Contemporary art

Why study art?

1. Art is natural human behavior
2. Art is a communication
3. Art is healing
4. Art tells our story
5. Art is a shared experience

What is ConArt?
● Contemporary- meaning current, now and the present.
● Art- Art is creation. Creating something new, something original and something
different. It is doing something to change a subject, to build. Art is life. It is
creating life on a material and making inanimate objects to have life. To create
art is to give life.
● Its scope is BROAD, as there are over 100 art styles and movements under its
category.
● The artist experiments with medium and form to make a statement.
● Collaborative and interactive practices are gaining popularity.
● It is not intended to be sold.

Characteristics of Contemporary arts

1. It is not confined to museum
2. Bold Strokes, bright colors; and - Abstract, Expressionist and Surrealist
3. Some artists, were self-taught; and Different Materials were used instead of the
traditional ones
4. Originality is not an issue
5. Process is essential and important

Contemporary Art is a statement that an artist makes about life, thoughts, ideas and
many other things that define human life.

Strictly speaking, "contemporary art" refers to art made and produced by artists the
living today.

Today's artists work in and respond to global environment that is culturally diverse,
technologically advancing and multifaceted,

Working in a wide range of mediums, contemporary artists often reflect and comment
on modern-day society.

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Contemporary Art is the art of today who are Living in the 21st century Contemporary
artists work in a globally influenced, culturally diverse, and technologically
advancing World.

Subject matter and styles

Traditional Artists = are consisted of portraits, landscapes, still life and human interest
mostly as naturally as possible. and exploration of patterns, figures, objects, and a
combination of many.

Contemporary Artists = works are expressions of freedom, experimentation, things

that are important to them.

SUBJECT MATTER IS BOUNDLESS TO THE CONTEMPORARY ARTIST. STYLE

CAN FALL UNDER ONE OF MORE THAN 100 STYLES BUT CAN BE CATEGORIZED
UNDER THE FEW BIG MOVEMENTS IN ART.

● In some artworks, the subject matter is not easily recognized. If the artwork is
an experiment on technique, the subject matter is the technique itself. In others,
such as those in conceptual art, the viewer has to engage in thinking and
exploring the meaning of the artwork.
● Some artworks are intended to make statement about an issue so the viewer is
guided by a written explanation.

ABSTRACT EXPRESSIONISM
- A painting style in which the artist applies paint in a manner that expresses
emotions and
- feelings in a spontaneous way. The figures may be heavy in lines and color
without solid mass.

KINETIC ART
- A sculpture that moves with the wind or is powered by a machine or electricity.

OP ART
- Uses lines or images repeatedly to create an optical illusion.

PERFORMANCE ART
- Combines a variety of media and the human body to execute an artistic theatrical
expression before a live audience.

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ENVIRONMENT ART
- involves the artistic creation or manipulation of space such as landscape or
architectural design that may enclose its audience Earthworks, or art using
stones, leaves, tress, grass or other natural elements are included in this
category.

FEMINIST ART
- Emerged from the concerns of female artists expressed through art. They tackle
issues of identity, sexuality, gender roles, equality and the ways in which the
female is treated in society, among others.

MINIMALISM
- had a stripped down, prefabricated look free of details and often with flat surface
but expresses a specific content or statement. An example is electric wire
emerging from the wall that coils to form a particular shape.

VIDEO ART
- consists of images that are recorded through a video and viewed through
television, computer, or projection screen.

GRAFFITI ART
- a drawing inscription or sketch done hastily on a wall or other surface made to be
seen by the public.

POSTMODERN ART
- carries modern styles to extreme practices, often expressing an idea through a
mix of materials such as found objects welded together.

BODY ART
- an art form that uses the body as the medium or main material. It can be painted
or clothed and used to perform artistic act in public. Tattooing and piercing are
examples of body art.

DIGITAL ART
- is done with the aid of computer to create an image or design composed of bits
and bytes. The image can be printed on paper, tarpaulin. or other mediums.

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Some art styles progress through the decades and have influenced artists throughout
the globe While some are short lived and are confined to a group of locality. As such,
some art styles cannot be confined to one particular decade.

