Contemporary Art

Contemporary art is the art of today, produced by artists who are living in the twenty-first century. Contemporary art provides an opportunity to reflect on contemporary society and the issues relevant to ourselves, and the world around us. Contemporary artists work in a globally influenced, culturally diverse, and technologically advancing world. Their art is a dynamic combination of materials, methods, concepts, and subjects that challenge traditional boundaries and defy easy definition. Diverse and eclectic, contemporary art as a whole is distinguished by the very lack of a uniform, organizing principle, ideology, or ‘ism.’ Contemporary art is part of a cultural dialogue that concerns larger contextual frameworks such as personal and cultural identity, family, community, and nationality.

The classification of "contemporary art" as a special type of art, rather than a general adjectival phrase, goes back to the beginnings of Modernism in the English-speaking world. In London, the Contemporary Art Society was founded in 1910 by the critic Roger Fry and others, as a private society for buying works of art to place in public museums.^[3] 

A number of other institutions using the term were founded in the 1930s, such as in 1938 the Contemporary Art Society of Adelaide, Australia,^[4] and an increasing number after 1945.^[5] Many, like the Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston changed their names from ones using "Modern art" in this period, as Modernism became defined as a historical art movement, and much "modern" art ceased to be "contemporary". The definition of what is contemporary is naturally always on the move, anchored in the present with a start date that moves forward, and the works the Contemporary Art Society bought in 1910 could no longer be described as contemporary.

20th Century Art

20th-century art and what it became as modern art began with modernism in the late 19th century. Nineteenth-century movements of Post-Impressionism (Les Nabis), Art Nouveau and Symbolism led to the first twentieth-century art movements of Fauvism in France and Die Brücke ("The Bridge") in Germany.

Artists explored extreme and varying themes in the years before and after World War I, and those same themes were revisited in the aftermath of World War II, creating an interesting parallel. This article is divided into two sections: 1900-1945 and 1945-2000 and focuses on art themes that captured the talents and ideas of some of the most well known artists around the world.

This movement is most well known for capturing the creations of such famous artists as Henri Matisse. The Fauvism movement eventually faded into the calmer, more thoughtful expressionistic art as Fauvism- which came from the word Fauves meaning wild beasts- lost popularity. The short movement characterized the years between 1904 and 1908, but engaged much of the first decade of the 1900's.

“Fruits” of the Eye

Recently, our class had an exhibit that showcased some of our artworks. There were drawings, paintings, sketches, and more. But of all these arts, there was one that stood out and outshined the rest.

It is a painting on a canvass showing different kinds of fruits, a bottle and glass of wine, and a vase of sunflower. It used acrylic paint and oil.

The said artwork was the favorite of many visitors who dropped by and checked the exhibit. Some were even interested to buy it. One of the reasons the painting was an apple of the eye is because it was the most colorful work in the exhibit. The colors of the fruits and the flowers made it look attractive and pleasing to the eyes.

It also piqued the interest of the viewers. Some were curious about the composition of the subjects. For instance, someone asked why the candle is at the corner of the table instead of the center. It also created some questions on what message the artist wanted to send.

All artworks surely have meanings. But sometimes you just can’t decode them and you can only look at the work and wonder about that.

COMPARE AND CONTRAST

Neoclassicism is the revival of a classical style from or treatment in art, literature, architecture and music. Neoclassical architecture is an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century. In its purest form, it is a style principally derived from the architecture of classical antiquity, the Vitruvian principles, and the work of the Italian architect Andrea Palladio.

 Romanticism An artistic and intellectual movement originating in Europe in the late 1700s and characterized by a heightened interest in nature, emphasis on the individual's expression of emotion and imagination, departure from the attitudes and forms of classicism, and rebellion against established social rules. Realism was an artistic movement that began in France in the 1850s, after the 1848 Revolution. Realists rejected Romanticism, which had dominated French literature and art since the late 18th century. Realism revolted against the exotic subject matter and exaggerated emotionalism and drama of the Romantic movement.

Impressionism is a style of painting associated mainly with French artists of the late nineteenth century, such as Edgar Degas, Edouard Manet, Claude Monet, and Pierre-Auguste Renoir. Impressionist painting seeks to re-create the artist's or viewers general impression of a scene. The Impressionists loosened their brushwork and lightened their palettes to include pure, intense colors. They abandoned traditional linear perspective and avoided the clarity of form that had previously served to distinguish the more important elements of a picture from the lesser ones. For this reason, many critics faulted Impressionist paintings for their unfinished appearance and seemingly amateurish quality.

