Conceptualism

big idea

Conceptual art is an artistic movement in which the concept or idea behind the work of art takes precedence over material concerns.

1. Period and Location: Conceptual Art

The art that you’ll be looking at today dates from between 1965 and 2009.

This artwork focuses geographically on three locations: New York City, where Sol LeWitt and Joseph Kosuth both have ties; Santa Monica, California, where John Baldessari lives and works; and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where Cildo Meireles lives and works.

2. Conceptual Art: History and Philosophy

The development of conceptual art has a long history. Although Sol LeWitt is considered by many to be the founder of conceptualism, it can actually be traced back to artists such as Dada artist Marcel Duchamp.

did you know

Marcel Duchamp’s work “Fountain” is a porcelain urinal.

Despite this length of time, conceptual art is a form of art that still remains popular today. As you can see by the timeline above, the art you’re looking at in this lesson covers more than 40 years. Perhaps one of the reasons for its longevity is that its nature has an extremely broad appeal. Ideas are always changing, and people are always interested in sharing and learning unique points of view, which is a concept that serves as the foundation of this artistic movement.

However, conceptual art can take on many forms. One way to think of conceptualism is minimalism, taken one step further. Not only are the idea and actual work of art dependent on each other, as they often are in minimalism, but the pendulum has completely swung the other way. The idea behind conceptual art is paramount in this context; the artwork simply conveys the message.

Another way to understand conceptual art is that it involves art that is designed to make you think about what you are experiencing with the work of art. This often involves immersion or interactivity with the work of art in an installation.

terms to know

Conceptual Art

An art technique, style, or movement where the idea is more important than the way the art looks.

Immersion

The act of being completely engaged or absorbed by an activity or environment.

Interactivity

A term that suggests a requirement of participation or a combination of systems working together.

Installation

A technique of creating artwork in a space that creates an immersive experience.

3. Examples of Conceptual Art

3a. Sol LeWitt

As mentioned before, conceptual art can take on many forms, as you’ll see by the range of examples to follow. This first one shows a set of minimalistic open cubes by Sol LeWitt.

3b. Cildo Meireles

This next example, an installation or installment piece by Brazilian artist Cildo Meireles, is larger than the photo suggests. The viewer is immersed into this many-roomed, multi-sensory exhibit in which each room is painted an entirely different color with a monitor in each room showing a complementary hue. Essentially, it’s an exploration of how colors have an effect on one another.

term to know

Multi-sensory

A term used to describe a layered experience that engages several senses.

3c. Joseph Kosuth

One aspect of conceptualism is that it involves linguistic concerns, such as the relationship between a word and the object, or idea, to which the word refers. One of the best examples of this is the artwork “One and Three Chairs,” by Joseph Kosuth. It comprises the physical, three-dimensional chair; a picture of that chair; and a written definition of the word chair. It’s one idea of chair, but three different manifestations of that idea.

think about it

Which of the three manifestations do you think is the real chair? Is it the definition, without which you would not have an explanation for what a chair is? Or is it the physical chair, without which there would be no cause to create a definition? The answer doesn’t really matter so much as the importance of the question and how it compels one to think about the idea of linguistic associations and their meanings. It’s conceptually complex but also quite interesting.

3d. John Baldessari

Much of what is appealing in conceptual art is the wit evoked in many of the works of art. John Baldessari’s painting, shown below, is a classic example of this, in how it questions and parodies the traditional experience of a work of art. It is essentially a painted essay about the experience of exhibiting a work of art and how one gains perspective by comparing their work to other works of art that surround it.

think about it

The irony is that his painting, which is exhibited, is more or less incapable of comparison, which brings up a question. Evaluation is so dependent upon the relativity of one thing to another; therefore, can a realistic sense of meaning or value be attributed to a work of art without comparing it to works by other artists? Who determines what is valuable or meaningful? It’s an excellent example of the conceptual artist’s reaction against the commodification of art and their questioning the art authority.