What Is Modern Art Inspired By?

Art|Modern Art

Modern art is a concept that has been around since the early twentieth century and has come to encompass many different forms of artistic expression. While modern art can be seen to be influenced by a variety of sources, it is primarily inspired by the avant-garde movements of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. These movements included Dadaism, Surrealism, Cubism, Futurism and Constructivism, all of which sought to break away from traditional forms of art and explore new ways of representing ideas.

The avant-garde movements were particularly influential in challenging traditional notions of what constituted ‘art’, and were heavily influenced by the philosophical and social changes occurring in Europe during this time period. The works produced during this time period often focused on themes such as alienation, unconsciousness, irrationality and absurdity. This was reflected in the use of unorthodox techniques such as collage, montage and photomontage by artists such as Duchamp, Schwitters, Man Ray and Picasso.

Modern art also looks to other artistic disciplines for inspiration such as photography, film-making, performance art and installation art. These disciplines allow for more immediate interaction with the artwork; allowing viewers to interact with a work or have a direct experience with it in ways not possible with traditional painting or sculpture. Furthermore contemporary digital technology has enabled artists to explore new ways of creating art that was not possible before – from interactive installations to 3D printing – allowing artists to further push boundaries in terms of what constitutes ‘art’ today.

In addition to these influences modern art is also heavily inspired by political and social issues. Many modern artists seek to challenge dominant ideologies or bring attention to issues that are often overlooked or ignored in society using their artwork as a form of protest or social commentary. In much the same way that modern artists sought to challenge traditional forms of representation through their works during the early 20th century; contemporary artists today are still doing so through their works; albeit in more diverse ways than ever before.

Conclusion

What Is Modern Art Inspired By? Modern art is inspired primarily by avant-garde movements from the late 19th/early 20th centuries which challenged traditional notions of what constituted ‘art’ at the time; but also draws upon other artistic disciplines such as photography, film-making etc for inspiration today; as well as looking towards political/social issues for commentaries on current affairs.