Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Title: Postmodernism
Postmodern art………………………………………………………………………....4-5
1. Andy Warhol, Pope of the pop art……………………………………………..5-6
The postmodernism movement started in America arounds 1960s -1970s and then
spread to Europe and the remainder part of the world. It is still a popular concept due to
its appeal and versatility. It was an impressive movement as it had drastic effects upon
literature, philosophy, culture, art and architecture. marking a desertion from its
antecedent, modernist movement.
While modernism was based on the concept of purity and simplicity, postmodernism
was born out of skepticism and lack of conviction. It opposed the idea that there are
universal certainties and asserted the fact that there is no absolute truth and the way
the people perceive the world is totally subjective. As stated by Kurt Vonnegut, “It is
exhausting, having to reason all the time in a universe which wasn't meant to be
reasonable.” Vonnegut, K. (1973).
It contradicted binary classifications such as male versus female, white versus black,
and imperial versus colonial. It holds realities to be plural, relative, and subject to who
the interested individuals are and the nature of their interests.
It also had a deep influence on the concepts of race and ethnicity. A great deal of art
during this era sought to redefine race, arguing that race is not based in any biological
reality but is instead a socially constructed category.
Postmodernist ideas could be found in a number of creative fields that merged the
boundaries between them, including: literature, visual arts, graphic arts, industrial
design, theater and dance.
Anti-authoritarian by nature, postmodernist art rejected the dominance of any single
style or definition of what art should be like, (Tate, 2019). “It refuted Modernist
preoccupation with purity of form.” ,(Desmond, 2011, P.148). It crumbled the
distinction between high culture and mass or mainstream culture, between art and
everyday life. Because postmodernism broke the shackles of singularity in style, it
introduced a new beginning of freedom and a sense that “everything is acceptable”.
Vana House by Robert Venturi is one of the most iconic buildings of the post-modernist
movement.
Robert Venturi designed the Vana Venturi House, while he was working on his famous
post-modernist book “Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture.” A description
of the Vanna house is present in the book and the house is viewed as a realization of
the ideas represented in the book. He states:
The house was constructed with intentional formal architectural, historical and aesthetic
contradictions. Venturi has compared the iconic front facade to "a child's drawing of a
house." (Venturi, R. 1996, P.109) Yet he has also written, "This building recognizes
complexities and contradictions: it is both complex and simple, open and closed,
big and little; some of its elements are good on one level and bad on another its
order accommodates the generic elements and of the house in general, and the
circumstantial elements of a house in particular." Venturi, R. (1966, P. 118).
Italian architect Aldo Rossi credited the building with having "liberated architecture in
America and elsewhere", while fellow American architect Peter Eisenman described it
as "the first American building to propose an ideological break with Modern
abstraction at the same time that it is rooted in this tradition."
The Bank of America Center was designed by postmodernist architect Philp Johnson
and his partner Burgee. Philp Johnson was a staunch supporter of postmodernism. The
bank of American Center is considered as one of the first prominent example of post
modernistic architecture in Houston, Texas.
The Bank of America Center by Philp Johnson
The Bank of America Center is a 56 story tall building. The building is adorned with
rough red granite texture which gives it a unique look. The building is divided into three
segments, giving the appearance of three adjoining towers. The distinctive stair-stepped
tower top helps define the skyline of downtown Houston and its creative façade of red
granite help make it one of the city’s most distinguishable buildings. Post modernistic
features of the building include the rich color and distinctive form of the building. The
luxuriant stone cladding and zigzag form make the building standout. The design of
Bank of America Center showcases a fusion of past and present. The building is
reminiscent of Dutch Gothic architecture of canal houses in The Netherlands.
Architectural concepts have been borrowed from 17th century Dutch Renaissance
architecture and applied in contemporary context.
The tower has a steeply pitched gable roofline that is topped off with spires. The
sculpted obelisk made from lead and coated copper, raise from every roof level creating
a unique and dramatic façade of the building. The obelisks appear small in size but are
eight feet tall on gable ends with topmost finials a crowning 12 feet high. In all the
building is topped with 86 obelisks. (Degetau, G. 2015)
Postmodern Art
Postmodern art rejected the Modern art’s emotional and spiritual detachment from
society. It aimed to eliminate the boundaries between art, mainstream culture and the
media. Postmodern art was a reaction against modernist art. Postmodern art departs
from modern art in not advocating singular ideology. (Desmond, 2011, P.148).
Postmodern art movement comprised of many different art styles which included Pop
art, installation art, Performance art, Conceptual art etc.
Pop art is postmodern as it has created a new vision of art which is original and new as
well as combining high art with low art.
Andy Warhol was an American artist who was the pioneer of the pop art. His art work
includes paintings of iconic American objects such as dollar bills, mushroom clouds,
electric chairs, Campbell’s Soup Cans, Coca-Cola bottles and celebrated personalities
such as Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, Marlon Brando, Troy Donahue, Muhammad Ali,
and Elizabeth Taylor. (Pdaayushi, 2019).He used bright hues in his work and used silk
screening techniques for mass production of his artworks. Marilyn Diptych (1962) is
one of his most famous works.
Diptych with the Virgin and Child Enthroned and the Crucifixion (Art Institute of
Chicago)
Marilyn Diptych 1962 Andy Warhol
The panel on the right has black and white pictures of Marilyn Monroe which gradual
effects of fading. Through the gradual effect of blurring and has tried to portray the star’s
demise. The contrast between the both panels, one printed in black and white and the
other in rich colors implies the contrast between one’s life and death. The repetition of
the image of the panels has the effect of both ratifying its impact and of neutralizing it at
the same time.
Warhol started his series of Marilyn Monroe paintings after the sudden and unexpected
demise of the star. He believed that through repeated exposure to an image, we
become de-sensitized to it. (pdaayushi, 2019) In that sense, by repeating Marilyn
Monroe’s face, he tries to diminish our emotional response to her death. The colossal
scale of the Marilyn Diptych (more than six by nine feet) demands our attention and
declares the significance of the subject matter.
The uniqueness of the Proust chair doesn’t restrict itself to the pattern painted on it but
also extends over intricately carved curved legs and front piece.
To design the Proust chair Alessandro Mendini went to France to research Proust’s
world. Regarding his design Inspiration, he said: “I made references to Proust’s
descriptions of place and time on one hand, and the impressionist movement in
painting on the other.” (The Irish Times, 2018)
With this mash-up of historical styles, Mendini paved the way for Postmodernism in
design. Highsnobiety. (2019)
Conclusion
In conclusion, although the modernist movement emerged over 100 years ago to
spread ideas of simplicity, singularity, functionality and purity, it could not provide the
beauty and aesthetics to viewers because of similar repetitive designs. This led to it
being dismissed by the people. As a result of this, modernism was replaced with post-
modernism which departs from modern art in not advocating singular ideology and
covers the aesthetic voids in the former movement.
References
McLeod, M. (1989). Architecture and Politics in the Reagan Era: From Postmodernism to
Deconstructivism. Assemblage, (8), p.22.
Schwartz, F., Rossi, A., Scully, V. and Venturi, R. (1992). Mother's house: The evolution of
Vanna Venturi's house in Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia, Pa. New York: Rizzoli.
Keskeys, P. (2019). Architecture’s Eternal Debate: “Less Is More” vs. “Less Is a Bore” -
Architizer Journal. [online] Journal.
The Irish Times. (2018). Design Moment: Proust Armchair, 1978. [online] Available at:
https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/homes-and-property/interiors/design-moment-
proust-armchair-1978-1.3456874 [Accessed 30 Jun. 2019].