1970s Art History Kick Started the Contemporary Art Movement
From Feminist Art to Graffiti Art and everything in between.
The Contemporary Art movement is one large chunk of a movement.
It basically encapsulates every smaller art movement that took place from the 1970s until now. The Feminist art movement, Graffiti art, neo-expressionism, computer art – all of these are smaller movements held within the overall umbrella of the Contemporary Art movement.Â
The movements and styles that kick-started the Contemporary Art movement in the 1970s are particularly interesting to me. In many ways, it’s the first time in art history where you can see a break from the long-held traditions of the art world/
In this oh-so-handy art guide, we’ll dive into the movements and art from the 1970s that makes up and defined the start of the Contemporary Art movement.
Feminist Art:
This is one of my favorite movements in art history. There was just so much happening in the world during this time and it was very nicely documented in the art world.
As an art history student, it’s a popular narrative that the art world changed around the turn of the century. Abstract and cubist art made a splash on the scene and turned away from the traditional foundations art had been built on. When you get to the 1970s, it’s clear that that isn’t the case. It was the Feminist Art Movement that really changed the art world. It pushed artists to confront gender and racial inequality and it opened the world up to alternative modes of art, like textiles and video art.
Feminist Art started making waves in the late 1960s but hit its stride in the 70s. Its goal was to place women in the conversation–any conversation. This art was made to start dialogues from a woman's perspective.
Leading up to this moment, the art world was considered a boy’s club. It was dominated by misogynistic male artists whose work often showed women in a domestic or erotic light. Women were seldom able to show their work in museums and galleries because those were considered places for men.
It’s interesting to me to think about art being only for men. To me, it’s such a feminine or at the very least androgynous experience. Art can be soft and light, but also bold and bright. But it can also be extremely elite. It can be inaccessible to the everyday viewer, and for this reason, it is not surprising that the art world was considered a male-dominated area. The elite was for men and there was often little place for women there other than in a supportive role for the men.Â
The Feminist Art movement was about women fighting back against this stereotype in the art world. They wouldn’t give up and they wouldn’t be pushed out. They made their own alternative viewing spaces. They used materials that weren’t part of the male-dominated art world, like textiles and video and performance art. They made their own opportunities and eventually, the world began to pay more attention.
Judy Chicago and Miriam Schapiro were leading figures in this movement. Their ‘Womenhouse’ was a testament to all hoops women in the art world had to jump through to simply show their work. In 1971 the two artists curated a show with 21 other female artists. Their space? A rundown house that had been slated for demolition. They renovated this space just for the opportunity to host their show because traditional art spaces were turning their backs on women artists.Â
In the end, they ended up with a space that challenged a woman's place in the home.
Popular artists in this movement were Judy Chicago, Miriam Schapiro, and Barbara Kruger.
New Subjectivity:
While women were making waves during the Feminist Art Movement, New Subjectivity fought to keep things the same–or ease into change at a snail's pace.Â
New Subjectivity started with an exhibition in 1976 at the Musée National d'Art Moderne in Paris called Nouvelle Subjectivité. It was curated by art historian Jean Clair and featured artists who rejected the changes that were quickly becoming standard in the art world, like abstraction. It showcased work that fought for a return to the real.
This was a male-dominated practice that hoped to return to a more traditional way of creating art that aimed to capture the real through painting and drawing. The artists in this movement were shockingly (not) male and traditionally trained painters who used methods of construction like aerial and linear perspective as it was used during the Renaissance.Â
Popular artists in this movement were R.B. Kitaj and Samuel Buri
London School:
Like New Subjectivity, the London School referred to a group of artists in London who maintained a figurative (realistic) style in their work during a time when the art world was largely shifting away from that.
The term was created by painter RB Kitaj during an exhibition in London in 1976.
Popular artists in this style were Francis Bacon and David Hockney.
Graffiti Art:
If you’ve ever lived in a city, it’s not uncommon for graffiti to be a part of the aesthetic – so much so that you may not stop to give it much attention anymore. It’s often seen as a nuisance for its defacing of public and private property, but it is definitely considered an art form and a style that sprung up in the 1970s.Â
Often tied with the evolution of hip-hop, graffiti art was a way for minorities in New York City to express their frustrations through an art form that was all their own. In terms of the history of art, this is actually a very interesting movement as its artists often viewed the world as their canvas – subway trains, the side of buildings, sidewalks, walls…nothing was off-limits as far as its potential to showcase an art form that spoke directly to the public.Â
It also was a major shift towards more accessible art – it didn’t take place behind locked doors, nor was it guarded by museums and galleries. It was art that was made for everyone and also art that didn’t need to jump through any hoops to be shown.Â
It was a true break from the long-held traditions in the art world.
Popular artists during this time: TAKI 183, Barbara 62, Eva 62, Super Kool 223
Graffitti art seems extra-subversive since it walks a fine line between a criminal act of defacing property and radical self-expression.