Introducing Post-Modernism - A Graphic Guide by Richard Appignanesi & Chris Garratt
I wanted to nourish my knowledge on "historical, cultural and theoretical context" within the idea of post-modernism in order to create a foundation for my formative contextual essay. Post-modernism is one of many concepts linked to this essay, but this graphic book was an easy read to start with.
The term post-modernism was first used by John Watkins Chapman in 1917. The term involved social thought, economics and religion. post-modernism is described in the book as "the negative feeling of coming after a creative age".
The book sifts through countless art movements and how opinions on style and aesthetics have changed through history. For example, 'Gothic' used to be a term of abuse, meaning a 'barbaric style'. An ideal renaissance style was the classic Greek, the ancient and good modern style.
"modernism in the infrastructural sense, begins in the 1890's and 1900's, a time which experienced mass technological innovations" A time that saw an explosion of mass media, new technology and science.
"the modern is always historically at war with what comes immediately before it. modern is always post-something".
"the modern ends up being at war with itself and must inevitably become post-modern". The book is extremely poetical with its approach to answer what post-modernism truly is, as a reader, you feel as though much is up to your own interpretation. Richard and Chris question what post-modernism is, and how it links to its counterpart, the modern. The term challenges the idea of unilinear history...
The book demonstrates many examples of art movements and uses them as sources for defining post-modernism. It also outlines 'false post-modernism', this includes 'eclectic' or 'junk' post-modernism.
"in the absence of any aesthetic criteria, money is the only yardstick". Therefore, aesthetic has a seemingly strong relationship with post-modernism.
I found this book to be an overwhelming collection of information that initially seems irrelevant. However, the authors are able to chain chapters together and form conclusions that use what we have read as sources and evidence to their points. The book isn't just a factual academic read, but also questions the information we have always been fed. Readers are left to interpret the book for themselves. 'Introducing Post-Modernism' is poetic, suggestive and nothing is definitive.
The term post-modernism was first used by John Watkins Chapman in 1917. The term involved social thought, economics and religion. post-modernism is described in the book as "the negative feeling of coming after a creative age".
The book sifts through countless art movements and how opinions on style and aesthetics have changed through history. For example, 'Gothic' used to be a term of abuse, meaning a 'barbaric style'. An ideal renaissance style was the classic Greek, the ancient and good modern style.
"modernism in the infrastructural sense, begins in the 1890's and 1900's, a time which experienced mass technological innovations" A time that saw an explosion of mass media, new technology and science.
"the modern is always historically at war with what comes immediately before it. modern is always post-something".
"the modern ends up being at war with itself and must inevitably become post-modern". The book is extremely poetical with its approach to answer what post-modernism truly is, as a reader, you feel as though much is up to your own interpretation. Richard and Chris question what post-modernism is, and how it links to its counterpart, the modern. The term challenges the idea of unilinear history...
The book demonstrates many examples of art movements and uses them as sources for defining post-modernism. It also outlines 'false post-modernism', this includes 'eclectic' or 'junk' post-modernism.
"in the absence of any aesthetic criteria, money is the only yardstick". Therefore, aesthetic has a seemingly strong relationship with post-modernism.
I found this book to be an overwhelming collection of information that initially seems irrelevant. However, the authors are able to chain chapters together and form conclusions that use what we have read as sources and evidence to their points. The book isn't just a factual academic read, but also questions the information we have always been fed. Readers are left to interpret the book for themselves. 'Introducing Post-Modernism' is poetic, suggestive and nothing is definitive.
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