1950s 1970s 2000s

● Abstract ● Body art ● The Kitsch
expressionism ● Environmental art movement
● Color field ● Feminist art ● Renewable energy
● Fantastic realism ● Installation art sculpture
● Postminimalism ● Street art
● Video art ● Video Game art
● Pattern & decoration

1960s 1990s
● Abstract ● Art intervention
expressionism ● Body art
● Bio art
● Color field
● Cyberarts
● Computer art ● Digital art
● Conceptual art ● Hyperrealism
● Happenings ● Internet art
● Kinetic art ● New media art
● Light and space
● Minimalism
● Neo-dada
● Op art
● Performance art

In contemporary art in the Philippines, there is a dominance of abstraction,

expressionism, social realism and mixed media art. Traces of western influence are
visible in two-dimensional abstract paintings.

Recently, community and environmental arts are gaining popularity. When there is
public space that can be used by artists, they collaborate in art-making and conduct
workshops to teach and involve the children or specific groups in the community.

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OTHER PRACTICES FILIPINO ARTISTS USE
● Interactive art-making
● Visual art is combined with performance art to make a
● statement
● Films expanded to include indie films
● Theatre performance is no longer confined to theatre stage
● In music, there is fusion of different styles and use of words
● in songs sang in irregular sound patterns.

Although the trend in contemporary art is one of explorative use of new materials aided
by technology, its content does not leave out human elements, concerns, issues, and
things of high value to human beings.

MATERIALS USED IN CONTEMPORARY ART.

Contemporary Artists salvage materials that can be recycled and made into creative
forms. They can make artworks that combine structure and wood and interact with
the wind to make music.
- An example is Chime Halo by Impy Pilapil, a hanging bamboo chimes that
create sound when blown by the wind done by the Cavite-bom artist.

Some artists combine indigenous materials with textile and mount these on a painted
flat surface
- Mona Alcudia (Cebu), she makes solid forms as well as transparent artworks
using paper.

In outdoor sculpture, there is a lot of use of brass welded together and mounted on
concrete.

Painting is no longer confined to canvas hung on the wall. They can also be found on
the ceilings and floors.
- Singapore ArtBridge Painted by Batanes-born artist Pacita Abad.

In architecture, there is extensive use of glass and steel.

Color combination is either complementary or strong contrasting, such as orange and
blue, red and white.
- Interior of San Sebastian, the only all-steel church in Asia, Manila, Philippines,
Asia.

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In performance art, artists use variety of props such as rope, plastic, textile, and found
objects. Paint is also used for body art.
- Kalig-on by Nicolas Aca Pagbalik tanaw kay Yolanda

TECHNOLOGY has also redefined art in many ways.

Examples are…
1. Light structures and floor drawings using colored laser beans and smoke.
2. Tubes hanging on the ceiling that respond to the viewer's movements, sound and
touch.
3. Wall climbing robot holding a paint.
4. A pen controlled by a software program to create certain patterns.

The availability and variety of materials and the possibilities offered by technology
expand the choices of artists.
This is essential to the development of Contemporary Art.

SKILLS, TECHNIQUES AND PRODUCTION IN CONTEMPORARY ARTS

MANY CONTEMPORARY ARTIST DO NOT HAVE FORMAL STUDIES IN THE FINE ARTS
BUT ARE SELF-TAUGHT. CONCERNED WITH THE DEVELOPMENT OF THEIR TALENT
AND SKILLS IN ART MAKING, THEY STUDY ON THEIR OWN, INTERACT WITH ARTISTS
AND READ A LOT ABOUT LIVES OF ARTISTS AND THEIR ARTWORKS.

TYPES OF TECHNIQUES:
1. COLLAGE
- MADE OF ADHERING FLAT ELEMENTS SUCH AS NEWSPAPER OR MAGAZINE
CUT-OUTS, PRINTED TEXT, ILLUSTRATIONS, PHOTOGRAPHS, CLOTH STRING
ETC. TO A FLAT SURFACE TO CREATE A THICK LAYER THAT IS ALMOST LIKE A
RELIEF SCULPTURE.

2. DECALCOMANIA
- THE PROCESS OF APPLYING GOUACHE TO PAPER OR GLASS THEN
TRANSFERRING A REVERSAL OF THAT IMAGE ONTO CANVAS OR OTHER FLAT
MATERIALS.

3. DECOUPAGE
- DONE BY ADHERING CUT-OUTS OF PAPER AND THEN COATING THESE WITH
ONE OR MORE COATS OR TRANSPARENT VARNISH. COATING OF
- THE ART OR CRAFT OF DECORATING OBJECTS WITH PAPER CUT-OUTS
4. FROTTAGE
- A TECHNIQUE IN THE VISUAL ARTS OF OBTAINING TEXTURAL EFFECTS OR
IMAGES BY RUBBING LEAD, CHALK, CHARCOAL ETC., OVER PAPER LAID ON A
GRANULAR OR RELIEF LIKE SURFACE. COMPARE RUBBING (DEF 2).

