Contemporary art includes pieces of art that were created in the period from the time after the war to nowadays. This area of art consists of various styles, directions, and genres. So, it can be complicated and challenging to recognize among other areas of art. Artsper is where you will understand how to recognize abstract paintings on canvas from contemporary art. Here, we will look at the 5 most famous contemporary art pieces everyone should know.
1. Andy Warhol, Campbell’s Soup Cans, 1962
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One of the most popular examples of contemporary art oversized paintings is a picture called “Campbell’s Soup Cans,” created by Andy Warhol. This picture is a representation of the Pop Art movement. That is why it is a symbol of a consumerist society. It also shows the culture of consumerism and how it was presented in mass media. Moreover, Andy Warhol's vivid style. In this picture, we can see that the author repeats the same illustration several times. This allows him to show the consumerist culture better. The reason is that consumerism implies constant production of the same items without special features and their thoughtless consumption.
2. Louise Bourgeois, Maman, 1990
This sculpture was created by Louise Bourgeois. It is original abstract art, and it is called “Maman.” “Maman” is represented as a huge spider that is placed 30 meters higher than all the people on the ground. It is a famous artwork whose ideas many scientists interpreted differently. The sculpture was remade by many other artists using the same idea but different materials. It was created to become an exhibit at the Tate Modern exhibition and is mainly related to the author’s mother. She died when he was 21, so he decided to memorialize her.
3. Jackson Pollock, Autumn Rhythm, 1950
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This picture is called “Autumn Rhythm” and is one of the modern paintings produced by Jackson Pollock. The author was most popular at the time of the creation of this picture. The artwork represents the technique called drip-painting, a characteristic feature of Pollock’s artworks. This technique has made the author famous because it is quite unique. This method required that the author stand and drop liquid paints on the canvas. For this reason, we can see the paints lying naturally in the picture. This allowed him to create an autumn atmosphere with dripping rain and splashing drops. This was the main direction of the author’s art.
4. Njideka Akunyili Crosby, I Still Face You, 2015
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This artwork is an example of hand art by a young artist Njideka Akunyili. The author spent many years in Nigeria, then lived in the USA when she was 16. Today, the artist lives in Los Angeles. That is why she has a diverse cultural experience that she wanted to show in this picture. Her artworks mainly combine extraordinary cultures and customs with the traditional painting style. In many cases, she used samples from Nigerian culture to make her pictures more vivid.
5. Damien Hirst, The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living, 1991
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This artwork is an abstract canvas called “The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living.” The author who was Damien Hirst, stored it in formaldehyde. It has combined a lot of different opinions throughout history. The first person who bought the artwork in 1991 was Charles Saatchi. In 2004, the artwork was sold again, and the shark was removed. There are still many controversial thoughts on whether this piece is a work of art.