The Importance Of Contemporary Art

When cavemen were around, they used art as a way to record their huntings and stories. As the world became more civilized, art became a valued part of a sophisticated society. The early 20th century believed art should reflect only beauty. However, people experienced traumatic events like World War II, and 9/11 and artists took these experiences creating art that was drastically different from the beautiful meadow fields. Ever since then, art has become more provocative leading to debates on whether some contemporary art today is art. Although many people dislike contemporary art, controversy exists because art reflects current culture and our culture has controversial events and every person has a different has a perspective about it.

It is very important to be aware that the media is capable of controlling the flow of information that citizens receive. Furthermore, much of the content suppressed in this country is for fear of retribution from others. When governments and other institutions suppress information, citizens are not able to address matters concerning their country, as well as around the globe. In ‘The Decline of American Press Freedom’ by Anne Applebaum, Applebaum explains a recent controversy with Yale University and the publishing of a contentious comic in a scholarly report on the global consequences of political comics. The comics in question were satirical in nature and displayed the Islamic prophet Muhammad in an offensive manner. In an aniconic religion where visual depiction of the prophet is inherently blasphemous, the Islamic response to these comics were violent. When an analysis of the comics and the cultural backlash was written, instead of publishing it, Yale University swept it under the rug for fear of offending Islamic extremists. Applebaum argues that if “Yale University Press refuses to publish [the comics], then that makes it much harder for anybody else to treat the cartoon controversy as a legitimate matter for scholarly and political debate” (Applebaum 640). By not allowing the publishing of this analysis, Yale University is censoring what the American populace have access to in terms of global controversy. The issue becomes trivialized because institutions fear retribution from extremist groups. Without these scholarly points of reference of this issue and others, it is difficult to have a serious conversations about the ramifications of political and religious satire. This leads to people remaining uneducated and ignorant of these serious issues, and liable to repeat these same actions that so sorely offended an extremist

Pollock-Krasner Foundation, Artists Rights Society (ARS). (2017). Collection. Retrieved from MOMA Museum of Modern Art, US: Museum of Modern Art [US]/https://www.moma.org/collection/works/78699

I fell in love with methodologies of art history. I felt empowered in that, through my own interpretations, I could attach words and meaning to objects. My study of art history reached a turning point when, in 2012, I took a class entitled Identity in a Post-Identity Art World: Gender, Race, Sexuality, and Trans/Nationality, 1990 to the Present. The course endowed me with another lens with which to examine works and, more importantly, shed light on representations of marginalized identities. As a result, I was introduced to the writings of Judith Butler and Simone de Beauvoir, both seminal theorists who inspired my own analyses. I enjoyed every minute of conducting research and forming arguments to support my claims. Ultimately I was interested in developing my understanding of issues in contemporary art further and sought to accomplish this by engaging with a larger

n reflecting on this week’s readings, I can see the connection between the previous readings on the Harlem Renaissance and the one on Abstract Expressionism, especially as it relates to art being used for social change. Just as our society was moving at a fast pace, so was our art. Looking back, it’s amazing to see how racism, women’s rights and war brought on so many different attitudes and the art of the 20th century represented these different ideas. As it relates to war, many people were concerned about the dangers of democracy, while others emphasized patriotism. In either case, you can see a split between people’s perceptions and beliefs. It’s clear that most of the artist of the 20th century that we discussed were always on the cutting edge toward cultural change. Their shocking and innovative techniques reflected the changing values that represented a forever changing society; and often times their art helped shaped our culture, and at the same time, reflected that culture back on to us. From all the different art movements discussed during this course, this week’s readings represents the changing role they art is beginning to play in the political area. I believe that art plays a vital role in democracy, by creating openness and the freedom of expression. It’s amazing how art, be that it through a painting, literature, sculpting or through music can bring about change. Art really makes an impact on our culture and society, from instilling values or by changing opinions. It seems at the heart of every major change throughout our history, you will find an artist that created that change through his or her works. We form our ideas by seeing,

After months of planning, sketches, and failed attempts, you finally produce what you believe to be the masterpiece of your career. It is an expression of you and an extension of your soul wrapped inside the breathtaking colors spread across the canvas. A little over a month later, the art director of the museum is forced to take down your work because it is too explicit for the general public. This is what countless artist around the globe experience over and over again. Art censorship has been a conversational topic since the birth of art and remains one today. The article I chose, “Censorship of Offensive Art” by Paul Zelanski and Mary Pat Fisher, speaks about the ongoing debate of art censorship.

