Modernism
Initially born out of optimism, an aspirational reaction to World War 1, with a view to harnessing technology to improve peoples lives.
Ends up doctrinaire, almost blind obedience to rules, above all
Form follows function
Le Corbusier, Villa Sayoye, Poissy 1929
Insistence of neutrality has prevented any sort of humanity or individuality.
Modernism is associated with - Experimentation / innovation / individualism / progress / purity / originality / seriousness
The Postmodern condition is characterised by – Exhaustion / pluralism / pessimism / disillusionment with the idea of absolute knowledge.
Modernism – Expression of - Modern life / technology / new materials / communication
Postmodernism – Reaction to – Modern life / technology
Jean Tinguely ‘Homeage To New York’ – 1960
Designed to be anti aesthetic and anti modernist, made using things thrown away in the modern world. No progressive message.
Designed to blow up, Commenting on how the modern world will do the same.
1917 – German writed Rudolph Pannwitz, spoke to ‘nihilistic, amoral, postmodern men’
1960s – beginnings
1970s – established as term (Jencks)
1980s – recognisable style
1980s-90s - Dominant theoretical discourse
Today – Tired and simmering
Postmodern – uses of the term
After modernism / the historical era following the modern / contra modernism / equivalent to ‘late capiitalism’ (jameson) / artistic and stylistic eclecticism / ‘global village’ phenomena: globalization of cultural, races, images, capital, products
15th July 1972 – 3:32pm – Modernism dies, according to Charles Jencks
The demolition of the Pruitt – Igoe development, St Louis
Perfect example of modernist architecture, social housing project after the war, given to the poor. These became ghettos / slums very quickly.
It forced poor people in with criminals, became rife with crime / prostution etc
It epitomises the idea of post modernism, to simple and impersonal
Utopian idea of modernism hasn’t built the perfect world
Technological determinism – All new inventions and ideas will make the world a better place.
Internet – brings together idea of global village, but brings in many other issues, identity theft, fraud etc.
Postmodernism has an attitude of questioning conventions (especially those set out by Modernism) – Individuals,
Postmodern aesthetic = multiplicity of styles and approaches – Everyone is equal
Questioning of the values of modernism, forcing a one dimensional vision of what the world must be.
Postmodernism
A reaction to these rules
Starts as a critique of the International Style –Robert Venturi, Learning from Las Vegas, 1972 / Ideas developed by Charles Jencks 1977
Only rule is that there are no rules
Celebrates what might otherwise be termed kitsch
New York – skyscrapers follow similar rules and aesthetics, runs through the city
Park Hill Flats, Sheffield, c.1960 – Great example of monumental design, built in modernist style, designed to house everyone and build a community, aggressive aesthetically, become a slum, horrible place to live, the people who lived there have made a petition to demolish it, - Proposed regeneration by Urban Splash
AT & T Building, Phillip Johnson NYC 1982
Element of irregularity, idea of mixing the old and the new, reference to old temple on the top of the skyscraper.
Frank Gehry, Guggenhiem, Bilbao – 1997
Lots of jokes going on, less serious, modern individual
James Stirling, Neue Staatsgalerie, Stuttgart, Germany 1977 – 1983
Attack on seriousness and monumentality of the building, ideas of new and old, and the jokey
Future systems, Selfridges, Birmingham
Quinlan Terry (1992-3) – The matiland Robison Library, Cambridge
Fictionalised perfect past, reaction to modernism
J-F Lyotard – The Postmodern Condition 1979
Incredulity towards metanarratives (total belief system / old world rejected / totalising belief systems) - Result Crisis in confidence
About an undermining of the structures of the past,
Modern Movement (dominant post war)
Simplified aesthetic / utopian ideas / truth to materials
Postmodern aesthetics
Complexity / chaos
Roy Lichtenstein – ‘This must be the place’ 1965 – sarcastic comment on the post modern world,
High Art / Low art Divide – beginning to crumble
Las Vegas – Postmodern city? Robert Venturi (1972)
No ideas of time and organisation, everything is always open, an ultimate rejection of the modern city,
Robert Venturi - ‘I like elements which are hybrid rather than ‘pure’, compromising rather than ‘clean’, distorted rather than ‘straight-forward’, ambiguous rather than ‘articulated’, perverse as well as impersonal….’
Calls casinos etc decorated sheds – because its built by an individual, develops, changes, responds – represents difference and individuality
Las Vegas - Postmodern Dystopia – The failure of all human progress,
Andy Warhol – Replacement of the artist with an idea of a celebrity,
Marilyn Monroe Diptych 1962 – Attact on what it means to be artistic,
Oxidation painting, Copper metallic Paint and urine on canvas – attack on metaphorical expression
Franz Kline – untitled – Art that is self reflective, the purity of painting, expression, pure vision of what painting is.
David Shrigley ‘Art lovers’ 2000 – doing the same to Warhol as he did to other artists
Piero Manzoni – Artists Shit – 1961
Mocking buyers
1984 - A new depthlessness / Warning of affect / A culture of ‘retro’ styles rather than a culture of ideas
“Advertising is the greatest artform of the 20th Century” – Marshall
People judge and define themselves through material objects,
Quote 2. ‘Generally post-modern artists like to mix the highbrow and the populist, the alienating and the accessible, and to ‘sample’ elements from different styles and eras….’
Memphis group – Founded 1981 – sans serif type, yet funny rounded and more human, post modern
Sottsass Memphis group – utter rejection of form follows function, aesthetic domination the function,
Quote 2 (cont) ‘…now you can reinvent yourself endlessly, gaily pick ‘n’ mixing your way through the gaudy fragments of a shattered culture’
Kraftwork – embrace new modern technologies, new development of the aesthetic ‘the man machine’
Abuse of poster – Jenny Holzer – 1983
New voices of the marginalised, punk – a rejection of the modern world and design,
Adbusters – Design Anarchy
An inconslusion -
A vague disputed term
Po-Mo attitude of questioning conventions (esp. Modernism)
Po-Mo aesthetic = multiplicity of styles & approaches
Shift in thought & theory investigating ‘crisis in confidence’ Eg. Lyotard
Space for ‘new voices’
Rejection of technological determinism?
