When discussing the difference between modern and contemporary art it is important to tell the story of Gustave Courbet, a French painter who spearheaded the Realist movement in the 19th century
Courbet challenged the Romanticism concept of most of the famous artists of his time. He stayed strong to his beliefs, which was painting only what the eyes could see. The Cubists and Impressionists were some of the many artist groups that took the influence of his ‘independent mind’ which helped them to blossom and improve in their artworks.
Modern Art v/s Contemporary Art – Key Differences at A Snapshot
- Modern art refers to art that began in the 1880s. Contemporary art describes the works of artists still living and creating artworks.
- Modern Art is revolutionary by its origin (anti-romanticism), while Contemporary art is revolutionary for the freedom and magnitude of experimentation by the artists
- Modern Art is more self-expressive, while Contemporary Art pays attention to society, thus known for its social impact
- Modern Art is primarily made on canvases, while Contemporary Art is on every medium that you can think of – video art, tech-enabled artworks, object design, graphical arts
- Modern art focuses on the subjective representation of the chosen themes, while Contemporary Art takes a strong stand on social, political and cultural aspects of the world
A story to be told to explain the difference between modern and contemporary art, so let’s understand this in a bit more detail
How Courbet Buried Romanticism, and Gave Birth to Modern Art?
Gustav Courbet – A Burial At Ornans
Just like his famous “A Burial at Ornans” painting, Gustav Courbet stayed true to his perception of realism and only ‘painting what he could see’.
The painting was the burial of Courbet’s uncle in a small French town called Ornans and the picture did not have any exaggerated visual details.
Emotions like grief and mourning were not displayed. Unlike customary Romantic paintings that show emotions and surrealism. It stayed true to its realism.
The Romanticism style became famous during the 1849-50 eras when art was still made with traditional methods. This was the time Courbet painted and released the “A Burial at Ornans” painting and critics did not like the work, especially it’s strange size which stood at 10 feet by 22 feet.
He painted real people who were actually present at the burial instead of art models.
“The Burial of Ornans was in reality, the burial of Romanticism” Courbet eventually concluded.
None of his friends, family, or loved ones could have predicted the success and fame the painting brought to the art world. His different style sealed his name as the ‘first modern artist’ and it began the introduction of the ‘Modern Art Period’
What is Modern Art?
When we hear the word modern we begin to think about new, trendy, and fashionable things in the world.
“Modern Art” can simply be described as the style and philosophy of artworks produced during the 1890-1960 era.
In other words, the style applied many concepts of Modern Art but it made more emphasis on social, economic, and political matters. This was possible with the use of new materials and components in producing art. The main aim of Modern Art was setting aside the customary traditions of the past world and focusing on a new approach in identifying and assessing the current issues of the world.
How Modern Art introduced us to a new era of Art?
Modernism movement introduced many fresh concepts and ideas into the world of art.
As a result, many artists of that time started exploring dreams, symbolism, and personal iconography as their main style. Some other artists began to test the use of coloring and non-traditional materials.
Many known artists such as Pablo Picasso took this influence, and he introduced a new style of painting with the Modernism. It was called cubism which was known for its geometric forms. This then evolved over the years up to the 1830s.
The invention of art photography and film cameras then provided artists with new ways for the world illustrations and sceneries in their works.
Modern Art is used to conveying the era of ‘Modernism’, a time where art is described with various terms ending with ‘ism’s’ such as; Fauvism, Impressionism, Post-Impressionism, Dadaism, Cubism, Surrealism, Expressionism, Pop Art, and many other art movements.
All of it formed the foundation of Modernism Art. These art movements were influenced by a number of factors like; African and Asian Art, Light, Culture, History, etc.
Some of the most well-known ‘Modernist Masters’ include; Pablo Picasso, Vincent Van Gogh, Georges Seurat, Paul Cézanne, Andre Derain, Henri Matisse, Henri de Toulouse, Piet Mondrian, Raoul Dufy, Maurice de Vlaminck, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Wassily Kandinsky, and Édouard Manet just to name a few.
Read 10 Top Modern Art Paintings
What is Contemporary Art?
By definition, Contemporary Art refers to the work of arts made since the aftermath of World War II and is used to describe the works of artists still living and creating artworks.
All the way to the year 1910 when the term was first to use, art critic Roger Fry founded the Contemporary Art Society in London.
After World War II, the term was used to define the art movement.
Critics described it as an era where ‘modern art’ was no longer contemporary enough to have a positive effect on the younger generations.
Throughout history, the term contemporary can also be traced back to the time of Modernism, but it was a special type of art that did not describe a specific period.
Instead, it was only based on current matters like social, economic and political issues.
Characteristics of Contemporary Art
The era of Contemporary works of art produced experimental works that affect a wider range of social, economic, and political issues.
This idea reflected the issues that affect the world today, which are in the form of racism, globalization, oppression, poverty, feminism among many others. Over the last 30 years, we have witnessed a growing list of artworks that bring about awareness of the most important and urgent matters. They were all highlighted by video art, salons, object designs, graphical arts, and social media.
Contemporary art also looks like tackling and exposing more issues that will occur in the future. This is one of the most striking differences between Modern and Contemporary art.
