What are contemporary artists working on Today?
Art works were developed and created by artists in historical periods. Art works found in ancient Egypt were related to pharohs and their gods. Greeks addressed on their gods. In the Renaissance, western artists described self-determination. What are contemporary artists working on currently?
Nowadays, artists are still doing what their predecessors did. On the trip to Fort Worth Galleries on April 1, 2005, I saw artists still trying to search for the role of human beings, depict life experiences, and discover ideas from artists in the past. For example, in Gallery 414, Susan Cheal tried to depict her life and her role to the world in her exhibit “Memo.” She stated: I’m interested in how we as Americans are socialized through family, government, religion, education, mass media, popular culture and technology. At the William Campbell Gallery, Sevan Melikyan tried to transfer images of masters’ paintings to new forms that were constructed with grids. However, the contemporary art is apparently different from the art in the past.
In my opinion, contemporary art was influenced by three main changes. First, the values of society changed and became more open to the subjects. For example, it is probably after the French Revolution that individualism and acceptance of differences were promoted. Nowadays, especially in the western culture, individuals are sincerely concerned about individualism. For example, in Starbucks, individuals can order customized coffee with detailed choices and instructions, or they can order a regular one. This attitude is also presented in art works, and spectators tend to accept a broader range of subjects.
Secondly, the internet and globalization made people all over the world interact much more than any period in the past. Therefore, artists became very multicultural. In her exhibit, Susan Cheal, an American artist, appreciated Japanese Ukiyo-e wood cut print. I felt the sense of Japan in her paintings by recognizing the shadow of Japanese woman’s traditional hair cut.
Finally, technologies changed our point of view. In the Renaissance, the discovery of camera obscura forced artists to rethink the meaning of rendering subjects which were similar to the human eye. If you can map a close-to-reality image through a scientific way, what is the meaning in painting simply with linear perspective? Furthermore, cutting-edege technologies in the 21st century entirely changed the artists’ world. Through Computer Aided Design (CAD) and Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM), artists not only can create works precisely and easily, but also have precise prediction of their finished pieces before they start it. For example, in my recent landscape painting, I synthesized two pictures with PhotoShop and used the tool filter to abstract the idea. Then I painted it on paper with Microsoft Office Publisher. Finally, I painted according to the picture I was satisfied with. These improvements enormously changed the value of art works. Artists are assumed to perform higher quality than they did in the past. For example, artists may not be able to impress people simply through the idea of “how vivid the painting is.”
In Handley Hicks Gallery, Aunt George’s School for Wicked Girls, was a performance combined with music, sound effects, and art pieces in the Gallery. Iconography was used prominently in this art to create the image of a wicked school for children. For example, in the performance, the Great Child played with glass balls and made unique sounds. This reminded me of the enjoyable glass ball game in my childhood. For another example, rubber broken pinkies stand for broken promises between children. Furthermore, I thought this was funny that they even had a special room for “classroom”.
Aunt George’s School for Wicked Girls is very typical contemporary art. The introduction description of the art wrote: the ‘Great’ Child speaks but a few shy words because his parents were traveling to bury the Great Child’s only sibling and he established habitation next to the grave of the dead sibling. People could tell how wicked it was. On the other hand, I was impressed how the artists used modern equipment to create wicked images. For example, a saw and a bow cannot make music. However, the Master used them and played music through these tools. When he played them, one would hear a wicked music just as he or she hears in a ghost movie. Actually, of course, the sound is from the speakers.
In sum our society nowadays becomes more diverse and changes faster after industry and information revolution, globalization, and prevalence of internet. A broader of range of art is appreciated. New ideas of art are delivered more quickly and shared more easily. On one hand, new technology enables artists create art in a more predictable and higher-quality way. On the other hand, new technology challenges creativity ideas. I bet contemporary art will be splendidly developed.
Copyright © 2005 by Joseph CJ Lee
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