OUGD401 - Postmodernism Lecture Notes

Postmodernism was formed after modernism, so 1960s- present day.
It was referred to as a significant shift in attitude away from the certainties of a modernism based on progress.
Began with Pop art, then conceptual art, feminist art, neo-expressionisms and Young British Artists of 1990s.

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 known as kitsch (known bad taste)

Modernism equates to
Simplified aesthetic
Utopian ideas
Truth to materials
Form follows function

Postmodernism involves
Complexity
Chaos
Bricolage
Parody

Postmodernism has an attitude of questioning conventions (especially those set by modernism)
Theme of double coding, borrowing or 'quoting' from a number of historical styles
Multiplicity of styles and approaches
Space for marginalised discourse
 - Women, sexual diversity, multiculturalism
Questioning old limitations
Knowing juxtapositions, or 'postmodernism irony'

Architecture example
Le Corbusier, 'Chapel of Notre Dame du Haut' Ronchamp, 1953-55
Le Corbusier, 'Maisons Jaoul', Neuilly sure Seine, 1954-6

Robert Venturi
'"I like elements that are hybrid rather than `pure,' compromising rather than `clean,' distorted, rather than `straightforward,' ambiguous, rather than `articulated,' perverse as well as impersonal, boring as well as `interesting,''

Notable People
Phillip Johnson, Sony Plaza, New York, 1978-84
Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers, Pompidou Centre, Paris, 1972-77
James Stirling, Neue Staatsgalerie, Stuttgart, Germany, 1977-83 (art gallery which has no truth to materials)
Michael Graves, Kettle, for Alessi, 1985 (It's about saying who you're identity is as a consumer)
Andy Warhol, Campbells Soup Cans, 1962
Roy Lichenstein, Drowning Girl
Jeff Koons, Dirty - Jeff on Top, 1992
Jeff Koons, Michael Jackson and Bubbles, 1988
Damien Hirst, Mother and Child Divided, 1993
Tracey Emin, Everyone I Have Ever Slept With, 1993
Tracey Emin, My Bed, 1998
Sarah Lucas, Au Natural, 1994
Jake and Dinos Chapman, Zygotic Acceleration, Biogenetic De-sublimanted Libidinal Model X 1000, 1995
Chris Ofilli, Holy Virgin Mary, 1996  (represents black culture in art that beforehand wasn't)

Hussein Chalayan - controversial fashion designer. Does his work have meaning or just attention seeking to draw attention to his work

In Design
David Carson, Ray Gun magazine
Barbara Kruger, I shop therefore I am, 1987
Selfridges, Buy Me I'll Change Your Life - is Kruger's art now signage, graphic design?

http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/postmodernism/

Summary
Space for new voices
Shift in thought and theory investigating 'crisis in confidence'
Postmodernism aesthetic - multiplicity of styles and approaches