CONTEMPORARY ART - By Autumn Boyet-Stinton (Original Article Written 9/28/2008)

 What is "CONTEMPORARY ART?" 


CONTEMPORARY ART is defined as the ART produced at the present time. Museums of CONTEMPORARY ART commonly define their collections as consisting of ART produced since World War II.


In considering this definition, it becomes clear that CONTEMPORARY ART changes with the influences of our lives, society and other environmental, industrial and life factors. 

This means that today, we see varied forms and a wide variety of ART that we are less likely to be able to classify.  ART critics argue that as a result of wide-spread interest in creativity and skill development, we find that today it is more difficult to separate "SERIOUS ART" from that of the novice.
 
Unlike many periods in ART history in which ART pieces were an extravagance that defined your social class, today we find that CONTEMPORARY ART is exhibited by not only private collectors, but also, galleries, corporations, ART organizations, museums and by the general public.  ART, in any form that may appeal to the individual, is affordable and available to just about anyone.  

There is a twist however that must be considered.  The well known worldly institutions of ART have taken on a self-proclaimed role in dictating what is designated as CONTEMPORARY ART.  It is these institutions that would argue that, although produced in the present day, self-taught ARTISTS that create in what is deemed "outside of an ART historical context" are not in fact CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS. 

A good example of such ART is that which has been coined "outsider ART" or "raw ART."  These ARTISTS have had little or no contact with the institutions of the mainstream ART world.  Many times, "outsider ART" illustrates extreme mental states, unconventional ideas, or elaborate fantasy worlds and is sometimes misapplied as a catch-all marketing label for ART created by people outside the "ART world" mainstream, regardless of their circumstances or the content of their work.

Additionally, ART critics would draw another line in the sand in determining and categorizing CONTEMPORARY ART by detailing that ART must subscribe to particular values in order to be admitted or included in the CONTEMPORARY ART genre.  For example, should two identical pieces be submitted to a critic, one based on simply it's beauty, the other an intended statement or ARTIST comment about the nature of beauty, the later is more likely to fit the definition of CONTEMPORARY ART that the piece that is simply beautiful. 

One can see how the lines of classification are blurred.  Confusion and judgement seem to be paramount in this CONTEMPORARY ART classification.  This lends to the debate and many times puts CONTEMPORARY ART at odds with the general public and ARTISTS that feel that ART and its institutions do not share their values.  This battle between ART HISTORY and its carefully guarded boundaries, and the forward thinking ARTIST of today are examples of an age-old struggle....parent and child, ruler and servant, employer and employee, critic and ARTIST! 

As timeless as ART is, the debates, the challenges, the classifications, the searching, the battling, the expression - all these things will continue.  The questions we need to consider are:

1.  WHAT PART WILL YOU HAVE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE HISTORY OF ART IN YOUR LIFE?

2.  HOW WILL ART HISTORY PORTRAY THE YEARS WE LIVE AND CREATE IN? 


3.  IN LIGHT OF THE CONFLICT IN OPINION THAT THE CONTEMPORARY ART CLASSIFICATION MUST FIT WITHIN GUIDELINES AND THE TRUE ARTIST MUST HAVE FORMAL TRAINING,  DO YOU THINK THAT WE WILL SOON FIND A NEW CLASSIFICATION FOR THE ART THAT WE ARE LIVING?
 
4.  DO YOU SUBSCRIBE TO THE IDEALS THAT ONLY THE TRAINED AND INSTITUTE GUIDED INDIVIDUAL CAN BE CONSIDERED A TRUE ARTIST? 

5.  IF GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO DETERMINE A NEW CLASSIFICATION, WHAT WOULD BE YOUR GUIDELINES?  HOW WOULD YOU CLASSIFY YOUR ART AND THE ERA THAT YOU ARE PART OF? 

I pose these questions to YOU and all ARTISTS to provoke and inspire your thoughts.