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Postmodern art

arts Maturity 7-9 Next article →

Postmodern art is a collection of movements that changed how we see creativity. It often reacts against the rules of modern art. Instead of looking for one single way to be "right," it embraces many different styles at once. This is sometimes called pluralism.

Taaffe - We Are Not Afraid
Taaffe - We Are Not Afraid

Artists might use humor, irony, or parody to share their ideas. They do not always try to show progress or move toward a single goal. Instead, they might use a wide palette of styles to express themselves. This makes the art feel very diverse and full of life.

There are many ways that artists create postmodern works. One way is through bricolage, which means putting different things together to make something new.

WeinerText
WeinerText

Artists also use collage, where they take pieces of images and join them. Some use text as the most important part of the art. Others use installation art, which is art made for a specific space. You might even see multimedia art that uses video or new technology.

Schneemann-Interior Scroll
Schneemann-Interior Scroll

Performance art is another way, where the artist's own actions become the work.

This era grew out of the modern art movements that came before it. Some people believe these movements started around 1914 in Europe. In America, others suggest the shift happened around 1962 or 1968.

BOtv2002
BOtv2002

The term "postmodern" became very common by the early to mid-1980s. Some experts say the period ended near the end of the 1980s. This happened as artists began to focus more on globalization and new media. It is a time of big changes in how we think about art.

Many thinkers and artists have shaped these ideas. A philosopher named Jean-François Lyotard is a major figure in postmodern theory.

Schneemann-Interior Scroll
Schneemann-Interior Scroll

The artist Peter Halley used bright, day-glo colors influenced by Jean Baudrillard. Other important names include the critic Rosalind Krauss and the writer Fredric Jameson.

WeinerText
WeinerText

Even the artist Art Spiegelman spoke about using many different styles. These people helped explain how art can be many things at once. Their ideas help us understand why the art looks the way it does.

Postmodern art is closely linked to the idea of "contemporary art." Contemporary art is a broad term for art made in our own time.

BOtv2002
BOtv2002

Not all contemporary art is postmodern, but postmodern art is a part of it. One big thing it does is blur the lines between "high art" and "low art." High art is often what you see in fancy museums. Low art includes things from popular culture or everyday life.

Schneemann-Interior Scroll
Schneemann-Interior Scroll

By mixing these together, postmodern art makes the world of art feel more connected to everyone.

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Duchamp Fountaine.jpg
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Schneemann-Interior Scroll.gif
File:BrechtViolinSolo.jpg
BrechtViolinSolo.jpg
File:Tonysmith freeride sculpture.jpg
Tonysmith freeride sculpture.jpg
File:Spiral-jetty-from-rozel-point.png
Spiral-jetty-from-rozel-point.png
File:CHRISTOPHER WILMARTH, The Other Blue Gate, 1986-87, steel, etched glass, 20⅛ h × 12 w × 7 d in (51 × 30 × 18 cm).jpg
CHRISTOPHER WILMARTH, The Other Blue...
File:WeinerText.JPG
WeinerText.JPG
File:BOtv2002.jpg
BOtv2002.jpg
File:Taaffe - We Are Not Afraid.jpg
Taaffe - We Are Not Afraid.jpg
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