Conceptual Art as a Response to Modernism - Thesis Example

Introduction Art has its roots in tradition, even modernist art. Artists from the dawn of time have used the media of painting and sculpture to get their point across. Modernist artists used this media as well, perhaps in a different way, but they, by and large did not stray from the theories and concepts which have always grounded art. Conceptual art, however, chose to do things completely differently. Conceptual art is “art” that takes a thing, such as a urinal, and presents it as art. This is just one example, but the goal is clearly to expand the definition of art and to open up the mind of the audience. While this mode of art clearly started as a reaction against the traditional conceptions of art, it has since blossomed into performance art, as with Anthony Gormley’s “democratic” project The Fourth Plinth and Sophie Calle’s endeavours which seem to be a critique on the culture of celebrity obsession. Architecture has also reflected this democratic sensibility, as buildings are increasingly being built in an interactive way, as the clients have a say in the design of the building. This paper will explore the conceptual art movement, from its inception in the 1960s, to the current incarnations. Conceptual art was a critique and a pushback against modernism, simply because modernism had a structure and a place in history and theory of art. According to Harrison & Wood (1992), modernist art assumes the relationship between art and language and art and theory. Theoretical art, according to Harrison & Wood is post hoc, in that it builds upon tradition and what has gone before (Harrison & Wood, 1992, p. 3). In this sense, modernist art, while new and a repudiation of traditional art forms, still retained a semblance of previous art forms. The modernists explored the future in their art, and built their concepts on the “new man,” yet, the forms that they explored did not stray to far from traditional art, as they looked for a “different means of expression best suited to each component of his language: line, surface and color” (Daval, 1979, p. 13). In other words, artists explored different ideas and different ways of creating art, and different means of expression, yet these explorations occurred within the confines of accepted art forms, such as painting, sculpture and the like. So, it is perhaps ironic that one of the fathers of the conceptual art movement was a man who was associated with modernism, and that was Marcel Duchamp. Duchamp was the first artist who conceptualized everyday items as works of art. Or, rather, he was the first artist who was able to turn everyday items into works of art, simply by stating that these items were something else entirely. For instance, he was able to transform a man’s urinal into a fountain, simply by taking the urinal and labeling it a fountain. His goal was to liberate the audience from the “mere act of vision,” which means that the audience visualizes the urinal and sees only the urinal. He wanted to expand the imagination of the audience to see beyond that which is there and uncover hidden meanings, and this how he transformed his everyday objects into art forms (Faerna, 1995, p. 6). While the urinal as fountain certainly seems to be in bad taste, Duchamp actually sought to liberate this definition as well, as he deliberately said that his art was free from being judged either in good taste or bad taste (Faerna, 1995, p. 6). So, Duchamp was a pioneer in creating art that broke the mold in that his artistic conceptions did not follow the usual framework of art, in that they were not sculptures and not painting. He thus departed from the modernists, who, by and large were creating art that built upon standard traditions, not broke from them entirely. Of course, he was not entirely alone in becoming an iconoclast, even if he was the first to conceptualize everyday items as art. Dadaists, which often created art by cutting out random pictures and pasting them to create a message, and surrealists were, according to Harrison (2004), pushing the boundaries on what was considered to be art. The conceptual art trend in the 1960s simply built upon these aesthetics, in that Duchamp, the Dadaists and Surrealists were essentially stating that their art was art simply because they said so. Therefore, it was the intention of the artist that controls (Perry, 2004, p. 55). This is presumably how Duchamp was able to proclaim a urinal to be a work of art – it was because he said that it was. Thus, the conceptual artist was responding to the modernists by stating that art can be anything that the artist conceives, and it does not have to part of traditional art forms such as painting and sculpture. A light bulb with a socket, chain and a meter can be considered art, as shown by Robert Morris’ Metered Bulb. Typed words on a piece of paper stating “this is a portrait of Iris Clert if I say so” qualified as art, as portrayed by Robert Rauschenberg (Perry, 2004). And Harris (2004) states that these trends came during a time in the 1960s when modernism was still associated with traditional forms of art, particularly abstract painting, so conceptual art was a radical change to the definition of art in the 1960s (Perry, 2004, p. 55). Performance art was also considered conceptual art, and, this, too, radically departed from the pre-conceived notions of art. Hand (2005) states that performance art’s function in the 1960s and 1970s was a way of disassociating contemporary art “from the perceived problems of humanist preoccupations with metaphysical expression and the individuated decorative associations of craft” (Hand, 2005, p. 465). In this way, performance art, as with all conceptual art, reevaluated art forms. If conceptual art served a function in the 1960s as a critique of modernist art, it has evolved today as a way to critique particular aspects of society which are ripe for censure. In this way, performance art and conceptual art serves as a kind of protest. An example of this is the artist Sophie Calle. Calle has gained fame and