The term “postmodern art” refers to an artistic movement that emerged after or in response to modern art. Although this term is widely used, critics disagree as to whether postmodern art is a distinct movement or simply a later phase of modern art. The years 1914 in Europe and 1962 or 1968 in the United States have been proposed as the start of the postmodern movement. Pastiche, appropriation, and the use of an ironic affect are all current postmodern art trends.
Critical definitions of postmodern art differ on whether postmodernism is a historical condition or a deliberate movement, if it exists at all. It can be defined as a collection of characteristics of the current era in the first definition, or as art that reacts to and challenges modernism in the second definition. Postmodern works of art frequently address consumer culture, popular culture, globalization, the juxtaposition of high and low art, and the role and value of art in society on a thematic level.
The Fountain, a sculpture Marcel Duchamp, is often cited as an early example of postmodern art. This work was first shown in a New York City art exhibition in 1917, where it sparked a debate about the nature of art. Duchamp, a member of the Dadaist movement, bought a regular urinal and signed it with the alias “R. Mutt.” The urinal, according to Duchamp, became art when he decided to call it art, implying that the status of an object as a work of art is dependent on context and perception.
Installation, multimedia, and conceptual art are some of the movements that fall under the postmodern umbrella. Jenny Holzer’s work is an example of hybridization of forms and media. She is known for her installations, in which she uses a variety of media, including electronic displays and projections, to display original or appropriated texts. These works show how electronic art can be combined with literature and design.
Postmodernism is characterized eclecticism, juxtaposition, and globalization. Postmodern art tends to deconstruct traditional narratives of race, gender, nationality, and family in the wake of multiculturalism and feminist theory. Postmodern artists further erode class distinctions in the hierarchy of art criticism refusing to acknowledge distinctions between high art and lowbrow art — for example, comic book illustration or graffiti art.
Postmodern art rejects modernism’s high value for authenticity and originality, claiming instead that art can no longer innovate or progress. As a result, postmodernists believe that techniques like pastiche, collage, and parody are the only authentic ways to create art. Postmodern artists manipulate existing symbols and narratives appropriating history, pop culture, and traditional forms or techniques.