Characteristics of Contemporary
Art
Contemporary Arts
• A statement that an artist makes
about life, thoughts, ideas, beliefs,
and many other things that define
human life.
Contemporary Art
• Work generally defined as referring to
“work created after WWII”
• Abstract work and the various
postmodernist genres, from “Pop Art” to
“Installation” and “Performance Art”
The Spoliarium
• Painted by Juan Luna and considered one of the
most internationally renowned pieces of modern
art.
• Submitted his painting to the Exposición
Nacional de Bellas Artes in 1884 which received
a gold medal.
• It now hangs in the main gallery of the National
Museum of the Philippines
Spoliarium
Detailed look:
Juan Luna (1857-1899)
He became one of the first
recognized Philippine
artists.
Characteristics of Contemporary Art
• Many contemporary artists are self-
taught
• Originality is not issue – Artists can
get another artist’s work and add to
it, redesign or interpret it using other
materials.
Subject Matter and Style in Contemporary
Art
• Not confined to representations of human
figures and landscapes
• Favorite subjects:
* children
* women
* the environment
Subject Matter and Style
• In conceptual arts, viewer has to engage in
thinking and exploring the meaning of the
artwork.
• Some are intended to make a statement about an
issue so the viewer is guided by a written
explanation.
Abstract Expressionism
• A post-World War II art
movement in American painting,
developed in New York in the 1940’s
• The first specifically American
movement to achieve international
influence
• Put New York center of the
Western art world (formerly Paris)
Kinetic Arts
Art from any medium that
contains movement perceivable
by the viewer or depends on
motion for its effects.
Op Art
• Form of abstract art that gives
illusion of movement by the
precise use of pattern and
color.
• Conflicting patterns
emerge and overlap.
Performing Arts
• Form of art in which artists use their voices
and/or their bodies, often in relation to other
objects, to convey artistic expression.
• Different from visual arts which is when artists
use paint/canvas or various materials to create
physical or static art objects.
Environmental Art
• Range of artistic practices
encompassing both historical
approaches to nature in art
• More ecological and
politically motivated types of
works
Feminist Art
Feminist art movement – refers to
the efforts and accomplishments
of feminists
- Art that reflects women’s lives
and experiences
Minimalism
• Describes movements in various
forms of art and design, especially
visual art and music
• The work is set out to expose the
essence, essentials or identity of a
subject through eliminating all non-
essential forms, features or concepts.
Video Arts
• Art form which relies on moving
pictures in a visual and audio
medium.
• Came into existence during the
late 1960’s and early 1970’s as a new
consumer video technology became
available outside corporate broadcasting.
Graffiti Art
• One of the most radical contem-
porary movements
• Also called “Street Art” or
“Spray can Art”, “Subway Art” or
“Aerosol Art”
• Commonly refers to decorative
Imagery applied by paint or other
means to building, transport, or
other property
Post-Modern Art
Body Art
• Art made on, with, or
consisting of, the human body.
• Most common forms of body
art are tattoos and body
piercings.
Digital Art
• Artistic work that uses digital
technology as an essential part
of the creative or presentation
process (computer, multimedia
art)
• It is placed under the larger
umbrella term new media art.
Digital Art
Materials used in Contemporary Arts
• Contemporary artists salvage materials that can
be recycled and made into creative forms.
Skills, techniques, and production in
Contemporary Arts
Types of Techniques
Decalcomania
Decoupage
Frottage
Montage
Trapunto
Digital Applications
