While Modern and Contemporary art can be often interchangeable since their definitions are extremely similar. However, the way to tell the distinction between the two is by looking at the time period that they came from. Modern art came before Contemporary, and it would be safe to say that it influenced the Contemporary Art world. Or maybe even it is an extension, evolution, development of it.
When Did It All Start
Modern art began in the 1880s and it went up until about the 1960s. Contemporary started at the end of this period and it is still going to this day. Van Gogh and Manet are the top artists that have been credited with spearheading Modern Art in the 1880s. This is because the two artists broke away from the conventional forms of artistic expression into something a lot more subjective. Modern would show the inner and outer working of the world at the time with a strong sense of surrealism in the mix. It was a break away from the realistic paintings of realism.
Contemporary Art came after this period and you can see the risk-taking influence that it took from it. A lot of Contemporary artworks also break away from realism and often express the emotions or the subjective of the artist’s thought, feelings, or view of the world at the time of the creation of their pieces. However, in the late 1900s, the Contemporary Art world became heavily influenced by the political, social, and cultural reformations that the world was experiencing at the time.
How You Can Tell The Two Apart
The main difference between the two is that Contemporary art is created by those who are still alive. And when it comes to Contemporary Art there is no rigid form to it. It can be about anything, everything, nothing, and in any medium. You can have works that are painted, sculpted, and you can have live performances, film screenings, etc.
Contemporary Art is not restricted by gallery spaces. It can be performed everywhere and anywhere. And it can be in many different forms. It has a lot more freedom to it, unlike the prior era.
The themes that Contemporary Art can cover can go from the serious ones like global warming, environmental destruction, human rights, to the more lighthearted like a walk on the beach. Speaking of themes, another way to tell the two apart is that Contemporary Art can have a social impact.
While some Modern pieces can talk about deep issues a lot of them do not and are mostly about the inner experience and feeling of the artist. However, some Contemporary artists do talk about their inner feelings and thoughts through their artwork. It may be in connection to the outside world or not. But, a lot of Contemporary artists have a message to send, sometimes more so than expressing emotions. Then again, every artist is different and every work unique. So some artists can send a message in some of their works, and in other works of theirs, they can show their emotions without connection to the outside world.
Either way, Contemporary Art is an ever-changing, and growing form with new artists coming into the world. They can experiment, play, explore different types of mediums, ideas, and stories.
We can thank Modern Art for paving the way to the Contemporary Art world. If those artists did not take chances and break away from their traditions. And, explore their medium in different ways, the art world, and the world in general would be vastly different. Or very much behind.
This could be why the two are often interchanged since the one influenced the brought forth the other. While the form has grown and developed to cover more mediums, explore more ideas, and tell more messages it is not hard to see the influence of the previous art era. There is some DNA in Contemporary Art that cannot and should not be ignored.