TheJ.

PaulGettyMuseum
AboutContemporaryArt
Note:Wordsinboldbelowaredefinedintheglossaryforthiscurriculum(see
"FortheClassroom"links).
Strictlyspeaking,theterm"contemporaryart"referstoartmadeand
producedbyartistslivingtoday.Today'sartistsworkinandrespondtoa
globalenvironmentthatisculturallydiverse,technologicallyadvancing,and
multifaceted.Workinginawiderangeofmediums,contemporaryartists
oftenreflectandcommentonmoderndaysociety.Whenengagingwith
contemporaryart,viewersarechallengedtosetasidequestionssuchas,"Is
aworkofartgood?"or"Istheworkaestheticallypleasing?"Instead,viewers
considerwhetherartis"challenging"or"interesting."Contemporaryartists
mayquestiontraditionalideasofhowartisdefined,whatconstitutesart,and
howartismade,whilecreatingadialoguewithandinsomecasesrejecting
thestylesandmovementsthatcamebeforethem.
Sincetheearly20thcentury,someartistshaveturnedawayfromrealistic
representationandthedepictionofthehumanfigure,andhavemoved
increasinglytowardsabstraction.InNewYorkCityafterWorldWarII,theart
worldcoinedtheterm"abstractexpressionism"tocharacterizeanart
movementthatwasneithercompletelyabstract,norexpressionistic.
Nevertheless,themovementchallengedartiststoplacemoreemphasison
theprocessofmakingartratherthanthefinalproduct.ArtistslikeJackson
Pollockbroughtartmakingtochoreographicheightsbydrippingpaintin
grandyetspontaneousgestures.Asonecriticnoted,thecanvaswasan
arenainwhichtoact"whatwasgoingoninthecanvaswasnotapicture
butanevent."Thisnotionofartasaneventemergedoutofthemovement
calledabstractexpressionism,whichgreatlyinfluencedtheartmovements
thatfollowed,andcontinuestoinspireartistslivingtoday.
Contemporaryartistsworkingwithinthepostmodernmovementrejectthe
conceptofmainstreamartandembracethenotionof"artisticpluralism,"the
acceptanceofavarietyofartisticintentionsandstyles.Whetherinfluenced
byorgroundedinperformanceart,popart,Minimalism,conceptual
art,orvideo,contemporaryartistspullfromaninfinitevarietyofmaterials,
sources,andstylestocreateart.Forthisreason,itisdifficulttobriefly
summarizeandaccuratelyreflectthecomplexityofconceptsandmaterials
usedbycontemporaryartists.Thisoverviewhighlightsafewofthe
contemporaryartistswhoseworkisonviewattheGettyMuseumandthe
conceptstheyexploreintheirwork.

Appropriation
Contemporaryartists,likemanyartiststhat
precededthem,mayacknowledgeandfind
inspirationinartworksfromprevioustime
periodsinbothsubjectmatterandformal
elements.Sometimesthisinspirationtakesthe

formofappropriation.ArtistJohnBaldessari
"borrowed"animagefrom1505ofastag
beetlebytheGermanartistAlbrechtDrerand
madeithisown.Usingmoderndaymaterials
(inkjetprintingmountedonafiberglass
panel),Baldessarijuxtaposedtheoriginal
imagewithapieceofsculptureintheformofa
giantsteelpin.Byinsertingthesteelpininto
thecanvas,Baldessaricombinesmediumsina
verymodernway.

VideoArt
Inthe1960s,artistsbegantoturntothe
Specimen(AfterDrer),John
mediumofvideotoredefinefineart.Through
Baldessari,2000
videoart,manyartistshavechallenged
preconceivednotionsofartashighpriced,
2000JohnBaldessari
highbrow,andonlydecipherablebyelite
Thisworkwascommissioned
forDepartures:11Artistsat
membersofsociety.Videoartisnot
theGetty,February29May7,
necessarilyatypeofartthatindividualswould
2000,bytheJ.PaulGetty
wanttoown,butratheranexperience.
Museum,LosAngeles
Continuingthetrendofredefiningearlierideas
andidealsaboutart,somecontemporaryvideo
artistsareseekingtodoawaywiththenotionofartasacommodity.Artists
turningtovideohaveusedtheartformasatoolforchange,amediumfor
ideas.Somevideoartopenlyacknowledgesthepowerofthemediumof
televisionandtheInternet,thusopeningthedoorsoftheartworldtothe
masses.

