Key Terms, Concepts, and Movements:
Artistic Modern or Relevant Context: Related Readings: Related Terms: Related Artworks/Artists:
Movement: Contemporary:
Modern art Modern - Part of a Response to
(umbrella term rebellion modernization,
encompassing - Artists in the urbanization, and
multiple beginning of the industrialization
movements) 19th century
rejected the - Engagement with
authority of art the immediate
academies and sociopolitical context
their rigid
standards - Influence of science
and technology-
→They saw the system Rejection of tradition
of salons and (academic art
academies as outdated institutions and
and opened the door to historical styles)
new possibilities in art
as a result - Departure from
pictorial realism and
illusionism
- Focus on
subjectivity and
individual expression
, - Emphasis on
innovation and
experimentation
- Interest in
abstraction and
simplification of form
- Exploration of new
materials and
technique
Contemporary art Contemporary - Smith suggests - Smith, 2019 1. Breaking free from
(umbrella term that state-supported
encompassing contemporary systems of art
multiple ● Definition of
art is more than production.
movements) Contemporary
art of the Art: The term
present and “contemporary” 2. Focusing on
maintains an has largely everyday life and
antagonistic replaced people’s realities
relationship with “modern” and instead of grand
the present “postmodern” in narratives.
discussions of
moment
art, but its
meaning 3. Validating the
remains fluid importance of
and contested. subjective emotion
(what the artist feels)
and subjective
perception (how
● Institutionalizat
ion of space and form are
Contemporary experienced).
Art:
, Contemporary 4. Rejecting the
art functions as dominance of pictorial
an illusionism—the
institutionalized
compulsion to
global network,
with its own recreate material
values, heroes, reality exactly as it
markets, and appears.
cultural
relevance.
● Art and
Contemporanei
ty: Smith argues
that
contemporary
art is shaped by
multiple modes
of
contemporaneity
—historical,
cultural, social,
and
philosophical
forces that
define the
present.
● Art as Power:
Institutions such
as Tate Modern
and biennales
, play a role in
defining and
legitimizing
contemporary
art, showing its
entanglement
with power
structures.
● Crisis of
Meaning in Art:
Contemporary
art often
struggles
between
superficiality
(spectacle,
media,
consumerism)
and deep
cultural
engagement
(political,
philosophical,
and historical
reflections).
● The Role of the
Spectator:
Contemporary
Artistic Modern or Relevant Context: Related Readings: Related Terms: Related Artworks/Artists:
Movement: Contemporary:
Modern art Modern - Part of a Response to
(umbrella term rebellion modernization,
encompassing - Artists in the urbanization, and
multiple beginning of the industrialization
movements) 19th century
rejected the - Engagement with
authority of art the immediate
academies and sociopolitical context
their rigid
standards - Influence of science
and technology-
→They saw the system Rejection of tradition
of salons and (academic art
academies as outdated institutions and
and opened the door to historical styles)
new possibilities in art
as a result - Departure from
pictorial realism and
illusionism
- Focus on
subjectivity and
individual expression
, - Emphasis on
innovation and
experimentation
- Interest in
abstraction and
simplification of form
- Exploration of new
materials and
technique
Contemporary art Contemporary - Smith suggests - Smith, 2019 1. Breaking free from
(umbrella term that state-supported
encompassing contemporary systems of art
multiple ● Definition of
art is more than production.
movements) Contemporary
art of the Art: The term
present and “contemporary” 2. Focusing on
maintains an has largely everyday life and
antagonistic replaced people’s realities
relationship with “modern” and instead of grand
the present “postmodern” in narratives.
discussions of
moment
art, but its
meaning 3. Validating the
remains fluid importance of
and contested. subjective emotion
(what the artist feels)
and subjective
perception (how
● Institutionalizat
ion of space and form are
Contemporary experienced).
Art:
, Contemporary 4. Rejecting the
art functions as dominance of pictorial
an illusionism—the
institutionalized
compulsion to
global network,
with its own recreate material
values, heroes, reality exactly as it
markets, and appears.
cultural
relevance.
● Art and
Contemporanei
ty: Smith argues
that
contemporary
art is shaped by
multiple modes
of
contemporaneity
—historical,
cultural, social,
and
philosophical
forces that
define the
present.
● Art as Power:
Institutions such
as Tate Modern
and biennales
, play a role in
defining and
legitimizing
contemporary
art, showing its
entanglement
with power
structures.
● Crisis of
Meaning in Art:
Contemporary
art often
struggles
between
superficiality
(spectacle,
media,
consumerism)
and deep
cultural
engagement
(political,
philosophical,
and historical
reflections).
● The Role of the
Spectator:
Contemporary
