You may hear some people use the terms “contemporary” and “modern” interchangeably. In some cases, this use of words is perfectly acceptable. In art, however, contemporary and modern works mean two different things. If you’ve ever been confused about differentiation, this is a good way to look at the two painting concepts:
Contemporary Paintings
Contemporary art is used to describe recently made works. Some art historians will define contemporary paintings as works dating back to World War II, while others believe it includes works created or accepted within the last ten years. Artists may continue to produce artwork today, using the latest painting trends and techniques. Generally, classification is a general term for art that is current. In the future, people may look back at the paintings produced today and give them a new name, but contemporary art serves as a placeholder for anything that was recently produced.
Artists defined in this category are known to explore with a variety of mediums, including on canvas. They can choose interesting color palettes, themes, and move away from the conventional with their techniques. Some may even include other media like scraps of paper, handmade dyes, or masking tape. Contemporary art has also seen an increase in politically charged themes. Artists make social statements on global issues such as racism, religion, human trafficking, feminism, and environmentalism through their works.
Modern Paintings
Although a modern art museum includes truly modern art, it often features contemporary exhibits as well, making the differentiation between the two very confusing. Modern paintings are defined in the art world as paintings produced between 1890 and 1965. Artists include Picasso, Renoir, Kandinsky, and Matisse.
The era of modern art overlapped with Impressionism, when artists began to put aside traditions in favor of radical experimentation in their representations. History books often define the era of modern art as the beginning when the last impressionist artists stopped producing. The artists of this period redefined the art world and paved the way for contemporary artists producing works today. Many modern painters were heavily involved in abstract and expressive pieces that may or may not represent a resemblance to the subject of the piece.
Common points between modern and contemporary art
Art enthusiasts may look down on those who use the terms modern and contemporary art interchangeably, but you’ll always hear that some people do. Since the era of modern art, each classification of painting has had a fairly wide scope. They all use real life, social and emotional themes to create a statement in their art. They also rely heavily on their mind’s eye to inspire completely original and inspired pieces. Finally, they all include artists interested in experimenting with new and exciting media and techniques.
Many eras of art overlap, which makes them seem confusing, but the movements in art history have been fluid. They bleed each other out instead of having a definite beginning and ending. In all likelihood, the label of contemporary art may change again, giving rise to a new movement in painting.