Modern Contemporary art includes artistic works produced during the 20th century. 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 toward abstraction is characteristic of much modern art. More recent artistic production is often called Contemporary art or Postmodern art. Contemporary art can be defined variously as art produced at this present point in time or art produced since World War II.