by Laura Hageman

Created on: May 11, 2008

Art is considered Contemporary when it is made in the current era, however, museums many times refer to Contemporary Art as anything that is made after World War II. Contemporary Art is viewed by many as an avante garde which is considered art work that is experimental by artists that aren't as serious as all other works. Sometimes people view Contemporary Art as something that is easy to do. We have all seen art work that was displayed in exhibitions of an artist that had possibly one dot on a piece of white paper and it was considered art work. When you see something such as thing you tend not to respect it or take it too seriously which is what many works of Contemporary is considered, not serious. Nevertheless Contemporary Art has plenty to offer and many new ideas to bring to our culture. It is not limited and views all current works as equals.

Contemporary Art came about in the early 60's which replaced modern art and abstract expressionism. Pop Art became a big part of Contemporary Art. Pop depicts scenes or objects of every day life. Andy Warhol is on of the most popular artists that displayed this kind of Contemporary Art. His painting of the multi-images of Marilyn Monroe is Warhol's most common and most popular work of art.

Contemporary Art evolved into op art which is abstract work characterized by geometrical shapes in order to create an optical illusion. Color-field painting, Photorealism, and Minimalism are other forms of Contemporary Art transitions. By the 90's Contemporary Art reached its peak of popularity and becoming a large part of pop culture. However, it eventually died off. In the decade of 2000 Contemporary Art is common, but it isn't as popular as the appreciation of the old paintings of geniuses such as Leonardo Da Vinci or Vincent Van Gogh.

Most Contemporary Art will be found hanging in museums, but most current art will be found in sculptures. Various works will outside a building to represent the company. It has become so common that you may end up passing it up without realizing that it is Contemporary Art. Important trends of this type of art draws emphasis from spectators when the work is displayed in public areas such as libraries or corporate buildings or parks. People cannot seem to ignore the sculptures that represent the Cotemporary Art. The next time you take a walk through a park you may notice works from Donald Judd or Robert Morris. If you go to a popular tourist attraction you may find work by Maya Lin or Carl Andre. Contemporary Art continues throughout each decade with new ideas and new possibilities. It is just a matter of time before the art world will introduce something new to Contemporary Art.

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