Conceptual Art Notes
What is conceptual art?
● Conceptual art is art for which the idea (or concept) behind the work is more
important than the finished art object.
● Subject matter and use of media are the two dominant aspects
● Subject matter has a vast range of information that isnt contained to a single
object; rather conveyed in written proposals, photographs, documents,
charts, maps, films, video , the artist body… ect
● Traces of authorship(creator of artwork) of artist is removed when using
new media. Art became impersonal but with a personal concept
● Traditional characteristics of art is not applied
● The commodification (meaning the action or process of treating something
as a mere commodity) of art was rejected
● Words and language are just as important as the visuals
● Based on the intellectual rather than visual
Why did it come about ?
● Links to DADA, marcel Duchamp's art works ‘Ready mades’, abandoning
beauty
● when Marcel Duchamp famously bought a urinal from a plumber's shop and
submitted it as a sculpture in an open sculpture exhibition in New York
● Although Conceptual art was first defined in the 1960s, its origins trace back
to 1917
, Different types of conceptual art;
● Installation
- O en occupy an entire room
- The spectator walks through in order, to engage with the art
- O en mix media
- Designed for a specific purpose, place of period of time
- Usually consists of arrangement of 3D objects
- Objects have direct relationship with the enviroment
- Viewer is meant to be immersed intoa sensory environment
(almost meant to participate)
- Subject matter relates to idea behind the artwork
- Media can be static to dynamic
-
- Installation artists are more concerned with presentation of
their message than the means to atchive it
- Its supposedly experienced in our mind
- Remamains tied to a physical space
What is conceptual art?
● Conceptual art is art for which the idea (or concept) behind the work is more
important than the finished art object.
● Subject matter and use of media are the two dominant aspects
● Subject matter has a vast range of information that isnt contained to a single
object; rather conveyed in written proposals, photographs, documents,
charts, maps, films, video , the artist body… ect
● Traces of authorship(creator of artwork) of artist is removed when using
new media. Art became impersonal but with a personal concept
● Traditional characteristics of art is not applied
● The commodification (meaning the action or process of treating something
as a mere commodity) of art was rejected
● Words and language are just as important as the visuals
● Based on the intellectual rather than visual
Why did it come about ?
● Links to DADA, marcel Duchamp's art works ‘Ready mades’, abandoning
beauty
● when Marcel Duchamp famously bought a urinal from a plumber's shop and
submitted it as a sculpture in an open sculpture exhibition in New York
● Although Conceptual art was first defined in the 1960s, its origins trace back
to 1917
, Different types of conceptual art;
● Installation
- O en occupy an entire room
- The spectator walks through in order, to engage with the art
- O en mix media
- Designed for a specific purpose, place of period of time
- Usually consists of arrangement of 3D objects
- Objects have direct relationship with the enviroment
- Viewer is meant to be immersed intoa sensory environment
(almost meant to participate)
- Subject matter relates to idea behind the artwork
- Media can be static to dynamic
-
- Installation artists are more concerned with presentation of
their message than the means to atchive it
- Its supposedly experienced in our mind
- Remamains tied to a physical space
