Conceptualism is a term which came into use in the late 1960s to describe a wide range of types of art that no longer took the form of a conventional art object. Conceptual artists do not set out to make a painting or a sculpture and then fit their ideas to that existing form. Instead they think beyond the limits of those traditional media, and then work out their concept or idea in whatever materials and whatever form is appropriate. They are thus giving the concept priority over the traditional media. Hence the name - Conceptual art.
From this it follows that conceptual art can be almost anything, but from the late 1960s certain prominent trends appeared such as Performance (or Action) art, Land art, and the Italian movement Arte Povera (poor art). Poor here meant using low-value materials such as twigs, cloth, fat, and all kinds of found objects and scrap. Some Conceptual art consisted simply of written statements or instructions. Many artists began to use photography, film and video.
Conceptual art was initially a movement of the 1960s and 1970s but has been hugely influential since. So it is, for example, that we find artists regenerating the basic ideas even today.
See our other WIKI : Geoff Bunn Art & Artist
