The Evolution of Contemporary Fine Art

Art is not just a work of imagination but it holds the ideology and philosophy of the society in itself. It is a visual presentation of the artist’s interpretation of the society. Contemporary fine art can be referred as an art that has been produced in the current period of time. This form of art has been developed from the Post – modern art and hence incorporates certain elements of Postmodernism as well. Post – modern art is the successor of the modern art that developed as a result of modernization in the society.

Public Attitudes towards Contemporary Fine Art

In vernacular terms the terms modern and contemporary are often used synonymously. However specialists know the distinction between the two forms of art. Not all contemporary fine art belongs to the category of modern art. There are a lot of contemporary artists who still practice the narrative or vintage forms of art. Modern art is based on abstraction rather than the narrative style of painting that was followed in the old days.

Many a times the public attitudes seem to be in conflict with the contemporary arts. This happens as a result of a situation when the masses do not share common grounds with contemporary fine art institutions or artists. On the contrary as it was evident in the 1990s in Britain contemporary art became an integral part of the popular culture. In that time artists became very famous and were treated as stars. But somehow this intertwining of art and society did not result in a cultural utopia.

Certain art critics such as Donald Kuspit and Julian Spalding have also suggested that rejection and skepticism can possibly be a reasonable and legitimate response to the contemporary fine art. Other critics such as Brian Ashbee has gone to the extent of criticizing contemporary art that incorporates digital photography, conceptual abstract art, video and installation art etc to be more or less dependent on verbal explanations via theoretical discourse. These critics are of the view that a work of art should rather be self explanatory without the need to convey the idea behind it by means of discourse.

What Constitutes Contemporary Art?

One of the major concerns that have come up since the early 20th century is that what can be placed under the head of contemporary fine art and what needs to be excluded. With the advancement in technology and print media new horizons have been opened for the artists of the contemporary era. In the contemporary era i.e. the period starting from the 1950s till date it has been noticed that art is not merely confined to museums, galleries and with collectors. In certain cases objects used for entertainment or propaganda also constitute modern art.

Umesh Sonavane is an author writes about articles related to contemporary fine art and painting collection. Check out our vintage collection on antique photography, sculptures, paintings and fine arts.