Anthony DeSanto

ARH 3471

Comparing Modern and Postmodern Artwork

Modernism crashed into the united states in the early 20th century, bringing a slew of

artistic properties that differed from prior art practices. With the introduction of photography, the

world saw a shift in values regarding what art should be doing or representing. Within Modern

art, humanity saw a shift where art became pure, self-critical and increasingly individualized.

Modernist art, to Clement Greenberg, is “pure” – the form is specific to the medium, and

exclusive to itself. For example, painting went abstract and rejected recognizable space to focus

on a “pure” optical experience. Although “pure” is subjective, Clement Greenberg emphasized a

stripping down of media to create a simplicity in form and content. “Each art had to determine,

through its own operations and works, the effects exclusive to itself. By doing to it would, to be

sure, narrow its area of competence, but at the same time it would make its possession of that

area all the more certain.”” (Greenberg 1) The general idea is that if a painting could focus

solely on applying paint to a canvas, without the need for specific form or figure-ground

relationships, the medium (in this case, painting) would be deeply engrained within itself and

further justify its place in art history. Many modernist painters approached painting to

intentionally create a flatness – Mondrian’s color blocking represents an extreme simplicity in

form and color.

Modern art also follows a Kantian Self-Criticism. The art is thoroughly vetted/criticized

from the inside (based on its own form/content relations) as opposed from external forces. The

work typically attacks the “why” of the work before the “what” or “how” of the work. The
Kantian model formed out of philosophy, but has taken a liking to other fields, including science,

religion and art. “Kantian self-criticism, as it now turns out, has found its fullest expression in

science rather than in philosophy, and when it began to be applied in art, the latter was brought

closer in real spirit to scientific method than ever before.” (Greenberg 5) in this case, art found a

home in the scientific method, which is rooted in reasoning. As form simplified, the reasoning

and methodologies behind the work became increasingly apparent, as the only thing to latch onto

within the work.

Along with this self-criticism, we see modernist artists celebrating a newfound

individualism. As opposed to art living in the church with a general anonymity, artists are

becoming recognized for their shifts in art culture and technique. We know a Matisse when we

see a Matisse because of his own iconic uses of color and form, which become his signature.

This is interesting to note, because it seems that each working artist during modernism was

applying something fresh to the conversation. The modernist shift was incredibly broad in

medium and technique, but what we can decipher throughout history is that with the incredibly

stripped-down ideas of modernism, there is an equal and opposite expansion of ideas that existed

within postmodern art.

It is important to quickly reference that postmodern art blossomed in the 1960s – a

society existing post world war II. Aside from destruction, a lasting effect of WWII is the

incredible displacement and cultural mixing that took place during and after. This globalization

existed with American imperialism in the east and eastern migration to the west. Communities

left decimated after the war are left to recover and replant the remaining traces of their identities,

and it is this kind of expansion that resonated in postmodern artworks.

 Globalization of the art world inherently acknowledges an existence of multiple art

worlds – for different socioeconomic strata, race and culture. It is common for working

postmodern artists to reference geography or specificity of place in the work. These art worlds,

although individualized, work in tandem with each other. Tim Griffin notes that “By a radical

proliferation of public and private museums and exhibitions throughout the world and, further,

[there is] an expanded and ever more rapid travel network and exchange of information among

constituents of art on all points of the compass. [..] precisely such circumstances however

demand that art to be seen in correspondence with the larger context of a world shaped

principally by the forces and flows of global capital.” (Griffin 1) The rise of the biennial

(biennale? Triennale?) has increased global access to art. Especially within the last 20 years, the

rise of biennials have given all countries a place to display their greatest artistic achievements as

well as display the works of other countries, typically every 2 years. This combines with the

proliferation of local spaces, pop-ups and makers spaces to create a general recognition of art as

money, and money being a global topic of the moment.

