3 Types of Contemporary Art You Might Find in an Art Gallery
Centuries ago, walking into an art gallery rewarded you with masterpieces displaying landscapes and the human form, both crafted to mirror their subjects. Painstaking brush strokes created portraits that brought out exact details of clothing and facial expression.
Some artists started exploring other methods of painting, especially after photography caught on. Instead of creating an exact copy, artists added some imagination and shaped the world their way. This burst of creativity led to the contemporary art movement. Below is a brief definition of contemporary art and three types you might find in an art gallery.
Contemporary Art—A Definition
Though the time period is loosely defined, contemporary art includes pieces made during the latter half of the 20th century until the present. It is also defined at art created during an artist's lifetime. Human life expectancy is longer than in centuries past, giving contemporary a more expanded timeline. For example, Pablo Picasso, famed for his painting "Guernica" done in the Cubist style, produced works up until his death in 1973. He is credited with influencing both the modern and contemporary art movements.
Three Types of Contemporary Art
You may be lucky enough to see the works of the artists named below. They are examples of what to expect in each type, or movement, of contemporary art.
Pop Art
If you've ever seen Andy Warhol's "Campbell's Soup Cans" or the "Marilyn Diptych" then you've been introduced to the world of pop art. The movement began in the 1950s but it really caught on in New York during the 1960s. It was the art of the people, turning popular figures and identifiable brands and images into viable works. In its modern way, it was a throwback to the time when artists created perfect copies of their subjects. Instead of people and landscapes, those subjects were taken from popular culture and mass media sources. Another famous artist, David Hockney, embraced pop art. His work "A Bigger Splash" focuses on a simple splash in a swimming pool, surrounded by a landscape created by geometric shapes.
Minimalism
Minimalism began in New York during the early 1960s. The idea was to use simple shapes and forms for both paintings and sculptures. Viewers could use their imaginations to get into the mind of the artist and figure out the message in the artwork. Artists resisted putting any identifying features in their works. Examples include a six-foot cube called "Die" by Tony Smith, the almost-empty canvases of Frank Stella and the 3D works of Carl Andre. The latter's project, "Lever," caused quite a stir. Made up of a row of bricks leading out from a wall, the work was a challenge to those with set opinions of artistic norms.
Conceptual Art
Conceptual art went even farther than minimalism both in execution and materials used. The movement threw artistic standards, such as skill, expression, aesthetics and marketability, virtually out the judging window. Critics were sometimes harsh, at times questioning whether conceptual art was really "art." Noted artists include Joseph Kosuth, creator of "One and Three Chairs." This mixed media piece is made up of two real chairs and a photograph of a third. Another example is a painting by abstract expressionist Willem de Kooning that was given to artist Robert Rauschenberg. The latter promptly erased the charcoal, pen, ink and crayon from the canvas. Rauschenberg exhibited the now mostly-blank work as the "Erased de Kooning Drawing." Both the execution and the resulting work drew its share of criticism. Rauschenberg's explanation was the work did not negate de Kooning's work. Instead it celebrated the idea, or the concept, of the piece.
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