MODERNISM and postmodernism Modernism Approx. 1880s to WWII.

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MODERNISM and postmodernism

Transcript of MODERNISM and postmodernism Modernism Approx. 1880s to WWII.

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MODERNISM and

postmodernism

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ModernismModernism

Approx. 1880s to WWII

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General Tenets of ModernismGeneral Tenets of Modernism• Challenged tradition• Stylistic experimentation• Critique of mimesis or realism in

how we represent the world• Experiments in perception and

representation

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––RENÉ MAGRITTERENÉ MAGRITTE

““The Treachery of Images” (1929)The Treachery of Images” (1929)

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Tenets of ModernismTenets of Modernism• Abandonment of traditional “rules” Abandonment of traditional “rules”

for creating art, music, and literaturefor creating art, music, and literature

MARC CHAGALLMARC CHAGALL““I and the Village” (1911)I and the Village” (1911)

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• Fragmented representations of time, meaning, and human nature

VINCENT VAN GOGH – “The Starry Night” (1889)VINCENT VAN GOGH – “The Starry Night” (1889)

Tenets of ModernismTenets of Modernism

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MARCEL DUCHAMPMARCEL DUCHAMP

““Nude Descending a Nude Descending a Staircase, No. 2” (1912)Staircase, No. 2” (1912)

PABLO PICASSOPABLO PICASSO

““Les Demoiselles d’Avignon” Les Demoiselles d’Avignon” (1907)(1907)

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Sense of loss, alienation, abandonment, and disillusionment

EDVARD MUNCH – “Evening on Karl Johan” (1892)EDVARD MUNCH – “Evening on Karl Johan” (1892)

Tenets of ModernismTenets of Modernism

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Tenets of ModernismTenets of ModernismSubjectivity, the importance of “I,” of my thoughts and feelings and experiences

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Tenets of ModernismTenets of ModernismUrge toward nostalgia: longing for some “better” time, “the good old days”

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CATALYSTS OF MODERNISMCATALYSTS OF MODERNISMModernism was largely brought about Modernism was largely brought about by the convergence of several factors:by the convergence of several factors:

WARWAR - The devastation caused in - The devastation caused in Europe after World War I, when the most Europe after World War I, when the most enlightened and advanced nations on the enlightened and advanced nations on the earth came together to kill each other in earth came together to kill each other in staggering numbers.staggering numbers.

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Karl MarxKarl Marx Asserted that human Asserted that human

moral, cultural, and moral, cultural, and religious values were religious values were caused not by any caused not by any inherent sense of inherent sense of good or evil but by good or evil but by the requirements of a the requirements of a particular (economic) particular (economic) system.system.

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Charles DarwinCharles Darwin Discovered that the Discovered that the

evolution of species evolution of species was the result of was the result of “natural selection” “natural selection” and competition and competition rather than through rather than through any special act of any special act of purposeful creation purposeful creation (vs. G-d).(vs. G-d).

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Friedrich NietzscheFriedrich Nietzsche Identified the moral and Identified the moral and

cultural crises facing Western cultural crises facing Western civilization.civilization.

Viewed artists as purveyors Viewed artists as purveyors of culture.of culture.

Dismissed Christian morality Dismissed Christian morality (“God is dead”) and (“God is dead”) and profferred the morality of the profferred the morality of the Superman and the Slave.Superman and the Slave.

Warned of the dangers of Warned of the dangers of embracing nihilism.embracing nihilism.

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Sigmund FreudSigmund Freud Asserted that most Asserted that most

elements of the elements of the human personality human personality were the result of were the result of various psycho-sexual various psycho-sexual traumas experienced traumas experienced in infancy and early in infancy and early childhood and stored childhood and stored in the subconscious in the subconscious mind.mind.

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In literature…In literature… oAuthors made the interior their stage Authors made the interior their stage emphasized the individual and the subjectivity emphasized the individual and the subjectivity of perception.of perception.

o Experimented with new uses of language and Experimented with new uses of language and imagery and new narrative structures:imagery and new narrative structures:

o stream-of-consciousness narrationstream-of-consciousness narrationo multiple points of viewmultiple points of viewo fragmented, non-sequential plots.fragmented, non-sequential plots.

