In this article, we want to talk about What Makes an Artwork Contemporary? . Join us .
In today’s day and age, one might feel as if ‘anything goes’ in art. So, how can we define what makes an artwork contemporary? In what way does it distinguish itself from Modern Art? What conditions are important in order to consider an artwork as contemporary?
Condition 1: The Time or Era
The first condition may seen as very self-explanatory, but becomes less and less straight forward when we go further and further back in time of our recent art history. But first, here comes the general rule: An artwork can be considered as contemporary when it is/was produced between roughly 1960/1970, up to today.
As you might expect, the tricky part is around 1960/1970. In other words, all art that is being created today is absolutely contemporary in time. In fact all art which has been made in the 21st century meets this condition without any doubt. The same could be said about the 1980s and 1990s, however, arguably in a bit less convincing manner. When we approach the 1970s, things start to become a bit more tricky as many critics, rightfully so, argue this period can be seen as postmodern but not as contemporary.
Condition 2: The Intention of the Artist
A second condition consists of the intention of the artist. In recent art history, the notion of ‘intention’ has become increasingly important since the arrival of Postmodern Art movements. Due to the exploration and emergence of new media, the intention of the artist became an issue an sich. Before, with the traditional media, making the intention clear was unnecessary.
Condition 3: The Esthetics of the Artwork
Our third condition discusses the esthetics of the artwork, which may often be a slippery slope in art criticism. Therefore, this condition is arguably not a pretext for an artwork to be considered as contemporary. However it does claim that not all artworks are ‘equally contemporary’.
For instance, when a hobby artist dedicates his spare time to painting or drawing nudes in the tradition of the art academies in the 19th century, the esthetics are – or can be – strongly bound to the 19th century, and thus not contemporary. But, the painting or drawing was made today. And, it was the clear intention of the artist to create an artwork. Are these works still contemporary?
In this case, as we can tick off the first two conditions for an artwork to be contemporary, one might argue his works are indeed contemporary artworks. On the other hand, they are a bit ‘nostalgic’ as they could easily have been made in 19th century. Thus, as the esthetics are not time bound, it would be very difficult to distinguish the artwork as contemporary if we would not have the context of the date when it was produced.
Condition 4: The Subject Matter of the Artwork
An artwork can achieve its contemporary character not only because of its esthetics, but also on the basis of its contemporary subject matter. In this case, the artwork is contemporary when the subject matter is relevant in a contemporary context.
For instance, when an artwork addresses a certain event from our contemporary history, or reacts against the political and ideological climate of today, the subject matter is linked to this day and age, making the artwork contemporary.
