What is Conceptual VS Concept Art

The terms “conceptual art” and “concept art” are often mistaken for one another. They sound almost the same, despite meaning very different things. But what exactly is the difference? We’ll explain!

Both terms look similar due to the fact that both of these art types are based on and revolve around an idea, also known as a concept. Both concept art and conceptual art have an idea as their base and are meant to present this idea and deliver it to a viewer. However, the context of their use and their purposes are very different.

So let us take a look at those differences.

CONCEPTUAL ART:

Conceptual art is a form of contemporary art, in which the idea itself is valued more than the finished art object or the ways of its creation.

The idea is in charge of it all, and the execution of this idea is perfunctory. Even the description of the art object, the process of its making, or the result of an action, without the object’s existence in reality, can be an art object itself.

It can be seen as a clear opposition to common “retinal” art – the art that exists for the purpose of pleasing the eye. However, that varies from object to object and may depend on the technique used to create it, and some objects can look aesthetically pleasing. The case is that it doesn’t really matter in conceptual art and it’s definitely not the purpose of it and not something to aim for.

Conceptual art can lack the aesthetic and the clear generally accepted visual codes, which makes lots of people say that it’s tricky to understand. However, it’s probably even easier to grasp than “retinal” art, because you don’t need to have the “sense of beauty” or the fancy knowledge for it. When you understand what the idea is, the art piece becomes clear, and you can understand how you feel about this idea, whether you relate to it or not.

Another thing about conceptual art is that the art objects don’t even have to be original, and many artists have specifically created instructions for other people to replicate their works. Since the main thing is the concept, and the implementation is secondary, the art objects may not have a value this high.

The examples of not too valuable art objects can be found among readymade (or found object) art, created with the actual objects not meant for artistic purposes. They can be altered by the artist, partially included in the work, fused with other objects, and used in many other ways. A lot of people doubt whether it can be considered art at all since the artwork isn’t unique and wasn’t created by the artist from scratch.

When did conceptual art emerge?

Contemporary art itself has emerged with the invention and distribution of easily affordable photography. Instead of eradicating artists, it liberated them, turning them from craftsmen and replication machines into true artists and allowing them to create whatever they wanted. This led to numerous art styles and movements, including the “anti-art” ones, which debunked the old-time rules of what art should be, and transgressed the boundaries.

The conceptual art movement emerged in the late 1960s, and the term “conceptual art” was first used in 1967 in the article written by Sol LeWitt. This term is usually referring to art created from the mid-1960s to the mid-1970s. But there actually were earlier artists who created the works which paved the way for this movement and inspired many conceptualists.

Marcel Duchamp, an artist from France, is considered one of the first conceptual artists long before the movement began. His most famous readymade work, The Fountain (as can be seen below), is a regular urinal-basin, inverted and signed by the artist’s pseudonym. This artwork, along with many others, was probably ahead of his time but served as the prototypes for future conceptual artworks.

Where did the movement begin?

The most famous current museum dedicated to modern art (and conceptual art as well) is located in London, UK. So, conceptual art is mostly associated with England.

However, the first exhibitions of what started the conceptual art movement happened in the United States as well. So, you can say that conceptual art originates from the US and Western Europe since many artists were from these places and/or worked there.

How is conceptual art different from a photograph?

Conceptual photography exists as well, and its definition is exactly what you might think – it’s photography that is based on an idea and illustrated this idea. However, not all photography is conceptual.

Photography can be used as one of the tools in conceptual art, capturing the artists’ actions and performances, the art objects, or being a part of these art objects. Conceptual photography is often used in advertising and illustration since it’s effective in reflecting ideas, headlines, and catchphrases.

Concept artists of the late 1960s and early 1970s used photography to document their performances or sculptures but didn’t see or describe themselves as photographers. They viewed it as a tool, not as their main field of work. Most often these artists are described as “artists using photography”.

Famous conceptual artists and artworks

Yves Klein, a French artist, among his many achievements in the art field, was also a pioneer of performance art. One of his most notable works was the performance, in which he used naked women as human paintbrushes to create his Anthropometry paintings. He conducted the women in front of the audience, turning it into a performance.

Christo and Jeanne-Claude, a married couple of environmental artists, reacted to the building of the Berlin Wall by blocking the street in Paris with oil barrels without the government’s consent. Their artwork was the traffic jam caused by it, not the wall of barrels.

Pierro Manzoni, a conceptual artist from Italy, among other notable works, created the artwork named “The Base of the World”. The work was simply a big metal plinth that was placed upside down, making the planet itself a work of conceptual art.

Joseph Kosuth created the famous artwork “One and Three Chairs”. This piece consists of a chair, a photograph of said chair, and an enlarged dictionary description of what a chair is. The work changes at every exhibition since the photograph needs to depict the chair the way it looks in the venue (the color of the wall, etc.). The only thing constant about this art piece is a copy of this dictionary definition and the instruction for installation made by the artist.

