Modernism and Conceptual Art Thesis Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6500 words

Modernism and Conceptual Art - Thesis ExampleThe essay Modernism and Conceptual Art discusses relationships in the midst of modernism and conceptual artistic creation. Conceptual art is widely regarded to have begun in the dada movement that occurred in Switzerland, Germany, France, America, and other countries during the early 20th Century. Dada artists akin Marcel Duchamp enshrined urinals on pedestals, signing them with an alias in parody of the authoritative time stamp and signature which was already equated with monetary value in the fame or status driven art, gallery, and collectibles trade at the time. Similarly, Rene Magritte famously inscribed Ceci nest pas une pipe across a painting of a pipe, to inspire many who studied art to question the nature of artistic representation in an era where formal abstract painting was being developed as a valid rule of self-expression. In the modern perception of the artist, his or her personal views, theories, conflicts, psychology, an d philosophy of life are all assumed to be summarized and expressed through the process of art, solely or in fragments, creating objects of appreciation with symbolic social messages and embodying a personal commitment to an aesthetic, beauty or truth. Yet, the viewer or audience may lastly interpret a work outside of its original intended context, just as art history elevates some artists and themes to make them canonical, collectible, valuable, and teachable on a social level of shared subjectivities. Conceptual Art is inherently critical.