Expressionism a style of painting, music, or drama in which the artist or writer seeks to express emotional experience rather than impressions of the external world. A theory or practice in art of seeking to depict the subjective emotions and responses that objects and events arouse in the artist. Expressionism was a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Germany at the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it radically for emotional effect in order to evoke moods or ideas.

Polynesian Art

The Polynesian Art combines a multitude of activities the undeniable sign of an ancestral know-how. Massaging, carving, tattooing… are part of the activities which have a very close original link with the period preceding the arrival of Christianity in Polynesia – the Polynesian way of life during that period, their social organization and beliefs. Many of their arts was made originally and improved as time goes.

These people were exceptional boat builders and sailed across the Pacific navigating by currents, stars and cloud formations. They were skilled fisherman and farmers, growing fruit trees and vegetables and raising pigs, chickens, and dogs. Islanders have also accomplished craftspeople and worked in wood, fiber, and feathers to create objects of power and beauty.

Their societies were hierarchical, with the highest ranking people tracing their descent directly from the gods.  These gods were all powerful and present in the world.  Images of them were created in wood, feathers, fiber and stone.  One of the most important items in the Museum’s collections is a carved wood figure of the Hawaiian god, Ku-ka’ilimoku, which stands over two and a half meters tall.

Baroque Art: Exaggerated And Artistic

Baroque art and architecture style began in late 1600, mostly in Italy and Rome, and then spread to other parts of Europe. This period of art can be characterized by artistic style using exaggeration to portray drama, tension, grandeur and so on.

Baroque art and architecture can also be associated with the qualities of vitality, movement and sensuous richness. The term Baroque, which originated from the word barocco, came to be used to describe styles that are irregular, bizarre and out of ordinary.

Some of the arts and architecture during the Baroque period include the “The Triumph of the Immaculate” by Paolo de Matteis, “The Church of Sant'Andrea al Quirinale” designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, and St. Nicholas Church in Lesser Town in Prague that was founded in 1703 under the lead of Baroque architect Christoph Dientzenhofer.

RENAISSANCE

The Renaissance art refers to the painting, sculpture and decorative arts that were produced during the Renaissance period. Its root can be traced back in Italy.During that time, there was a great interest in rendering the natural world into arts such as painting, sculptures and decorative pieces

 At the height of the period, there were three names that made it big in Renaissance art—Leonardo da Vinci, Michaelangelo Buonarroti and Raphael Sanzio.

Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa became the most famous painting up until today. Michaelangelo is known for his ceiling frescoes of the Sistine Chapel, and Raphael’s Madonnas are still popular.

CLASSICAL AND CHRISTIAN ART

Greek artists tried to render human forms as realistic as possible during the early fifth century. Sculptures produced at that time show the model posing in a relax way, with one leg or shoulder slightly shifted so they do not look stiff.

Later on, the artists also attempted to depict the emotions of their subject, as well as the age of their body. Then the art transformed into more idealized realism. This means that they create an image of what is ideal, like a normal size of a head, when in reality that is not the case. The face was also depicted as calm.

The old techniques entail artists to do their work straight on a stone. But because they could not achieve realism through that, the use of modelling technique emerged. They used clay on armatures before they copy into stone.

Some of the classical arts include the Bronze Zeus from Cape Artemision, Youth (the ‘Kritian Boy) from Athens Acropolis, and Metope from the temple of Zeus, Olympia.

THE COLOSSEUM

One of the structural arts that had a big role in the ancient period is the Colosseum. It is a massive stone amphitheater commissioned by Emperor Vespasian of the Flavian dynasty as a gift to the Roman people. The structure’s official name was Flavian Amphitheater, which hosted gladiatorial combats and wild animal fights.

Made of stone and concrete, the three-story Colosseum can sit 50,000 audiences. It was used for four hundred years before it fell into neglect, abandoned and destroyed over time.

Today, while two-thirds of the Colosseum had been destroyed by weather, neglect, vandalism, etc., the structure is a popular tourist destination. There were restorations efforts initiated in the 1990s and the following years.

