CONTEMPORARY ART

 

Contemporary art exists in our current era that encompasses all kinds of art. The concept arose in the 20th century. Its beginnings were in the 60s and it is still current art. The 60s saw a very large evolutionary stage in technology, politics, society and in the world art.

Its genres are difficult to describe since its concepts are very broad and varied, covering many techniques and genres in the different modes of artistic expression, painting, sculpture, literature, photography, video, music.

 

Contemporary art is the reflection of society in the world of art.

 

Contemporary art is part of our lives and our environment. We can appreciate it in contemporary art museums, acquire it at contemporary art galleries and fairs, it can be studied in schools or universities, seen and in the media and media such as contemporary art magazines, specialized books on contemporary art painting and sculpture.

The beginnings of contemporary art were eruptions of creations and synonymous with changes in the modern art of the moment. 

Everything was beginning to be art, everything was valid and accompanied by freedom of expression.

They are to emphasize the different forms of artistic expressions in the decade of the sixties.

 

ABSTRACT EXPRESSIONISM

 

It is modern painting without figures of broad and strong strokes in which the artist is carried away by the strongest emotions, expresses the deepest feelings and leaves the traditional processes both in the way of painting and the utensils or products used for painting creation. 

Abstract expressionism became known in the United States in the 1920s through the famous artist Vasili Kandinsky, it was not until the 1950s that abstract expressionism was at its peak. A contemporary representative style that evolved in the 40s after World War II.

The first Exhibition on the new American art was at the MOMA Museum in New York, later it was exhibited and known in different European countries.

New York became the most influential city in the world in abstract expressionism. One of the most important artists of the art movement is Jackson Pollock.

 

The She-Wolf. 1943. Painting on Canva.

 

Jackson Pollock is an essential figure in abstract art, one of his most important works is The She-Wolf, an artwork that the American artist painted in 1943 and is currently on display at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, MOMA.

In his work you can appreciate the evolution in abstract art, the materials and techniques used by the artist were pioneers at the time. He used more liquid and resinous paints to be able to pour them on the surface, he splashed the artwork with paint or used different utensils to create his artwork.

 

CONCEPTUAL ART

 

Conceptual art is based on the expression of concepts that are perceived through lived experiences, acquired knowledge and intangible sensations that are stored in memory. The intellectual result of the idea is more important than aesthetic beauty, the artist conveys a message to the viewer. The messages may contain protests or complaints about injustices in society. Women’s rights, the Vietnam War were some of the themes expressed by the artists of the moment.

Conceptual art stands out in the 1960s in England and the United States, expanding throughout Europe, South America and Asia and has been one of the most controversial artistic forms of expression of the 20th century. Its development was understood in different disciplines such as music, video, literature, sculpture, photography.

Yves Klein, of French origin, exhibited the same eleven artworks in Milan in 1957, painted monochrome in navy blue, a color that was patented by the artist and is called Klein Blue or Style Blue. The Proposta Monochrome, Epoca Blu the art collection was very successful in different European cities such as Paris, Milan, London, and Düsseldorf.

 

Marcel Duchamp revolutionary French artists in 20th century conceptual art. Marcel Duchamp made us understand that an object can be artwork without having to be created using all kinds of objects that we use in everyday life, thus becoming the driver of Ready-Mades. 

One of his most groundbreaking works is the Bicycle Wheel exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, MOMA, the artwork of which was created in 1912. The work is admired by thought and not only by vision.

 

At present we can appreciate the conceptual art by the hand of Antoni Socias Albaradejo, a multidisciplinary artist residing on the island.

 The Altarpiece of genesis. Acrylic on canvas. 2019

 

He was appointed Academician of Fine Arts at the San Sebastián Academy of the Balearic Islands in January 2020.

For more information go to : https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antoni_Socias

 

MINIMALISM

 

Minimalism is an artistic movement that is part of the abstract art of the 20th century in a simpler way, arising from the artistic rebellion caused by the great trend of Pop art and abstract expressionist art.

The characteristics of minimalist art are detailed in its forms that are usually square or rectangular, remarkable for its simplicity and simplicity, the message of the artworks does not need to be decorated nor does it need to convey emotions to the viewer. The vast majority of the artworks are not framed, the artworks are composed of uniform colors and are usually works of large size.

Japanese culture through Zen philosophy shares many characteristics with minimalism. Its doctrines are austerity, humility, simplicity, nothing is everything, from which environments are created that radiate peace, calm and calm.

Many minimalist artists have been influenced by Zen philosophy. The artist Frank Stella promoted minimalist art at the time when trends declined towards pop art and expressionist art.

For more information go to : https://www.museothyssen.org/en/collection/artists/stella-frank

 

“The American painter and sculptor Frank Stella belonged to a generation of artists who were formed in the abstract environment that emerged after the Second World War but who reacted against the gesture and spirit of abstract expressionism with works governed by geometry, in which they completely denied the spatial illusion and vindicated the two-dimensionality of the canvas.”

 

One of his most important works is “Nothing Happens” created in 1959.

Nothing Happens. Metallic powder polymer emulsion on canvas.

 

Dan Flavin was a conceptual artist with minimalist influences. In his early days his paintings were painted in watercolors, he also used photography and collages as means of artistic expression. A New Yorker by birth, he was the first artist to use fluorescent lighting in his artwork. The most used colors are blue, pink, yellow and red, all of them combined to provoke sensations with the effects of light.