For one who will love to explore both modern and contemporary art, there are many places in the world to see and experience it all. Take, for example, New York, which is one of the largest cities in the USA, is home to some of the richest museums with countless breathtaking works.
What will the Future of Art be?
Thanks mostly to the advent of new technology, art has become more accessible to more audiences and artists. Despite all the great things this world has to offer, the future will not be immune to unpleasant eventualities that might occur.
With the emergence of more of these technologies, today is true, a great time to become an artist. Read about must-see art museums for contemporary art.
For the deep-thinkers and highly creative minds, you can reach your dreams and create a series of artworks all by yourself. This can enable you to impress even the most hardcore Modern Art enthusiast by making them appreciate Contemporary art more.
What Gustave Courbet has done in the past can very well be replicated by none other than you.
Similar reads
There are many forms of ephemeral art, from sculpture to performance, but the term is usually used to describe a work of art that only occurs once, like a happening, and cannot be embodied in any lasting object to be shown in a museum or gallery.
Ephemeral art first came to prominence in the 1960s with the Fluxus group, when artists like Joseph Beuys were interested in creating works of art that existed outside the gallery and museum structure and had no financial worth. Happenings, performances and sound sculptures were all part of ephemeral art, as were flyers and cheap mass-produced items that carried subversive messages out into the world.
Skip to main content
November 30, 2015
According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the word “modern” is defined as, “of or relating to the present time.” The word “contemporary” is defined as “happening or beginning now or in recent times.” While these definitions may appear to be similar or even nearly identical, in terms of art genres, they are very incongruent.
The modern art movement began in the 1860’s during the period of the Industrial Revolution. With the advent of photography, artists no longer saw the necessity to make art for the sake of portraying reality exclusively. Many artists therefore began experimenting with color, form, shape, abstraction, different mediums, and different techniques. Modern art was a major diversion from techniques of the past, as described below by Melissa Ho, an assistant curator at the Hirshorn Museum:
“[Traditional academic painting of the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries] was about perfect, seamless technique and using that perfect, seamless technique to execute very well-established subject matter […] With modern art, there is this new emphasis put on the value of being original and doing something innovative.”
Roy Lictenstein,
Mirror #5
, 1972, Lithograph, 34″ x 24″
Modern art made way for many different trends and movements, including futurism, cubism, abstract expressionism, pop art, and
many more. Al Held and Roy Lichtenstein were two very influential modern artists who helped define the trends within modernism, and we are proud to have works by both included in the Escalette Permanent Collection of Art. Al Held was primarily focused around abstract expressionism, but particularly favored playing with geometric shapes, layers, and illusion. All three of these components are clearly exhibited in his work Stoneridge, which is currently on display in Beckman Hall, third floor. Roy Lichtenstein, on the other hand, was a passionate participant and leader of the pop art movement. Early on in his career, he would depict widely recognized images from comic books and advertising, putting his own spin on the illustrations using bright colors and large shapes. Later on in his career in the 1970’s, however, he began to experiment with more abstract forms, as can be seen in his work Mirror #5, which is also on display on the third floor of Beckman Hall.
Al Held,
Stoneridge
, 1983, Etching and Aquatint on Paper, 22.75″ x 40″
Contemporary art, on the other hand, is typically less well-defined as the former topic. This style is most commonly described as belonging to artists still living today. Much like what spurred the modern art movement, contemporary art has begun to incorporate new mediums to match societal advancements in resources and technology- including video art, site-specific art, and installation art.
Lisa Adams,
The Wood Family
, 1995, Mixed Media on Wood, 60″ x 48″
The majority of the Escalette Permanent Collection of Art features some intriguing pieces by contemporary artists. Two of these artists are Lisa Adams and Ellina Kevorkian , both of whom have their works on display on the fourth floor of Beckman Hall. Lisa Adams primarily works to create paintings and gouaches, and typically depicts scenes of nature. In The Wood Family, Adams further incorporates nature into her piece by adding wood as a medium in the work itself. Further exploring the idea of mixed media within a singular piece of art is Ellina Kevorkian, who, as she advertises on her own website, “creates hybridized relationships between painting, photography, video, and performance using tropes, humor, and the visual languages of art and popular culture.” Kevorkian is “contemporary” in every sense of the word, and her work cannot be represented better than in her piece Last Night My Tears Were Falling, I Went To Bed So Sad And Blue, Then I Had a Dream Of You. Using glitter, spray paint, acrylic paint, lace, and puff paint, Kevorkian creates a rich world poking fun at the trope of what is widely considered, “feminine.”
Ellina Kevorkian,
Last Night My Tears Were Falling, I Went To Bed So Sad And Blue, Then I Had a Dream Of You
, 2002, Mixed Media, 84″ x 72″
While contemporary art and modern art may sound similar, in form and practice they are quite contrasting. In many ways, modern art has laid the groundwork for contemporary art, as both seem to have arisen directly as a result of technological advancements in society and are concerned with being indicative of popular culture or social issues of their respective time period. We here at the Escalette Collection invite you to take a look at the artwork on display all around Chapman University’s campus, exploring our vast collection of modern and contemporary artists and seeing if you can define what makes each unique to one another!