Contemporary art is art of the present day. The current day includes art made from halfway through the 20th century up to the present day. The artist of the contemporary artwork operates in a more developed sector in terms of technology. Their work touches on different cultures globally thus integrating people from all corners of the world. The art is always about concerns and ideas as opposed to just looking at it. This today’s art involves combining methods, concepts, materials and subjects which have continued to challenge the boundaries, an issue that has been there since the 20th century. Interesting things about modern art include:
Les Nabis
This is a modern art movement that was regarded as a cutting-edge modern art during the initial period. Les Nabis came out in the 1880s and it was a collection of post-impressionist artists whose aim was to make reality a part of their artwork. The movement was under the philosophy of Paul Gauguina. Les Nabis insisted on the shape of the canvas to be flat and also the inclusion of iconic expressions which have been greatly used in modern painting. Symbolic vs mystical elements have been applied on a background with bright patterns.
Symbolism
Another fun fact about the art of today is symbolism which can be termed as the use of symbols to represent ideas. The symbols used in contemporary art are universal hence can be understood by users of the artwork. This is considered as a reaction counter to impressionism and part of post-impressionism. This artistic movement began with a group of poets with French origin towards the end of the 19th century. This helped the movement to grow as a visual art movement and thus influencing American and European literature later.
Post Impressionism
This interesting fact was started by Roger Fry, a critic who coined the post-impressionism and used it as a medium to table different reactions that were against impressionism. Post-impressionism is partly a denial of the limitations of the style and partly a representation of an extension of impressionism. This movement incorporated neo-impressionism and symbolism before introducing Fauvism in 1905.
Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau’s period of influence was brief and in its short period, the movement switched names from Jugendstil to Stile Liberty, then finally landing on Sezessionsstil. This art emerged through the Arts and Crafts movement which was a British art movement. This movement highly commended traditional craftsmanship as opposed to mass-produced items that are taking root today. The style endorsed several experts in Europe. The existence of this movement is evident up to date due to some notable jewellery and furniture designs that are still in use.
Fauvism
After 1908, Matisse was the only one who went on with the movement of fauvism. Other fauves switched their focus to developing new styles that came up later with the likes of cubism taking shape. The fauvism movement started in 1898 and was used in French painting. It came about during the post symbolism and impressionism era.