Part of his legacy is in the Dan Flavin Art Institute in New York, where you can see a permanent collection of the artist.

Guggenheim Museum New York, Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, Modern Art Museum New York, Muse National d’Art Moderne, Center Georges-Pompidou, Paris, London, Canada are part of a long list of museums and cities where the artworks of Dan Flavin.

 

OP ART

 

OP art is a form of artistic expression through optical illusions that play with movement. In its beginnings, the use of geometric shapes and black and white colours stood out. OP art is influenced among others by cubism, neo-impressionism and related to the avant-garde movement.

Mathematics and architecture are part of the creation of OP art works. The observer of the painting interacts with the artist through the artwork, depending on how the observer is positioned, the work will be seen in a different way, as well as through the contrast of colors, different sensations are produced in sight, and it may seem that the artwork is in motion.

 

Zebra Drawing. 1939

 

The first artwork that represents OP art in the 60s is the Zebras work created by the Hungarian artist Victor Vasarely, a pioneer in OP art. 

Victor Vasarely’s paintings and sculptures are world famous. Thanks to the investigations on movement and optics carried out by the artist, there was an evolution in OP art.

Bridget Riley, born in England, is also a reference to the OP movement that influenced the development and inspired other artists around the world.

Bridget Riley’s artworks are a reference of OP art.

 

DADAISM

 

Dadaism emerged in a Cabaret in Zurich in Switzerland around 1916 and was inspired by going against the current art trends of the time.

After the war, it was in Germany where this artistic movement regained more strength, later expanding to the United States.The artists involved in this movement were mostly artists of communist or anarchist thought.

The writer Hugo Ballo is the creator of anti-art and over time Dadaism was forged as a way of thinking and a philosophy of life, becoming a form of ironic expression, mockery with humor, creating works without making sense using waste materials for their creation.

“Tristan Tzara (or Izara), pseudonym of Samuel Rosenstock (Moineşti, April 16, 1896-Paris, December 25, 1963) was a Romanian poet and essayist. He was one of the founders of the anti-art movement known as Dadaism, of which he is considered the greatest exponent and figure. He was a key figure in the poetic avant-garde at the beginning of the century, anticipating the arrival of surrealism.

 

He lived in France almost all of his life. He was one of the most important authors of Dadaism, who founded it, together with Jean Arp and Hugo Ball, a totally revolutionary avant-garde artistic current in the sense that it sought to break with all the parameters established throughout the length and breadth of the history of Western art, so much so that today it is classified as “anti-art”. Dadaism was a kind of founding father for several artistic movements, including Surrealism, Stridentism, and to some extent the Pop Art of the 1960s.

For more information go to : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tristan_Tzara

 

POP ART

 

Pop Art emerged in England at the end of the 50s, expanding to the United States in the 60s. Por Art is another artistic movement of the 20th century in contemporary art which expresses more common content in the life of the human being, inspired by posters, advertising, comics, singers, actors.

Pop art is a modern art that had its peak until the 80’s, one of the most famous New York artists of Pop Art is Andy Warhol. Andy Warhol was born in the United States, he was a genius of Pop Art and in the 20th century both in illustration and in literature, photography, and avant-garde cinema.

One of his best known artworks is the face of Marilyn Monroe, icon of Pop Art.

Marilyn 1967, Portfolio of screen-prints

 

You can see his art collection, more than 12,000 artworks by Andy Warhol in its museum. The Andy Warhol Museum which is located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Today Pop Art is a lifestyle that includes different media such as clothing, decoration, music, styling, photography…

After changing his style from Abstract Expressionism to Pop Art, Robert Rauschenberg became one of the most representative artists of Pop Art. After that change, the artist began to use waste objects to form part of his artwork. He also used engraving, sculpture, and photography. His works have been or can be seen at the New York Contemporary Museum MOMA, the Guggenheim Museum in New York and Bilbao, the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum.

 

PSYCHEDELIC ART

 

Psychedelic art is the artistic expression that is born from mental trance, hallucinations or psychedelic experiences that can be caused by drug intake. Psychological alterations are expressed by various methods such as painting, visual art, fashion, and music. Psychedelic art emerged at the end of the 1960s in England and the United States. Psychedelic art is synonymous with free thought, which represents peace and love, the reflection of a society tired of wars and booming in social demands. Many music groups from the 60s used psychedelic drawings for the covers of their LPS’s, the Hippie era was beginning.

Michael Garfield is one of the most outstanding artists of psychedelic art, a painter and illustrator who creates artworks inspired by mysticism. Consciousness becomes something extraterrestrial, crossing the limits and entering a mental trance.

 

Fire Flower, Michael Garfield.

 

It is wonderful to appreciate the evolution of art in the last century, how artists have grown up giving free rein to their ideas and beliefs, creating an artistic revolution in the art world. Many interesting contemporary pieces of art are exhibited in luxury galleries where they can be purchased for very high prices.

The purchase and collection of art have always been a safe investment in the short and long term, the basic thing for this is to have good advisers or knowledge in painting. When acquiring works of art, tangible objects are obtained so it can be enjoyed and appreciated in their own environment and at the same time receive a financial asset.

Artdrei 2022