VisitorsinteractwithNicole
Cohen'sinstallationatthe
GettyCenter.
LearnmoreaboutPleaseBe
SeatedbyNicoleCohen.

SiteSpecificArt

Suchartistsseektoelevatetheprocessof
creatingartandmovebeyondthenotionthat
artshouldonlybevaluedasanaesthetically
pleasingproduct.Videoartexemplifiesthis,for
theviewerwatchestheworkasitisactually
beingmadetheywatchastheprocess
unfolds.Videoinstallationpiecescombine
videowithsound,music,and/orother
interactivecomponents.InNicoleCohen's
PleaseBeSeated,viewersareaskedtobe
activeparticipants.Usinginnovativevideo
technologies,participantscansitonreplicasof
18thcenturyFrenchchairsandwatch
televisionscreensinwhichtheyarevirtually
insertedinhistoricrecreationsof18thcentury
Frenchspaces.Whiletraditionalworksofart
areingallerieswithsignsthatsay"Donot
touch,"Coheninvitesyoutophysically
participate.Inthisway,theviewerbecomes
partoftheworkofart.

RobertIrwinisanotherartistwhosought
toinvolvetheviewer,asseeninhis
gardenattheGettyCenter.IntheCentral
Garden,whichIrwinhasplayfullytermed
"asculptureintheformofagarden
aspiringtobeart,"viewerscan
experienceamazelikeconfigurationof
plants,stones,andwater.Herevisitors
getcompletelyimmersedinthesensation
TheGettyCenter'sCentralGarden
ofbeingwithintheworkofart.Thesense
designedbyRobertIrwin
ofsmell,touch,andsoundarejuxtaposed
withthecolorsandtexturesofthe
LearnmoreabouttheCentral
garden.Allofthefoliageandmaterialsof
Garden.
thegardenwereselectedtoaccentuate
theinterplayoflight,color,and
reflection.AstatementbyIrwin,"Alwayschanging,nevertwicethesame,"is
carvedintotheplazafloor,remindingvisitorsoftheeverchangingnatureof
thislivingworkofart.Inthisway,Irwinsubvertstheideathataworkofart
shouldbepaintonacanvas.Rather,naturecanbeart.
BycreatingagardenspecificallydesignedfortheGettyCenter,Irwin
engagesinsitespecificart.Manycontemporaryartistswhocreatesite
specificworksmoveartoutofmuseumsandgalleriesandintocommunities
toaddresssociallysignificantissuesand/orraisesocialconsciousness.Inthe
caseofIrwin'sgardenandMartinPuryear'sThatProfile(alsoonviewatthe
GettyCenter),worksofartarecommissionedbymuseumstoenhanceand
incorporatetheirsurroundingenvironments.ThatProfile,stationedonthe
plazaatthefootofthestairsleadingtotheMuseum,mimicsthegridlike
patternsoftheGettyCenterbuildingitself.Weighing7,500pounds,That
Profileismassive.Howeverthework'sgracefulandcurvinglineshavea
"lightandairy"qualitythatcapitalizesonthesurroundingmountainsand
oceanviewsvisiblefromtheGetty'splaza.
Questionssuchas"Whatisart?"and"Whatisthefunctionofart?"are
relativelynew.Creatingartthatdefiesviewers'expectationsandartistic
conventionsisadistinctlymodernconcept.However,artistsofallerasare
productsoftheirrelativeculturesandtimeperiods.Contemporaryartistsare
inapositiontoexpressthemselvesandrespondtosocialissuesinawaythat
artistsofthepastwerenotableto.Whenexperiencingcontemporaryartat
theGettyCenter,viewersusedifferentcriteriaforjudgingworksofartthan
criteriausedinthepast.Insteadofasking,"DoIlikehowthislooks?"
viewersmightask,"DoIliketheideathisartistpresents?"Havinganopen
mindgoesalongwaytowardsunderstanding,andevenappreciating,theart
ofourownera.