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5. MONTAGE
- THE PROCESS OR TECHNIQUE OF SELECTING, EDITING AND PIECING
TOGETHER SEPARATE SECTIONS OF FILM TO FORM A CONTINUOUS WHOLE

6. TRAPUNTO
- FROM ITALIAN WORD MEANS "TO QUILT," IS A METHOD OF QUILTING THAT IS
ALSO CALLED "STUFFED TECHNIQUE."
- A PUFFY, DECORATIVE FEATURE, TRAPUNTO UTILIZES AT LEAST TWO LAYERS,
THE UNDERSIDE OF
- WHICH IS SLIT AND PADDED, PRODUCING A RAISED SURFACE ON THE QUILT.

DIGITAL APPLICATIONS
● FOR ART VIEWING IS ANOTHER TECHNIQUE.

● EXAMPLE WAS MADE POSSIBLE BY THE SAMSUNG SUPPORTS, THE ARTS

FACETS BASED AT YUCHENGCO MUSEUM

MIXING DIFFERENT MATERIALS IS POPULAR AMONG CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS.

• TEXTURE IS A FASCINATING THING AND CAN GO BEAUTIFULLY WITH PAINTING.

ANITA FERIA
• COLLECTS CERAMICS PIECES AND ARRANGES THEM IN AN ARTISTIC WAY ON A
FLAT BACKGROUND.

IN ART PRODUCTION, AN ARTIST CAN WORK ALONE OR INTERACT WITH FELLOW

ARTISTS. INTERACTIVE AND COLLABORATIVE WORK IS GAINING POPULARITY AMONG
FILIPINO ARTISTS. VISUAL AND PERFORMANCE ARTISTS COMBINE THEIR TALENTS
AND SKILLS FOR PUBLIC PERFORMANCES, SUCH AS VISUAL ART, MUSIC AND
PERFORMANCES BY MINDANAO ARTISTS AT THE PROJECT BAKAWAN ARTS
FESTIVAL HELD AT THE UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES, DILIMAN.

Description Applied to Contemporary Arts

Subject Matter-is what you see that is depicted in the artwork. It may be a human form
where the figures are engaged in an activity, or a combination of texture and color.

Material is what the artwork is made of.It can also be a combination of objects used in
the artwork.
Art element and principle refer to the physical qualities of the image. The artist uses
color, lines,space and other elements to create visual images.

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SUMMARY
1. CONTEMPORARY ART IS NOT CONFINED TO THE MUSEUM. THEY ARE ALSO FOUND IN
GALLERIES, ART SCHOOLS, SIDE STREETS, AND PUBLIC SPACES LIKE THE TRAIN OR
BUS STATIONS, SHOPPING CENTERS OR PARKS.

2. MANY INSTALLATION ARTWORKS ARE INTENDED FOR DISPLAY IN A PARTICULAR

SETTING AND FOR A GIVEN SPAN OF TIME. THEN THEY ARE DECONSTRUCTED AND
CANNOT BE REPEATED.

3. SOME ARTWORKS ARE POSTED ONLINE. THIS MEANS ANYONE WHO HAS ACCESS TO
THE INTERNET CAN VIEW THE ARTWORK AND ACTUALLY PURCHASE IT.

4. STYLE IN CONTEMPORARY ART CAN FALL UNDER ONE OF THE MORE THAN 100
STYLES, BUT CAN BE CATEGORIZED UNDER FEW BIG MOVEMENTS IN ART.

5. ARTISTS SALVAGE MATERIALS THAT CAN BE RECYCLED AND MAKE THESE INTO
CREATIVE FORMS.

6. THEY CAN MAKE ARTWORKS THAT COMBINE STRUCTURE AND WOOD AND INTERACT
WITH THE WIND TO MAKE MUSIC.

7. ARTISTS EXPLORE THE MATERIALS IN HARDWARE STORES, AND EXPERIMENT WITH

CHEMICAL REACTIONS ON THEIR BASE MATERIAL.

8. THERE ARE THOSE WHO LEARN WELDING AND SIMPLE ENGINEERING. SOME HIRE
RESIN MAKERS, HOUSE PAINTERS, AND MATERIAL FABRICATORS TO HELP THEM IN
CONSTRUCTING THEIR ARTWORKS.

