The Postmodern Aesthetic

The Postmodern Aesthetic

In art, the specific traits of modernism which are cited are generally formal purity, art for art's sake, the possibility of authenticity in art, the importance or even possibility of universal truth in art, and the importance of an avant-garde and originality. This last point is one of particular controversy in art, where many institutions argue that being visionary, forward looking, cutting edge and progressive are crucial to the mission of art in the present, and that postmodern therefore, represents a contradiction of the value of "art of our times".

(Taken from http://www.wikipedia.com)

Postmodern Reactions to Modernism: A rejection of the authority of the metanarrative
Marked by a belief that all positions are unstable, and all truth is relative.

- Eradication of boundaries between high and low art
- Use of Bricolage and Fragmentation
- Blurring of genres
- Intertextuality
- Self-referentiality, especially with regard to the past
- Increased importance on popular culture,

Other artistic movements relevant to postmodernism:

dadaism
protested against the contemporary academic and cultured values of art.
ignored aesthetics and strove to have no meaning

its interpretation is dependent entirely on the viewer

Eventually (and ironically) influenced later movements in art such as surrealism and pop art

(sidenote: according to dadaism, dadaism really shouldnt be called "dadaism")

surrealism
a cultural movement that began in the mid-1920s
works feature the element of surprise, unexpected juxtapositions and non-sequitor

minimalism

in part a reaction to the perceived inaccessibility and sterility of modernist classical music

*madeleine will tell you more!!*