| The term, Postmodernism, refers to art, literature, | | | | behavior." |
| politics, social philosophy and other aspects of | | | | He says in his blog, “I have become a |
| contemporary society. The American Heritage | | | | postmodernist without even knowing it… |
| Dictionary defines postmodernism: “Of or relating to | | | | Postmodernists look at modernism and say, ‘There |
| art, architecture, or literature that reacts against earlier | | | | is something missing. This could be done more |
| modernist principles, as by reintroducing traditional or | | | | effectively.’ A postmodernist recycles, borrows, |
| classical elements of style or by carrying modernist | | | | decompiles and rebuilds classic modern executions into |
| styles or practices to extremes.” | | | | a postmodern construct that can be more easily |
| Postmodernism often refers to art in which the defining | | | | understood and consumed. We are obsessed with |
| line between painting and sculpture is often blurred. | | | | organizing knowledge and putting it to use in the most |
| These artists adopt, borrow, steal, recycle and sample | | | | functional way possible. Postmodernists posit that |
| from earlier modern and classical works. They | | | | knowledge should be used for doing, not just |
| combine or alter these images to create new, | | | | knowing.” |
| contemporary pieces. They also work with and | | | | An article appearing recently in The Examiner by Jim |
| combine artistic, scientific, technological, media and | | | | Benz, says, “Ideally, postmodern art explores |
| digital/Internet tools. | | | | subjective, daily life by whatever criteria, material, or |
| While postmodernism and postmodern art have been | | | | method the artist deems effective. Frequently, the |
| around for only 50 years, before then, creative people | | | | material might not exist entirely within the art work |
| lived and worked according to their principles. Two | | | | itself, but instead be composed of the social forces |
| historical artists, Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) and | | | | from which the work takes its context, including the |
| Louis Daguerre (1787-1851), could be called | | | | role of the viewer, the museum or gallery, the means |
| postmodernists. Da Vinci was a writer, architect, | | | | of production, or the specific site of display.” |
| painter, sculptor, botanist, engineer, mathematician, | | | | Postmodern art is breaking new ground while mirroring |
| musician, city planner, set designer and philosopher. | | | | and organizing our confusing and evolving world. |
| Daguerre was an artist and scientist, known for the | | | | Looking at contemporary art and postmodernism often |
| invention of the daguerreotype process of | | | | requires viewers to see beyond their normal |
| photography, an architect, theater designer, panoramic | | | | perspectives, to find new paradigms and to expand |
| painter and inventor of the Diorama. | | | | their understanding of the larger world. |
| Steve Furman, creator of the blog, | | | | Jim Benz adds in his Examiner piece, “Modernism |
| expedientmeans.com, is a contemporary | | | | celebrates the ability of the artist to create profound, |
| postmodernist. He explains, “My serious interests in | | | | timeless meanings via the art work. Postmodernism |
| art, society, media and technology led me naturally to | | | | works with meanings which arise not only from the |
| the web… I write observations about this rapid | | | | artist but also from the milieu of cultural influences |
| convergence and invite comments...this weblog...is a | | | | embodied within the viewer, through whom meaning is |
| useful framework for explaining complex designs and | | | | in a continual process of re-creation. |
| interactions, as well as helping one understand human | | | | |