Final answer:
The album became an artistic form that coincided with avant-garde movements in art, embodying modernism, abstraction, and a challenge to aesthetic norms.
Step-by-step explanation:
The concept of an album as a self-contained artistic statement became prevalent during the period when avant-garde artists pursued abstraction, embraced modernism, and challenged traditional aesthetic standards.
By the early 1960s, Pop artists were shaking the foundations of modern painting with clearly defined images of popular culture in a departure from abstraction. This redefined the art form as an entity that could engage directly with contemporary life and mass culture.
Artists further expanded the boundaries by using a diverse set of materials and media, from found objects to videos and extensive installations. This era saw art as more than a skill—it was a form of personal and philosophical expression.
Art began to emphasize the importance of the viewer's interpretation, effectively inviting the audience to participate in the creative process, thus shifting the nature of what constituted valuable and accepted artwork.
Performance art and dematerialized formats such as Earthworks and Conceptual Art emerged, emphasizing the artist's actions and experiences over the creation of traditional, commodifiable objects.
Simultaneously, the rise of photography and video allowed for documentation and distribution, solidifying these forms as new mediums of artistic expression.