Week 2 Post-modernism

1. Define Post-Modernism using 8-10 bullet points that include short quotes.

• Postmodernism is difficult to define, because to define it would violate the postmodernist's premise that no definite terms, boundaries, or absolute truths exist
• Postmodernism started in the 70s and was the failure of modernism 
• “New age of thinking”- work on your own opinion, what we see is equal to what other people see
• The distinction between art and the consumer product became blurred
• ‘Post’ is latin for after and ‘modernism’ refers to the modern period 
• In postmodernism one has left the idea of a grand narrative- society is more fragmented 
• No unified theory guiding society 
• Many prefer to live under a global, non-political government without tribal or national boundaries and one that is sensitive to the socioeconomic equality for all people Postmodernists are typically atheistic or agnostic while some prefer to follow eastern religion thoughts and practices. Many are naturalist including humanitarians, environmentalists, and philosophers

http://www.allaboutphilosophy.org/postmodernism.htm

http://www.e-rudite.net/postmodernism.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Postmodernism

http://faculty.etsu.edu/odonnell/2009fall/engl3130/studentessays/popart_files/image017.jpg

Notes from Gabriel’s ALVC class

ALVC book 

2. Use a quote by Witcombe (2000) to define the Post-Modern artist.

‘The post–modern artist is ‘reflexive’ in that he or she is self–aware and consciously involved in a process of thinking about his or her cultural self in history, in demasking his or her own pretensions, and promoting processes of self–consciousness.’

       -Copyright © (text only) — Christopher L. C. E. Witcombe — This essay appeared originally in What is Art?...What is an     Artist? (1997) http://arthistoryresources.net/modernism/modpostmod.html 

3. Use the grid on pages 42 and 43 to summarize the list of the features of Post-

Modernity.

To summarize postmodernity artists have adopted new forms of how they view and make their work. From the grid it shows that postmodernity, in my understanding shows that artists play with ideas surrounding irony for maybe a humorous effect but in the depth of the work, there is a serious meaning behind the work. Artists have taken recycled materials and chosen different mediums to create art with and society began to accept that, but not at the beginning of post-modernism. Their works show hyper-reality where you cannot distinguish reality from fantasy because they seem more powerful. The texts give the appearance of real things but actually aren’t. Artists play with the ideas around reference a text of a text where it ends up not being able to distinguish the original reference. The artists experiment with random, out-there genres that people wouldn’t dare use before this time. Artists in postmodernity stand for their rights and opinions and being able to be in an ‘open society’ and can do what they like with their art and also feel they have to right to state what is art.

http://www.jstor.org/pss/2776029

4. Research Chinese artist Ai Weiwei's 'Han Dynasty Urn with Coca-Cola logo'(1994)

in order to say what features of the work are Post-Modern.

• He is a rebel in the way he produces and shows his art from the norm like Ai dropping a 2000 year old Han Dynasty Urn, this makes you wonder about his work and why is he doing it. It take the approach in postmodernity that he is ‘challenging official seriousness’ but is actually being serious. 
• 30years or even less before this, this would not be considered art it would be discrimination. Even today people will have their own views on this artwork and Ai himself, and some people with appreciate it and some people will be disgusted with it. This is what postmodernity is about, is that the artwork produced by postmodern artist is not for everyone but creates discussion and allows people to have their own opinion 
• His art has been called ‘shock art’ which is like playing with an ‘out-there’ genre. 
• It is ‘hyper-real’ you do not know if it is actually the urn in the images its hard to believe. 
• People would question this to try and figure out if it is actually art, like Duchamp’s toilet. 
• He wants to show a different system of valuation 
• His work shows ‘intertextuality’ in the way that he uses readymades such as this ancient, Han Dynasty urn as a base to display the ‘Coco Cola‘ famous logo on it, this shows references that we recognize that reference something else.  
• He plays with the idea of ‘irony’ when he uses this urn, which has an ancient past that people would normally keep and value, by substituting it with another value when he puts it in a museum glass pane. ‘Reinstalling value but replacing historical significance with a newer cultural one.’ http://dailyserving.com/2010/07/ai-weiwei-dropping-the-urn/ 
• it shows popular culture on the ‘Coco-cola’ popular logo on the urn which also talks about the ancient urn and it is a big contrast of the two, which shows ‘hybridity’

 Ai Weiwei dropping a Han Dynast Urn.

'Han Dynasty Urn with Coca-Cola logo'(1994), Ai Weiwei

http://phillipsartexpert.com/forums/7/580/

http://www.arthurimiller.com/journalism/the-worlds-of-ai-weiwei/

http://artpulsemagazine.com/the-future-of-china-ma-jun/

http://truthinart.wordpress.com/2008/11/04/ai-weiwei-han-dynasty-urn-shattered-symbolism/

 5. Research British artist Banksy's street art, and analyze the following two works by the artist

to discuss how each work can be defined at Post-Modern.(Use your list from point 6.)

• Banksy’s work shows a lot of irony mainly 
• He uses stencils to make statements 
• “This painting is a call for peace. The man holding the flowers is militant like. Banksy flower thrower calls for an end to the atrocities committed in this world in the name of war. The flowers here are carriers of peace and when thrown they will scatter and bring peace. This is the basic idea behind the painting.” http://ricochet.com/member-feed/When-Art-Does-not-Imitate-Life-The-Rise-and-Fall-of-Banksy 
• in an article about the Banksy book it proves that Banksy’s work ‘challenges official seriousness’ and shows ‘irony’ ‘provoke an immediate smile before the brain thinks about the messages behind them, or reads the accompanying words.’ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/1528685.stmideo2mp3.net/ 
• This work that he has is so famous because it has a lot of power and a big message to it that shocked and got the world thinking, this shows that his work is just as good and successful as painterly works from past times, therefore his work is ‘equivalent’ to other works from the past 
• He plays with surfaces, because he does not just stencil on walls of buildings (mainly he does) but on nature and things messing with nature. 

Los Angeles (2008), Banksy

 'Flower Riot', Banksy

http://theworldsbestever.com/2008/02/new_banksy_pieces_surface_in_l.php

http://www.banksy.co.uk/newoutdoors/index1.html#