Explain why originality is not an issue in contemporary art?

- I believe that originality is not an issue in contemporary art because we cannot create
something truly original since it has been done before, but that doesn't mean you can't
create something unique by using our creativity, even if it isn't truly original.

Why is the process (of art making itself) the most essential in contemporary art?
- The process is important in contemporary art because it allows us to express ourselves
through the art we create by our thought ideas and beliefs. It encourages us to think
creatively when solving problems.

DESCRIPTION APPLIED TO CONTEMPORARY ARTS

In art remember that…
• Art viewers can appreciate artworks if they can understand and grasp
the meaning of the artwork.
• The viewers are also called “gazers,” “onlookers,” or “audience.”
• In art viewing, viewers bring with them their knowledge of art, biases, and judgment of
beauty.

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This means…
When the viewers are educated in art or have been exposed to different kinds of
artworks in different contexts, they can appreciate the physical qualities of the artworks,
interpret its content and meaning and make a judgment whether it is beautiful or not.

Different kinds of art forms

Painting, sculpture, theater, photography.

Elements of Art
Line, shape, color, value, texture, space and form.

The principle of designs

Rhythm, balance, proportion, contrast

Description Applied to ConArt

• Requires knowledge of art: its scope, principles, and production and
understanding the artist and the factors that affect art-making.
• Because many contemporary artists react to issue in society, it also
helps to know about the community and environment in which the
artists make art.

There are three elements that constitute

description of contemporary art:
•what the artwork is all about (subject matter)

•What materials/medium were used in the process of art-making, and the art
elements and principles.

Subject matter
- Is what you see that is depicted in the artwork. It may be a human form where
the figures are engaged in an activity, or a combination of texture and color. It
may also be a figure made from found objects put together or assembled into a
coherent whole.

Material
- Is what the artwork is made of. It can also be a combination of objects used in
the artwork.

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Art elements and principles
- Refer to the physical qualities of the image. The artist uses color, lines,
spaces and other elements to create visual images. These are arranged into an
organized manner that observes unity, harmony, rhythm or other principles of
design in a creative way.

guides in describing contemporary artwork, there are some questions that you
can answer under each element.

The Subject Matter

● What is the main figure in the artwork?
● How is the main figure placed within the artistic frame?
● How do the other figures in the artwork relate to the main figure?

The Materials

● What are the materials or objects used by the artist?

● Do these materials bring out the intended effect of the artist?
● IF the artist chose other materials, do you think the same effect will be achieved?
Why and how?

The Art Elements and Principles

● What are the dominant elements in the artwork? • How are these used in the
artwork?
● How are line, shape or volume used within the artistic frame?
● How are texture, movement, or space used within the artistic frame?
● What are the unifying features in the artistic composition?
● Are there any variations among the repeated elements?
● How does the art form appeal to the visual sense?

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ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION IN CONTEMPORARY ART
● Some groups of artists who call themselves "structuralists," believe that a
phenomenon can be explained in relation to other phenomena.

● There are codes and signs that underlie these phenomena so the work of the
artist is to make these visible. They strive for objectivity (as opposed to
subjectivity), coherence, and rigor supported by science and theories.

● They sear for universal truth and believe in unchanging human nature

● The old system of artistic patronage was such that the artists were dependent on
patrons, such as the church, wealthy individuals, the state or powerful
institutions.

● But this has ended and the contemporary artists feel free to experiment and
make highly personal art.

● They coined the slogan, "Art for the sake of art" and refer to themselves as
"avante garde."

● They explore the use of new technology, movement and speed, as well as
fabrication and construction.

Immanuel Kant, philosopher

- Laid the philosophical foundation for artistic modernism that has influenced
contemporary artists.
- According to him, the viewers of art should put themselves in a state of
sensory awareness, give up their personal interests and not associate art
with anything when they respond to.
- Therefore, they should consider art as independent of any purpose or utility other
than aesthetic value.

AESTHETICS
- Is the branch of philosophy that deals with the nature, beauty, and value of art
objects and experiences.

- It involves appreciating, understanding, and judging the value of art.

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AESTHETIC JUDGMENT
● Should be neither personal nor relative.
● The viewer should rise above time, place, and personal biases to reach a
judgement of art to which all reasonable people would agree.
● This is also called "psychic distance."

