What is the difference between postmodern and contemporary art

Postmodern Art became a global movement in World Art. Modern Art is art produced during Modernism, marked by the rapid socio-political, cultural and economical changes since the Industrial Revolution in the 19th century.

These developments are often referred to as the road to modernity, a modern society or the modern industrial world. Progress was the key objective by manner of innovation, experiment and reason. As a result, Modern Art is marked by innovation, experiment and an almost dogmatic belief in reason and progress, pushing the artist to discover new forms of art, innovating their style, medium and subject matter, freeing themselves from academic conventions, abolishing tradition in their quest for Modern Art.

From a visual point of view, modern artists experimented with colour, technique and eventually also with shapes, resulting in a clear tendency towards abstraction. There is also a very strong shift concerning the subject matter of modern art.

An ideological agenda of progress with often utopian or idealistic visions of modern life became one of the key elements of Modern Art. Further there was an immense interest in certain scientific or psychological discoveries. Postmodern Art is art produced during Postmodernism, reacting against the empty promises of Modernism and the search for a new world order due to the Second World War. Doing so, Postmodern Art is marked by skepticism, a suspicion of reason and a radical epistemological doubt challenging the notion of universal truths due to the imminent relativity of things.

Key aspects of Postmodern Art are the emphasis on the individual experience, irony and a complexity of contradictory layers of meaning. Further, the definition of art is contested, fading the distinction of high art and popular culture, introducing appropriation, eclecticism and breaking the formal conventions of art, questioning the art establishment.

However, the ingenuity of these new developments in Postmodern and contemporary art are undeniable and has elevated the concept of art to a new level. Modern Art experienced an explosion of new art movements especially during the first half of the 20th century. As a result, to understand and recognize Modern Art, in this section we will list up all the most important Modern Art movements followed by the best known examples of this particular movement.

Here come some of the best examples of these movements and thus examples of Modern Art. Notice how we scroll down further in time how the tendency towards abstractions continues to manifest itself. With Postmodern Art, the new art movements seem to be of a different nature, not only innovating in style and subject matter but also pushing the boundaries of what art can be.

The list below illustrates the variety and diversity of Postmodern Art. From soup cans or written words to mud in the sea or a box with keys.

The first key difference between Modern Art and Postmodern Art is the era in which they manifest themselves. Modern Art takes place during the movement of Modernism from roughly from up to , followed by Postmodern Art during the movement of Postmodernism from roughly up to now. This implies that Modern Art belongs entirely to the past, whereas Postmodern Art reaches to the present day and can still be seen as Contemporary Art. A second key difference can be found in the different characteristics of both movements, Modernism versus Postmodernism.

Reason versus doubt, progress versus skepticism, objectivity versus relativity, universal truths versus personal experiences. With Postmodern Art, a varied array of new media come in to play such as installation, video or performance.

Finally, a third key difference between Modern Art and Postmodern Art are the art movements or types of art. When one is able to identity the art movement a certain artwork belongs too, we are able to state the artwork is Modern Art or Postmodern Art following our list of art movements we have outlined above.

No products in the cart. May 15, Explained: Modern Art vs Postmodern Art. By Julien Delagrange. Share on facebook. Share on pinterest. Share on email. Share on whatsapp.

Share on print. Introduction: The Difference Between Modern Art and Postmodern Art Art history has been marked by an abundance of terms, concepts and movements resulting in an often confusing terminology. Oil on canvas — x Collage — 26 x Jackson Pollock, Blue Poles Number 11 , That is why many of them, such as Banksy, operate under pseudonyms, because vandalizing public property is a crime. Courses Help Become a teacher. Contemporary Art and Postmodern Art Like Tweet Pin it.

Andy Warhol, for example, uses silk screen, in essence removing his direct touch, and chooses subjects that play off of the idea of mass production. While modern artists such as Mark Rothko and Barnett Newman made color choices that were meant to connect with the viewer emotionally, postmodern artists like Robert Rauschenberg introduce chance to the process.

Rauschenburg, says Ho, was known to buy paint in unmarked cans at the hardware store. But Weiner was open to the seven words being reproduced in any color, size or font. In other words, Weiner considered his role as artist to be more about conception than production. He provides instructions but anyone, in theory, can execute them. It was this gradual transformation that happened over a couple hundred of years. The inevitable problem with this is that it makes for an ever-expanding body of contemporary work for which professors and curators are responsible.

Megan Gambino is a senior web editor for Smithsonian magazine. Weiner was open to the seven words being produced in any color, size or font.