Development Of New Art Research Articles

Scenography and the Production of Artworks in Contemporary Art

This article challenges the assumption in a classical sociology of art that artworks are created in the artist’s studio as independent and self-sufficient objects. Given that artistic production merges with exhibition making in contemporary art, I argue that the production of artworks needs to be situated in the exhibition space. In this institutional and physical environment, a set of scenographic principles dominate. Scenography is an ideology and method for exhibition making that emphasises the audience’s experience of the exhibition as a coherent entity. In the exhibition context, therefore, artworks are produced as an integral part of the scenography. Drawing upon six cases of solo exhibitions in museums and galleries, I reveal how the material, conceptual, and experiential features of artworks are shaped by scenographic considerations. The six cases also demonstrate the variations in the production of contemporary art. This article further develops the sociology of art in three ways. First, I show a middle way between the classical sociology of art and the recent material turn in cultural sociology. While the former explains artworks as social products but often fails to show the direct impact of social factors on features of artworks, the latter prioritises the agency of artworks qua artistic features but take these as given. Through the concept of scenography, I explain the social genesis of artistic features without prioritising human or non-human actors. Second, I call more attention to the dialogue with art history, especially its turns towards exhibitions for apprehending new developments in art. Third, the hybrid practices in visual art extend our understanding of artistic mediation as art itself, which becomes more applicable to different genres of art.

A Tale of Two Labels: The Use of “Modernism” and “Avant-Garde” in the Reception of Tom Mccarthy's c

ABSTRACT This article presents the results of an innovative in-depth investigation of the reception of Tom McCarthy's novel C (2010), with the purpose of shedding more light on the use of labels associated with “Modernism” in the interpretation of contemporary British fiction. Focusing on the occurrence of the words “Modernism” and “avant-garde,” it combines quantitative analysis and detailed reading in order to answer the question how the two labels are defined when they are used in reference to C. The article aims to make a contribution to the on-going “Metamodernism” debate and its discussion of new developments in art after the demise of Postmodernism. Its main conclusion is that reviewers tend to interpret the two labels historically, which may be a consequence of the novel's setting in time. The research proves how essential it is to study the reception of novels across different cultural realities.

The Painters of the Blaue Reiter and Japan

Abstract Japonisme, like today’s Japanese pop culture, is a transcultural phenomenon. In the ‘classical phase of Japonisme’ individual artists were influenced by Japanese art (especially by ukiyo-e woodblock prints) and transcended thematic and compositional adaption: the confrontation with Japanese art sparked a creative process and led to new developments in art. Japonisme became not only an important medium in the development of modern western art, but also attested a cultural transcendence.

Philosophy and Art: Changing Landscapes for Aesthetics

AbstractPart I of this essay will examine how the interplay between philosophy and art over the past century is reflected in the aesthetic theories of four leading Twentieth century aestheticians: Walter Benjamin, Merleau-Ponty, Gilles Deleuze, Arthur Danto. The philosophers’ theories are linked to the developments in art most directly related to their respective approaches to problems in aesthetics. Part II will explore selected non-philosophical social and technological developments that are in the process of altering the course of contemporary art today. Among these are globalization, the art market, social/political issues, popular culture, virtual reality, and new manifestations of the avant-garde. Key factors that warrant consideration for future developments in aesthetics are identified in the hope that today’s and future aestheticians will begin to consider what changes are required in aesthetics to address these new developments in art.

La philosophie et l'art : de nouveaux paysages pour l'esthétique

Part I of this essay will examine how the interplay between philosophy and art over the past century is reflected in the aesthetic theories of four leading Twentieth century aestheticians: Walter Benjamin, Merleau-Ponty, Gilles Deleuze, Arthur Danto. The philosophers’ theories are linked to the developments in art most directly related to their respective approaches to problems in aesthetics. Part II will explore selected non-philosophical social and technological developments that are in the process of altering the course of contemporary art today. Among these are globalization, the art market, social/political issues, popular culture, virtual reality, and new manifestations of the avant-garde. Key factors that warrant consideration for future developments in aesthetics are identified in the hope that today’s and future aestheticians will begin to consider what changes are required in aesthetics to address these new developments in art.

Genius: A Son of His Time or a Rara Avis?

European artistic geniuses (5 composers and 10 painters of the 15th to 19th centuries) and comparison groups of their less-gifted contemporaries were analyzed on the basis of the stylistic parameters of their works using archival and expert rating techniques. The parameters reflected the artists' orientation regarding the “analytic” versus “synthetic” poles of creativity and perception, which are usually associated with left- or right-hemispheric prevalence, respectively. Findings reveal that the artists within a comparison group were stylistically similar with respect to the nature of their creative processes, that is, they reflected an artistic zeitgeist for their historical era. The genius artists exhibited significant deviations from their lesser contemporaries on many of the stylistic parameters measured (which reflect the phenomenon of “ rara avis” described in the article). The implications of this phenomenon for the progressive development of new art forms over time are briefly discussed.

The Old Guard and the Avant-Garde: Modernism in Chicago, 1910-1940.

Old Guard and the Avant-Garde: Modernism in Chicago, 1910-1940 brings together the history and the critical reaction to the new developments in art and design, places them in the context of conservative yet innovative Chicago at the turn of the century, and explores the tensions between tradition and innovation. The individual essays present the best in specialized current research, yet one can clearly understand the impact of modernism on the broader intellectual and cultural life of the city. I eagerly await as cohesive and thorough an analysis of the subject for New York. David Sokol, of Chicago This is fresh and fascinating research about the ups and downs of modernism in Chicago, a city where art students reportedly once hung Matisse in effigy. Regional studies like this one broaden our understanding of how the art world has worked outside of New York and gives depth to a story we know too narrowly. Applause all the way around. Wanda M. Corn, Stanford University

Øjenåbner – om projekteringen af Eyebeam Atelier i New York City

This paper offers an introduction to the planning of a new museum in New York City: The Eyebeam Gallery. The museum will evolve around the making of di- gital art. The ambition of the new museum will be to bring together artists and museum visitors, thus creating a polyphony of voices articulating art forms that are completely new to the world.The architects involved in the project are Diller + Scofidio. So far they have mainly been concerned with the production of experimental works both in Europe and the US. One important point in the building of the Eyebeam Gallery is that the development of new art forms requires the invention of a new form of museum building. With this in mind Diller + Scofidio will design a building which focuses on relationships between new media art and the spaces that will enable and support these relationships. In the building housing the Eyebeam Gallery we can expect a museum with a strong emphasis on the physical experience of digital artwork. Futhermore, we can expect a ”site-specific” (Diller + Scofidio) museum. A building which can be seen as an organic enlargement of the surrounding city and as a mental enlargement of the New York community.