Simple key points as well as a deeper understanding of this art movement can be found in this document. The most influential artists of this movement as well as their works have been analysed and images of each artwork is shown (three artists and two works per artist). Information is taken from the...
New Media
● In the 1970s more women were aware of the issues surrounding discrimination against
women. There were frequent protest marches and a large variety of organisations
canvassing to improve work conditions, to create equal opportunities and to deal with
issues of sexism, reproductive freedom, rape and domestic violence.
● Through consciousness-raising, women could identify common struggles and receive
support while feminism grew into a mass movement.
● Signs of revolutionary change in western society were clearly visible in the 1960s. The
long hair, short skirts, flower power, references to love and peace and new emergence of
popular musicians were not just fashion statements.
● The attitude it represented was a reaction to the conservatism of the previous
generation. Political and social structures that were previously viewed as central to
western society were questioned through movements of peace activism, civil rights,
social equality as well as women's and gay liberation.
● Art was seen as a way to challenge socio-political issues as well as revolutionising the
fundamental structure of the art world. Stylistic concerns of the previous generation were
questioned and the framework within which art was made, exhibited and viewed was
changed radically.
Influences on New Media
● The constant questioning of commonly accepted aesthetic standards, the value placed
on certain artworks through institutions, the financial support and the art audience
already started with artists such as Manet in the late 19th century. This attitude of
self-reflection was perpetuated through Conceptual art.
● The Cubists' representation of a variety of viewpoints in their paintings can be seen as
one of the first attempts at changing the viewing experience of art. The awareness
and emphasis on the experience of the viewer lead to the development of installation art.
● By exhibiting ready-mades and assemblages as art, the Dadaists and some of the later
Surrealists challenged the traditional values placed on the technical skill in creating the
artwork, the importance of the artist as the creator, the final product as an aesthetically
pleasing object, the role of the spectator of the artwork and the resale value of the
artwork. Viewers were also challenged as it questioned the function and meaning of the
gallery or museum as exhibition space for art.
Conceptual Art
Conceptual art is a dialogue with the spectator about ideas and therefore the use of language
as the origin of art is a central part of it. The subject matter addresses a vast range of
information, subjects and concerns that are not easily contained in a single object and are
therefore more appropriately conveyed by unconventional means.
Characteristics
Traditional characteristics of art such as use of colour, depiction of shapes, application of the
media and the traditional ideas about composition are not applicable to Conceptual art.
, ● Subject matter and the use of media are the two dominating aspects addressed by
Conceptual art while composition is an aspect that some of the artists take into account
when placing objects or printed words within an exhibition space.
● The physical object, as in traditional painting and sculpture, is not as important as the
concept of the artist. Words and language became as important to artworks as images.
Conceptual art is based on the intellect rather than dematerialisation of the art object.
● The commodification of art was rejected.
● A conceptual artwork could be experienced through its description and could be
endlessly repeated, without any uniqueness.
● Traces of the authorship of the artist were removed in the use of new media. The
aim of the artist was now more important than the execution thereof. Life and art were
integrated in the artworks which led to a paradox as the art became impersonal
although it focussed on a personal concept.
● Subject matter: The nature of art is questioned through a process of planning or
decision-making. Unlike Minimalism, which also questioned the nature of art, Conceptual
art had a strong socio-political background that was manifested in artworks showing
dissatisfaction with society and government policies.
● The rejection of traditional art forms and presentation led to the blurring of boundaries
between art and the everyday as artists stopped using traditional gallery space for the
exhibition of their artworks.
● The role of the artist and the spectator is changed in this questioning process. The
artist is the instigator, interpreter and sometimes the judge while the spectator
sometimes has to complete the artwork.
Joseph Kosuth (1945-)
This pioneer of Conceptual art studied design, painting, anthropology and philosophy at various
institutes. His installations and written publications are philosophical enquiries into the relation
of language and art. The use of words instead of images and objects lead to intellectual
provocation. Instead of just looking at an artwork, the onlooker has to think about the
meaning and nature of art conceptually. This was the source of an attitude which questioned
the emphasis placed on the idea that art simply communicated some meaning, to explore the
thought processes behind the meaning that was communicated in the artwork.
One and three chairs (1965), wood folding chair, mounted photograph of chair and
mounted photographic enlargement of the dictionary definition of “chair”:
● Kosuth's instructions for this piece is that the exhibited chair does not always have to be
the exact same chair as the installer of the work may choose a chair. This chair has
to be photographed where it is to be exhibited in front of a wall. The photograph has to
be enlarged to the actual size of the chair. The photograph has to be exhibited to the
left of the actual chair.
● The enlarged dictionary definition has to be hung to the right of the chair with its upper
edge in alignment with the photograph. The copy of the dictionary definition of the chair
and a diagram with instructions explaining the requirements of the installation, both
bearing Kosuth's signature, are the two constant elements of the work.
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