Conceptual Art
May 1st 2006 14:35
Conceptual Art
I love Conceptual art. But what is it all about? This article will run through some of the key concepts, and in later articles we'll explore some Conceptual artists
A safe starting point is the 1950s with Mr Marcel Duchamp. Duchamp and the Dada movement broke the mould of established definitions in art by drawing attention to the nature of art itself. In particular his Fountain of 1917, which simply was a urinal inserted into the gallery, signed 'R Mutt'. Treating an everday object with aesthetic reverance (let alone the fact that we use this object to relieve ourselves!) was a new insight indeed.
Basically conceptual art is the idea that the idea, or concept of a piece of art can matter more than the physical representation. If that sounds silly, let me walk through some 'concpetual concepts' from our good friends at bbc.co.uk:
The object
In the art world an art-work as an object, is often revered and becomes an icon, sometimes to the point of fetichism.
Some artists have chosen to avoid this issue of object-worship in an attempt to refute the notion of the infallible in the 'artists touch'.
An example of tis is the performance piece, where art becomes transitory, existing only for a moment, and the only remains of it are perhaps a set of photographs that may be displayed later to recall the event. Collectors started buying these 'works' for the idea, rather than the physical object.
The idea
All art is idea, fundamentally. The differnec between Conceptualists and other movements (if one may call Conceptualism a movement) is that Conceptualism sets in motion a pre-ordained pattern or system that creates the work with little external influence. It is a kind of choreography of sorts.
For example, an artists that splatters paint on a canvas, in this process is spontaneous, and the work is directed by emotion, and revelations that may come about whilst the work evolves.
Conceptual artists try and avoid this method of composition, and as such talk of their sytems as 'uncomposition' or 'noncomposition'.
Art after Conceptualism
Conceptualism was not a conscious movement per se, rather, it was the result of a number of artists, often simultaneously exploring different issues in their attempt to refute ways of approaching the creation of an artwork. It grew into something like a loose group of artists with similar ideas and interests.
Many artists use Conceptual approaches today that may not be considered conceptual artists, it is a loose term to describe approach, and although it's heyday was the 70s, it continues in contemporary work.
Next time we'll look at some artists, and how they approach the conceptual.
I love Conceptual art. But what is it all about? This article will run through some of the key concepts, and in later articles we'll explore some Conceptual artists
Fountain, Marcel Duchamp
Basically conceptual art is the idea that the idea, or concept of a piece of art can matter more than the physical representation. If that sounds silly, let me walk through some 'concpetual concepts' from our good friends at bbc.co.uk:
The object
In the art world an art-work as an object, is often revered and becomes an icon, sometimes to the point of fetichism.
Some artists have chosen to avoid this issue of object-worship in an attempt to refute the notion of the infallible in the 'artists touch'.
artists shit, Pierre Manzoni
All art is idea, fundamentally. The differnec between Conceptualists and other movements (if one may call Conceptualism a movement) is that Conceptualism sets in motion a pre-ordained pattern or system that creates the work with little external influence. It is a kind of choreography of sorts.
For example, an artists that splatters paint on a canvas, in this process is spontaneous, and the work is directed by emotion, and revelations that may come about whilst the work evolves.
Conceptual artists try and avoid this method of composition, and as such talk of their sytems as 'uncomposition' or 'noncomposition'.
Iron Curtain, Christo
Conceptualism was not a conscious movement per se, rather, it was the result of a number of artists, often simultaneously exploring different issues in their attempt to refute ways of approaching the creation of an artwork. It grew into something like a loose group of artists with similar ideas and interests.
Many artists use Conceptual approaches today that may not be considered conceptual artists, it is a loose term to describe approach, and although it's heyday was the 70s, it continues in contemporary work.
Next time we'll look at some artists, and how they approach the conceptual.
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