Week 1 - Post-modernism

Post modernism is a movement that came after its predecessor: "Modernism". It is an idea that can be best described as a questioning or reasoning of the beliefs that were held true in the movement(s) that began in the 1800s.

Pre-class

As a pre-class preparation, I went through the online material offered on moodle where I got a brief understanding of what "post-modernism" really is. To be very honest, it confused me a lot and I didn't sort of grasp the idea of it at all. Although I understood what parody and pastiche are, I didn't get the overall meaning of it. Some of the video links weren't working as well. From the ones that were, all I could gauge from them that the "lack of aesthetic cohesion or structure" is what defines a post-modern art (SAE, 2020).

During Class

During class, I seemed to get a better understanding through the explanations of various post-modern movements. The idea is that anything is considered art right now, even a Banana stuck on a canvas board using tape. It's all a matter of how it can be perceived. If a man considers himself to be a woman, it is now accepted as Trans. Whereas in the past, this would have been ridiculed and objected.

Below is a video of a "hungry" man eating a Banana Art installation at an art Magazine that costed around $120,000. The fact that such a piece is considered "art" makes me question a lot about post modernism as a whole.

(Guardian News, 2019)

One thing that came up through my mind during the explanation was how "real art" is now viewed due to the introduction of post-modernism. If something as 'ridiculous' as "Banana Art" can be sold for over $120,000, why is it so difficult for actual art to go up on art museums for a decent price? It makes me question what people now view as art. Something that becomes as trendy as this is always the one to gain more attention, likes, follows and possibly money. But something that is actually considered of great production value is always undermined/underrated due to silly trends like this taking up the spotlight. An example of this would be how everyone can become a TikToker that have way more followers on their social media than actual renowned musicians such as Hans Zimmer who is a German film score composer and record producer for various award winning films such as Inception (2010), Interstellar (2014), The Lion King (1994) and way more. It makes me questions what should really be worth it anymore. Although we are at a time where anything and everything can be considered art, I personally don't think it should necessarily be considered art.

Post Class

In order to broaden my understanding of post-modernism, I did a little research and watched some more videos. Here is a video that explains the idea better.

(Odonga, 2017)

Modernism, as understood from the above video, is a movement where human beliefs were perceived in relation to understandings derived from sciences. However, "the project of modernism was to examine the impediments still holding society back" (University Quick Course, 2019). The idea that hyperrealism was rejected as a form of art but abstract artworks were cherished more says a lot about how subjective society was back in the day.

Post modernism is considered a backlash on modernism. It is an analysis that cares to question the beliefs held by modernists. It surrounds over the notion of lack of human reasoning in the modernism era and provides no real solutions.

Conclusion

I'm still a little weary about my understanding on this topic although its a lot more clear to me now than it was before class. As for my preparation during the week, I will be preparing for the next class on Post-structuralism to gain a better understanding of the unit before class.

References:

Guardian News (2019, Dec 8). 'Hungry' performance artist eats $120,000 banana art installation [video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZqdfUHtkk8&fbclid=IwAR3gwCIkREZmAkjvesWfRe583t9Y1MOHfd8Z2_xX8B9aZ53g8RTOHcAKWlA

Odonga, K. (2017, Feb 15). Postmodernism introduction [video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6eLGJiDasQ

SAE Online resources (2020). Post-Modernism. Retrieved from https://moodle-dubai.axis.navitas.com/mod/page/view.php?id=161528

University Quick Course (2019, Jul 24). Modernism vs. Postmodernism [video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8EfyhIv72I