What is

Contemporary Art?
Generally, the term “Contemporary
Art” is usually used in the sense of
being the “art of the present”.
It moves with the perception of
present time.
FREE STANDING RELIEF
STILL LIFE
What is contemporary? Is it the
same as being modern?

If we talk in terms of art history contemporary art

can be defined as art produced by artist living
today.
The picture of a man on the stairs by Xyza Bacani and the
painting by HR Ocampo have the same subject matter.

• The poor and ordinary people on the streets.

HR Ocampo’s painting was
painted in the early 1960’s
• Today we refer it as an example of modern art
produced between the American colonial period
to the Post-war period.
• Some modern artist continue to produce work
till today. In that sense their work can be
describe as contemporary, by virtue of being “of
present”
• National artist Victorio Edades is credited for
initiating modern art movement that challenged
the Neoclassic style.
• Neo classic- an artist style prevalent in Europe
from the mid- 1700s to the late 1800s; also
called Academic style from the art academies.
• frequently tackling subjects from mythology,
history and literature.

• Filipino proponents: Juan Luna, Fernando

Amorsolo , Guillermo Tolentino
Carlos Francisco’s Magpupukot
Fernando Amosolo’s Fishing Scene
• Carlos Francisco’s depiction of fishing as a
difficult process, while Amorsolo’s
rendition emphasizes calm and placidity
1.

Carlos Francisco’s Magpupukot

(1945)
2.
3.
4.
Shows oppressive condition of the
underprivileged classes.
Neo-Realist
Modern artist like Romeo Tabuena, HR
Ocampo, Vicente Manansala,Carlos
Francisco, Victor Oteyza, Ramon Estella and
Cesar Legaspi were actively depicting the
social conditions in the aftermath of World
War II.
Social realism continues to influence
contemporary artist, for example Imelda Cajipe-
Endaya’s Filipina DH (1995) is social realist , but
the style and medium of the installation is
markedly different.
Installation- the method which the
artist is not restricted to a two-
dimensional plane( like painting on
canvass or panel) in the construction of
the artwork.
Social realism is the term used for work
produced by painters, printmakers,
photographers, writers and filmmakers that
aims to draw attention to the real socio-
political conditions of the working class as a
means to critique of the power structures
behind these conditions.
Itak sa Puso ni Mang Juan (1978), Antipas Delotavo
Pablo Baens Santos, Piket (Picket), 1979,
oil on canvas, 68.58 × 91.44cm.
• Aside from the style it also very useful to know where the
artist are coming from and the circumstances of making and
disseminating their art.
• Cajipe-Endaya- galleries and museums , just like modern
artist or moderns for short.
• Xyza Bacani- exhibited her artwork in internet platforms like
blogs
• Ibn Saud Salipyasin Ahmad from Zamboanga, Mindanao
comes form hybrid mixture of the local Subanen and
traditional Maguindanao Muslim cultures. He is a
contemporary artist but his cultural context is indigenous
Southeast Asian and Philippine Muslim.
• Style- drafting technique w/c he learned in a trade school in
Zamboanga.
• Medium- watercolor
• Subject matter- people of his locality
Characteristics of Contemporary Art
Process-based, Site-specific, Collaborative and
Interactive

1. Process-based
It emphasizes on how to artist starts not with a
final product in mind but instead begins with the
development of a concept and then subsequently
proceeds with realizing the idea.
2. Site- specific
a characteristic of contemporary art that allows
for an artwork’s meaning to have a direct
relationship to a specific location where it is
seen or experienced.
3. Collaborative-
a characteristic of Contemporary art wherein
the end product is created with the involvement
of two or more artists.
4. Interactive-
a characteristic of contemporary art that
recognizes how the audience has the potential to
change or add to the meaning of an artwork.