Exploring Contemporary Art Trends: Abstract, Figurative, and Beyond

Throughout time, art has represented a unique opportunity for expression. It has marked every generation since our earliest days. In itself, contemporary art is the result of social, cultural and other events. It could be wars, ecology and technology; to bring us closer to what we know today. This has allowed for diversity in art in many ways.

What we know as plurality of style has opened the way for thousands of art forms. These include abstract art, figurative art, minimalism and many other styles. All of these have been born and evolved based on social, cultural and other facts. Of course, each one have influenced contemporary art trends. Now we explain in detail each of these revolutionary trends. We also share how relevant these are in the current era.

Part 1: Abstract Art in Contemporary Practice

There is a current artistic approach that has been gaining strength among experts in the field. It is abstract art. The last few years have been key for many artists to make their contemporary abstract art known. It is worth mentioning that this type of art is not new at all. It has been perceived since the beginning of the 21st century. Its tendency to combine a variety of styles within the same work to represent a unique concept.

Currently, contemporary art trends focus on a perspective. It seeks to convey emotions and critical thoughts through art. An important period for abstract art was the post-war period. It's a meeting point for artistic expressions. Although in the 60's it was considered that this type of art had diminished. The reality is that nowadays it is more alive than ever.

The main artist who developed the abstract art style was Kazimir Malevich. His best known work is “Black Square”. It represents depth through abstract geometric shapes, as the artist conceived them.

Currently, there are also outstanding artists in this field. American Christian Rosa shows abstract art styles with a focus on collage. He uses different materials in its composition.

It is also worth mentioning the artist Anish Kapoor. You can appreciate abstract public sculptures.

Within the art market and contemporary art trends, this approach will always have a place. Why? Simple, independence from any visual conception of reality, and completely informal compositions.

Part 2: The Resurgence of Figurative Art

It is impossible to talk about contemporary art trends without speaking about figurative art. It's a type of art that originated a long time ago, but that remains valid and has evolved until today. This type of art started with human images in daily activities. It was the starting point for it.

Among the main characteristics of figurative art, we have the implementation of iconographies. It gives meaning to specific aspects of the work. Also, the approach to much more realistic styles such as neo-figurative painting. This type of art, in itself, stands out for exploring contemporary issues. It integrates figurative aesthetics for this purpose.

Figurative art is particularly using these works as figurative elements of reality. It brings us closer to their veracity. Simple, these contemporary art trends seek to imitate real appearances through artistic expression.

There are many artists who have proposed this artistic style. One of the most prominent is Édouard Manet who became popular with his work “Lunch on the Grass” presented in 1863.

Currently, there are many other artists who combine traditional methods with modernist perspectives. Jorge Gallego is one of them. He expresses figurative art through landscapes.

We should also mention Irene Perez. Her figurative works offer strong brushstrokes and great expressiveness.

Part 3: Minimalism and Its Modern Adaptations

One of the most recent contemporary art trends is minimalism. It got recognition around the 1960s. The main focus of this type of art is to turn less into more. What is the same, to give a much simpler perspective to express a deep and concise message.

The reduction of elements and geometry have been substantial elements for many artists. They have dared to explore minimalism. The ideas conveyed by minimalist works are characterized by their clarity.

These pieces got power to manifest themselves in different contexts. Over the years, many artists have adopted this style as their own. However, first representations and theories are attributed to Robert Morris and Donald Judd.

It is worth noting that right now, contemporary artists have adapted traditional minimalism. They aim to achieve new practices. These could be digital minimalism, soft minimalism and conceptual minimalism.

There are many emerging minimalist artists offering their works in the market. We can mention German Daniel Domingo Schweitzer. He has an art proposal based on fractal geometry.

We can also mention the Mexican Edgar Solorzano. He has a vision of minimalism oriented to the use of spaces. He focuses on the relationship with memory, among others.

On the other hand, digital minimalist art is one of the contemporary art trends. It gives way to the use of abstract images to generate compositions. These evoke calm, mostly. Some outstanding artists in this sector are:

Christopher DeLorenzo who stands out for his minimalist illustrations and packaging.

