Postmodernism

The term, Postmodernism, refers to art, literature, politics, social philosophy and other aspects of contemporary society. The American Heritage Dictionary defines postmodernism: “Of or relating to art, architecture, or literature that reacts against earlier modernist principles, as by reintroducing traditional or classical elements of style or by carrying modernist styles or practices to extremes.”

Postmodernism often refers to art in which the defining line between painting and sculpture is often blurred. These artists adopt, borrow, steal, recycle and sample from earlier modern and classical works. They combine or alter these images to create new, contemporary pieces. They also work with and combine artistic, scientific, technological, media and digital/Internet tools.

While postmodernism and postmodern art have been around for only 50 years, before then, creative people lived and worked according to their principles.  Two historical artists, Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) and Louis Daguerre (1787-1851), could be called postmodernists. Da Vinci was a writer, architect, painter, sculptor, botanist, engineer, mathematician, musician, city planner, set designer and philosopher. Daguerre was an artist and scientist, known for the invention of the daguerreotype process of photography, an architect, theater designer, panoramic painter and inventor of the Diorama.

Steve Furman, creator of the blog, expedientmeans.com, is a contemporary postmodernist. He explains, “My serious interests in art, society, media and technology led me naturally to the web… I write observations about this rapid convergence and invite comments...this weblog...is a useful framework for explaining complex designs and interactions, as well as helping one understand human behavior."

He says in his blog, “I have become a postmodernist without even knowing it… Postmodernists look at modernism and say, ‘There is something missing. This could be done more effectively.’ A postmodernist recycles, borrows, decompiles and rebuilds classic modern executions into a postmodern construct that can be more easily understood and consumed. We are obsessed with organizing knowledge and putting it to use in the most functional way possible. Postmodernists posit that knowledge should be used for doing, not just knowing.”

An article appearing recently in The Examiner by Jim Benz, says, “Ideally, postmodern art explores subjective, daily life by whatever criteria, material, or method the artist deems effective. Frequently, the material might not exist entirely within the art work itself, but instead be composed of the social forces from which the work takes its context, including the role of the viewer, the museum or gallery, the means of production, or the specific site of display.”

Postmodern art is breaking new ground while mirroring and organizing our confusing and evolving world. Looking at contemporary art and postmodernism often requires viewers to see beyond their normal perspectives, to find new paradigms and to expand their understanding of the larger world.

Jim Benz adds in his Examiner piece, “Modernism celebrates the ability of the artist to create profound, timeless meanings via the art work.  Postmodernism works with meanings which arise not only from the artist but also from the milieu of cultural influences embodied within the viewer, through whom meaning is in a continual process of re-creation.”