Text A Modern vs. Contemporary Art

What is the difference between modern and contemporary art? 'Modern' means something that belongs to this age, the modern age. A look at the word 'contemporary' shows us things that are related to this time and date, or the present age. There is, however, a thick brick wall that stands between the two forms of art.

Modern art, as history sees it, is a collection of all the works of art that fall between the late 1800s (around 1860) to the mid 1900s (around 1950). For the realm of modern art, we have painters like Vincent van Gogh, Pablo Picasso (See his picture “Peace”), Paul Cezanne and Henri Matisse. It includes all the technical moulds that were created in this period, or all the 'isms'- Expressionism, Impressionism, Post-impressionism, Fauvism, Cubism, Dadaism, Surrealism and Pop Art.

Contemporary art is defined by the time it was created rather than the type it falls under. And the time is what the type itself defines - now. What you see in the present created around you is nothing but contemporary art. If history is anything to go by, then contemporary art is said to start out around the 1950s and continues to this day. Contemporary art is what an artist creates if he/she makes something that, even if it is inspired by modern art, follows none of its boundaries. If modern art is a mould, then contemporary art is what breaks that mould to become something else.

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, you have artists like Van Gogh and Manet, who didn't really adhere to the current art scene. The people and their surroundings changed, and so did their thoughts. What all modern artists had in common was an aversion to realism and the formalities that tie an artist to it. They preferred seeing the world in a different light, and so they chose to describe that image in their own manner. The result was then known as 'Modern Art'. In an effort to express their individuality, artists came up with their own style; unique and often bold. What we describe today as Fauvism and Dadaism are nothing but methods used by artists at that time to portray their art in the most unusual way possible.

Moving on to the last 20 years from now, we have artists that faced the harsh reality, like the war (WW II, The Cold War), feminism and globalization. They grew up with ideals and thoughts different from what artists in the modern era did. So now you have a number of artists who consider the old methods of modernism as too conformist or vague. They now decide to make their own works or art according to their style. This gave rise to what we now call 'Contemporary Art' (See “Three apples” by Linda Paul).
There are always more than one way to describe art. Contemporary art pays more attention to the society, while modern art tends to be self-expressive at times. The former is also a lot more receptive to changes in society. Another difference is the advancement in technology. Artists, today, have the camera, the computer and custom software. They will use these to their advantage as they see fit. This makes a huge difference in the works between the two types of art. Contemporary art often spreads to places outside a canvas or a gallery. This art is found everywhere, from comics in newspapers to the videos on TV, from the freedom on the Internet to the graffiti on the streets.

III. Language

Exercise 7. Find in the text and put down English equivalents to the following word combinations:

Дотримуватися сучасних подій в мистецтві, зображувати мистецтво, бути натхненним сучасним мистецтвом, стикатися з жорстокою дійсністю, звертати увагу на суспільство, робити величезне розрізнення, руйнувати форму, належати сторіччю, створювати свої праці.

Exercise 8. Make up the possible word combinations out of the following and translate them:

1. to consider 2. advancement in 3. a number of 4. to grow up with 5. to give 6. the realm of 7. to fall 8. to see 9. own 10.to express

a. technology b. artists c. rise d. modern art e. fit f. the old methods g. individuality h. manner i. under j. ideals and thoughts

Exercise 9. Fill in the blanks with appropriate words given below:

1…. art pays more attention to the society.

2. … means something that belongs to this age.

3. Modern art is a … .

4. The people and their … changed, and so did their thoughts.

5. Contemporary art often spreads to places outside a … or a gallery.

6. Artists, today, have the camera, the computer and … .

Surroundings; contemporary; custom software; canvas; mould; modern;

IV. Comprehension