The Importance Of Contemporary Art

You do not need an art degree to notice how the art world has changed. Just think of the last museums you’ve visited. The sleek and colorful exhibits in contemporary art museums likely differed drastically from those displaying classical works of art. Indeed, contemporary artists have taken a sharp turn from the standards largely set by artists of the Renaissance. Diverse audiences praise contemporary art for its creativity and uniqueness. However, many oppose this new era for the arts, seeing only a steep drop in artistic quality. Contemporary art has indeed given us too much artwork with apparent lack of craftsmanship or outright crudity. This is not to say that all of today’s art is bad, merely that too much of the art that is glorified simply is undeserving. Yet these critics must realize one important reason for the so-called artistic decline: art is a reflection of its time. Contemporary art, with all its faults, is simply mirroring the society and culture of the Digital Age. Despite protests from traditionalists, artists must make the product that sells to the technology-driven consumers of today and can use technology to make that.

Is beauty really in the eye of the beholder? For many years in the art world, it was not. Great artists of the past set the highest standards of excellence, striving for quality and beauty. Unfortunately, many critics feel as though that mentality is lost. Journalist Silka P. writes of this day and age, “Everything is up for