Elisa Bonotti, an Italian artist who works in pop art works. We can find minimalism and figurative tendencies in her work.

Part 4: Political and Social Themes in Art

Art is a mechanism of ideological expression. It has transcended from time immemorial to the present day. In this sense, it is strange at all to appreciate the appearance of political themes in art. Also, socially conscious art. In terms of politics, there are many artists who have represented the panorama.

Edvard Munch, painter of the popular work The Death of Marat (1907). It narrates the assassination of a French journalist and politician in 1793.

Other artistic work related to political themes to highlight is Pablo Picasso's Guernica. It gives a clear anti-fascist message in Europe.

On the other hand, we have more recent works such as Face of the believer by Wang Guangyi, from 2003. It's about the consumption of political propaganda. It has a critical approach to the socialist activity in China. As well as the globalization of this nation.

It is important to mention that more and more artists are turning to socially conscious art. There are many themes such as inclusion, equality, diversity and more.

However, the social theme is not new. We can highlight works such as Magdalena Ventura with her husband, The Bearded Woman by José de Ribera. It dates back to 1631 and shows a representative image of human diversity.

Currently, there are many artists who express their stand. No matter the social issues, it's expressed on their creations. The environment is a social issue that has motivated many experts on the subject. We can mention Olafur Eliasson with his work Ice Watch (2014). It is a sculpture that symbolizes an ice clock. It alerts humanity about the importance of addressing the problem of climate change.

Part 5: Diversity and Pop Culture in Contemporary Art

We cannot ignore Pop culture in art. It is another of the representative elements of diversity in art that we cannot overlook. This trend comes along elements such as technology, music, television, film, fashion and more.

This type of evolutionary art has given way to understand how societies diversify. At the same time, it has been key for new artists to emerge on the current scene.

One of the most representative artists of this trend is Roy Lichtenstein. He stood out with his comic works such as Whaam!, presented in 1963.

Likewise, we can talk about other visionary artists about this style, such as Andy Warhol. He was popular for his pop art style, impregnated in his works of portraits of Marilyn Monroe in 1964.

One of the main artistic sources for pop culture in art is the media. We cannot pass by all the resources they offer to allow this type of art to spread. Many artists have put their hands to work to create revolutionary expressions. Many works could go around race, cultural identity, gender and more.

There are many names of prominent artists in pop culture in art, and some of the most important are:

Guto Ajayu, Bolivian artist. He shows his works under clear Latin trends. He focuses on a street/pop approach and works on murals, canvases and wood;

Pablo Llana, outstanding creator of works that address sensitive. Some of these could be obesity, consumerism and more.

Part 6: Utilizing HitPaw FotorPea to Document and Analyze Art Trends

Trends related to art have diversified over the years. It opens a range of opportunities for all creators. If you want to show their art in any form of expression, it is necessary to do a good job of art documentation. You may be thinking of attending a fair, and at this point, you should have a powerful tool like HitPaw FotorPea.

This tool is ideal for AI image enhancement. You can enjoy its advanced functions and unique features. So, get a good photo design with high quality enhance. It makes it much simpler to share content in social media, workshops, and any art presentation.

Main features of the tool:

• Image enhancement with AI: You can use HitPaw FotorPea's advanced features. Then you can perform all the necessary retouching. Then you may achieve an optimal result to then use the images.
• Background removal: You can remove elements to have cleaner images. Then you can give a clearer message. It works if you have taken a picture or have an image with unnecessary elements.
• High quality export: a key feature of HitPaw FotorPea is that you do not lose the quality of your original image. This tool allows you to export in a high quality format.

Conclusion

Nowadays, contemporary art trends have diversified a lot. It has allowed to add contextual styles to different art expressions. It could work in minimalism, figurative art and abstract art.

You can find interesting how it links art with nowadays social, political and other issues. Likewise, digital art is great to appreciate and promote any kind of expression.

If you want to delve much deeper into these topics, we invite you to explore art fairs. You should try out gallery tours. Get closer with the works of the artists mentioned above.

Likewise, maybe you want to document your artistic experience and create quality images. So, don't forget to use the AI enhancement features offered by HitPaw FotorPea.