Final answer:
The relationship between artist and spectator is central to performance and conceptual art, where traditional roles are challenged and the viewer becomes an active participant in the experience of art.
Step-by-step explanation:
Much of the work of performance art is concerned with the relationship between artist and spectator. For instance, Marina Abramovic's The Artist is Present involved the artist sharing silent glances and stares, emphasizing a direct, unspoken communication with the audience. Similarly, movements such as Happenings, Fluxus, and Conceptual art challenged the traditional art object, often engaging the spectators' entire body in an installation space, making their experience of art more subjective and interactive.
Art anthropologists assert that we must consider the broad network of social relationships that give rise to art, not just the art object itself. Moreover, the evolving critiques of movements such as Neo-Expressionism and the work of artists like Barbara Kruger, exemplify how modern and contemporary art continually pushes the boundaries of the relationships between the artist, the artwork, and the audience.
Indeed, this dynamic interplay invites viewers to form their own interpretations, thereby participating in the creative process. The shift from narrative clarity to abstraction and conceptual ambiguity in art is indicative of an ongoing redefinition of the spectator's role from a passive observer to an active participant within the artwork's context.