Postmodernism Lecture Notes

Lecture Notes- Postmodernism

Postmodern is...

• A response to WW and is about progress & improving peoples life.
• Reaction against modernism
• Acceptance of many styles
• 1960-Today (Although some critics say we have exited postmodernism and entered post-   postmodernism).
• Born out of modernism

Building 1928-1929

Postmodernism- reaction to these rules starts a critique on International style from Europe & across the world.

Its celebrates kitsch which means bad taste, but in a sense where its purposeful.

Postmodernism involves:

• Complexity
• Chaos
• Briocolage
• Pastiche(coping, replication of style in less quality) & Irony

Postmodernism

• has an attitude of questing conventions aesthetically- multiplicity of styles & approaches
• Questioning old limitations
• Borrows from a number of styles
• Postmodernism irony
• Space for women in art & design, which shows marginalised inequality
• Relies on Art & Design

Le Courbusier - Church North East France

Brick & concrete construction deliberately gone against modernism to bring in arts & crafts.

Robert Venturi:   

 ‘I like elements which are hybrid rather than “pure”, compromising rather than “clean”, distorted rather than “straight-forward”, ambiguous rather than “articulated”, perverse as well as impersonal….’

Everything goes against modernism.

Las Vegas

All done in tacky kitsch way, although not cheap to build. The kitsch style is deliberately done due to them not been at the real disney castle, china world etc.... Its a replica of the real world out side of America. 73% of Americans don't have passports and therefore dont travel outside of America and only way they see the outside.

Ron Herron/Archigram, Walking City in New York, 1964

This piece questions modernism- functionality on the outside. Its very contemporary with punk movement.

Michael Craves- Kettle

Term of postmodern takes away the functionality. The style is more of to show who you are & how much joey you have.

Phillipe Stark

This item was recalled due to the only function of lemons has corroded the metal due to the acid. Which therefore explains the main reason for this stylish piece is for the look only and not for function.

Hussein Chalayan

Claims responce to civil war. Starts off been a chair and table then transforms into a skirt which draws attention to what do you do with your possessions when you have to run away during the world war.

Andy Warhol - Pop Art

This was created in the period post to the war when teenager consumerism was a very large part of the industry. This piece of art celebrates every day through the use of soup can.

Jeff Koons-Michael Jackson

The designer knows this is kitsch its not presented as a lovely piece of art it connotes cheapness & popular culture. They look like the figures that you can buy in a magazine and pay so much each week.

Tracey Emin

My Bed- breaking the rules of fine art, she says its an autobiographical piece of when she broke up with her partner.

Chris Ofilli

Chris is an black artist which paints showing his black roots representing black culture in fine art and how they believe the whites perceive the black.

Herbert Krone

This is a advertisement for volkswagen which sums up highly functional and lets you know what you need to know, straight to the point.

David Carson

The functionalism is very poor to match the legibility of this piece due to you struggling to read in scale. It promotes the grunge lifestyle of bands. Its a magazine that you have on your coffee table to show how cool you are rather than a good read, also the contents is a couple of page in.

Barbara Kruger

Barbara is a postmodern & feminist artist, like Tracey Emin. It voices a women's voice in a world dominated by men. Its a very fine line between a piece of fine art or a piece of graphic design. Her work is sponsored by Selfridges or making of a cynical statement.

Rachel Whitehouse

This piece is a cement cast of the inside of a house. Its a serious social statement, and represents the houses that got knocked down in the place of the piece of art so has a place for the people who lived there to rem inis on their memories.

Summary

Postmodernism- attitudes of questioning conventions.

Postmodernism aesthetic- multiplicity of styles & approaches

Shifts thought & theory investigating crisis & confidence.