LEONARDO DA VINCI

Renaissance art refers to the painting, sculpture and decorative arts that were produced during the Renaissance period. Its root can be traced back in Italy.

During that time, there was a great interest in rendering the natural world into arts such as painting, sculptures and decorative pieces. At the height of the period, there were three names that made it big in Renaissance art—Leonardo da Vinci, Michaelangelo Buonarroti and Raphael Sanzio.

Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa became the most famous painting up until today. Michaelangelo is known for his ceiling frescoes of the Sistine Chapel, and Raphael’s Madonnas are still popular.

THE MONA LISA

Mona Lisa is dubbed as the world’s most famous painting, surrounded by mysteries and theories. The painting is a work of Leonardo da Vinci between 1503 and 1506, up until 1517. It was a small portrait of Lisa Gherardini, the wife of Francesco del Giocondo. Today, the painting is displayed at the Louvre Museum in Paris, which has been its home since 1797.

Leonardo da Vince was not the best painter during his time, and yet the Mona Lisa painting has been so popular. One of the things that made it so famous is the smile of the subject. It is often described as enigmatic, so mysterious that it has generated lots of theories and legends. Add that to her beauty and the use of the background, which is said to have changed art forever.

Another notable thing about the Mona Lisa painting is the lack of eyebrows, which resulted in speculations that da Vinci was not able to finish the artwork. Some say that it was done while other say it was abandoned. There were many studies and research already done to answer the mysteries of the painting. Still, mysteries remain and those make the painting even more famous.

Up up and away

We are now in the age of possibilities that we had yesterday. When ideas become real. Age of generation X, we’re technology occupies larger part in almost kind of machine were manipulating regularly. Today even small children know how to use a cell phone and computer before going to school and learned. Almost everything now has instruction on how to prepare, create and produce by the assistance of countless applications.

Development begins rapidly like a running water in the falls we never know when will ends. An instinct that we cannot prevent from happening. The passion of doing things you desire and believe. This is a real understanding of how technology can control people that can give them an extraordinary vision of what available potential is waiting.

We cannot control changes but we can control things before unexpected can happens.  We should remember that humans are the ones who created technology, so don’t let technology destroy humanity.

One Semester Down The AB MMA

I realized that there is that kind of expectation attached to what course you are taking. As an AB Multimedia Arts student, I realized that people tend to expect that you are good in arts and you already know a lot about multimedia programs and software and so on. When you are in your junior or senior year, I guess that would be fine, as you should have already been taught a lot and learned a lot about your degree by then.

In my case, I am only almost one semester down the AB MMA course. I took this course, honestly, to learn this field, only having a little knowledge about it. One semester and I don’t think I already meet the usual expectations people have on me as an MMA major. But that’s fine, I am taking it up as a challenge and I hope to be able to really be proud that I am an AB MMA student and confident enough with the kind of skills I should have.

As I adjust to that, I also hope that teachers will not fall short of teaching us the skills that we need just because they assume that we already have or we should have them in the first place. School, after all, is where we are educated and where we seek learning. I still have about three years to the end of the course, so I am looking forward to a lot of that learning

Happy Feet

Many people love to travel now and technology helps us to make it easy. If you’re looking to a place you want to book all you need to do is use the internet, browse their website check the facility and everything you need to inquire is already included and if you’re lucky different promos are waiting for you. Reservation is not difficult through technology that making it reaching hand. Using cell phones, laptop and computer assist us in the easiest way to find any places we want to go.

All travelers who are a first time in the place experienced to get lost but now we don’t need to worry because of many different applications now that can help us to find the location through the use of the internet or without. We can check the status of the weather or I can say information is fast and efficient today because of the technology.

If you are a selfie lover you don’t need to have a DSLR camera to have a good quality image. Cell phones now have the high-tech quality resolution that can produce an image like it came from a professional photographer.

Shot the fact

I would like to share this photo which I captured last summer with my office mates. When I choose my 2nd course Multimedia Arts I considered what I really want that will make me fulfill who I really want to be. Doing things you don’t like is like wasting time, you will never grow and happy if you continue those things you never wanted. I found myself having an interest in simple editing and photography that’s why I enrolled in a university to learn more skills, techniques and be professional on it.

Taking photos which I refer to called capturing moments. The picture is a good souvenir, when you are looking in a photo it brings you the memory of that images and making alive those moments in your mind. A picture serves an inspiration to others, strength to someone and hope.

