Postmodernism

Postmodernism is an art movement that followed after modernism. Francis Berry describes it as "abandonment of political advocacy for a singular ideology." that arose because "the political ideals that fueled modernism had given way to profound disillusionment with abhorrent wars such as Vietnam, ultra-utilitarian architecture, and academic minimalism."(postmodern-art, 26 June 2006).

I think this means that people attempted to return to older techniques and at the same time embrace new technologies, with many more installations, multimedia and intermedia artworks.

This complete political apathy of the postmodernists can be seen when I compare a statement by Andy Warhol (a prominent postmodernist) and Pablo Picasso (a prominent modernist). Warhol writes:

"Sometimes people let the same problems make them miserable for years when they should just say, So what. That’s one of my favorite things to say. So what. My mother didn’t love me. So what. My husband won’t ball me. So what. I don’t know how I made it through all the years before I learned to do that trick. It took a long time for me to learn it, but once you do you never forget." (Andy Warhol, The Philosophy of Andy Warhol (from A to Z and Back Again),1975, New York, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Page 112)

whereas Picasso said:

"What do you think an artist is? An imbecile who has only eyes if he is a painter,..far, far from it: at the same time, he is also a political being, constantly aware of the heartbreaking, passionate, or delightful things that happen in the world, shaping himself completely in their image. How could it be possible to feel no interest in other people, and with a cool indifference to detach yourself from the very life which they bring to you so abundantly? No, painting is not done to decorate apartments. It is an instrument of war." (Russell Martin, Picasso’s War, The Destruction of Guernica, and The Master Piece That Changed The World, 2002, New York, Penguin Putnam Inc., Page 175)