Contemporary
Painting in the 21st Century – Still Trendy
Art in the 21st century faces constant competition from a media flood of pictures: nowadays, there are many areas of life in which pictures of very different types are present, for example, in the media, on the internet and not least on the smartphone through private photography. Nevertheless, two-dimensional works of art didn't lose their appeal. On the contrary, art lovers are more willing than ever to spend even unusually high sums for unique pieces because the colours and textures of a picture painted by an artist's hand still fascinate. In the context of its exhibition "Contemporary Painting" in 2006, the Kunsthalle München even noted a veritable painting boom since the turn of the millennium and stated that contemporary painting as a medium was also an important form of expression for young artists. However, art in the 21st century faces yet another challenge: Works of art are increasingly seen as an investment, which results in a clear economic orientation of some areas of the art business. At auctions, paintings fetch dizzyingly high prices, regardless of whether a work is 500 years old ("Salvator Mundi", Leonardo da Vinci, $450 million) or 50 years old ("Three Studies of Lucian Freud", Francis Bacon, $140 million). Such proceeds create a kind of gold-rush atmosphere, which on the one hand, opens up a new scope, but on the other hand, also changes the working and marketing methods for the artists of the 21st century and also increases the pressure on them. In our online shop, you can buy contemporary art.
Traditional Styles – Interpreted in a Contemporary Way
Many of the styles that became established in the 20th century also have numerous followers in the current art world, both among artists and the public. A glance at museums and galleries shows that the many different styles can coexist in 21st-century art. Expressionism, abstraction, surrealism, or pop art, for example, are still popular forms of expression. Even painting styles from the 19th century, such as Impressionism, still inspire many artists today. These traditional styles are interpreted in a contemporary manner and applied to current themes, thus transferring them into contemporary art. However, contemporary painting does not necessarily have to apply only one style in its pure form instead, interesting hybrids of different styles are emerging with increasing frequency. Digitalisation has undoubtedly had a particularly lasting influence on the art of the 21st century. Digital technology is changing almost all areas of the artistic process: it is now possible to "paint" pictures digitally on tablets, for example. But even existing pictures or even photographs can become a work of art through digital image processing. Today, there are also digital solutions for the transfer to a medium in printing techniques – and finally, the networked and digital world also opens up new possibilities for marketing.