<P> Sociologist Nathalie Heinich draws a distinction between modern and contemporary art, describing them as two different paradigms which partially overlap historically . She found that while "modern art" challenges the conventions of representation, "contemporary art" challenges the very notion of an artwork . She regards Duchamp's Fountain (which was made in the 1910s in the midst of the triumph of modern art) as the starting point of contemporary art, which gained momentum after World War II with Gutai's performances, Yves Klein's monochromes and Rauschenberg's Erased de Kooning Drawing . </P> <P> One of the difficulties many people have in approaching contemporary artwork is its diversity--diversity of material, form, subject matter, and even time periods . It is "distinguished by the very lack of a uniform organizing principle, ideology, or - ism" that we so often see in other, and oftentimes more familiar, art periods and movements . Broadly speaking, we see Modernism as looking at modernist principles--the focus of the work is self - referential, investigating its own materials (investigations of line, shape, color, form). Likewise, Impressionism looks at our perception of a moment through light and color as opposed to attempts at stark realism (Realism, too, is an artistic movement). Contemporary art, on the other hand, does not have one, single objective or point of view . Its view, instead, is refracted, prismatic, and multi-faceted . Reflecting the diversity of the world today, in all of its complexities, contemporary art reflects life as we know it . It can be, therefore, contradictory, confusing, and open - ended . There are, however, a number of common themes that have appeared in contemporary works . While these are not exhaustive, notable themes include: identity politics, the body, globalization and migration, technology, contemporary society and culture, time and memory, and institutional and political critique . Post-modern, post-structuralist, feminist, and Marxist theory have played important roles in the development of contemporary theories of art . </P> <Table> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> This section needs additional citations for verification . Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources . Unsourced material may be challenged and removed . (February 2018) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) </Td> </Tr> </Table> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> This section needs additional citations for verification . Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources . Unsourced material may be challenged and removed . (February 2018) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) </Td> </Tr>

How did contemporary artist interpret the influences of the modern in the 70's