Modern art includes artistic work produced during the period extending roughly from the 1860s to the 1970s, and denotes the style and
philosophy of the art produced during that era. The term is usually associated with art in which the traditions of the past have been thrown aside in a spirit of experimentation. Modern artists experimented with new ways of seeing and with fresh ideas about the nature of materials and functions of art. A tendency away from the
narrative, which was characteristic for the traditional arts, toward
abstraction is characteristic of much modern art. More recent artistic production is often called
contemporary art or
postmodern art.