Post modernism

DEFINITION

A term that is vague in meaning but has evolved as general reference to artwork that is anti-modernist in that it is a rebellion against artistic expression such as Abstraction, Conceptual and Performance Art. Use of the description, ???Post Modernist", is attributed to writer Joseph Hudnot in a 1949 book, "Architecture and the Spirit of Man". In the 1960s, Post Modernism came into wide use, and since then includes the revival of realist artwork with recognizable subjects such as landscapes, social genre and history painting; in other words, that which has been scorned by abstractionists. Although Post Modernism has new elements reflective of the hybrid aspects of modern society, such as sculpture that is also furniture, it seems impossible to list unifying characteristics of style or subject matter other than that it embodies some aspects of Realism. A phenomenon associated with Post-Modernist artists is that of defying the 19th and early 20th-century images of the poor, starving, bohemian artist. Today, most artists who ???succeed??? do so because their careers are orchestrated by professional public relations persons along a prescribed route that includes gallery exhibitions, positive reviews by critics, high-dollar auction sales, and feature articles in publications. This attention, if positive, often brings money and reputation to young artists, ???post modernists??? who are beneficiaries of communication technology. Source: Robert Atkins, ???Art Speak???