Subject Matter and Style in Contemporary Art

SUBJECT MATTER &
STYLE IN
CONTEMPORARY ART
OBJECTIVES
At the end of the lesson, I can be able to:
 Identify the subject matters that are common to contemporary
art;
 Describe the different major art styles and movements in
contemporary art; and
 Cite the importance of learning this topic .
WHAT IS SUBJECT OR
SUBJECT MATTER IN ART?
Subject matter in contemporary art is not

confined to representation of human figures
and landscape.
WHAT ARE THE COMMON
SUBJECT MATTER USED IN
ART?
The favorite subjects used in contemporary
art are children, women, or the environment,
such as Juan Alcazaren’s Flora and Fauna.
NOTE
 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.
 Some artworks are intended to make a statement about an
issue so the viewer is guided by a written explanation.
PLET BOLIPATA’S CAT DOLLS
 In this artwork, the subject matter combines human figures and cat heads. The
artist constructed a human skeleton made of wires and covered it with textile.
The cat head is made of resin.
SAM PENASO’S METALSCAPE
 His artwork considered as abstraction using metal. This is an example of
contemporary art style.
THERE WERE ART
MOVEMENTS AND STYLES
THAT DOMINATED
CONTEMPORARY ART
THROUGH THE DECADES
SINCE THE 1950’S
ABSTRACT
EXPRESSIONISM
 It is an art style in which the artist applies
paint, for example, in a manner that
expresses emotions and feelings in a
spontaneous way. The figures may be heavy
in lines and color without solid mass.
KINETIC ART
 Is a type of sculpture that
may be moved by the wind or
powered by a machine or
electricity.
OP ART
It uses lines or images repeatedly to create an
optical illusion.
PERFORMAN  Combines a variety of media and
the human body to execute an
CE ART artistic theatrical expression

performed before live audience.
ENVIRONMENTAL ART
 It involves the artistic
creation or manipulation of
space such as landscape or
architectural design that may
enclose its audience.
Earthwork of art using
stones, leaves, trees, 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.
MINIMALISM
 Has a stripped-down, prefabricated look,
free of details, and often with flat surface,
but expresses a specific content or
statement.
VIDEO ART
 It consists of images that are recorded
through video and viewed through
televisions, computers or projection screen.
GRAFFITI ART
 Considered as a drawing, inscription, or
sketch done hastily on a wall or other
surface made to be seen by the public.
POSTMODERN ART
 It carries modern styles to
extreme practices, often
expressing an idea through a
mix of materials such as
found objects welded
together.
BODY ART
 It is an art form that uses body as
the medium or main material. It
can be painted or clothed and
used for art performance in
public. Tattooing and piercing are
examples of body art.
DIGITAL ART
 Done with the aid of a
computer to create an image
or design composed of bits
and bytes. The image can be
printed on paper, tarpaulin or
other mediums.
Below are the list of some of the art movements and styles grouped by the decades they are
known to have flourished.
1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s
• Abstract • Abstract • Body Art • Electronic Art • Arte • Kitsch

Expressionism Expressionism • Environmental • Environmental Intervention Movement
• Color Field • Color Field Art Art • Body Art • Renewable
• Fantastic • Computer Art • Feminist Art • Graffiti Art • Bio Art energy
Realism • Conceptual • Installation Art • Live Art • Cyberarts sculpture
Art • Postminimalis • Postmodern • Digital Art • Street Art
• Happenings m Art • Hyperrealism • Videogame
• Kinetic Art • Video Art • Neoconceptual • Internet Art Art
• Light and • Pattern and • Art • New Media
Space Decoration • Neo- Art
• Minimalism expressionism
• Neo-Dada • Neo-Pop
• Op Art • Sound Art
• Performance • Video
Art Installation
FACTS
 In contemporary art in the Philippines, there is a dominance of abstraction,
expressionism, social realism and mixed media art.
 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.
 Theatre performances are no longer confined to the theatre stage. They can
also be performed at the streets with minimal props.
 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.
QUESTIONS?
WHAT TWO MAJOR STYLES IN CONTEMPORARY
ART CAN YOU THINK OF AT THE MOMENT?
DIFFERENTIATE THEM FROM EACH OTHER.
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT FOR US TO LEARN
THIS TOPIC ABOUT SUBJECT MATTER AND
STYLES USED IN CONTEMPORARY ART?

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SUBJECT MATTER &

Subject matter in contemporary art is not

CE ART artistic theatrical expression

 Emerged from concerns of

• Abstract • Abstract • Body Art • Electronic Art • Arte • Kitsch

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