Clive Bell and Roger Fry

● Contrary to Kant, according to them, in art viewing, the artist's intent or any
social influence that went into the making of an artwork should be
disregarded.

● Instead, the "significant form" of the artwork is what should be exclusively

attended to.

● In this case, only the form is important and attention to other aspects of the
artwork such as its subject matter, narrative content, function to a culture of
references to the ordinary world, are considered distractions to art viewing.

Harold Rosenberg
"After World War II, he declared "a painting is not a picture of a thing; it is the thing
itself." Artists should "just paint" and not care about anything else.

Andy Warhol
● Claimed everything is art.
● "Pop art, comic book imagery, and the other art styles that emerged claimed to
have important narrative content and demanded social and cultural
interpretations beyond Bell and Fry's "form."

Arthur Danto
Proclaimed that art need not be beautiful; it need not have a pictorial subject; and
need not deploy its forms in pictorial space.

An example is Pablo Picasso's cubist style where he dropped the three-dimensional

forms as well as "art, the beautiful."

Picasso and his followers eliminated the need to have an art object itself because
the idea is more important than the finished work.

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Arnold Hauser
Believes in the social history of art.

● He insists that visual image is a window to a specific time and space, to culture
or to a social condition.

● An artwork can "infer into milieu or social environment in which the artist is free to
"deconstruct" or "re-contextualize" art.

● This is the art that takes into account the uniqueness of the individual, creativity
and artistic genius, and unawareness of the art market.

Postmodernism
- Artists believe that it is alright to copy masterpieces and exhibit it as their
own.

- The term used for this is "appropriating" or "borrowing."

- For them, originality has to do with raising an issue rather than with
inventing a new image.

- Therefore, invention and uniqueness are no longer essential to making art.

Contrasting modern from postmodern artists

- Modernists Contrasting modern from postmodern artists attempt to be pure in
their use of medium and believe in the possibility of universal communication.
- Post-modernists embrace a much wider array of art-making activities and
projects and tend to be electric regarding media and freely gather imagery,
techniques and inspiration from a wide variety of sources, much of it from popular
culture
- The works of both modern and postmodern are classified under
contemporary art.

Art analysis
- "It starts with a description of an artwork.
- Here, the viewer focuses on beauty, design qualities and the value of an
artwork.
- This is where we determine what the features suggest and decide why the artist
used these to convey specific ideas.

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Art analysis
- Analysis requires an understanding of the content by separating the parts of
the subject matter. This can lead to grasping the artwork's organizational
structure, nature, function and value.

Various elements that constitute analysis

● Determination of subject matter through naming events or issues associated with
the artwork

● Discussion of how the qualities of the artwork contribute to its appearance, image
or function Effect of the materials/medium used.

● Your reaction to the artwork.

You can also answer the following questions:

1. How did the artist make the artwork?

2. Is it good artwork?

3. Do you like/dislike the artwork? Why?

4. How does it compare with other artworks in the same contemporary style?

5. What is the value of the artwork to you, the your, or society?

Art Interpretation
● "It is employed by the viewer after describing and analyzing an artwork.
●
● "Here, focus is on the expressive qualities, the meaning, theme, mood, or idea
communicated by the artist.

The various elements that constitute interpretation

● Main idea and the overall meaning of the artwork
● Interpretative Statement: "Can I express what I think the artwork is about in
one sentence?"
● "The evidence inside or outside the artwork that supports your interpretation.

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You can also answer these questions
1. What is the artwork about?
2. What is it intending to communicate?
3. What statement is the artist putting forward through the artwork?
4. Are there objects within the artistic frame that symbolize something? What are
these?
5. What is the meaning of the artwork?

JUDGMENT
● After you have done the tedious work of describing, analyzing and interpreting
the contemporary artwork, you can now make a judgment: Is is a good
artwork?
● On what criteria and evidence did you base your judgment?
● *Based on the criteria and evidence, what is your judgment about the
quality of the artwork?

Sample Application of Art Analysis

In Harry Mark Gonzales' sculpture,

Reflection, the subject matter is God
embracing mankind. The dark color of
wood evokes human feelings and attracts
the viewer to go closer to look art the
expression on the faces of God and the
human beings engulfed in His embrace.

The expression on the figure's faces

is one of love and dependence, devoid of
anger and hatred. Such depiction of
divine love makes the viewer want to be
in God's embrace. It is a beautiful art
piece that is perfect for display indoors,
one that can stimulate conversation
among guests. It also exemplifies God's
love, a value essential to humanity.

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