12.3 Postmodernism and Appropriation Art

Postmodernism shook up the art world in the late 20th century. It rejected modernism's rules and embraced mixing styles, borrowing images, and blurring lines between high art and pop culture. Artists used irony and appropriation to question originality and authorship.

Appropriation art became a key postmodern strategy. Artists like Sherrie Levine and Richard Prince re-used existing images to challenge ideas about originality and authorship. This sparked debates about creativity, copyright, and the role of context in shaping meaning.

Key Tenets of Postmodern Art

Reaction Against Modernism

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• Postmodern art emerged in the late 1960s and early 1970s as a reaction against the perceived limitations and elitism of Modernism
• Postmodern artists sought to challenge the Modernist emphasis on formal purity, autonomy of the artwork, and the idea of the artist as a singular, visionary creator
• They rejected the notion of a linear progression in art history and the idea that art should strive for universal, timeless values

Strategies and Techniques

• Postmodern artists often employ strategies such as appropriation (borrowing or copying pre-existing images or objects), pastiche (combining elements from different sources or styles), irony, and deconstruction to challenge traditional notions of originality, authorship, and the boundaries between high art and popular culture
• They frequently blur the distinctions between various artistic mediums, incorporating elements from painting, sculpture, photography, video, and performance
• Postmodern art is often characterized by a sense of eclecticism, hybridity, and a willingness to mix and match styles, references, and materials from diverse sources

Thematic Concerns

• Postmodern artists often explore issues related to identity, gender, race, class, and consumerism, reflecting the complex and fragmented nature of contemporary society
• They are interested in examining the ways in which images and ideas circulate, evolve, and acquire new meanings in a media-saturated culture
• Postmodern art frequently engages with questions of power, representation, and the construction of meaning, exposing the ideologies and assumptions embedded in art, culture, and society

Ambiguity and Open-Endedness

• Many Postmodern artworks are characterized by a sense of ambiguity, open-endedness, and a rejection of grand narratives or universal truths
• They often invite multiple interpretations and encourage viewers to actively participate in the construction of meaning
• Postmodern artists embrace uncertainty, contradiction, and the idea that reality is always mediated by language, culture, and subjectivity

Appropriation, Pastiche, and Irony in Postmodern Art

Appropriation

• Appropriation involves borrowing, copying, or recontextualizing pre-existing images, objects, or styles from various sources, including art history, popular culture, and mass media
• Examples of artists who use appropriation include Sherrie Levine (who re-photographed famous works by male photographers), Richard Prince (who rephotographed advertising images), and Barbara Kruger (who combined found photographs with text to critique consumerism and gender stereotypes)
• Postmodern artists use appropriation to question notions of originality, authorship, and the value placed on unique works of art, suggesting that all art is inherently derivative and that meaning is always dependent on context

Pastiche

• Pastiche is a technique that involves combining elements from different sources or styles to create a new work that often has a playful or ironic tone
• Examples of pastiche in Postmodern art include the paintings of David Salle (which juxtapose disparate images and styles) and the sculptures of Jeff Koons (which blend references to art history, popular culture, and kitsch)
• Postmodern artists employ pastiche to comment on the eclecticism and cultural heterogeneity of contemporary society, as well as to subvert the idea of a coherent artistic style or movement

Irony

• Irony is a key strategy in Postmodern art, often used to critique or undermine the very ideas or institutions that the artwork seems to represent or celebrate
• Examples of ironic Postmodern artworks include Cindy Sherman's "Untitled Film Stills" (which parody Hollywood stereotypes of femininity), and Hans Haacke's "MoMA Poll" (which asked museum visitors to vote on whether the fact that a MoMA trustee was also involved in manufacturing napalm should be grounds for his removal from the board)
• Postmodern artists use irony to expose the contradictions, absurdities, and power structures embedded in art, culture, and society, inviting viewers to question their assumptions and beliefs

Critique of Originality in Appropriation Art

Challenging the Modernist Notion of Originality

• Appropriation artists challenge the Modernist notion of the artist as a singular, original creator by openly borrowing and repurposing existing images and objects
• They question the value placed on originality and the idea that art must be created from scratch to be considered valid
• Examples include Sherrie Levine's "After Walker Evans" series (in which she re-photographed Evans' famous Depression-era photographs) and Mike Bidlo's "Not Pollock" paintings (which meticulously recreate Jackson Pollock's drip paintings)

Problematizing Authorship

• Appropriation art problematizes the concept of authorship, suggesting that all art is inherently derivative and that the meaning of an artwork is not solely determined by the artist's intentions
• By using pre-existing materials, Appropriation artists challenge the idea of the artist as the sole creator of meaning and invite viewers to consider the ways in which images and ideas circulate and evolve in contemporary culture
• Examples include Richard Prince's "Cowboy" series (which rephotographed Marlboro advertisements) and Yasumasa Morimura's self-portraits (in which he inserts himself into famous Western artworks)

Critiques and Defenses of Appropriation Art

• Some critics argue that Appropriation art risks reinforcing the very power structures it seeks to critique by relying on the cultural capital and visibility of the appropriated images or objects
• They suggest that Appropriation artists may be complicit in the commodification and fetishization of art, and that their work may not effectively challenge the art market or the institution of the museum
• Others contend that Appropriation art serves an important function by exposing the ways in which images and ideas circulate, evolve, and acquire new meanings in contemporary culture
• They argue that by recontextualizing and reframing existing images and objects, Appropriation artists can reveal the hidden ideologies and power dynamics at work in art and society

Postmodern Art vs Popular Culture

Blurring Boundaries

• Postmodern art often incorporates elements from popular culture, such as advertising, television, movies, and consumer products, blurring the boundaries between high art and mass culture
• Examples include Andy Warhol's silkscreen prints of Campbell's Soup cans and Marilyn Monroe, Jeff Koons' sculptures of vacuum cleaners and basketballs, and Barbara Kruger's appropriation of advertising slogans and images
• By appropriating and recontextualizing images and objects from popular culture, Postmodern artists comment on the pervasive influence of mass media and consumerism in contemporary society

Challenging Hierarchies

• Postmodern art challenges the hierarchical distinction between high art and low art, suggesting that all forms of cultural production are worthy of critical attention and analysis
• It rejects the Modernist idea of art as a privileged, autonomous sphere separate from the rest of society and instead embraces the idea of art as deeply embedded in the fabric of everyday life
• Examples include the use of graffiti and street art techniques by artists like Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring, and the incorporation of popular music and dance in performances by artists like Laurie Anderson and David Byrne

Celebrating and Critiquing Popular Culture

• Some Postmodern artists celebrate the democratizing potential of popular culture, arguing that it provides a shared language and set of references that can be used to communicate across social and cultural boundaries
• They see popular culture as a site of resistance, creativity, and self-expression, particularly for marginalized groups who may be excluded from the mainstream art world
• Other Postmodern artists critique the commodification and homogenization of culture under late capitalism, using strategies of appropriation and irony to subvert the logic of the market and expose the ideologies embedded in popular imagery
• They argue that the mass production and circulation of images and objects can lead to a flattening of meaning and a loss of critical distance, and that art has a responsibility to challenge and disrupt these processes