Contemporary art, an exploration into the heart of life!
If you ask someone on the street what contemporary art is, they will struggle to give you a precise definition. They will almost certainly end up telling you that contemporary art is current art, recognized by the most prominent critics and collectors.
The impact of the official vision, promoted by most media outlets, reinforces a stereotypical view of art. The pronouncements of art specialists and institutional decision-makers favor a dominant class of artists.
The death of art has been proclaimed on several occasions, and modern art has been contrasted with contemporary art.
Is contemporary art made up of artistic proposals instead of more traditional works?
But art itself cannot be easily divided into segments. It remains a precious asset that helps us live.
At Art4You, we are constantly reflecting on the true nature of art.
After supporting numerous artists in art fairs and exhibitions, we decided to develop our online art gallery, Art4You , with a focus on the quality of the artworks and their beneficial effects.
From decoration to the development of a lifestyle, and including the many positive effects on our mental well-being, art never ceases to amaze us.
How can we define contemporary art?
Art historians define contemporary art as the movements that have emerged from 1945 to the present day. It succeeded modern art, which spanned from 1850 to the end of World War II.
Some critics argue that contemporary art only began in the 1960s with the conceptual upheaval, launched years earlier by Marcel Duchamp.
In fact, the concept of contemporary art appeared at the end of the 19th century, at a time when many people began to question the so-called eternal virtues of art.
Gradually, artists turned away from the mythical past. They became interested in the lives of ordinary people, here and now.
The taste of the elites is gradually moving away from grand historical and religious themes, to favour a human dimension.
But telling a story isn't enough; the way the painting is done is just as important. The brushstroke reveals the style.
Modernity has given rise to numerous artistic movements.
Thus, cubism would not have existed without cinema, nor futurism without newspapers, magazines and posters.
Art4You, A vision of contemporary art
The online art gallery and contemporary art
Artistic movements follow the evolution of societies and are disseminated through various mechanisms. Art dealers appeared during the Renaissance. It was only before the war that they became known as "gallery owners" in Europe.
Art galleries quickly became essential structures for promoting art in general, and contemporary art in particular. They make or break artists' careers. They have become crucial in the art value chain with the rise of digital marketing and the development of social networks and the internet.
The online art gallery is revolutionizing the market. By allowing artists to be visible worldwide, and art lovers to choose works comfortably from their computer or mobile phone, online art sales sites also have a role to play in popularizing contemporary art.
Art4You Gallery is an online gallery that has chosen to place the contemporary artist at the heart of its ecosystem. The objective is twofold:
- Giving a chance to new artists who deserve to be known by a wider audience.
- To popularize access to contemporary art for a new audience of enthusiasts and collectors, by offering a selection of artists committed to a genuine artistic and spiritual approach. This objective must respond to a trend of searching for values in societies undergoing profound upheaval.
Contemporary art is a way of life
Contemporary art, broadly defined as the art of today, dates from the late 20th and early 21st centuries. It is characterized by its global nature, the diversity of cultures it explores, and the influence of technology, particularly with the advent of the digital age.
It is increasingly present in the interiors of homes. It accompanies our leisure society. And, far beyond that, we are discovering its benefits.
From art therapy to self-discovery through personal development, artistic practice and close interaction with contemporary artists help us open ourselves to the world. By positively impacting our mental and physical well-being, art contributes to a true art of living . Living surrounded by works of art and artists immerses us in the world of creation, brings us undeniable well-being, and reconnects us with the profound mystery of creation.
Art4You Gallery aims to be part of this positive movement through its selection of high-quality works. The creative force and imagination of a contemporary artist are indeed among our selection criteria. Closely connected to art lovers and collectors, the gallery boasts a wealth of original contemporary works that never fail to move us.
Is art the origin of the world?
We share a primal language that comes from the depths of time. In an intuitive way, everyone can experience an indescribable emotion felt before a painting. This feeling corresponds to codes that emerge from a primitive collective unconscious.
Art exists in the present and is constantly renewed. It is a fundamental element of life. What we define as art is not the imitation of nature, but a permanent need to justify our existence in our universe.
Art and creation are undoubtedly part of the heritage of the living world.
Making a living from one's art: the profession of a contemporary artist
Contemporary artists no longer subscribe to the "cursed artist" mentality of the Romantic movement. Today, artists are concerned with making a living from their art. This legitimate demand often clashes with the harsh realities of economics.
Each artist becomes a small-time entrepreneur who must make a living from their creations and market them. The gap between international stars, like Jeff Koons or David Hockney , and most artists is immense. Yet, contemporary art is also being built with the contributions of anonymous artists who are increasingly active in the art market.
