John Cage

Working during the heyday of Abstract Expressionism, John Cage honed his skills in the midst of the growing American avant  garde. Neither a painter or a sculptor, Cage is best known for revolutionizing modern music through his incorporation of unconventional instrumentation and the idea of environmental music dictated by chance. His approach to composition was deeply influenced by Asian philosophies, focusing on the harmony that exists in nature, as well as elements of chance. Cage is famous not only for his radical works, like 4’33”  (1952), in which the ambient noise of the recital hall created the  music, but also for his innovative collaborations with artists like Merce Cunningham and Robert Rauschenberg. These partnerships helped break down the divisions between the various  realms of art production, such as music, performance, painting, and dance, allowing for new interdisciplinary work to be produced. Cage’s influence ushered in groundbreaking stylistic developments key to contemporary art and paved the way for the postmodern artistic inquiries, which began in the late 1960s and further challenged the established definition of fine art.

Source: theartstory.org