明顯的，解嚴前後之八十年代末及九十年代上半活潑的藝術現象，同社會的密切關係，已經不是使用愉悅的、民族的或西化的慣常概念，可以形容了。理論上，尋常的內部結構的圖像分析法也難以適用。
理論上的這種困境，特別在面對那些具有社會性格之藝術表現，如成長於八十年代而活躍於九十年代的吳天章、楊茂林、蘇旺伸、陸先銘、楊仁明、梅丁衍、李民中、郭振昌及郭維國等人的作品最看得出來。在形式及內容上，他們的作品完全有別於中國傳統的山水畫、民初的現代繪畫、日據時代前輩美術家、五十年代的五月東方及七十年代糾葛於現代、鄕土的文藝論戰等藝術觀點。之所以異於過去，原因來自他們的藝術訴求意識地呼應於社會脈動。
當然，台灣當代藝術是多元的，有轉化自歐美當代前衛藝術形式的，有走傳統水墨路線的等等不一而足。不可否認的，上述的社會性藝術祇是台灣當代藝術中之一部份。然而，我們所以將視點集中在這批社會性的藝術作品上，主要基於一個水平與垂直的理論衡量。我們認爲，可靠的藝術作品是因爲它同步呼應於同時期的政治轉型、社會內容與文化議題上，在時代交替之際創造出新的藝術語彙或新的藝術表現，能映射「空間」的時代精神。同時，我們也認爲，當新的藝術表現同步呼應於社會時，也必將同文化歷史裡的威權藝術觀發生扞格，展現所謂「時間」上的文化批判與歷史批判。
所以，從水平與垂直的理論角度上看，社會性藝術在台灣當代藝術裡是醒目的、傑出的，不僅是它不再走在台灣藝術長期以來詮釋歐美前衛藝術的慣性軌道上，而且也是它直接感應自當下台灣工商社會的人文情狀，完全摒除了民族主義的藝術命題。我們說，它是台灣美術發展過程中最有自覺性的藝術表現，也濃烈地最具有地域的文化特徵。
在詮釋上，我們將圍繞在吳天章、楊茂林、蘇旺伸、陸先銘、楊仁明、梅丁衍、李民中、郭振昌及郭維國等人的作品上，以之做爲台灣當代社會性藝術之取樣，也做爲台灣當代藝術精神之代表，指出他們作品之現實意識所透露的歷史意義與現代性涵意。本文將從六個角度申論之：
（一）當代台灣社會性藝術與歷史的關係。
（二）透過當代台灣社會性藝術，提出新的理論觀點。
（三）透過當代台灣社會性藝術，詮釋藝術現實化之涵意。
（四）剖析當代台灣社會性藝術與工商技術社會之關係。
（五）當代台灣社會性藝術所展示的理性精神。
（六）透過當代台灣社會性藝術，詮釋藝術世俗化之涵意。
The close relationship between the society and the lively art phenomena in Taiwan in the 80s and 90s after the cancellation of Martial Law can not be described with the usual notions of enjoyment, nationalization or westernization, Theoretically, the phenomena can neither be analyzed by the usual notion of immanent analysis.
The difficulty in giving theoretical critiques is obvious when facing those art expressions with societal characteristics, for example, works by Tien-Chang Wu, Mao-Ling Yang, Wang- Shen Su, Hsien-Ming Lu, Ding-Yan Mei, Min-Chung Li, Chen-Chang Kuo, and Wei-Kuo Kuo who grew in the 80s and have been active in the 90s. In styles and forms, their works are completely different from traditional Chinese landscape painting, modern painting in early republican era, art works of Japanese occupation era, the "Fifth Moon Tonfang" style in the 50s, and the debate between modernization and localization in the 70s. Their difference from the past lies in the call for reflecting societal changes in their works.
Contemporary art in Taiwan is surely manifold. Some transform from avant-guarde of the West; some follow the footprints of traditional Chinese art. Although art with societal characteristics is only a part of Taiwanese contemporary art, it deserves our attention based on a vertical-horizontal theory concern. We believe that a work becomes reliable as it develops simultaneously with the political changes, social phases, and cultural issues of its time. It creates its own artistic vocabulary and new expressions to reflect the "space" of contemporary spirit. We also believe that when a new art expression reflects the society, it will conflict with its contemporary mainstream art works in culture and history and thus will develop cultural and historical critiques in "time".
Therefore, from the viewpoint of this vertical-horizontal theory, works with societal characteristics is outstanding, because they not only deviate from the usual trend of interpreting Western avant-garde, but also abandon the art propositions of nationalism. Instead, they sense the pulses of this industrial and commercial society of contemporary Taiwan. Art expressions of this type show the most self-awareness during the development process of Taiwan, as well as possess the strongest cultural characteristics of the region and race.
Our discussion will focus on the works by the above mentioned artists, viewing them as a sample of art expressions with societal characteristics, as well as a representation of the spirit of Taiwanese contemporary art, This paper points out the historical and modern meanings of the real conscience in their works.
