What Is Contemporary Art?

What is contemporary art?

Contemporary art helped establish the discipline in the mid-nineteenth century after a circulation of unfamiliar artifacts throughout Europe. This was as a direct result of the colonial expansion into Africa, Asia and the Americas and archaeological excavations in Italy and Greece. The condition of contemporary art is 'heterogeneity' which means diverse or dissimilar elements are incorporated. In the last twenty-five years, the academic study of contemporary art has grown into a fastest-developing field with a lot of emphasis on new material being introduced. Contemporary art has pushed the limits of what was known and defined previously in the field of art. It emphasizes elements that address broader issues such as those of race and diversity. It highlights the values and virtues that were of most importance in the last century. It does not hold the same rules as the previous categories of art and is still continuously changing and varying as time progresses. It holds the qualities of bold, loud, exciting, and new elements. It takes previous elements and twists them to be a whole new version and category of its own, extending what was previously established and refining it. The only issue I perceive with contemporary art is that is so undefined and so unlimited that it looks a bit chaotic and dissorganized in nature. Nevertheless, it presents bold new material that usually really inspires people on a whole new level. It speaks for itself and teaches people of the virtues, values, and life lessons that are much harder to teach otherwise. It is usually very abstract in nature, bending and breaking all the rules of the previously established forms. It is usually a hit or miss, and either deeply moving or misunderstood. When it allows us to truly question something, it holds a pertinence in society that allows people to develop and grow, hence making a better world. It can be uplifiting even if the content is dark in nature. Because very little rules hold true or applicable, it is a category of its own. It is revolutionary in nature and gets people thinking. Even if a modern art piece doesn't inspire to a great degree, it at least always makes us question. Contemporary art is the way of the new world. May it bring new understanding to our society at large, and may we all seek to explore the deeper hidden truths that are so often unnoticed or masked.