This does not mean, that they have to stop others from viewing the work. There is a place for all types of artwork, just as there is a place for all people. Blasphemy should not be considered a crime because there are so many types of religions and what may be considered blasphemous to one group, may not be to another. It is difficult to define and it can lead to infringing on freedom of expression rights.

A display of public art is not a random act of expression encapsulated across a large canvas overnight but a formulated piece of culture for society to witness and experience. Each piece we have seen this semester has embodied the time and effort it takes to not only create a piece of art worth seeing but giving it a story and meaning more powerful than the piece itself. These pieces have given its audience a glimpse into the known, what the cameras and media neglect. Pieces like the To Protect and Serve, Vietnam Memorial, and Bus Poster all go deeper than the surface to deliver a compelling message that outlines a serious issue.

Controversial pieces of art are nothing new; artists express their opinions and beliefs in their work, and those who see the artist’s views as problematic speak out against it. Art encourages debate, and debates can be angry and emotion-driven. But when a piece of art is created that is almost universality looked upon as having corrupt morals, the debate tends to switch “I disagree with what this art portrays” to, “this work of art should not be allowed in society, regardless of its quality.”

Criticizing artwork is very easy task to do by anyone, but understanding the meaning behind a piece of artwork can only be noticed by individuals with some knowledge of art. In certain occasions humans tend to ignore something that they don’t like, which might lead them to make negative conclusions about a subject. How an object is portrayed with the use of color, and shapes can affect the feelings of any audience. Art skills are developed throughout the life of a person, but only dedicated artists who are trained to receive criticism, or who are empowered by their artistic teachers tend to become more successful. Oscar Gutierrez is an artist who has four years of experience working as an art teacher assistant at his local high school,

Henry Darger is an american writer and painter who is well known for his paintings depicting children, mostly little girls, being brutally murder, or mutilated in disturbing ways. His worked being described as a nightmare and fairy tale mixed together. Moon makes the point that Henry Darger is smarter and more artistic than most perceive him to be. He has many underlying points and hidden meanings in his painting and they aren’t just about pointless violence and the murdering of children. Which is the reason such artists shouldn’t be censored, because for a lot of artists, there’s more than meets the eye. Which is why I chose this article because even though it’s not directly talking about how Darger should be censored, it gives great examples of why artists shouldn’t be censored. The main point being there’s often hidden meaning that we have to find in a piece of

- The lines of traditional art have blurred over the years as new artistic movements have appeared and transformed the notion of what is considered art. As these movements have revolutionized the art world, popular culture has branched off from art, causing a shift; art is no longer a representation of popular culture and visa versa. In contemporary society art doesn’t exist to win any popularity contests, it exists to please the viewer, and is often deemed art by highly acclaimed art critics who don't speak from a popular culture standpoint. Art highly regarded by critics often goes against the grain and makes a statement, while popular culture is dictated by what the general public likes,

Museums and institutions have to handle controversies and tough subject matter. There is no easy solution in handling them that will please everyone. However, there some ways that are better than others. For the issues that surround race, I believe there is one way that is better than the rest. I believe the correct way to display works of art or any other offensive work is to give the proper background context of the article. With this proper context, it is necessary to understand the impact the work can have on all different races and to be empathetic with the feeling it can create. To go with this, it is necessary for museums and historic places to be a place of debate. In my analysis I will show several different

Of course, the question eventually arose, "What qualifies as free speech?" and the literal interpretation taken by the majority was questioned. Like many who adhere to the notion of free speech, freedom of the press, and freedom

of art as a finished product, signed by the artist and authenticated by the art market,