Modernism was a movement that included many artistic developments such as surrealism, Dadaism, etc, which sought to capture the new experiences and values of industrialization and rejected traditional forms and their limitations. The Modernist approach looked at the future with an optimistic outlook. It was during this time that individuals began to emphasize abstraction and geometric forms. This time was marked by drastic changes because “from the end of the 19th century to the first half of the 20th, revolution was on everyone’s mind, including artists”(Guerrilla Girls 59). An important circumstance that enabled women to participate in this period of change was the fact that by the 20th century, women won the right the vote and secured more freedom that allowed them to explore new areas such as art. The Modernist movement became a period of innovative and abstract fashion designs because this type of fashion signified a modern way of thinking. Women greatly influenced this movement when they began to create new fashion and exhibit it, “Women functioned both as producers of this new visual culture and as the signifiers of its meaning” (Chadwick 252). Modernists wanted to break free from traditional viewpoints and desired to create their own representation and one of the mediums through which they could do this, was women’s fashion. Fashion expresses change so blatantly that it became a tangible, visual depiction of breaking away from tradition. In addition, artists like Sonia Delaunay provided inspiration for many movements in modernism, as she experimented with different forms and colors that created artwork that seemed to exhibit movement. Dadaists actually were very inspired by Sonia because they saw that her artwork “communicate[d] the vitality of modern life” and reinforced the idea that “Immobility is dead and this is the reign of movement” (Chadwick 272,274).
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| Sonia Delaunay Electric Prisms (1914) shows the movement present in her artwork that was admired by Dadaists. |
Not only were women creators of revolutionary art, but they were also in charge of the image they wanted women to have. This created a wave of feminism because women were no longer just subjects of the male gaze, they were finally in control of their own movements; an idea illustrated in Suzanne Valadon's Grandmother and Young Girl Stepping into the Bath.
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| Suzanne Valadon, "Grandmother and Young Girl Stepping into the Bath, highlights women existing exclusively for themselves. |
For instance, the artist, Hannah Hoch created photomontages of what the “new woman” was supposed to look like, “the German media’s glorification of the independent, modern female, free to smoke, wear sexy clothes, vote and work…” (Guerilla Girls 66-67). The female body became equivalent to modernity, just like the fashion being displayed on them. Furthermore, perhaps one of the most important movements for women was Surrealism because it attracted so many women due to its liberating nature. Surrealism did not have requirements like other movements, education and personal experiences in society were not needed to create artwork. The only thing that was needed was the power of one’s mind, most importantly one’s subconscious. Women were able to create creative illustrations of the female body that were not dominated by male ideals.
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| Leonora Carrington's "Self Portrait" shows a unique power of the subconscious. |
In the late 20th century, Postmodernism emerged and this movement is often coupled with modernism because while they do have certain topics in common, they also serve to exhibit each other’s differences. Postmodernism rejected the ideas of modernism and consisted of the “breaking down of the unified traditions of Modernism”(Chadwick 380). As stated, in the article, “What is Postmodernist Art?”, the objective of Postmodernism was to show that "art is something "special" which should be "elevated from" popular taste”, and this desire to be something experimental and expressive, led to the development of new mediums. It was during this movement that conceptual art, performance art and installation art were created. The use of new technology allowed different forms of expression and exhibited the idea that all art forms are equally valid and that art can be made by any individual and out of anything. Whereas, modernism portrayed different levels of art, painting being the most valued. One theme both movements had in common was their push for feminism. However, even though modernism enabled women to make tremendous progress, male artists still continued to be labeled as the geniuses. Postmodernist artists utilized novel forms of technology such as video, or live performances so that their messages were more accessible to the public. Artists tackled issues such as combating the notion that sexuality and gender are fixed, the double standards and efficiently introduced the the concept of the female gaze. Barbara Kruger is essential to the Postmodernist movement as she introduced a very innovative and peculiar type of artwork. Barbara Kruger reused photographs she found in magazines and such and created distinctive collages that exhibited the found photographs in the background with blunt, aggressive phrases with impacting red and white fonts in the forefront. Her artwork engages and challenges anyone who views it, as she forces them to examine stereotypes and troubling behaviors in society such as consumerism.
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| Barbara Kruger and her captivating slogans |
An incredibly important postmodernist artist was Marina Abramovic because she created an art piece unlike any other called “Rhythm 0”. It involved an interactive performance with her audience, where she laid out objects such as feathers or knives that respectively belonged to the pain or pleasure category. She then told her audience, they could do whatever they wanted to her. This piece shed light on the nature of humanity and how distinct people can be. This performance took a dangerous turn as people became increasingly aggressive towards Marina and others actually had to protect her from harm. Her performance showed how humanity can be divided into specific categories, for instance in this case, there were the protectors, who felt compassion for Marina and the aggressors, who wanted to take advantage of the situation.
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| Marina Abramovic, "Rhythm 0" an the dangers of her performance. https://partiallyexaminedlife.com/2016/10/04/rhythm-0-marina-abramovic-and-freudian-ambivalence/ |
Postmodernism was a more entertaining form of art that completely discarded any traditional values and focused more on the individualist stories that emphasized the complexity of of human beings.
Works Cited
The Guerilla Girls, The Guerrilla Girls' Bedside Companion to the History of Western Art. Penguin Books, 2006.
“Postmodernist Art Definition, Characteristics, History.” American Gothic, Grant Wood: Analysis, www.visual-arts-cork.com/postmodernism.htm.
“Marina Abramovic (B.1946).” American Gothic, Grant Wood: Analysis, www.visual-arts-cork.com/famous-artists/marina-abramovic.htm.
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