Conceptual Art: Theory, Myth, and Practice - Essay Example

Conceptual artists question the assumption that artists only make unusual kinds of material items. The problem of conclusively defining art and conceptual art is perhaps the reason “conceptual art” has been used to refer to all the contemporary artworks, which do not fall under the traditionally known arts such as painting and sculpture (Corris 45).     Although common in current society, some artists disagree with the philosophy of conceptual art, citing the confusion of the words, conceptual, and an artist’s intention. One should therefore avoid confusing the word “conceptual” and an artist’s intentions for a piece of work. This paper explores the philosophy of conceptual art, evidently a topic of interest to many in the subject of the philosophy of art.

Principles of Conceptual Art

Conceptual art is perhaps one of the artistic movements surrounded by many debates and controversies since it seems to provoke powerful emotions and reactions in audiences. That is, although a good number of audiences agree that conceptual art is not only refreshing but also relevant to modern times, others find it a rather repugnant and shocking kind of art. In fact, others feel that conceptual art is not art at all. Thus, conceptual art could be described as something loved and hated in equal measure. That conceptual art is controversial and divisive is not accidental as it seeks to challenge and probe audiences to take a keen and analytical look at art in general and prompts them to question hitherto unchallenged assumptions about what qualifies as art and the roles of art and artists (Corris 129). Therefore, there are a number of hurdles that philosophers of conceptual art have to encounter and contend with in their work.

First, conceptual art philosophers need to isolate the art/object under examination or categorization. This activity becomes quite challenging given that the definition and boundary of conceptual and other types of art are not quite clear. Generally, conceptual art refers to the artistic movement that appeared in the period between 1966 and 1972, practiced and spread by artists such as Joseph Kosuth, Robert Morris, Joseph Beuys, and Mel Ramsden. A critical feature of this period’s art is its absorption and application of the lessons learned from earlier 20th-century art movements such as the Fluxus group, Abstract Expressionism, Dadaism, Surrealism, and Suprematism. The other unique feature of conceptual art is that it attempts to overcome the notion that art is only about aesthetic value, emphasizing that art is only valued for its beauty but not to make people think is redundant (Corris 78). Unlike conceptual art, instead of promoting reflection and conception, earlier artistic movements only used art to promote consumerism on the basis of the beauty of art and the skills of the artists.

Conceptual artists thus denounce these specific and restricted views of art, Instead, they promote a revisionary understanding of works of art, artists, and artistic experiences. From a philosophical viewpoint, it would be rather narrow to restrict the definition of conceptual art to the 1960s and the 1970s. Thus, any inquiry into conceptual art should not only cover artworks created in this mentioned period since the spirit and intentions with which conceptual art was produced in the 1960s and 1970s continues even in current times in the works of artists such as Tracey Emin (Unmade Bed), The Chapman Brothers (My Family), and Damian Hirst (The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living) among others. Conceptual art thus encourages individualized intellectual exploration of works of art, in the process ensuring unlimited bases on which people could view or approach a given piece of art. Similarly, a single piece of art, art-making process, or artist could have as many topics, questions, and discussions as there are audiences. Conceptual art thus follows artistic originality and representation in all its forms, making it important that various definitions of conceptual art could suffice, depending on the artwork, the artist, and the period in question (Alberro & Stimson 243).

Conclusion

Conceptual art refers to the artistic philosophy that focuses on the ideas and concepts of art instead of its traditionally highly valued aesthetic aspects. In fact, modern art such as film, theatre, and music are valued for their ideas and meanings, making them outstanding examples of conceptual art. Conceptual art thus tries to rise above the conception that art is more about visual significance. Conceptual art, therefore, insists that art should not only be valued for its beauty but also for its capacity to make people discern social, cultural, and informative meanings and messages.