Contemporary Art

Contemporary Art

 Abstraction does not allude to a style or movement but is instead, freedom from representational qualities in art and does not the direct and pictorial representation of art. While an artist usually has a real object in mind when painting, the object might be distorted, stylized, or exaggerated using textures or colors to communicate a feeling instead of producing a replica (“What is Abstraction? A Simple Explanation” N.p). Minimalism, on the other hand, alludes to the culmination of reductionist tendencies in modern art.

Abstraction in art tends to create meaning via the openness to interpretation as it necessitates one to have an open and inquisitive mind. Moreover, it gives one the freedom to explore the artwork and thus provides the viewer with the capacity to create their meaning to the piece. In this manner, the ability to offer different perceptions to the viewers enables them to create their definitions based on their connections or experiences felt when viewing the art. Moreover, the intensely personal process augments one’s experience of the artwork. Minimalism also sparks meaning through its simplistic representation of art in its most basic form and thus shunning away from different perceptions and hence concentrates on one basic meaning. These two techniques are contrasting with one another as they each communicate a different level of art. For instance, while the abstract audience is encouraged to imagine the story for themselves, in minimalism, all is simplified, and one observes forms and shapes which are already defined.

Among the most famous Abstract artists is Alma Thomas. Her interest in color theory is evident in her works, resulting in experimental and beautifully expressive works. She was also inspired by nature as showcased in her artworks like Earth Sermon – Beauty, Love, and Peace (1971) as well as Cherry Blossom Symphony. Abstract art is mostly about emotions and ideas even though Jill Johnston purports that “painting is not about ideas or personal emotion” (272).

One of the most famous minimalist artists is Howardena Pindell. In most of her works, post-minimalism reflections are apparent in the utilization of ordinary objects, and the installation implants an intentionality metaphor to its physical traits, that redefines the characteristics to idiosyncratic traits. In Pindell’s work on paper, the conceptualist and minimalist grids are also present, where the strips of ink-stained paper are woven together to create a grid which is then adhered to a sheet. Pindell begins to entail particular intuitive practices in the form of abstract gestures and marks within the grid itself. The beginning of her utilization of collage as an expressive and formal art is also apparent (Gaines N.p).

Arts that are considered to be seemingly content less are able to communicate a lot of information via the utilization of allusion, metaphor, and conceptualism. Allusion refers to a term, which is usually applied to a literary device that involves a passing reference to a place, thing, person, or any idea of cultural, historical, political, or literary significance, without the necessity to elucidate it in detail. In visual art, narrative storytelling is among the oldest purposes of art. Amid the renaissance period, it became a critical function of art, as the Christian Church utilized paintings to educate the public that was largely illiterate about the narrations in the Bible, and custom-built a plethora of religious paintings as well as frescoes which depict a wide variety of instances from the Bible. As arts from Europe continued with its development, allusion slowly gained traction. Whether Biblical, Greek, or Roman mythology, the allusions help to reference the events and thus deepen the understanding of the audience of what the painting is seeking to communicate.

Visual Metaphors usually suggest a particular connection or analogy between tow unconnected visual elements and is a non-verbal embodiment of a conceptual metaphor (Brandl N.p). It prompts insight in the viewer via the depiction of non-compossible elements in a homospatially unified image. Moreover, the visual tropes are usually intended for the viewer to recognize having a value that is heuristic, not an exemplification of an actual previously unknown entity. This thus communicates the message directly to the audiences or viewers of the art.

Conceptualism refers to the art where the concepts or ideas entailed in the work are given high precedence over the conventional aesthetic. In this type of art, the concept or idea is the most crucial aspect of the work, and when an artist uses a conceptual art form, it means that all the decisions and planning are made before the actual work and the execution is a perfunctory function (Kaplan N.p). Therefore, the idea is what drives the art. Conceptual artists usually use humor as the mode of communication, and the message is hidden within the art. An excellent conceptual art often sparks the imagination and inquisitiveness of the viewer in finding the message behind it.

Conclusively, abstraction and minimalism are techniques that are used to create a message as well as meaning to the arts, and different artists have utilized the methods to send across their message to the audiences depending on how they want the viewers to react to their works of art.