Conceptual Art
Conceptual art is an artistic movement that emerged in the 1960s and 1970s, emphasizing the idea or concept behind a work rather than its aesthetic value. This approach often incorporates everyday materials and found objects, as well as various forms of media such as text, photography, maps, and video. Influenced by earlier movements like Dada and Surrealism, conceptual art challenges traditional notions of what constitutes art. Pioneering figures include Marcel Duchamp, whose work "Fountain" famously questioned the boundaries of art, and artists like Joseph Kosuth and Ed Ruscha, who explored the relationships between language and visual representation. Conceptual art is marked by its provocative statements, often aiming to challenge viewers' perceptions and provoke thought rather than evoke beauty. While some celebrate it as a rebellion against commercialism, others criticize it as pretentious or uninspiring. The movement continues to influence contemporary artists, as demonstrated by performance artist Marina Abramović, who engages audiences in profound ways. Overall, conceptual art invites viewers to reconsider their definitions of art and its role in society.
Subject Terms
Conceptual Art
Conceptual art was a movement in which the concept behind a work of art took precedence over the work itself. Some of the art created during this movement, which took place during the 1960s and 1970s, is considered highly unorthodox. Conceptual art, also called conceptualism, often features everyday materials and "found objects" and incorporates text, photography, maps, and videos.
History
Conceptual art stemmed from earlier art movements such as Dada and Surrealism, which frequently featured people and objects in unusual and imaginative ways or presented unexpected objects as artworks. Perhaps the most notable example was Marcel Duchamp’s Fountain, which is a photograph of a urinal with the name ‘R. Mutt written on it.
The term "conceptual art" in reference to the movement grew out of a series of articles and exhibits beginning in the early 1960s. In his 1967 essay "Paragraphs on Conceptual Art," Sol LeWitt explains, "When an artist uses a conceptual form of art, it means that all of the planning and decisions are made beforehand and the execution is a perfunctory affair." In other words, an artist spends a considerable amount of time thinking about an idea to present with an artwork but makes the final product unremarkable in appearance. Early examples of conceptual art include Twentysix Gasoline Stations (1962), a book of photographs by Ed Ruscha, in which the artist presents simple photos of twenty-six gas stations in Oklahoma. Art As Idea As Idea (1965) by Joseph Kosuth, features printed dictionary definitions of common words in newspapers or as photographs. Kosuth's One and Three Chairs (1965) shows a picture of a wooden chair hung on a wall, a wooden chair against the wall, and the definition of a chair also hung on the wall. An early pillar of conceptual art was John Baldessari’s "word paintings," one of which features the words "I will not make any more boring art" written in cursive script in rows from the top of the canvas to the bottom. Other word paintings were created by professional sign painters hired by Baldessari. Most of these were simple statements on canvas about art or aesthetics. The intention of these works may be to taunt viewers, challenging their ideas about what constitutes a work of art.
The Art & Language group presented many of its ideas about conceptual art in a journal called Art Language. In its exhibition Air/ Show Air Conditioning (1966–1977), the group simply presented a series of statements and diagrams—the diagrams gave instructions for the installation of air conditioning, while the texts addressed both air conditioning and art itself in an attempt to relate the two. Another significant conceptual art exhibition was organized by Seth Siegelaub. The show’s title, January 1-31 1969, indicated when the exhibit would take place; its subtitle 0 Objects, 0 Painters, 4 Artists … 32 Works, 1 Exhibition, 2000 Catalogues was similarly descriptive. Strangely, one of the works in the show was not even there—it consisted of radio waves sent by transmitters planted behind the wall of the exhibition space. The frequency of these waves was stated on a plaque.
Other conceptual artists included Joseph Beuys, John Latham, and Michael Craig-Martin. Beuys wrapped a piano in felt to illustrate human's inwardness and inability to communicate. Latham threw a party that grew into a piece of performance art—the guests were asked to take pages from a book by art critic Clement Greenberg, chew them, and spit them out. The pages were then mashed, fermented, and placed in a test tube to be brought back to the library from which the book was checked out. In one of his works, Craig-Martin cut several boxes in half and exchanged their parts.
Modern Interpretations and Influences
As with many art movements, the conceptual art movement's timeline is difficult to pin down. However, Six Years, a definitive book by art critic Lucy Lippard places the movement between 1966 and 1972. Many conceptual artists emerged during this period—all of whom strove to create art that communicated a thought or a group of thoughts instead of art that was pleasant to look at.
Conceptual art was an intense movement that took place during a period of social and cultural upheaval. Conceptual art is controversial. Those who think the movement was beneficial to art history see it as a kind of rebellion against commercialism. Others think the art created during this movement is boring and pretentious. Still others doubt whether the conceptual art should be considered art at all.
Some contemporary artists carry on the tradition of conceptual art. Artist Marina Abramovic staged a performance during her exhibit "The Artist Is Present" at the Museum of Modern Art in 2010 in which she simply sat at a table and stared at visitors. Abramovic sat silently and perfectly still for 750 hours as various museum visitors sat across from her. One man sat in front of her twenty-one times and then had the number tattooed on his arm. Some of the people who sat before Abramovic were moved to tears.
Bibliography
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Greenwood, Elizabeth. "Wait, Why Did That Woman Sit in the MoMA for 750 Hours?" The Atlantic. The Atlantic Monthly Group. 2 July 2012. Web. 29 Dec. 2015. http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2012/07/wait-why-did-that-woman-sit-in-the-moma-for-750-hours/259069/
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