How is Modernism Different from Contemproary - From 6th & 6th
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How is Modernism different from Contemporary art? “Modernism” actually refers to both a specific time in art history, and a specific approach to art. Modernism was a response to the advent of the camera. There was no longer a need for art to faithfully reproduce the world as we see it, so art was free to become something else. In Modernist works, the process of creating the art is as important as the finished product. Modernist works celebrate the joys of color, line and technique. They embrace the mediums they use – be it oil, acrylic, watercolor, bronze, or just about anything – and explore all the ways that medium can be manipulated. Modernist works are abstract, but they may be simply abstracted (such as a seascape by John Marin where one can still determine the land, sea and sky) or they can be completely non-objective, as in the action paintings of Jackson Pollock, or the stain paintings of Helen Frankenthaler. Modernist works, as an historical movement, were created in the 20th century. But as an approach to art, Modernist works are still produced today. Contemporary art refers both to living artists, but also, again, to a type of approach to art. As an approach, contemporary art is not only about the process of creativity, but about the ways in which art can express ideas. Contemporary art is a communication between the artist and the viewer, with a goal to make the viewer see the world through the artist’s eyes. Sometimes what the artist wishes to express is very personal, sometimes political, but always it is designed to make the viewer think. A Modernist work can be enjoyed simply for its design qualities. It may provoke a response in the viewer, perhaps even a strong one, but it is usually impossible to know the artist’s intent. Contemporary art, on the other hand, would be meaningless without an implied collaboration between the artist’s intent, and our own reactions to the work. Lauren Rabb Owner The Gallery at 6th & 6th |