With time came the creation of new technologies – its common for artists today to be on

social platforms. Before this, artists were utilizing early graphic software, home computers,

digital cameras and coding to create immersive works. Industries in general were using new

technology as well; the Vietnam War is infamous for being screened on millions of family

televisions. The effects of advertising, television and political propaganda have also influenced

art being made and it is seen more common for artists to appropriate internet imagery (image

culture is an increasingly important topic and should be discussed if we as a people want to

experience any kind of literary reform) . Before appropriation there came a literal mixing of

audio and visual elements. Performance based works are also being increasingly executed and
photographed during this time – globalization encompasses an ideology based in uncanny

mixtures of content and culture.

The 60s and 70s brought to light a revolutionary urgency – after the war, there was a call

for everyone’s voice to be heard and recognized. The internet was a great tool in achieving

agency of voice in the 1990s, but before this artists were on the streets and in the studios making

work in conjunction with movements such as the feminist movement, AfriCOBRA, and

institutional critiques that questioned the current art model. According to Bourriaud, “[…] the

artwork represents, in my view, a social interstice. The term interstice […] is a space in social

relations which, although it fits more or less harmoniously and openly into the overall system,

suggests possibilities for exchanges other than those that prevail within the system.” (Bourriaud

161) The concept of the interstice is important – think of it as a fork in the road. Society travels

forward, and in spaces of the interstice, society has the discussion on whether to continue straight

or make a turn. On the street, artists were using mixes of media to bring awareness to the unjust

nature of the minority and a structured society that favors unjust causes –the civil rights

movement in the 60’s, the women’s rights movement in the 1970’s, the aids awareness

movement in the 80s. We see artists trying to break the barriers of status, bringing high art down

to the masses (or the other way around) Politics begins to become a prevailing theme in

postmodern art as art becomes more influential in American (and world) culture – and an

increasing token of cultural value, for much of the art in this time incorporated elements of

relational aesthetics and group participation.

ANALYSIS

Mierle Laderman Ukeles is a great example of the force behind

feminist art in the 70s and 80s. In her piece Touch Sanitation (1979-

1980), Ukeles makes the effort to shake hands with the entirety of

New York’s 59 sanitation districts. Ukeles is a mom and her pieces

are referential to the concepts of labor – with children, how is she to

pursue her artist dreams when she is expected by society to play the

role of housemother?

Ukeles adds a feminine touch to the very broadly masculine area Image courtesy of NY Daily News

of public sanitation. With images of the artist shaking hands with all of these workers, she brings

a limelight to their profession and its importance in public wellness. She juxtaposes the

profession with a warm, feminist touch in every photo. She looks into their eyes as they speak,

and the viewer can look at each image an come up with stories about what they may have

discussed. “The governing themes of much critical art began to shift away from more traditional

anti-bourgeois class politics to the rapidly evolving sphere of gender politics. In particular,

feminist work in various forms occupied a central position.” (Paul Wood 23) This statement

from Paul Wood brings to mind a link between feminist artwork and labor – manual labor, and

the labor of childbirth.

These images wouldn’t exist without photography’s importance in documenting artistic

performance. The amount of similar images create an intensity in scale – anyone can shake a

person’s hand, but the repetition implies that the artist is being up close and personal with each

individual, a motherly form of care is seen being repeated throughout the series and becomes an

underlying theme in the work.

 Hans Haacke – Shapolsky et al., Manhattan Real Estate Holdings, a Real-Time Social System, as

of May 1, 1971 (1971)

Haacke is an amazing example of the simplicity postmodern art can take, combined with the

intense political weight it carries with it. In Shapolsky et al., Manhattan Real Estate Holdings, a

