Painting and Sculpting in Contemporary Art

Contemporary artists have an unforeseen plethora of fresh new media for expressing themselves, yet traditional forms of art, namely sculpting and painting, remain as suitable and effective as ever for portraying their artistic visions. Although the line between old-fashioned art and contemporary art seems to blur at times, it is drawn permanently and sharply, separating what we know of past sculpting and painting from what we see and can foresee for the contemporary world of art today. Au courant would certainly describe the paintings and sculptures of the day, with a dash of cachet and a hint of Ã?©lan. Indeed, sculpting and painting are far from being faded away as the favored media for artists. They are renewed with the vigor of today’s artist. Refreshed. Reborn. Rejuvenated.

Within the sculpting realm, contemporary artists’ works range from simple symmetry to earthy constructions and to shapes resembling modern objects or human-like silhouettes. Today’s sculptures are as varied as the artists who create them and have a distinctive knack for dodging the conventional in style and technique. Antediluvian standards are not so much eliminated, but rather expanded, as sculptors use subject matter that relates only to today’s modern world but at the same time emphasizes by contrast the meaning and depth of classical sculptures of the past. Surrealism claims a part in influencing contemporary sculptures, notably with the works of the famous Parisian artist and sculptor Louise Bourgeois. Maman, Bourgeois’ acclaimed spider structures, huge in size and striking in form, possess the symbolic and abstract qualities of surrealism. One might argue that only such a contemporary artist could achieve the measure of success Bourgeois has encountered with such brilliantly bizarre figures of art, a tribute to the honesty and boldness of Contemporary Art as it exists today.

Painting, the ancient art form passed down from generation to generation, is transformed by society in the modern age. Ranging from the American landscape painter Paul Andrus to figurative painter Belinda Eaton from the United Kingdom, painting takes on a new life as a medium for art. The world as we know it has changed dramatically. So, why would our paintings stay the same? Technology, global issues, and the changing standards of society all affect the way paintings are painted – and even how they are perceived. Techniques are expanded and we see the development of the tools painters use today. These innovations create aesthetics unique to contemporary paintings.

Clearly, painting and sculpting are not your grandmother’s art forms. They are and always will be prominent in the world of art and expression. Most importantly, contemporary paintings and sculptures are created and viewed through new eyes – eyes that have an array of cutting edge tools in front of them. The innovation of Contemporary Art as a whole movement is what makes painting and sculpting original and inspired today.