Why when people talk about the "awful art" of today they call it modern art and not contemporary art? Modern began during the 19th century. So why this continues to happen? Did something happen during the 20th century and so people confused these two types of art? Or am I wrong? (Sorry if it's not the right place to ask, new here)
I think this happens for two possible reasons:
certain "modern" art movements, like abstract expressionism, are considered "easy" or "pointless". Think of critiques of Pollock like, "my kid could do that!", or Rothko "it's just squares!". This could be where people get the idea of "awful modern art".
confusion about terminology. If you have an art history background, you may know the difference between "contemporary" and "modern", and know that "modern art" encompasses more than abstract, brutalist, etc. A lot of the general population won't be aware of this unless they have that art history background.
So in general, I think this happens because the general public lacks the art history background to understand or appreciate the difference.