Artists who create contemporary works of art are known as contemporary artists. Contemporary art is a broad term that encompasses work created since World War II as well as work created within the last 20 years. Contemporary artists use a wide range of media and create a wide range of artwork. Virtual reality, video and digital media, graffiti, sound art, installation and earthworks, performance and interactive art, as well as more traditional media like painting, sculpture, and drawing, are all examples of these artists.
There have been more than 50 movements in the art world since the 1950s that fall under the umbrella of contemporary art. Each artistic movement has its own set of rules and aesthetics. Abstract expressionism, minimalism, pop art, and electronic art are all examples of art movements. The types of work created these artists have been influenced both world events and technological advancements.
The terms “modern art” and “contemporary art” are frequently interchanged. Modern art, on the other hand, refers to works created between the 1880s and the mid-twentieth century, and includes movements such as impressionism, cubism, and surrealism. Contemporary art, while it may overlap with modern art in some ways, is more interested in new technologies and forms of expression. In general, no single set of rules governs the type of artwork created contemporary artists.
In the 1960s, contemporary artists discovered new uses for an acrylic polymer that had previously only been used scientists. They popularized what would become the acrylic paint medium as a result of their experiments. These artists began creating performance videos in the 1970s after adopting new video technology. With the introduction of personal computers in the 1980s, digital artwork rose to prominence. The digital aspect was pushed even further in the 1990s, resulting in interactive and Internet-based art.
At the same time, contemporary artists were responding to these new technologies in a variety of ways, creating works of art that made use of the waste or byproducts created the introduction of newer technologies. Artist Ed Rossbach, for example, started weaving baskets out of plastic waste. In response to newer technologies, some artists, such as installation artist and sculptor Andy Goldsworthy, went in the opposite direction returning to more traditional forms of art making. Today’s artists have the freedom to work in any medium they want, whether it’s digital, traditional, or a hybrid of the two.