Post-modernity

This article is my research on Postmodernism. I’ve researched into the cause of this movement, its characteristic and its impact in the art scene. I’m interested in how Postmodernist sees the objective world, the theme in their art and the role of artist in the Post-modern world.


What is Post-modernism?

Technically, it is hard to define what Post-modernism is. Even some of the leading Post-modernist refused to define this “movement”. Art historian E.H. Gombrich refers it as “an altered mood” rather than of a new style. Post-modernist suggest a polytrophic or pluralist world and denied the possibilities of canonization and rationalism. And because this, historian, scholar and art-critic found it hard to give a “proper” definition to this movement. But no matter how, we can still conclude some of the characteristic of this “movement” and its influence through observing the phenomenon.


Through my research, we need to deal with Post-modernism from Epistemology. During pre-modern period, what shape the world are Religious doctrine, faith and metaphysic theories. Right after the pre-modern age, humanism reaching its climax, people raise high rationalism. Knowledge is power. Post-modernism come after modernism after two world wars. In the Post-modernism age, media, technology and information play the major role in shaping the world that we are living in. Walter Truett Anderson (Albert Mohler in Dockery, 2001:56) used an analogy to describe these three periods:


· The Pre-modern perspective suggests that: “There’s ball and there’s strikes, and I call’em the way they are.”
· The Modern perspective suggests that: “I call’em the way I see’em”
· The Post-modern perspective suggests that: “They ain’t nothin’ until I call’em.”


The term Postmodernism was introduced into the discussion in 1975 by Charles Jencks, a young architect who was tired of the doctrine of functionalism. But the seed of this “movement” actually was planted much earlier. Postmodernism was started during somewhere around 1930 after the first World-war. It took about twenty to thirty years of cultivation before it reached the border line of main stream philosophy. During the 60s, it attracted some of the radical artist, writer, philosopher and architect. During the 70s, Postmodernism starts to influence the culture and art from all aspect. It’s only until the 80s, Postmodernism has become a main-stream cultural movement.


Some characteristic of Post-modernism

After my research, I found that characteristics of Postmodernism include:
· De-canonization/ Anti-rationalism/ De-construction
Post-modernist suggest a “rule-less” world and denied the progressive improvement we’ve achieved after Renaissance, the enlightenment period, the industrial revolution, and the modernity.


· Anti-form
Post-modernist denied any art form, they triumphant indeterminacy. Post-modern art are formless, rule-less, often montage and free.


· Depth-less-mess
Against grand/ Meta narrative. Consumerism becomes the leading culture of society. VCD, TV, internet and advertisement in replace of books, music and art, becoming the main-stream mass media. Popular culture blurs the line in between “high-art” and “low-art”.


· Anti-humanism
Post-modernist anti humanism and denied the value of human being. Some artists through self destroy express their thought of art.


Post-modern art scene

I’ve also research into the art scene during the Post-modern age. Some of the significant phenomenons are:


· The way of seeing
If classical artists were showing to the audience the objective world they see, then the Modernist has given the world another new way of seeing. A more direct, self-expressive and emotional approach we can see in their art piece. What they present is not so much the correct representation but they would exaggerate and even change the appearance of things if this suited their aim. Post-modernist denied the viewing experience of tradition. For them, direct instinct is more important than rationality, de-construction is more important than form and structure. They gave up Logos and meta-narrative, chase after impromptu emotion and immediacy.


· Figurative art in Post-modernism
Human are often appeared to be “expression-less”, “spirit-less” or in morbid, Schizophrenia state in Post-modern figurative art. Artists been released after the Sexual revolution. Sex, sex organs, homosexual are some of the main theme of some Post-modern painter. They focused on the “condition of existence” but not “meaning of existence”.


· Post-modern media and technique
Appropriates (take), reproduction (re-make) and collage/assemblage are some of the common technique Post-modern artists use. Like what Dadaist said:“art=anti art; anti-art= neo-art; neo-art=art” and “art is everything, everything is art”, artist assemblage found object and ready make object and turn it into art piece.


· The role of artist, audience and society
In the Post-modern age, the role of artist is closer to art manufacturer or art producer than art-creator. The audience sometimes involves in the creation of art or witness the production. And in the Post-modern consumerism society, art gallery commissions the artist to produce art to fulfill the market needs. Some art creation activities have become mere business activities. Artist creation became a product for consumer to consume.


· Post-modern narration
Instead of the modernist quest for meaning in a chaotic world, the postmodern author eschews, often playfully and cynical, the possibility of meaning and the postmodern novel is often a parody of this quest. This distrust of totalizing mechanisms extends even to the author; thus postmodern writers often celebrate chance over craft and employ meta fiction to undermine the author's "univocal" control (the control of only one voice).

Conclusion

The notion of art has been extended and widened by Post-modern movement. Contemporary writer, musician, artists, illustrators and designers are always looking for alternate possibilities. If the modernist has been fled from narration, preaching and moralizing, the “commercial art” took over the job and been highly used in this pluralist world, through mass media, TV, internet, editorial and all sorts of medias. Contemporary illustration, being influenced by Post-modernism, carries various form and style and various non-traditional narration, giving us “shocking” viewing and aesthetic experiences. Like what E.H. Gombrich have said:” Our knowledge of history is always incomplete. There are always new facts to be discovered which may change our image of the past…” After all, “where is the history heading to” remained the biggest quest of historian, philosopher and artist.



Some sources I got about Post modernity and Postmodernism:

Bibliography:

Wei Zhen, Experience The Spirit of Modernism, China: Guangxi Normal University Press, 2002
A book that talk about the history of art, especially Modern Art from a China scholar and artist point of view, which give me a in-depth understanding about movement before Post modernity.

Ken Ang Lee, A Christian Perspective on Postmodernism, Malaysia:Gospel Culture Centre Bhd, 2005
This book compile systematic and critical analysis writings on how Post modernism has shape the world that we are living today.

E.H. Gombrich, The Story of Art, London: Paidon, 2006
A book that shaping my way of thinking about picture. The last chapter “A story without End” is extremely helpful. Helping me to look at Post modernity from a bird view.

Victoria Lu, The Phenomenon of Art in Postmodern Age, Taiwan: Artist Publication, 1990
This book narrows down the research area to Art. 20 timely essay which were written 20 years ago, giving me an insight view on how Post modernism has impact the art scene.

Hal Foster, The Anti-Aesthetic: Essay on Postmodern Culture, Taiwan: New Century Publishing Co., Ltd., 1998
This book widens and broadens my view about Postmodernism. Compiling articles written by 7 scholars on Consumerism, Postmodernism, Feminism and Post criticism.

The Study of Art, Book 3. Vol. 1 – Video and Trend of Thought in Postmodernism, China: Xue Lin Publishing, 2005
2 articles which I found extremely helpful, What is art?: On the Changes of the Definations of Art by Chen Xiaojuan and Destroying History and Choosing Treachery: An Analysis of Western Postmodern Art.

Internet:

Ihab Hassan, http://www.ihabhassan.com [Accessed on 10 July 08]
The very first scholar who has written/critique on Postmodernism. Relevant essay you can find in the website.