Sometimes it can be unclear when people use the words modern art and contemporary art. To some, they seem to be the same, yet they are not the same art movements.
Modern Art is defined as art created between 1880 and the 1970s. Contemporary Art is the art created from the 1970s until today. These art movements are determined by the year the art was created and not the style or type of art.
Table of Contents
- Modern Art Vs. Contemporary Art
- Modern Art and Contemporary Art Movements Compared
- Related Questions
Modern Art Vs. Contemporary Art
Modern art and contemporary art are actually two distinct art movements. This can seem unclear because, in some ways, the art can seem similar In each of these movements.
The main difference that defines whether the art and artist are considered part of the modern or contemporary art movement is not the art style, but the year the art was created.
Modern Art Movement
Modern art refers to art produced in the 1880s until the 1970s.
Like many things in the art world, there is still some argument about when Modern Art started. Some scholars say it began in the 1860s; most agree it started in the 1880s.
Modern art is a term used to signify the style and philosophy of art produced during that hundred-year period. The main characteristic of contemporary art is that it throws away the old ideas and traditions of the past and experiments with new ways of seeing things through art.
Modern Artist Created New And Fresh Ideas
Modern artists created new and fresh ideas from the materials they used and how the art would function or be produced. Contemporary art and modern artists played and experimented with bold and abstract ideas.
Modern Art Is Used To Define Modernism
Modern art is the term that is used to define modernism. This can get a bit confusing because modernism includes many -isms in the art movements as Impressionism, Post-impressionism, Fauvism, Cubism, Expressionism, Dadaism, Surrealism, and Pop Art, to name some of the more relevant Modern Art movements.
Each of these different art movements under the Modern Art movement was actually influenced by various factors such as light Asian art, African art, etc. This is why the Modern Art period is as varied as the art the movement produced.
Modern Art Has Many Art Movements
Modern Art can be confusing because the period of Modern Art has so many types of art within this movement.
Included in the Modern Art movement are artists such as Vincent van Gogh, Paul Cezanne, Paul Gauguin, Georges Seurat, Henri de Toulouse Lautrec, Pablo Picasso, Edvard Munch, Henri Matisse, Georges Braque, Andre Derain, Raoul Dufy, Maurice de Vlaminck, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Piet Mondrian, Wassily Kandinsky and Edouard Manet.
Many of these artists are well-known as Impressionism, Post-Impressionism, or Cubism. They would be defined as in the Modern Art Movement and an Impressionist artist or the Modern Art Movement and a Cubism artist, etc.
This shows that defining an artist in the Modern Art movements is about the time the art was produced and not the style of the art itself.
The Contemporary Art Movement
The Contemporary Art Movement began in the 1970s and is continuing today.
Some museums categorize the Contemporary Art Movement as starting in 1945 or after World War II, but most people agree that the Contemporary Art Movement started in the 1970s.
Artists From the 1970s Onward Are Contemporary Artists.
Any artist from the 1970s onwards is considered to be a Contemporary artist. The Modern Art Movement and the Contemporary Art Movement are defined by the time period the actual art was created.
Contemporary Art Has Varied Styles, and Art
The Contemporary Art Movement is varied in its art style and art type. This is because the artist will make their art according to their own individual styles; there is no one exact contemporary art style.
Contemporary Artists Use All Kinds Of Mediums
The Contemporary artist creates with all kinds of mediums, including computers, technology, three-dimensional, live elements, performances, and other types of art materials and styles. There is no limit to the materials, technology, or style that contemporary artists can use in their artwork.
Many Contemporary Arts Face Harsh Criticism
Contemporary artists have faced a lot of harsh criticism from both art critics and the public at large. As the main aim for some artists is to shock people, artists use all forms of art, including live human nudity; some critics feel some contemporary artists do not share their cultural values.
My favorite contemporary artists include Jeff Koons, Takashi Murakami, Yayoi Kusama, Keith Haring, Anish Kapoor, David Hockney, Ai Wei Wei, Yoshitomo Nara, Jenny Saville, Cecily Brown, Anselm Keifer, Kara Walker, and Jean-Michel Othoniel. This is not meant to be a complete list, as so many contemporary artists can be listed as doing some unique contemporary artwork.
Modern Art and Contemporary Art Movements Compared
When defining the differences between the Modern Art Movement and the Contemporary Art Movement, the main difference separating these art movements is the era or time of the art creation. In simple terms, any art created after the 1970s is considered Contemporary Art; any art produced between the 1880s and 1970s is Modern Art.
Below is a chart that clarifies the differences between the Modern Art Movement and the Contemporary Art Movement:
| Modern Art Movement | Contemporary Art Movement |
| The 1880s (1860s) to 1970 | The 1970s to Today (Some Say 1945 Onward) |
| The Year The Art Was Produced Defines Modern Art | Modern Art term denotes the style and philosophy of the art |
| Uses computers, technology, three-dimensional, live elements, performance, and all other materials. | Contemporary Art defines all artists from the 1970s until today. |
| Toss away traditions of the past for new art. | Artists do their own works according to their own styles of art. |
| Materials and function of the art | Defined Modernism, including Impressionism, Post-impressionism, Fauvism, Cubism, Expressionism, Dadaism, Surrealism, and Pop Art. |
| Bold and abstract Ideas | Shocked people by turning to new art forms. Sometimes the art is at odds with the public. |
| Defined Modernism, including Impressionism, Post-impressionism, Fauvism, Cubism, Expressionism, Dadaism, Surrealism, Pop Art. | Contemporary Art |
| Inspired by light, Asian art, African art, and many types of art. | Inspiration is unlimited—all kinds of inspiration and creativity. |
| Vincent van Gogh, Paul Cezanne, Paul Gauguin, Georges Seurat, Henri de Toulouse Lautrec, Pablo Picasso, Edvard Munch, Henri Matisse, Georges Braque, Andre Derain, Raoul Dufy, Maurice de Vlaminck, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Piet Mondrain, Wassily Kandinsky and Edouard Manet | Jeff Koons, Takashi Murakami, Yayoi Kusama, Keith Haring, Anish Kapoor, David Hockney, Ai Wei Wei, Yoshitomo Nara, Jenny Saville, Cecily Brown, Anselm Keifer, Kara Walker, Jean-Michel Othoniel |
The Contemporary Art Movement and the Modern Art Movement are two distinct art movements. Though the art styles, techniques, or even subject matter can overlap, the movements are defined by the era or period in which the art was produced.
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You can learn more by reading What Type Of Artist Is The Japanese Artist Yayoi Kusama? by clicking here.
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