Art History Issues - Essay Example

Art History Essay Towards the end of the 20th century there was a characteristic awakening in all fronts of society especially in the arts, politics and social awareness. In the context of this essay, the Chinese are seen to have been the influenced by the change taking place in the world of art and expression. This is with reference to the political oppression and governance that the country existed in up to date. The regime in China was authoritarian bordering on the dictatorial, which meant that most avenues for expression were restricted or non-existent. The end of the 20th century saw art being created and expressed in forms and dimensions that at the time was regarded as unconventional or unorthodox. There was a subtle change in the themes that were contained or conveyed by the new art forms. This can be attributed to the fact that art since time in memorial has been used to address and/or portray various issues in society and the world. The early days of the 21st century saw this trend continue to even a higher level and intensity that was not witnessed in the 20th century. This paper seeks to discuss art in the final years of the 20th century and first of the 21st centuries, and determine if there was a fundamental difference in art from the 1970s – late 1980s. The Ramones was a rock and roll band formed in Forest Hills, Queens New York that started in 1974. In their song ‘Do You Remember Rock n Roll on Radio’, Joey sings ‘It’s the end, the end of the seventies/it’s the end of the century.’ In this context, the end of the 20th century can be termed to have come early with regard to art form expression. This can was seen in the new and bold approaches that artists sought to express their ideas and themes in art. What was regarded as contemporary in the 20th century world of art; was being replaced by romanticism and idealism that was before seen or witnessed in the art world. Art forms from the finals of the 20th and the first of the 21st centuries can be perceived to have been seemingly different from that of the 70s and late 80s. Despite these differences, the new art forms and their new ways of expression, there are similarities because they share the same themes of death, beauty, consumerism, identity and memorial. Of special interest and focus for this paper is the Chinese experimental art towards the end of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century, which revolutionized the way that Chinese art got expressed both domestically and internationally. Towards the end of the 20th century, Chinese art was regarded as thoughtful and tightly focused on the exploration of certain themes including ruins, transience and demystification (Chilvers and Glaves-Smith 303). Shanghai Biennale art exhibition in Shanghai China hosted the ‘uncooperative approach’ or Fuck Off exhibition was because it had the right ambience and openness that was desired for the content in this particular display of art. According to Feng Boyi of the Shanghai Biennale exhibition, the Fuck Off exhibition was more than a gesture, or an expression of attitude and a statement, than just an expression of quality content (Chilvers and Glaves-Smith 183). The exhibition sought to confront and criticize the reality of the environment in which artist of that time and place were forced to work in by the unfavorable government support. This was driven by the emergence of the Chinese official contemporary art and cynicism towards conformity to western influence. The ‘uncooperative approach’ exhibition was meant to be a challenge to all the powers, systems and authorities. The aim of this exhibition and its art was to go against the contemporary mainstream trend in China, and not cooperate with the established structure of today’s art world characteristic of western standards. Artistic expression in 1970ss and 80s was characterized by discovery and protest against cultural and economic liberalization. The emergence of graffiti art in cities like New York is an excellent example of artistic revolution in this period. New ways of expressing art are found in this period, which can be said to have been into the 21st century with increasing creativity. Art work by Wenda Gu in the United Nations-China monument of heaven combines western and eastern calligraphy, which is seen as a challenge to traditional Chinese art convention (Chilvers and Glaves-Smith 283). This is classical example of how beginning in the 70s and 80s, art has been used both positively and negatively in a sociocultural context. This is in the sense that art has been used in the example above to illustrate that two opposite expression forms can be used to create something beautiful. It is seen as a move away from the conventional and what was regarded as being contemporary to stick to one art form. Mixing art forms is seen as a new way of protest and challenge to the conservatives and authoritarian authorities seeking to dictate the direction of art in specific manner. This is best illustrated by Xu Bing in his Your Surname Please where he mixes Chinese calligraphy with the English alphabet. This piece of art is regarded with reserve in the sense that it is not clear what his intentions with the theme are because it conveys both defiance and beautiful and innocent creativity. Cao Fei’s Mirage from COSPlayers forwards a theme about the influence of urbanization on people’s lives and its influence of on art. This is an example of a 21st century art form that has had a significant impact on expression with regard to technology and art. According to Alexander Brener and Barbara Schurz, there are art forms that are emerging to challenge the impact of technology on human life and existence. These art forms are regarded as ati-technologies of resistance by Brener and Schurz. This art regarded as auto-destructive art which is meant to be destructive of the peace of mind, the pleasure in the arts and the moral integrity of people directly. These art forms are seen to be behind recent uprising increasing dissent in the citizenry of some countries because of its strong and symbolist appeal. This can be illustrated by looking at SEMEFO’s art titled ‘Lavatio Corporis’ especially the ones he used dead horses to convey his message and themes. This artist can be construed to have sought this art form to portray what he believed was Catholicism’s embrace of suffering as the performative imitation of Christ (Emmaclairelamont n.p). Art is also seen as social interstice for the masses because people can relate to what they go through in their daily lives. Art is used to as relational tool for people to air their sentiments with regard to the institutions that run their affairs (Bourriaud et al 18). Art in the 70s and 80s and the final days of the 20th century and first of 21st have their differences but the intrinsic and core fact is that their themes and purposes remain the same. The only differences are found in the approaches and mediums used to express these art forms. Work Cited Bourriaud, Nicolas, et al. Relational aesthetics. Dijon‐Quetigny: Les presses du réel, 2002. Chilvers, I and Glaves-Smith, J. A Dictionary of Modern and Contemporary Art. Illustrated Edition. London: Oxford University Press. Emmaclairemont. Coco Fusco ‘The Unbearable Weightiness of Beings: Art in Mexico after NAFTA’ The Bodies That Were Not Ours. WordPress. Retrieved From: http://emmaclairelamont.wordpress.com/2012/03/21/coco-fusco-the-unbearable-weightiness-of-beings-art-in-mexico-after-nafta-the-bodies-that-were-not-ours/ Read More