Real-Time Social System, as of May 1, 1971, Hans Haacke has blended text and photo –

emphasizing the referential nature of the photograph by exposing these seemingly bland photo

documentations of NYC buildings to the public. What they’re

documenting is the poor, unkept condition of these apartment

buildings that are owned by Harry J Shapolsky. The text

examines the multitude of complaints regarding the wellbeing

of this building, highlighting the neglect of the owner. This

political work cancelled Haacke’s show at the Guggenheim

and made some real statements on how art is to be viewed in

conjunction with political power and capital. “When housed in

Image courtesy Curbed.com
their original archives, the photographs and records Haacke

assembled were seen only by the few lawyers who might look through them in the course of their

work. Presented on the wall of the museum, However, they became public displays of economic

justice” (Peter Kalb 30-31) Hans Haacke’s form of institutional critique in Shapolsky et al.

creates a social interstice that exposes an injustice what would have been swept under the rug.

“The institutions that conferred value on a work of art or enabled a young artist to gain skills

were all structured in such a way as to make it difficult for women to succeed.” (Peter Kalb 38)

The feminist movement called for women to be seen and heard, and Yoko Ono does a great job
of using technology, exposing a male gaze and

representing feminist work in general with the aid

of video-technology. In Fly (1970), the camera

follows a fly as it lands among different places on

Yoko Ono’s body. The fly and the abstract

curvatures of Ono’s body play tandem with the

screeching noises of the video piece. Using video and Image Courtesy londoncitynights.com

audio, (in this case, framing the video as moving

image) was something popular to performance artists – it creates a more encompassing or

referential layer for the work, so many performance based work is being either videotaped or

photographed – and sound pieces are being recorded (This piece is available on vinyl) . Ono’s

fluxus elements create a simplicity to contrast with harder pushing political/feminist elements.

The fly is referential to the multiple eyes of male gaze, and the topic is increasingly poignant as

women fight for agency of their bodies.

Postmodernism has given power to people and social cause. It has used different media to refer

to its own recent histories, and created a widespread appeal for gathering together to achieve a

common cause through art. At once, the societal majority had a voice, and it has just begun to

resonate with the inclusion of identity-based work by minorities and the expulsion of “dirty

money” from questionable institutions like the Sachlers. I have faith in the art institution to push

the boundaries that hold us from achieving greatness.

 WORKS/IMAGES CITED

Greenberg, Clement. Modernist Painting. Voice of America, 1959.

“Chapter 1: Discovering the Contemporary.” Art since 1980: Charting the Contemporary, by
Peter R. Kalb, Pearson, 2014, pp. 30–31.

“Inside the Whale: an Introduction to Postmodernist Art.” Themes in Contemporary Art, by Paul
Wood, Yale University Press, 2004, pp. 5–43.

Ratnam, Niru. “Art and Globalosation.” Themes in Contemporary Art, by Paul 1949- Wood,
Yale University Press, 2004, pp. 277–310.

Griffin, Tim. “Worlds Apart - Contemporary Art, Globalization, and the Rise of Biennials.”
Contemporary Art 1989 to the Present, by Alexander Blair Dumbadze and Suzanne Perling
Hudson, Wiley-Blackwell, 2013, pp. 7–14.

Bourriaud, Nicolas. Relational Aesthetics. 1998.

“'Yoko Ono: To the Light' at the Serpentine Gallery, 25th August 2012.” 'Yoko Ono: To the
Light' at the Serpentine Gallery, 25th August 2012,
www.londoncitynights.com/2012/08/yoko-ono-to-light-at-serpentine-gallery.html.

Nevius, James. “The Artist and the Slumlord: A Photographer's 1970s Quest to Unmask an NYC
Real Estate Family.” Curbed, Curbed, 2 Sept. 2015,
www.curbed.com/2015/9/2/9924926/hans-haacke-photography-slumlord.

Colangelo, Lisa L. “Artist's Exhibition of NYC Trash Collection Featured at Queens Museum.”
Nydailynews.com, New York Daily News, 8 Apr. 2018,
www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/theater-arts/artist-work-nyc-trash-collection-
featured-queens-museum-article-1.2797276.