MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY ART

• Modern Art


  The style and philosophy of artworks created between 1890 and 1960
• Contemporary Art


  Any work of art created since the end of World War II and the term also refers to the works of artists who are still alive and working
• The terms Modern Art and Contemporary Art may sound synonymous but they are different from one another and should not be interchanged
• According to art historians, Modern Art refers to styles of art that were created between the 1860s or (others say 1880s) and 1950s (others say late 1960s)
• Art that was made after the said period is considered Contemporary Art
• Gustave Courbet


  • He is a French painter during the 19th century who led the Realist movement
  • He challenged his contemporaries who used the Romanticism concept
  • He stuck to his convictions, which were to paint only what the eyes could see
  • The Cubists and Impressionists were among the many artist groups who were influenced by his 'independent mind,' which allowed them to bloom and improve their work
• Modern Art


  • The style incorporated many Modern Art concepts, but it placed a greater emphasis on social, economic, and political issues
  • The primary aim of Modern Art was to set aside the traditions of the past world and focus on an innovative approach in identifying and addressing the issues and problems of the world
• Modern Art


  • Many new concepts and ideas were introduced into the world of art as a result of the Modernism movement
  • Many artists of the time began to focus their work on dreams, symbolism, and personal iconography
  • Other artists began to experiment with color and non-traditional materials
• Contemporary Art


  • It was described by critics as a time when 'modern art' was not anymore contemporary enough to impact the younger generations positively
  • It was instead based solely on current issues such as social, economic, and political concerns
• Characteristics of Contemporary Art


  • It produced exploratory works that addressed a broader range of social, economic, and political issues
  • It reflected current world issues such as racism, globalization, oppression, poverty, feminism, etc.
  • There has been an increase in the number of artworks that raise awareness of the most important and pressing issues
  • It appears to be addressing and exposing more issues that will arise in the future
• Modern Art vs Contemporary Art

  • Modern art is defined as art created after the 1880s, while Contemporary art refers to the works of artists who are still alive and working today
  • Modern art is more self-expressive, whereas contemporary art focuses on society and is known for its impact on society
  • Modern Art is revolutionary because it was anti-romanticism, whereas contemporary art is revolutionary for the level or extent of the artists' freedom and degree of experimentation
  • Modern art puts emphasis on the subjective representation of chosen themes, whereas contemporary art takes a strong stance on global social, political, and cultural issues
  • Modern art is primarily created on canvases, whereas contemporary art is created on any medium imaginable, including video art, tech-enabled artworks, object design, and graphical arts
• Expressionism


  The artists' main purpose was to express emotion and/or a sense of deeper reality, through vigorous brush strokes, and distortion or exaggeration of shapes and colors
• Expressionist members


  • Heckel
  • Jawlensky
  • Kandinsky
  • Kirchner
  • Kokoschka
  • Kollwitz
  • Marc
  • Meidner
  • Nolde
  • Schiele
  • Schmidt-Rottluff
• Fauvism


  A group of young painters centered around Matisse whose work was characterized by strong colorful brush strokes. When they exhibited together in 1905 at the Salon d'Automne in Paris, they were named "fauves" (wild beasts), and caused a great controversy. Unlike the German Expressionists, their work tended to be joyful.
• Fauvist members


  • Derain
  • van Dongen
  • Dufy
  • Matisse
  • Vlaminck
• Futurism


  A movement founded by the poet Marinetti. Its members rejected the past and instead celebrated the dynamism of the machine age and city life. They published aggressive manifestos and, like Dada artists, staged "Happenings" designed to shock. Their paintings were initially influenced by Pointillism, then by Cubism, but put on a greater emphasis than the latter on a sense of movement.
• Futurist members


  • Balla
  • Boccioni
  • Carra
  • Severini
• Impressionism


  The first major avant-garde movement. The name was invented in 1874 by a hostile critique, inspired by a painting of Monet entitled Impression: Sun Rise. The Impressionists aim was to capture the passing moment, by means of a sketchy technique, strong color and a commitment to outdoor, on-the-spot painting, with a little reworking in the studio as possible.
• Impressionist members


  • Cassatt
  • Degas
  • Monet
  • Morisot
  • Pissarro
  • Renoir
• Kinetic Art


  Sculpture that actually moves, often using modern technology such as electricity to achieve this. It contrasts with Op Art which just appears to move.
• Kinetic Art members


  • Bury
  • Calder
  • Lijn
  • Tinguely
• Land Art


  Art that involves the artist going out into the nature and making his or her own mark in it. The only record that remains is photographic, sometimes combined with maps, texts, and so on. More recently, some land artists have exhibited sculptures made from natural found objects inside galleries.
• Land Art members


  • Christo
  • Fulton
  • Goldsworthy
  • Long
  • Oppenheim
  • Smithson
• Minimalism


  An intellectual sort of art which seems to consist of very little, so that the viewer is forced to scrutinize the forma properties of what is actually there very carefully. The work is usually religiously geometric and involves the repetition of identical objects.
• Minimalist members


  • Andre
  • Judd
  • Morris
• Graffiti Art


  A form of visual communication, usually illegal, involving the unauthorized marking of public space by an individual or group. Graffiti can be understood as antisocial behavior performed in order to gain attention or as a form of thrill seeking, but it also can be understood as an expressive art form.
• Graffiti Art members


  • Banksy
  • Haring
  • Pink
  • Kobra
  • Swoon
  • le Rat
  • Seen
  • Furuta 2000
• Hyperrealism


  A genre of painting and sculpture resembling a high-resolution photograph. Hyperrealism is considered an advancement of Photorealism by the methods used to create the resulting paintings or sculptures.
• Hyperrealist members


  • Wojtkiewicz
  • Bravo
  • Helnwein
  • Sandorfi
  • Cattelan
• Installation Art


  Artwork located in three-dimensional interior space as the word "install" means putting something inside of something else. It is often site-specific - designed to have a particular relationship, whether temporary or permanent, with its spatial environment on an architectural, conceptual, or social level.
• Installation Art members


  • Duchamp
  • Chicago
  • Hirst
  • LeWitt
  • Paik
• Neo-Expressionism


  Widespread and much-publicized characteristic of 1980s art. The work appears to pay homage to earlier 20th century Expressionism.
• Neo-Expressionist members


  • Baselitz
  • Chia
  • Cucci
  • Kiefer
  • Penck
  • Schnabel
• Op Art


  A geometric abstract art that manipulates the viewers visual response and creates an illusion of movement. Artists use theories from psychology of perception to achieve this effect.
• Op Art members


  • Agam
  • Albers
  • Anuskiewicz
  • Riley
  • Soto
  • Vasarely
• Orphism


  A colorful and almost abstract strand of Cubism. It can be seen as one of the earliest attempts to create abstract art.
• Orphist members


  • Delaunay
  • Delaunay-Terk
  • Kupka
• Performance Art


  Art related to theatrical performance but has no plot or sense of drama. It is often used to make a political point, exploit the idea of endurance, and/or boredom, or simply to entertain.
• Performance Art members


  • Arnatt
  • Brisley
  • Gilbert and George
  • Horn
  • Mclean
  • Nitsch
• Pointillism


  The technique of applying small, regular dabs of unmixed color on to the picture surface relying of scientific theories such as the precise combination of complimentary colors. This was pioneered by Seurat, who used the term Divisionism.