About Contemporary Art

About Contemporary Art
Note: Words in bold below are defined in the glossary for this curriculum (see "For the Classroom"
links).
Strictly speaking, the term "contemporary art" refers to art made and produced by artists living
today. Today's artists work in and respond to a 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. When engaging with contemporary art,
viewers are challenged to set aside questions such as, "Is a work of art good?" or "Is the work
aesthetically pleasing?" Instead, viewers consider whether art is "challenging" or "interesting."
Contemporary artists may question traditional ideas of how art is defined, what constitutes art, and
how art is made, while creating a dialogue with—and in some cases rejecting—the styles and
movements that came before them.
Since the early 20th century, some artists have turned away from realistic representation and the
depiction of the human figure, and have moved increasingly towards abstraction. In New York City
after World War II, the art world coined the term "abstract expressionism" to characterize an art
movement that was neither completely abstract, nor expressionistic. Nevertheless, the movement
challenged artists to place more emphasis on the process of making art rather than the final product.
Artists like Jackson Pollock brought art-making to choreographic heights by dripping paint in grand yet
spontaneous gestures. As one critic noted, the canvas was an arena in
which to act—"what was going on in the canvas was not a picture but
an event." This notion of art as an event emerged out of the
movement called abstract expressionism, which greatly influenced
the art movements that followed, and continues to inspire artists
living today.
Contemporary artists working within the postmodern movement

reject the concept of mainstream art and embrace the notion of
"artistic pluralism," the acceptance of a variety of artistic intentions
and styles. Whether influenced by or grounded in performance art,
pop art, Minimalism, conceptual art, or video, contemporary
artists pull from an infinite variety of materials, sources, and styles to
create art. For this reason, it is difficult to briefly summarize and
accurately reflect the complexity of concepts and materials used by
contemporary artists. This overview highlights a few of the
contemporary artists whose work is on view at the Getty Museum and Specimen (After Dürer), John
the concepts they explore in their work. Baldessari, 2000
Appropriation
Contemporary artists, like many artists that preceded them, may © 2000 John Baldessari
acknowledge and find inspiration in art works from previous time This work was commissioned
periods in both subject matter and formal elements. Sometimes this for Departures: 11 Artists at
inspiration takes the form of appropriation. Artist John Baldessari the Getty, February 29–May
"borrowed" an image from 1505 of a stag beetle by the German artist 7, 2000, by the J. Paul Getty
Albrecht Dürer and made it his own. Using modern-day materials (ink- Museum, Los Angeles
jet printing mounted on a fiberglass panel), Baldessari juxtaposed the
original image with a piece of sculpture in the form of a giant steel
pin. By inserting the steel pin into the canvas, Baldessari combines mediums in a very modern way.
Video Art
In the 1960s, artists began to turn to the medium of video to redefine fine art. Through video art,
many artists have challenged preconceived notions of art as high priced, high-brow, and only
decipherable by elite members of society. Video art is not necessarily a type of art that individuals
would want to own, but rather an experience. Continuing the trend of redefining earlier ideas and
ideals about art, some contemporary video artists are seeking to do away with the notion of art as a
commodity. Artists turning to video have used the art form as a tool for change, a medium for ideas.
Some video art openly acknowledges the power of the medium of television and the Internet, thus
opening the doors of the art world to the masses.
Such artists seek to elevate the process of creating art and move
beyond the notion that art should only be valued as an aesthetically
pleasing product. Video art exemplifies this, for the viewer watches
the work as it is actually being made; they watch as the process
unfolds. Video installation pieces combine video with sound, music,
and/or other interactive
components. In Nicole
Cohen's Please Be Seated, viewers
are asked to be active
participants. Using innovative
video technologies, participants
can sit on replicas of 18th-
century French chairs and watch
television screens in which they
are virtually inserted in historic
recreations of 18th-century
French spaces. While traditional
The Getty Center's Central Garden
works of art are in galleries with
designed by Robert Irwin
signs that say "Do not touch,"
Cohen invites you to physically
Visitors interact with Nicole Learn more about the Central Garden.
participate. In this way, the
Cohen's installation at the viewer becomes part of the
Getty Center. work of art.
Learn more about Please Be

Site-Specific Art
Robert Irwin is another artist who sought to involve the viewer, as
Seated by Nicole Cohen.
seen in his garden at the Getty Center. In the Central Garden, which
Irwin has playfully termed "a sculpture in the form of a garden
aspiring to be art," viewers can experience a maze-like configuration of plants, stones, and water.
Here visitors get completely immersed in the sensation of being within the work of art. The sense of
smell, touch, and sound are juxtaposed with the colors and textures of the garden. All of the foliage
and materials of the garden were selected to accentuate the interplay of light, color, and reflection. A
statement by Irwin, "Always changing, never twice the same," is carved into the plaza floor, reminding
visitors of the ever-changing nature of this living work of art. In this way, Irwin subverts the idea that
a work of art should be paint on a canvas. Rather, nature can be art.
By creating a garden specifically designed for the Getty Center, Irwin engages in site-specific art.
Many contemporary artists who create site-specific works move art out of museums and galleries and
into communities to address socially significant issues and/or raise social consciousness. In the case of
Irwin's garden and Martin Puryear's That Profile (also on view at the Getty Center), works of art are
commissioned by museums to enhance and incorporate their surrounding environments. That Profile,
stationed on the plaza at the foot of the stairs leading to the Museum, mimics the grid-like patterns of
the Getty Center building itself. Weighing 7,500 pounds, That Profile is massive. However the work's
graceful and curving lines have a "light and airy" quality that capitalizes on the surrounding mountains
and ocean views visible from the Getty's plaza.
Questions such as "What is art?" and "What is the function of art?" are relatively new. Creating art
that defies viewers' expectations and artistic conventions is a distinctly modern concept. However,
artists of all eras are products of their relative cultures and time periods. Contemporary artists are in a
position to express themselves and respond to social issues in a way that artists of the past were not
able to. When experiencing contemporary art at the Getty Center, viewers use different criteria for
judging works of art than criteria used in the past. Instead of asking, "Do I like how this looks?"
viewers might ask, "Do I like the idea this artist presents?" Having an open mind goes a long way
towards understanding, and even appreciating, the art of our own era.

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About Contemporary Art

Contemporary artists working within the postmodern movement

Learn more about Please Be

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