notoriety through her acts of following people and photographing them without permission. In one of her more controversial endeavors, Calle follows a man that she hardly knows, for days, across Venice, using surveillance techniques usually reserved for law enforcement (Hand, 2005, p. 464). Surveillance plays a part in her work Unfinished. Unifinished is a series of CCTV recordings of people withdrawing money for an ATM (Welch, 2009, p. 55). Thus, Calle is using her conceptual art to make important points about society. One of the points is apparently the danger of gossip magazines and other magazines and television programs which are centered upon celebrity. It is no secret that the papparazzi is an intrusive facet in the lives of most celebrities, yet the papparazzi serve a function in society because people are interested in these celebrities’ lives, thus keeping the intrusive papparazzi in business. Calle’s work in following people and photographing them without their permission is a critique on this culture, as she essentially turning it around and showing these random people how it feels to be stalked and photographed without consent. This is one interpretation. The other interpretation would be that Calle is protesting against “Big Brother” and surveillance without consent. Since this is a contemporaneous issue, especially after 9/11, her work can be broadly interpreted as a protest against this. These are only two interpretations, but the one thing that is certain is that Calle intends for the audience to think and expand their mind. When she presents prosaic images such as people withdrawing money from an ATM, she is asking the audience to see beyond the mundane, everyday nature of these images and see something else - just like Duchamp asked the audience to see a man’s urinal as something other than a urinal. Another example of modern day conceptual art is Anthony Gormley’s One and Other project, which featured the Fourth Plinth. This was a site in Trafalgar Square, in London, in which 2,400 people were randomly selected, out of 34,000 occupants, to occupy this space for 60 minutes apiece. Gormley stated that the project concerned the “democratisation of art” (Dowse, 2009, p. 1). Indeed, the individuals who occupied this site over the span of those 100 days used the opportunity for different ways. Some used the site as a kind of soapbox, as they broadcast political messages that were dear to the individual. Others used the site as a way to broadcast a more personal message, such as the man who was on the site wearing a sign that stated that he was afraid of heights (Dowse, 2009, p. 4). Thus, the message that was put out was not personal to artist, but to the participants. In this way, Gormley was able to put forth a message of his own, and that is that democracy, in and of itself, is beautiful and artful. As with Calle, Gormley uses his art to critique current societal constructs. Thus, the post-modern sensibilities when it comes to conceptual art is that these artists, by and large, have “something to say,” but, what they say is really dependent upon the audience’s interpretation. The audience is interactive in that they use these opportunities to imprint their own value system onto the art, as with Gormley’s project, and use their own value system to interpret the art, as with Calle’s projects. This has extended into architecture, according to Charles Jencks. Jencks states that he post-modern architecture recognizes that cities are heterogenous, and this architecture “acknowledges the variety of taste cultures and visual codes of the users” (Jencks, 2002, p. 2. As with conceptual art, the post-modern architecture is participatory, in that the client has a say in how the buildings are designed, thus the client is able to put his or her personal stamp on the architecture. This is analogous to the Fourth Plinth project, in that the participants created their own paradigm out of the situation, thus putting their individual stamp on the project. As with conceptual art, post-modern architecture is therefore democratic. Conclusion Conceptual art sprung up as a result of the modernist thinking that art had to be somehow tied to theory and history, even while breaking the molds set forth by previous artistic incarnations. Contrary to this sensibility, conceptual artists created an entirely new mold, and stretched the boundaries on what could be called art. The one thing that the conceptual artists had in common, however, is their desire to make people think. Their art, perhaps more than any other, was a blank canvas in that it was entirely up to the audience to supply the interpretation. Since these early beginnings, such artists as Sophie Calle and Anthony Gormley have capitalized on the movement by creating art that is democratic and open to wide interpretation. This movement has spread into the realm of architecture, as architecture has, like conceptual art, become democratic and personalized. The purpose in the 1960s may have been strictly reactionary against modernist artistic thinking, but the purpose today is clearly for making a statement that is personal to the individual audience member. Sources Used Dowse, J. (2009) “So what will you do on the plinth?” : A personal experience of disclosure during Antony Gormley’s “One and Other” project. Available at: http://journal.media-culture.org.au/index.php/mcjournal/article/viewArticle/193 Hand, J. (2005) Sophie Calle’s art of following and seduction. Cultural Geographies, vol. 12, no. 4: 463-484. Harrison, C. & Wood, P. (1992) Art in Theory 1900-2000: An Anthology of Changing Ideas. Malden: Blackwell Publishing, Ltd. Jencks, C. (2002) The New Paradigm In Architecture. London: Yale University Press. Daval, J. (1979) Modern Art: The Decisive Years 1884-1914. New York: Rizzoli International Publications, Inc. Perry, G. & Wood, P. (2004) Themes in Contemporary Art. London: Yale University Press. Welch, E. (2009) Stars of CCTV: Technology, visibility and identity in the work of Sophie Calle and Annie Ernaux. Nottingham French Studies, vol. 48, no. 2: 55-67. Read More