In the section on making a living from one's art , we will see that the contemporary artist must learn to:
- Create a strong identity,
- Identify your target audience,
- Communicating using various media,
- Managing your artistic career
- Managing your business
- Keeping informed of one's legal and tax rights and obligations.
Find information about art
In this world of frenetic communication, we are overwhelmed by information. Paradoxically, this influx of stimuli leaves us feeling lost when it comes to truly understanding an artist. Artistic culture isn't acquired solely through social media, but also through exhibitions and a wealth of literature on the subject. This is the only guarantee of genuine cultural quality. The Art Information provides you with a solid foundation, covering art history from prehistory to the present day, artistic movements, world art, and the many venues for exhibiting works of art, allowing you to solidify your knowledge of the art world.
The death of art
The end of art has been announced several times. The first time with Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (1770-1831), at the beginning of the 19th century, with the new concept of freedom in the modern state.
« For us, art no longer counts as the highest form through which truth expresses existence for itself. (...) We can hope that art will always rise higher and reach greater degrees of perfection, but the form of art has ceased to be the highest expression of the spirit
Art was declared dead a second time with that famous exhibition of the Society of Independent Artists ( SIA ) of New York on April 9, 1917.
The American Society allowed members to exhibit a work for six dollars.
Marcel Duchamp decided to use the pseudonym " R. Mutt " to present a porcelain urinal as a sculpture. He posed as an unknown artist. The everyday object, placed in this way, loses its utilitarian value, creating a new artistic perspective that questions the very existence of art.
With Dadaism, nihilism entered the artistic sphere as a fundamental questioning of faith in art. This radical questioning, initiated by the emergence of Marcel Duchamp 's readymade , can be understood as the birth of contemporary art, as it becomes a new state of consciousness through which a work of art is perceived. It can be defined as conceptualism.
Marcel Duchamp opened up a space for thought to understand contemporary art today.
His teaching lies in a double revelation: the artist's ability to call anything contemporary art, and the power of context to establish meaning.
It's a decidedly intellectual conception of art.
Contemporary art versus modern art.
Contemporary art collections have developed from the experiments of modern art, crystallizing societal crises. This is the historical consequence of postmodernism's attack on modern art.
From Mark Rothko who painted " Four Darks in Red " in 1958 to Alan Kaprow considered from 1962 as one of the fathers of the Happening, there is a world of difference.
On one hand, there is the contemporary perception of the work by the viewer, and on the other hand, a context that places art within a societal discourse.
Contemporary art is becoming museum art for institutions. It is entering the art market.
The paradigm shift did not happen all at once. It was a slow but continuous movement towards the contemporary art space as we know it today, and it did not happen without friction.
Postmodern art has been adopted by the political establishment as an elitist niche, propelled by powerful financial investments. It draws its strength from a fundamentally nihilistic vision of the world, which ultimately leads to the dissolution of the Western art world.
He is nihilistic because he questions all the conventions of aesthetics, clinging only to the message which becomes a pretext for mediocrity.
This led to a questioning of the definition of beauty in favor of the work's message alone. This was particularly true for pop culture, which created Pop Art behind the scenes of consumer society, by appropriating advertising objects and images.
Historical art from before the avant-garde revolution is still present in museums and collections, but with a different sense of tradition and a clear demarcation between genres.
Art or artistic proposition?
If context creates contemporary art, then everything can be art and aesthetic quality would have nothing to do with it.
However, in this conception, we forget the perspective of the amateur or simply the pleasure of the spectator.
The artistic proposition, whether in painting, sculpture or photography, uses art as a medium and not as an end in itself.
Without calling its interest into question, it should break away from aesthetic movements that are part of an artistic continuity.
Is the time for simply contemplating beauty being called into question?
Appearances suggest this, because on closer inspection, the arts are clearly becoming intellectualized. They are becoming a materialistic issue, on the one hand, through rampant consumerism, and, on the other hand, as a justification for political ideas, even ideologies.
The discourse surrounding the works becomes paramount. And, regardless of quality, I would even say that mediocrity readily serves the concepts. What confers value is no longer aesthetic clarity, but rather belonging to a model disconnected from our senses by a self-proclaimed elite. What is beautiful and moves us is deemed vulgar.
According to the high priests of the movement, to appreciate this contemporary art, one would need to know its codes, which are obviously only distilled by an intellectual elite.
