Modernism vs. Postmodernism

Modernism was a movement within society and culture adopted from the early decades of the twentieth century that overthrew any experiences or values from the past. The modernism movement sought out new innovations that would give artists a new imagery. During the late nineteenth-century artists were on the hunt for new materials and techniques that reflected their hopes for modern society. It was common for modernism to be described as the rejection of history and conservative values. Many artists also turned to experimentation in terms of shapes, lines, and colors. For instance, modern art was known as the evolution of painters, sculptors, photographers, performers, and writers who craved for a new approach. Another factor that shaped modernism was modern industrial society. This was a society driven to the use of technology to enable mass production. As mentioned by the Guerrilla Girls "In Western art, movements and "isms" appeared, one after another: impressionism, postimpressionism, fauvism, cubism, futurism, constructivism, dada-is,m. surrealism, expressionism, abstract expressionism, etc. Put them all together and what do we get? "Modernism." (Guerrilla Girls, 59). It is important to mention that the Guerrilla Girls also used marketing tactics that were considered to be the most sophisticated amongst other feminist campaigns in the past. They figured by making their advertisement appealing to the eye it would result in attracting a much larger audience. Not only did the Guerrilla Girls exemplify how impactful the feminist art movement was and but how it would later change everything.

Guerrilla Girls Poster (1989) by the Guerrilla Girls 

In Europe, many women artist were also influencing and developing new techniques during the modernism movement. Besides the fact that men were known to be superior in this industry, women artists were also known to take risks. For instance, a very popular artists by the name of Georgia O'Keefe was a great influencer of modern art. She played a pivotal role in the influence of Paul Strand's use of cropping his photographs. She was also one of the first artists to use the method of painting close-ups of unique American objects that were considered to be very detailed. O'Keefe was also known to work in series by incorporating abstraction and realism. 

Black Mesa Landscape (1930) by Georgia O'Keeffe

It should also be taken into account that women were also taken advantage of in a number of ways. For example, Sonia Terk Delaunay had her first painting show in 1908 and didn't have another until 1953. This was because her husband hogged the picture and took most of the credit for her work. However, Sonia remained resilient and used her innovative techniques to think of new ideas that could have a larger affect on the entire world. It is mentioned in the text that "Her work pushed the envelope between art and life" (Guerrilla Girls, 61). Regardless of her expectations to be a housewife, Sonia never lost sight of her passion for art. She knew exactly what she was capable of and how she could one day impact the world with her techniques. 

Detail of Yellow Nude (1908) by Sonia Terk Delaunay

Prismes Electriques (1914) by Sonia Terk Delaunay 

Some important circumstances that aided these women to apply techniques of design and craft in these new approaches to art were mainly because of their distinct qualities. It was obvious that men and women during this time had very different approaches. While men preferred to take the safer route, women were not afraid to steer in a different direction. Whether it was in their element or completely out of it, they felt confident enough to innovate new ideas.

On the other hand, postmodernism can be seen as the reaction to ideas and values during modernism. Following modernism's dominance in cultural theory and practice the term can be associated with skepticism, irony, and philosophical critiques of the truths and objectives of reality. Around the late twentieth century postmodernism was known to emphasize on pluralism. This was the inclusion of individuals that differed by ethnicity, gender, and ideology. It is mentioned by Chadwick that "Postmodernism is associated with the deconstruction of the idea, 'I am the artistic genius, and you need me'". Postmodernism has abandoned the unified traditions of Modernism"(Chadwick, 380). In addition, Chadwick continues to explain how postmodernism focuses in on the existing styles rather than recreating new ones. He also adds how imagery is often captured by the essence of mass media, or popular culture. Not only have we witnessed this this firsthand but also through other works of art. For example, in conceptual art, performance art, technology, and the list goes on. Postmodernism also  allowed female artists to depict the female body in whichever way they felt necessary. As you may know female body parts are tend to be viewed by men from a sexual viewpoint. Otherwise, known as the "male gaze". To quickly summarize the "male gaze" it is defined as the act of depicting women from a masculine or heterosexual perspective that represents women as sexual objects for the pleasure of men. Chadwick also mentions Cindy Sherman a widely recognized and influential artist in contemporary art. Sherman is known best for her photography that reveals the most debatable topic of gender in the art industry. This debate was fixed by female sexuality being sexualized without the male gaze. Chadwick mentions "Many of them were drawn from the 1950s and 1960s; their use enabled her to act out the psychoanalytic notion of femininity as a masquerade- that is, as a representation of the masculine desire to fix the woman in a stable and stabilizing identity” (Chadwick 383). 

Untitled Film (1979) by Cindy Sherman 

This image represented the stereotype of a working-class house wife from the 1950's cinema. It is noted that Sherman's photographs allowed others to view women as anything other than a sexual object. Women artists have also been nothing less of an enormous contribution to postmodernism. 

Works Cited: 

Chadwick, Whitney. Women, Art, and Society. Londres: Thames & Hudson, 2012. Print.

The Guerrilla Girls' Bedside Companion to the History of Western Art. Penguin Books, 2006. Print. 

Links: 

https://www.marxists.org/subject/women/authors/benhabib-seyla/uneasy-alliance.htm
https://muse.jhu.edu/article/365187