Contemporary Art Trends
Contemporary art trends are difficult to define and understand.
To the novice, contemporary art may be indecipherable. 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 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 has 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."
Worlds in Collision
One artist whose works exemplify contemporary art trends and art's mission to help change the world is Leslie Davis of Laguna Beach. In 2006, she created "Worlds in Collision," to draw attention to four illnesses. Through construction of four dynamic glass and metal sculptures, she informs viewers of the gravity of these illnesses and about the pioneering scientists who are working on various alternative cures.
Yet despite the dire messages embedded in these pieces, they are so exquisitely fashioned with radiant color, light and finely wrought glass and metal that observers are drawn in by their beauty and complexity. They are constructed of smooth blown glass, designer-colored glass beads, flickering lights and deftly shaped wire and metal. When the four pieces are shown together, the effect is more like a dramatic stage set than the scientific message that Davis talks about.
Each of the four works depicts a different disease (HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, breast cancer and malaria). When questioned, Davis launches into an explanation that reveals the depth of her medical research: "In this exhibition, the large sculptures convey the visceral and immediate threat posed by these global diseases. The works blur the distinction between seeing and affliction and ask viewers to confront their own vulnerabilities to disease.
Regeneration, Leslie’s latest series of glass works, address the devastation of spinal cord injuries and the promise of stem cell research in helping to cure this type of injury.
The world renown Sue & Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center at UC Irvine, CA will soon display these ground-breaking artworks that exemplify contemporary art trends.
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