“I don’t understand contemporary art.” I hear this often, usually from people who are perfectly capable of being moved by an artwork. The problem is not a lack of knowledge. We have been made to believe that art must be understood like an exam with right and wrong answers. This guide removes that burden: it explains what contemporary art is, how it developed and why so many artists look towards nature today.
What contemporary art means, in a few words
Contemporary art is simply the art of our time: work being made now with today’s materials, questions and concerns. Unlike classical art, it does not only seek to represent reality accurately. It can communicate ideas, emotions and points of view. That is why it can be unsettling: the question is not always “how well is this painted?” but “what is this telling me, and what does it make me feel?” It often asks questions instead of supplying answers.
From classical to contemporary art in one minute
For centuries, art was judged largely by its ability to imitate reality: a portrait by its likeness, a landscape by its fidelity. The arrival of photography in the nineteenth century released painting from that role. Artists began to explore emotion, pure colour, abstraction and ideas. The avant-gardes emerged from that change and, over time, so did contemporary art. It is not that artists forgot how to paint; they decided to address different things.
The myth that you need to know about art
You do not need a dictionary to enjoy music, and you do not need a degree to enjoy art. Stop in front of a work and notice what it makes you feel: calm, curiosity, discomfort or even rejection. That response is already a legitimate way of understanding. Context, technique and history can come later. Begin by looking without fear or hurry.
Do not let labels stop you
Figurative, abstract, conceptual, minimalist: labels help specialists, but they should not prevent anyone from looking. An abstract work is not more difficult than a figurative one. It simply asks for another kind of attention, closer to listening to a melody than reading a text. If a piece attracts you before you know how to classify it, the encounter is already working.
Why nature returns again and again
Our relationship with nature runs through much contemporary art. We live amid ecological awareness, climate change and increasingly urban, digital lives. Many artists return to the natural world not simply to make attractive landscapes, but to reflect on the marks we leave and what may disappear. Art becomes a place to reconsider how we inhabit the planet.
Contemporary art and nature in the Canary Islands
On the islands, the relationship between art and territory has particular force. Two artists illustrate it especially clearly.
César Manrique turned Lanzarote’s volcanic landscape into a total work of art, bringing architecture, sculpture and nature together. His wind toys, placed beside roads and roundabouts, show contemporary art living in the landscape itself and moving with the Atlantic wind.
Martín Chirino made iron and the spiral—a form connected to Indigenous Canarian culture and the ocean—into a universal language. His public sculpture Lady Harimaguada greets people walking along the seafront in Las Palmas. Óscar Domínguez and Manolo Millares add surrealism and informalism to this powerful island tradition.
How I approach it in the studio
I do not use nature only as an aesthetic reference. I observe a flower, a seed or a botanical structure and retain its essence, translating it into sculpture, painting or a work on paper. I want to create spaces for contemplation: works that invite us to pause, look differently and reconnect with the natural world amid the speed of everyday life.
How to approach contemporary art without fear
Visit spaces such as CAAM or TEA, walk through Lanzarote while observing Manrique’s work, follow artists whose practice interests you and trust your own response. Contemporary art is not a closed club. It is an open conversation, and you are invited to take part. Guide to contemporary-art museums and spaces in the Canary Islands.
A final thought
If contemporary art sometimes puzzles you, that is not a failure. Its value does not lie in being solved, but in making us look differently at the world, nature and ourselves. View all available original artworks.
Frequently asked questions
What is contemporary art?
Art created in our time, concerned with ideas and emotions as well as technique.
Do I need to know about art to enjoy it?
No. Looking carefully and noticing your own response is enough to begin.
Why do many artists work with nature?
Because of current ecological awareness and the desire to rethink our relationship with the environment.
Is abstract art more difficult?
No. It asks for a different way of looking, closer to listening to music than reading a literal story.
Who are key figures in contemporary art from the Canary Islands?
César Manrique, Martín Chirino, Óscar Domínguez and Manolo Millares are important references, among many others.
I am María Betancor, an artist and sculptor in the Canary Islands. My work grows from observing the islands’ natural environment and the traces we leave within it. María Betancor · Ask about a personal commission.