By Chelsea Reed
Contemporary art is more than art made in the modern day. It’s art that moves, lives and breathes beyond the way it’s “always been done before.” This art genre may be broad, but it’s not deja vu. Contemporary art explores new ideas and even processes artists use to make the artwork itself. These pieces below are a great example of what it means to shake things up. They might even change the way you usually see art!
This fun allegory of the famous 1970’s Saturday Night Live skit Coneheads began as a simple study of a cone with charcoal. The artist contemplated her own “oddball” traits as a person while making the piece, and thus it was aptly named. Because of its unusual story, it’s an excellent example of what makes art contemporary through theme and application.
This fascinating piece boasts an otherworldly feel that seems supernatural. We see a majestic dark wolf standing in a snowy forest bathed by the eerie light of a lunar eclipse, also known as a Blood Moon. This astronomical event occurs when the shadow of the Earth completely blocks sunlight from the Moon. Some human cultures and pieces of popular media perceive this as a bad omen, while others view it as good. How do you interpret a Blood Moon?
Sometimes it’s fun to poke around outside and see what curious things you find after a storm passes, especially when you live in the Outer Banks. This piece captures that spirit in a relatable way to the viewer in the same style as traditional still life. It seems to reflect a first-person view of someone who is fond of collecting leaves from different plants. The silver tone frame provides a rich contrast to the emerald colors in this unorthodox painting.
One of the best things about contemporary art is the way it makes you think outside the box. This painting of an adorable mouse sleeping in a high heel shoe looks like something straight out of a children’s book. What would the rest of this mouse’s house look like? That’s only limited by your imagination.
Now we see a more typical still life of a fruit bowl, only there’s one obvious twist. The perspective is anything but typical by what you see with your eyes! Bold colors and swirls of gold in the air suddenly add excitement to an otherwise ordinary scene. It’s almost as if the fruit is about to jump and dance.
Come see what’s new and get inspired by Seaside Art Gallery’s Contemporary Online Exhibition Series. It’s so delightful to see the fresh perspective of something ordinary through an artist’s eyes, whether they realize it’s contemporary or not. That’s because contemporary art is a journey of exploring the art process to discover something new. It’s what creativity is all about!
Chelsea Reed is a copywriter who writes winning content, articles, blogs, and websites from her base in North Carolina. She might not be building sandcastles or swashbuckling with pirates these days, but the Outer Banks beaches continue to keep her young at heart.
