List Grid

Contemporary Art - An emerging art form

Contemporary art is one of the easiest things to understand. In the most basic terms, it can be defined as any form of art, be it paintings, sculptures, performances, etc., that are produced in this present day.

Having said that, there are quite a few things to ponder upon. The timeline for contemporary art can be confusing at times. This is because the definition of “present-day” can be subjective, especially when we consider the beginning of the era. However, there is a standard consideration among many historians that 1960s could be the perfect estimate.

Essense of the emerging contemporary art Since contemporary art could be termed as the art from this very generation, it does not have a very history. However, anything between 6-7 decades is what would be an apt period. There have been various art forms coming up now and that’s what keeps things interesting.


Here are the different contemporary art forms:


  • Pop Art - Pop art is a very important form of art as it is believed to be the heels of the contemporary form. It brings the essence of portraying the modern culture over anything that could be related anywhere close to the various traditional institutions.
  • Photorealism - While pop art is what about working to reproduce objects artistically, photorealism is more about hyper-realistic drawings of living things (in most cases). Artists working on photo-realism mostly use photographs, which enable them to work on the portraits more accurately.
  • Performance Art - Performance art also dates back to the time when contemporary art first came into being, that is, the 1960s. It is more of a drama-inspired form of art and involves humans for various roles. Plus, much like most other forms of art, this form too does not only help in the entertainment but conveys ideas and messages too.
  • Earth Art - Earth art is a relatively newer and unique form of art. This contemporary art form sees the artist or group of artists transform natural places and landscapes into pieces of art. Earth arts require a lot of effort and are very time-consuming. However, the result is always very sweet.
  • Street Art - Street art is fun. It has been growingly popular as a contemporary art form and is a lot about spreading messages and entertainment. Such form of art has been popularised as graffiti since the 1980s. It uses stickers, peppy colours and quirky designs to make a complete picture in public places.
  • Conceptualism - Now, this is something that can be relatable to modern art. This form of contemporary art comes in three-dimensional form and involves making of structures, be it of clay or stones. This might remind you of the days when stone carvings were popular.
  • Contemporary art is the most liberal form of art - Contemporary art seems to be in safe hands since it is the most liberal and has diverse forms. Hence, the aspect of being very diverse makes it less vulnerable to exhaustiveness. And yes, this era of art seems to have hit the perfect balance of entertainment and spreading important messages.

Gallery7 have beautiful contemporary paintings of the best painters. Along with that we also have Abstract Paintings, Figurative Paintings, and Landscape Paintings. Well, known painters like M F Husain, S H Raza, Tyeb Mehta,Laxma Goud, have gifted us with their beautiful paintings. You can buy attractive paintings from Gallery7 - an art gallery in Mumbai, and enhance the beauty of your house and workspace.