The Contemporary World PDF

SUBJECT MATTER & STYLE
in CONTEMPORARY ART
Prof. Ronuel L. del Rosario

If the traditional artists’ art consisted
of portraits, landscapes, still life and
human interest mostly as naturally as
possible, the contemporary artists’ works
are expressions of freedom,
experimentation and exploration of
patterns, figures, objects, and a
combination of many things that are
important to them.
Subject matter is boundless to the
contem. artist. Style can fall under one of
than 100 styles but can be categorized
under the few big movements in art.
Subject matter in contemporary
art is not confined to
representations of human figures
and landscapes. The favorite
subjects in contemporary art are
children, women, or the
environment, such as Tokwa
Penaflorida’s ‘Diwata’ It can also be
a combination of any of these.
Tokwa Penaflorida
In some artworks, the subject
matter is not easily recognized. If
the artwork is an experiment on
technique, the subject matter is the
technique itself. In others, such as
those in conceptual art, the viewer
has to engage in thinking and
exploring the meaning of the
artwork.
Dan Matutina
Chabet, Father of Philippine conceptual art
“Piero” Roberto Chabet
Some artworks are intended to
make a statement about an issue so
the viewer is guided by a written
explanation In Plet Bolipata’ s Cat
Dolls, the subject matter combines
human figure and cat head. The artist
constructed a human skeleton made
of Wires and covered it with textile.
The cat head is made of resin. Several
of these are found in front of her
house to serve as “guards ”.
Plet Bolipata
Sam Penaso’ s Metalscape is an
abstraction using metal. This is an
example of a contemporary art style
There were art movements and styles
that dominated contemporary art
through the decades since the 1950s.
These are abstract expressionism,
kinetic art, Op art, performance art,
environmental art, feminist art, post-
minimalism, video art, graffiti art,
postmodern art, body art, and digital
art.
Sam Penaso
ABSTRACT EXPRESSIONISM
a painting style in which the
artist applies paint in a manner that
expresses emotions and feelings in
a spontaneous way The figures may
be heavy in lines and color without
solid mass.
Alfonso Ossorio
Nasser Lubay
Cy Twombly
KINETIC ART
is a sculpture that moves with
the wind or is powered by a
machine or electricity .
Alexander Calder
Lucky Salayog
Lucky Salayog
Lucky Salayog
OP ART
uses lines or images repeatedly
to create an optical illusion.
Karl Pilkington
3d Art Museum Philippines
PERFORMANCE ART
combines a variety of media
and the human body to execute an
artistic theatrical expression
before a live audience.
Lilibeth Cuenca Rasmussen

• Racquel de Loyola’s work addresses
the issues of women, colonization,
identity, migration, displacement,
capitalism and globalization.
• This lamentation of a multi-breasted
creature is a contemporary rendition of
Mebuyan, an ancient Filipino myth of
the Bagobo tribe. Mebuyan is the
nurturer of the village. In
contemporary times it may mean the
need to sacrifice in order for the
community to continue to exist, or
perhaps the motherland providing
sustenance to her people.
ENVIRONMENT ART
involves the
artistic creation or
manipulation of
space such as
landscape or
architectural design
that may enclose its
audience
Earthworks, or art
using stones, leaves,
tress, grass or other
natural elements are
included in this
category.
FEMINIST ART
emerged from concerns of
female artists expressed through
art. They tackle issues of identity,
sexuality; gender roles, equality.
and the ways in which the female is
treated in society, among others.
Barbara Kreuger
MINIMALISM
had a stripped down,
prefabricated look free of details
and often with flat surface but
expresses a specific content or
statement. An example is electric
wire emerging from the wall that
coils to form a particular shape.
VIDEO ART
consists of images that are
recorded through a video and
viewed through television,
computer, or projection screen.
GRAFFITI ART
a drawing
inscription or
sketch done
hastily on a wall
or other surface
made to be seen
by the public.
POSTMODERN ART
carries modern styles to
extreme practices, often
expressing an idea through amix of
materials such as found objects
welded together.
BODY ART
an art form that uses the body
as the medium or main material. It
can be painted or clothed and used
to perform artistic act in public.
Tattooing and piercing are
examples of body art.
Jay Dalupang
Wang Od (the last Mambabatok tattoo
artist in Kalinga)
DIGITAL ART
is done with the aid of
computer to create an image or
design composed of bits and bytes.
The image can be printed on paper,
tarpaulin. or other mediums.
Some art styles progress
through the decades and have
influenced artists throughout the
globe While some are short-lived
and are confined to a group of
locality. As such, some art styles
cannot be confined to one
particular decade.
1950s
• Abstract expressionism
• Color field
• Fantastic realism
1960s
• Abstract expressionism
• Color field
• Computer art
• Conceptual art
• Happenings
• Kinetic art
• Light and space
• Minimalism
• Neo-dada
• Op art
• Performance art
1970s
• Body art
• Environmental art
• Feminist art
• Installation art
• Postminimalism
• Video art
• Pattern & decoration
1980s
• Body art
• Environmental art
• Feminist art
• Installation art
• Postminimalism
• Video art
• Pattern & decoration
1990s
• Arte intervention
• Body art
• Bio art
• Cyberarts
• Digital art
• Hyperrealism
• Internet art
• New media art
In contemporary art in the
Philippines, there is a dominance of
abstraction, expressionism, social
realism and mixed media art.
Traces of western influence are
visible in two-dimensional abstract
paintings.
Recently, community and
environmental arts are gaining
popularity. When there is public
space that can be used by artists,
they collaborate in art-making and
conduct workshops to teach and
involve the children or specific
groups in the community.
Interactive art-making is also
practiced among Filipino artists. In some
cases, visual art is combined with
performance art to make a statement or
express an idea about an issue. Film has
expanded to include indie films that
explore specific themes. Theatre
performances are no longer confined to
the theatre stage. They can be performed
on the streets with minimal props that
enable transport and movement. In music,
there is fusion of different styles and use
of words in songs sang in irregular sound
patterns.
Although the trend in
contemporary art is one of
explorative use of new materials
aided by technology, its content
does not leave out human
elements, concerns, issues, and
things of high value to human
beings.

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SUBJECT MATTER & STYLE

Prof. Ronuel L. del Rosario

Lilibeth Cuenca Rasmussen

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