Forum on Contemporary Art Trends
Using Today's Internet as a Two-Way Medium.
Contemporary art trends are difficult to define and understand.
To the novice art viewer, contemporary art may appear to be from another planet. Traditional landscapes, pastoral scenes and elegant women are often gone, replaced with sometimes violent, other times scratched looking canvasses and shapes.
Even torn, rusted, broken bits of detritus are co-opted to become part of these new artworks. And an individual work of art might encompass, painting, sculpture, graffiti, even film.
Before 1960, Modern Art was easier to look at and understand. It was often categorized into movements or styles - for example, as surrealism or abstract expressionism. And it was more clearly defined by the use of colors, brush strokes, techniques, mediums and canvas. The word "Fauve," meaning "wild beast" in French was used to describe wildly colored paintings of the early 20th century.
But since 1960, globalization has impacted contemporary art trends. Diffusion of borders and divisions among countries, classes and monetary systems have dramatically affected art, often blurring differences among styles and movements. These changes sometimes lead to the creation of works that 100 years ago would not have been considered art. At a recent art show, paper money fed into an old fashioned meat grinder came out the other end shredded. This is a clear statement about the state of our economy. But is it art?
Hybrid Art
The blurring of variations in contemporary art trends often leads to the creation of hybrid art. These works obscure the traditional distinctions between:
- Painting
- Sculpture
- Film
- Performance
- Architecture
- Dance
- Other Art Forms
As explained in postmodern art, a popular hybrid form is installation art, a work that can fill up a room or a much larger space and often includes several different media, such as painting, photography, film and even technology.
Contemporary art trends can also encompass non-traditional media as:
- Natural and physical sciences
- Industry
- Technology
- Popular culture
- Words, literature and poetry
Some More Trends
Several contemporary art trends appear more traditional, and are influenced by Modern Art, but continue to be trendy today. These include:
- Abstract Art
- Assemblage art
- Graffiti Art
- Installation Art
- Minimalism
- Neo Expressionism
- Performance Art
- Photographic Art
Money and Art
As our financial systems go through roller coaster gyrations, so too does the monetary health of museums, galleries, auction houses, as well as the prices of individual painting and sculptures.
Contemporary art trends then, as described in the press and blogs, are increasingly related to the economy - rather than to the validity, authenticity or originality of the artworks. In some galleries that cater to the newly-rich, you might say, artistic integrity be damned. When a piece of art costs a lot, it becomes a status symbol, so it must be great art. Therefore, one new trend might be: Costly Art equals Great Art.
World Issues in Art
Conversely, but more related to the world we live in, contemporary art often confronts global issues, including economics, politics, illness, sexuality, race, human rights and war. While artists have addressed these issues in the past (Lautrec depicted the working class in late 19th century Parisian dance halls), money and race are more directly the subject of contemporary artworks.
The painting, "Surreal" by Marcus Antonius Jansen on the postmodern art, page is a depiction of extreme poverty - in addition to being a postmodern art work.
If our economy continues to fluctuate wildly over the next five years, new contemporary art trends will likely emerge. Perhaps more socially conscious art will be more prevalent.
The Future of Art
"Some of the greatest bursts of creativity have come out of the most difficult times," wrote Michael Napoliello Jr., a Los Angeles based art dealer, in "101 Things I Don't Know About Art" in 2004. He added, "Race and place are imminent artistic crossroads. Ethnic, third world and outsider artists, historically disenfranchised, will rise up. If embraced, we may witness a great flowering of the global art garden. If not, we may face an increasingly frustrated and polarized art world."
Blogs, Comments and Pages
Contemporary art trends are discussed in blogs and comments linked to this page, below. They are also discussed in various other pages on this website. Pages of particular interest in this website and blogs include:
- The Woodstock Music and Arts Festival was one of the largest contemporary art events ever - encompassing performance art, graffiti art, body art (painted flesh until the rain washed it off), tattoo art, film and a lot more.
- Art Journalism today is a quasi Contemporary Art Trend, involving a great deal of creativity to simply get your voice heard.
- Edward Kienholz, a famous artist from the mid-20th century, was radical in his use of discarded junk to create assemblage art. His intentions and techniques still resonate with contemporary artists today.
- Jerry Burchfield created photographic art that celebrated, was responsive to and mindful of the natural environment; particularly his magnificent Lumen Prints, developed in the sunlight, without chemicals.
Have Something To Say?
Comment on blogs already linked to this page. Just open the blog and click to add your own comments. Or comment here about other pages on this website. or create your own blog, from this page. It’s easy to do. Just scroll down to "Contemporary Art Dialogue Forum." You can even add your own image to your comments. Or create your own web page in "Contemporary Art Dialogue Forum."
Join our ongoing, interactive forum, dialoguing with others who are passionate about art in general and about contemporary art in particular. We invite and encourage you to express your views, opinions and reactions to the content and artwork in this website - or to express your own original views and opinions about art in your own blog.
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