In an interview with Jean Dubuffet, the writer Witold Gombrowicz : “Our admiration for painting is the result of a long process of adaptation that has taken place over centuries, and for reasons that very often have nothing to do with art or the mind. Painting has created its audience. It is, in essence, a conventional relationship.”
Witold Grombrowicz couldn't have been more right. The biggest contemporary art fairs have become receptacles of "anything goes," where a minority of very wealthy collectors dictate trends for private investors, but also for public authorities. Money imposes models while a multitude of artists are relegated to the margins of fashionable art.
Franz Kafka was right in his scathing diagnosis of our society in the novels " The Trial and "The Castle ." "We live in a constant illusion where the authentic and the natural are replaced by copies that serve only a few interests."
Let's be clear-headed; art must not be distorted by a utilitarian . Let's not confuse the political function of art in our societies with its individual impact. A work of art is first and foremost a human creation that engages with our shared sense of aesthetics. It acts continuously, as a catalyst for goodness and beauty.
While technical knowledge is certainly important, it should not replace the artist's intuition. The purpose of a work is self-defining, and its power operates solely in the mind of the viewer. It is gratifying to see that the major exhibition that is the Venice Biennale is moving away somewhat from conceptual art and returning to its fundamentals.
Major cultural centers such as the Georges Pompidou Museum in Paris, France, and the MAC in Lyon do the same.
The different movements of contemporary art
Conceptual Art
It can be defined as an avant-garde movement that spread throughout the world in the 1960s and 1970s.
Contemporary art, as a whole, can be considered conceptual art, because it questions conventional values such as the beauty of the work and technique.
A tree, an image of a tree, and the dictionary definition of a tree represent the concept of a chair that can be used in art.
The Facilities
This movement began in the 1970s. It consists of placing artworks to transform the space of a place.
Unlike paintings and sculptures, where viewers look at each work individually, the entire space becomes the artwork.
There is a wide variety of techniques that use video, sound, computers, sensors, and even artificial intelligence and biotechnology.
Relational art
French art critic Nicolas Briaud set out his concept of relational art in his 1998 book "Relational Aesthetics".
It refers to art that includes the public through collaborative work.
Media art
It is an artistic expression that uses technologies such as sound and heat sensors, etc. The sensors create or distort the artwork live.
The art of performance
Here, the human body is the medium.
The Happening and Fluxus events proposed by Alan Kaprow in the 1960s are considered pioneers of performance art.
The performances take place in various locations such as streets, galleries, and museums.
The approach is intended to be anti-institutional by refusing to allow the work to be captured. It is intended to be ephemeral.
Site-specific art
That is to say, in relation to a specific place. The artwork is constituted by the artistically manipulated environment. For example, Christo & Jeanne-Claude, who wrapped the Pont-Neuf in Paris.
NFT art
It uses Blockchain technology. NFT art is produced by converting digital content into a non-fungible token (NFT).
The characteristic of NFTs is that ownership can be proven with blockchain cryptographic assets.
By transforming a work of art into an NFT, she obtains legitimate proof of ownership, with a traceable history.
The NFT market is expected to grow in the future.
Art critics and historians divide time and artistic trends. They systematically categorize. Considering the terms modern art, art nouveau, and contemporary art, the question arises as to how new artistic practices will be defined.
Nothing in this world is static. Everything is in motion, and art seems more than ever agitated by frenetic impulses. In every field, art makes its presence felt and attempts to shake things up.
Contemporary art is at the center of sometimes violent controversies. Between adoration and hatred, some praise it to the skies, considering that the artistic avant-garde, through its intellectual deconstruction, is the only way to understand the impasse towards which the world is rushing.
The decadence and rejection of aesthetic norms that have characterized art until now must lead us toward a new awareness. The artist denounces, and insidiously dictates, the behaviors we should adopt or reject.
But shouldn't we see, behind these organized provocations, an old nihilistic and contemptuous reflex whose effect is to define and protect a caste of art intellectuals?
For this elite, the sole aim would be to preserve the enormous advantages of the financialization of certain contemporary art. Some even speak of the monetization of art, like the artist Aude de Kerros .
More and more voices are being raised to denounce this sham. The reality of contemporary art cannot be understood through a stereotype based on money and hype.
A multitude of sincere and highly talented artists work in the shadow of these media "stunts".
They produce a wide variety of works that depart from the traditional conception of art, or refer to a historical continuity of artistic movements.
In short, the term “contemporary art” fails to define a precise artistic movement. It refers to art produced in the present, influenced by the current state of living artists in each era. The term is so often misused because it is employed for other purposes.
Pierre Desenfant – Art4You