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MARILYN MONROE

Andy Warhol (1962)

Introducing…Introducing…

POSTMODERNISMPOSTMODERNISM

POSTMODERNISMPOSTMODERNISM

POSTMODERNISMPOSTMODERNISM

POSTMODERNISMPOSTMODERNISMEverything is beautiful. Pop is everything.

–Andy Warhol

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ModernityModernity PostmodernityPostmodernityThe alienation of the “I” subjectivity

Multiculturalism (voice of“the Other”)

Serious, idealisticchange the world through art

Cynical, mockingno hope, so we might as well laugh at the horror

Age of Literacy Image culture / Society of the spectacle

Elitist, formal Breakdown between “high” and “low”art

Belief in “meta-narrative”

Disconnect from myth/ meta-narrative

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Tenets of PostmodernismExtreme self-reflexivity: objectification of structure; artist/author reflects upon own processes of creation•pomos more so than mods •more playful, irreverant •Examples: The Scream series of movies has characters debating the generic rules behind the horror film.

Frank Gehry, Nationale-Nederlanden Building

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Irony and parody sense of playfulness; ironic interfacing between character(s) and author

Tenets of Postmodernism

DROWNING GIRLRoy Lichtenstein (1963)

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Tenets of PostmodernismA breakdown between high and low cultural forms.

Modernism: focus upon “high” art

Pomo: embraces both “high” and “low” arts (like comic books)

Pomos often employ pop and mass-produced objects in more immediately understandable ways, even if their goals are still often complex (eg. Andy Warhol's commentary on mass production and on the commercial aspects of "high" art through the exact reproduction of a set of Cambell's Soup cans ).

200 Campbell’s Soup CansAndy Warhol (1962)

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Tenets of Postmodernism

Nostalgia as pastiche: - Fascination with styles and fashions from the past, but often used completely out of their original context, and in juxtaposition (pastiche). - Examples: recycled TV shows of the past that are then given new life on the big screen (Scooby-Doo, Charlie's Angels, and so on). - May be a symptom of our loss of a connection with the past….

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Tenets of Postmodernism

- Gravitation towards visual forms, as in "cartoons“ and animated films.

- A general breakdown in narrative linearity and temporality. Many point to the style of MTV videos as a good example.

Visuality (visuals, pictures) vs. Visuality (visuals, pictures) vs. temporality (linear time) temporality (linear time)

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RENÉ MAGRITTERENÉ MAGRITTE

““The Treachery of Images” (1929)The Treachery of Images” (1929)(HYPER)REALITY(HYPER)REALITY

““The transformation of The transformation of reality into images…” reality into images…”

––Frederic JamesonFrederic Jameson

Illusions of individualityIllusions of individuality

Sense of fragmentation Sense of fragmentation and decentered self;  and decentered self;  multiple, conflicting multiple, conflicting identities.identities.

Hyper-reality, image saturation, Hyper-reality, image saturation, simulacra seem more powerful simulacra seem more powerful than the "real”than the "real”

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Tenets of PostmodernismSecondary Orality: reliance of a largely functionally illiterate society upon oral media sources for information (TV, radio, film, etc.)

reversal: literacy rates had been rising steadily from the introduction of print through the modern period, but postmodern society has seen a drastic reversal in this trend -- pomo culture still relies on print to create these media outlets (hence the term secondary orality); however, increasingly only a professional, well-educated class has access to full print- and computer-literacy. An ever larger percentage of the population merely ingests orally the media that is being produced (passive response).

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Illusions of Illusions of individualityindividuality

Sense of fragmentation and Sense of fragmentation and decentered self;  multiple, decentered self;  multiple, conflicting identities.conflicting identities.

Sense of Sense of disillusionmentdisillusionment

Tenets of Postmodernism

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Questions of truth and subjectivity first proposed in Modernism, gave rise to the belief in multiple truths and multiple subjectivities in Postmodernism.

It’s Pomo… You know, Post-modern… Weird for the sake of weird.

(Episode “Homer the Moe”)

Tenets of Postmodernism

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Tenets of Postmodernism

Disorientation: Pomo works attempt to

disorient the subject in time and space. alternating narrators (Faulkner) fragmented chronology (Vonnegut)

Dr. Who

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Intertextuality (in both mod and pomo) – references within one work to outside texts

Tenets of Postmodernism

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Tenets of Postmodernism

Late capitalism: a general sense that the world has been so taken over by the values of capitalist acquisition that alternatives no longer exist. paranoia narratives .

Minority Report