basquiat (Jackson Pollock and his Other) (Appendix 2), 2001, will be discussed in relation to Henri’s statement.…
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Postmodernism is best understood by defining the modernist ethos it replaced - that of the avant-garde who were active from 1860s to the 1950s. The various artists in the modern period were driven by a radical and forward thinking approach, ideas of technological positivity, and grand narratives of Western domination and progress. The arrival of Neo-Dada and Pop art in post-war America marked the beginning of a reaction against this mindset that came to be known as postmodernism. The reaction took on multiple artistic forms for the next four decades, including Conceptual art, Minimalism, Video art, Performance art, and Installation art. These movements are diverse and disparate but connected by certain characteristics: ironical and playful…
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Post-modern art sorts to re-define the world through its creativity and use of new-aged technology. Opposed to the past creations of the use of paint and canvas many new artists re-define the meaning of “art”. Post-modern art seeks to communicate, to the world’s audience, a message that may be physically observed through the artwork or mentally through the hidden meaning behind why the artist is creating this art piece. This is successfully shown through the works of ‘Feminist’ artist, Jenny Holzer, and ‘Performance’ artist, Stelarc. Both artists effectively re-define the world and post-modern artworks.…
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When a work transcends into art, it surpasses its cultural restraints and touches us. We are moved; we are transported to a new place that is, nevertheless, strongly rooted in a physical experience, in our bodies. When we focus on works such as Van Gogh’s “Old Man in Sorrow” or Velazquez’s “Christ Crucified” rather than “The Scream” or “Campbell’s Soup Cans”, we become aware of a feeling that may not be unfamiliar to us but which we did not actively focus on before. Unlike popular culture, this transformative experience is what art is constantly seeking. The emotions invoked from a reading of Yeats or Frost pulls the strings of our conscience and heart and most importantly, they inspire and motivate us to change ourselves and/or the world around us. No amount of Meyer or Collins can bring forth the willingness to examine and investigate our lives or the lives of others. The felt feeling of art spurs thinking, engagement, and even action. Only art alone helps people get to know and understand something with their minds and feel it emotionally and physically. By doing this, art can mitigate the almost numbing effect created by modern pop culture and society and motivate people to start thinking and doing.…
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When one typically thinks about ‘art’, one usually associates iconic pieces such as Van Gogh’s The Starry Night, Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa or even Michelangelo’s David to name a few. As humans evolved, so did their art pieces and the interpretations people had over whether or not the ‘artwork’ is truly a work of art. In the past, being an artist was highly respected, such as in the times of the Renaissance where they were alongside philosophers and others of the sort, an example being Leonardo Da Vinci. Nowadays, the arts are often looked at with disdain due to people believing they are simple and lack rigor compared to other fields such as the medical field. One form of art that experiences this severely is street art which is the focus of Banksy’s documentary Exit Through the Gift Shop. Banksy has two main points in the film, which is to give the audience a brief history of street art along with displaying the growth of an artist, that being Mr. Brainwash or Thierry Guetta, a main protagonist in the film.…
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