Douglas Huebler created an art piece by asking the museum visitor to write down their one authentic secret and then compiling it all into a book. An interesting thing: some people state that the book makes for very repetitive reading since most of those secrets are completely similar.

Jacek Tylicki, a Polish artist who specialized in land art and installation art, has created a series of works named “Natural Art”. To be exact, he did not create them, he just placed canvases or paper sheets in the natural environment and allowed nature to create art.

As you can see from these few examples, conceptual art actually is about anything you can possibly imagine, and one doesn’t need to have any exquisite artistic skills to create. The key is the idea itself! A pretty inspiring message, isn’t it?

CONCEPT ART:

Concept art is a form of illustration that is used to express an idea that would be further used in media creation, leading to the final product.

It’s a visual representation of an idea, design, or certain aesthetic. Concept art is meant to convey the overall vision, ideas, and mood, rather than depict things with perfection from the very start.

Most often it’s related to world-building artwork, from the mood to details, and it’s used to inspire the media product’s development. It goes through many iterations and stages of the process before the creators decide what the final product would look like. Concept arts are also used to show the progress of the project to clients, bosses, or investors, as well as in advertising.

With the development of technology, more and more artists began using digital tech for creating concept art. It can save a lot of time due to easier editing and presets, save a lot of paper, and it’s easier to share digital artwork with any number of people. Almost every modern digital painting software includes a number of tools that allow the digital drawing style to look very similar to traditional in terms of blending, texture, etc.

However, concept art made with traditional drawing mediums is still very widely used. Lots of artists use markers (mostly alcohol-based), colored and graphite pencils, and inks in their concept arts. These mediums are quick to work with and artists don’t necessarily require additional steps in applying them.

When was the term first used?

The first studio to use the term “concept art” was Walt Disney Animation Studio in the 1930s.

It’ss the most famous and influential studios in the current time, and although other studios have practiced making preliminary sketches before, Disney was the first one to call it concept art.

What’s the difference between creating concept art and drawing illustrations or comics?

First of all, concept arts are rarely seen by the audience of the final product. Surely, artbooks dedicated to the product may exist, and some concept art can be in them, but there are always numerous artworks made behind the scenes that won’t be included. So, no matter how well-made and aesthetic concept arts may be, the majority of them will remain purely a part of the working process, or shared on the artist’s social media.

Second, a concept artist always needs to keep in mind that the designs they’re making need to work from all angles. The concepts would possibly need to be created in CG, as real-life objects, as 3D models. 2D illustrators and comic artists don’t have to consider this and care about the practicality of what they’re drawing.

Third, concept arts are meant to show and define details that serve and describe the story in the eventual product. Meanwhile, illustrations or comics create the visuals that tell the story themselves.

Finally, creating concept art is almost always teamwork that includes a lot of people working together towards one goal. Illustrations and comics can be created by a single person, but concept art is a close companion of idea brainstorming.

What is concept art in video games?

Video games for all possible operating systems and platforms have become widely popular and affordable in the last few decades, becoming a very influential field. It created a huge demand for jobs in the game development industry, including jobs for artists. One of the promising career options for modern artists is a videogame concept artist.

Of course, that requires the artist to be skilled in digital art due to the work specifications. What a video game concept artist should do is create ideas for characters, environments, in-game objects, which would fit into the game requirements and atmosphere. The concepts should give the game a unique atmosphere and make it acceptable for future game consumers.

What is concept art in animation?

Modern animation isn’t created strictly within large studios, and there are possibilities not only to be a freelance concept artist but to start your own animation projects as well.

Concept artists in animation need to come up with character designs and/or background ideas according to the overall style and visual feel of the project. There’s a huge variety of animated films made in various styles, so being able to experiment with styles that are drastically different is a useful skill.

What skills do concept artists need?

Concept art is the field where artists have to work quickly, think quickly, be ready to rework their ideas and work together with other people. It’s good for a concept artist to know anatomy, perspective, lighting, color theory and design.

There are a lot of specializations and certain fields in which a concept artist can work, and they can differ drastically, but the overall principles of work remain the same.

If you want to catch up on any of these fields, some useful places to check out are:

• Skillshare – they have many courses on a variety of art skills, and I’d suggest checking out this one on character design for concept art.
• Proko – they have a fantastic library of free and paid resources with art lessons. My favorite are definitely their figure drawing tutorials done by true masters.
• New Masters Academy – a library of incredible video lessons done by professionals of the respective fields. You’ll find various lessons on anatomy, color, light, perspective, drawing, concepts, etc. I actually made a video review of their library if that’s something you want to see.

Or you can always support my work and join a community of artists on my Patreon. That will get you access to these courses I made for beginner digital artists.

Hope you found this article useful, and if so don’t forget to share it with your friends who might like it as well!

Thank you for reading.