Lecture 11: Chronologies 9: Postmodernism

• Postmodernism began from the 1960s to today (Though some critics state that the movement has  ended and that we enter a phase of Post-Postmodernism)
• Postmodernism is a reaction to the rules of modernism
• It started out as a critique of the International Style (Robert Venturi's "Learning from Las Vegas", 1972, Ideas developed by Charles Jencks, 1977)
• The only rule is that there are no rules
• It celebrates what might otherwise be termed kitsch (Cheap, nasty, tacky)
•  If Modernism = Simplified aesthetic, utopian ideals, truth to materials, forms follows function
• Then Postmodernism = Complexity, chaos, bricolage (Mixing up of styles and materials), Parody, pastiche and irony
• It has an attitude of questioning conventions
• Its aesthetic = multiplicity of styles and approaches
• Theme of 'double coding', borrowing, or 'quoting' form a number of historical styles
• Knowing juxtapositions, or 'postmodernist irony'
• Questioning old limitations
• Space for marginalized discourse (Women, sexual diversity and multiculturalism)
• "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." ~ Robert Venturi
• Pompidu Centre, garish colors, looks like a construction site, a bit of an eye sore, interesting to note is that it is placed so near to Notra Dame, a heritage of France
• James Stirling, a really important figure of Postmodernism, Neue Staatsgalerie, while following Postmodernism features such as the usage of overly bright colors, plays with some more traditional designs, has a sense of humor
• Taking the functionality of a kettle and turning it into a postmodern piece of art (Same features, but more expensive)
• Juicy Salif is unnecessarily expensive for a juicer (It is simply its peculiar sci-fi-ish design that makes it so specially priced), pretty much, if you got money to spend and wish to show how stylish you were at the time, only you would purchase it
• Roy Lichenstein's "Drowning Girl" replicates the comic style deliberately, the attention to detail is massive
• "Michael Jackson and Bubbles" was a tasteless parody of porcelain figurines, obviously making a commentary about the late musician
• "Mother and Child Divided" by Damien Hirst, possibly comments on the painting of the Madonna and child, about how a mother loses her child
• "Everyone I have ever slept with" by Tracey Emin, provokes what people first see, especially of a female artist
• "My Bed" represents the breaking down of relationships, an autobiographical piece of are
• "Au Naturel" pushes the boundaries of what female artists were able to draw at the time
• One of the first black artists to be successful in britain, Chris Ofili, represents the black society and culture, "No Woman" portrays a murder case that took place around the time where a young teenager was murdered, it was apparently also a shocker to the media to see the Virgin Mary as black
• Is Chris Ofili making a serious comment about society or just undermining it?
• Postmodernism challenges conventions, David Carson's layout work was never meant to be legible, but more aesthetically stylish and pleasing
• Bonhams makes a parody of a parody, with the Tesco soup can parodying Andy Warhol's Campbell soup can
• And his Kate Moss parodying the Marilyn Monroe
• In conclusion, the Postmodern attitude questions conventions
• It isa shift in thought and theory investigating 'crises in confidence'
• It is a space for new voices