Now, many applications are available to enhance images to make the color alive and attractive. I love doing things with creativeness, and technology makes almost anything possible today.

Creativity Must Evolve Along With Technology

In one of the weddings I recently attended, the audio-visual presentation was not the typical prenup videos we often see in weddings. This time, they incorporated a story in the video and it looked like an indie film particularly. It’s not that unique in the sense that they are the ones who did it first, but it is not often done on such occasions.

My point in this situation is that it is refreshing to see them put their creativity to the next level. As the technology evolves, we have new media tools that we can use to our advantage and to become more creative with our work. We now have drones, which I see many photographers also use to take aerial shots and video footages that add creativity into their output. Media has also made it possible for the photographers and videographers to make same-day edits to their coverage, which they can present to the guests of the newlyweds during the reception.

I would also like to venture into that kind of work and I hope to learn those skills as I take my MMA course. But I’m still in my first semester so I think that would take time. In any way, there is an opportunity to learn and exercise creativity. Hope we can catch up with how fast media technology changes.

Lights, camera, action

Being a Multimedia Arts student at Lyceum of the Philippines  and one of my major subjects told us we need to make two videos in a different topic for our major exams. Together with my new classmates, we form groupings to make 5 members each. After that, the first topic that was given by our instructor was about old media to new media. Our members took the research and tackle about the script that we are going to make the props and ideal place we need to shoot.

We decided to explain the old media before on how human beings adopted it and how they survived living on it. As we discussed and act what old media we had before it gives us information and vision on how difficult it was to communicate to another person if they lived too far. People tried many things to make their communication become easy and effective. As time goes and new generation arrived man invented many things that improve to make better communication.

We shoot in different places defends on the scene needed. Portray different character and act on it. We shared the skills we have to make our video interesting and artistic. Those are my experience while doing our mini film.

Fastest growing media

While doing our shooting for the two consecutive major exams I learned facts about the old media from  new media. Communication is very important to us. And before people find many ways on how they will communicate to others. Different types on how people learned time by time. They begin to use horns, smoke and flag signals. It is the time that communication is very difficult.

When radio, telephone, and television arrived it give much easier to communicate and gathered information for anyone. The message was clear and easy to understand. New media begins with those three major popular gadgets that're very helpful. In television we can see and hear the information fast unlike before.

The Internet came and also possible ideas begin through the help of evolving technology. Many applications were created and most of them were very helpful. Google, facebook, and youtube were examples of them. Google has its definition in almost everything you search. Facebook helps us to keep our family and friends most likely those are far from us. Youtube is a video streaming provide to preserve any kinds of video.

Work and Technology

How technology  able to change work. people are working now from home because of the internet. It’s not that easy to look for online jobs. Certain skills are needed. Being an MMA student has a potential to have worked at home and I’m looking also to do home based. Video editing and image director are one of those. My personal experience in applying online was difficult and need much time.

To have an online job the basic requirement you must have was stable internet connection and equipment.  For a student like me and having my own family it’s a good opportunity to have a  work from home with the help of technology. I don’t need to go out to have work and the best part of it was I’m with my family at home. Because of that, I was able to help things in the home.

Now I have application for a news coordinator position. The main function is choosing the appropriate image in the story using different image application. Copying the source link and some details. Through internet and technology many things now are possible.

Unstoppable Evolution

My personal experience from old media to new media. Going back when I was in my childhood I used to do some paper works using a typewriter. A manual type of machine for writing. It uses a ribbon that serves ink to produce letters and symbol. It is too heavy to carry I remembered. But what we have now in our generation is a personal computer. A device built not only to produce letters and symbol but to write, communicate, search anything, gather information in many ways, saved important details using its large memory and a version of a portable computer that you can carry anywhere which is called a laptop.

A manual camera to a digital type of camera uses for capturing pictures. But today we have cellphones that can take pictures of the quality of a digital camera. Technology now is leading too fast. Evolves from time to time.

Aside from those gadgets. Cellphone era has been developed rapidly. During when I was a kid the cellular phone I first try to use is the one that has an antenna followed by a Nokia brand 3310. From that time Nokia brand was so famous and yearly they developed a new one. Speaking of the present cell phone now, we use touch screen type of phone that can function unbelievable and amazing.