How to Start Understanding Contemporary Art
What is contemporary art? This question is one of the most frequently asked on Google, but art experts have not come to a unanimous opinion. Actually, this is why there is no single interpretation of this phrase. Anyway, this is the art of our days.
Modern art – modernism or new art versus old classic. Do not confuse modernism with modern - these two concepts existed in Europe in parallel to each other. The beginning of a new era in art is usually counted from 1863, when Édouard Manet created the iconic painting called “The Luncheon on the Grass”, but Cézanne abandoned the traditional manner of painting. Nowadays, when the paintings of Manet and Cézanne are reproduced on cookie barrels, it is difficult to imagine what a revolution in art they made.
Since the 1960s and 1970s, the time of contemporary art or the art of today has come, combining many movements from minimalism and pop art to conceptual art. Artists use new means and forms of expression: performance, installation, video objects. They do not strive for pure beauty; they are interested in the concept of works, its underground, new associations. Contemporary art takes to the streets, lives outside galleries and traditional art spaces. It provokes, gives impetus to a different perception of reality, expands our concept of “aesthetics”.
Sorting it out when a pile of bricks in an art gallery is art and when is a building material
Many artworks in museums are beneath criticism. It is not enough to be an innovator in the choice of materials or to take the courage of depicting something that someone else has not dared to do. Art, like any other kind of activity, requires knowledge and many years of hard work. Often, a good composition or a sense of rhythm helps the message hidden in a work of art to “reach” the viewer. Therefore, a pile of bricks in an art gallery can be called an art object due to the play of light, composition, materials, idea and presentation, as all this forms an integral “picture”.
One of the aspects of contemporary art is precisely to encourage people to think differently, to “break” their usual stereotypical thinking. But human psychology is such that you don't want to give in to your principles. Hence the internal conflict and a wave of indignation, why the bricks in the gallery are art, but at the construction site - a pile of stones. Every time you have such a thought, pay attention to the auxiliary means of expression in the gallery - sound, light, smell. Due to the space, the object is "readable", so it is possible that you will see it completely differently.
By the way, the Venice Biennale is an outstanding example of real contemporary art. Each art object is a delight, because it combines the professionalism of a master, a non-standard approach and an original presentation.
Perception of contemporary art: from the beginning to the present day
The society faced the problem of understanding the works of abstract expressionist artists back in the 50s of the last century, which made this direction of art not for everyone, but for the “elite”. In fact, nothing has changed globally. The wider a person's area of thought and less blinkered thinking, the easier it is for him or her to understand the contemporary presentation of artists.
Society is diverse, so there have always been different forms of thinking and perception. However, now the polarity of points of view is especially acute, since we live during the domination of subcultures - everything is available and has no boundaries. In particular, the rapid development of the Internet and technologies played a large role in this process. If the older generation can stand at one painting for hours, analyzing the composition, the author's idea, then young people are used to taking everything quick as a wink. And modern art is just about the speed of perception.
As for the use of technology in art, Europe has nothing to boast about in this regard, so far everything is more or less ''down to earth''. The same cannot be said about the Asian market, where simply unthinkable methods of material processing are used, and complex three-dimensional installations are modelled for art objects.
Contemporary art: development and prospects
It is highly likely that in the foreseeable future, the boundaries that define the concept of contemporary art will increasingly blur. Contemporary art will become a "tool" for expressing ideas, painting – the space, sculpture - a kind of virtual structure. The music will materialize and the light will be felt. Art will increasingly manipulate the psyche, the ideas of the viewer. Probably due to the rapid development of technology, art expression forms will no longer need exhibition halls. It is possible that over time, people will especially appreciate the unique, sincere and individual ways of expression in art.
On the picture, there is a painting “Siesta” (Dita Lūse)
Author: Elena Safronova