POMO: What is postmodernism?

But what is it?

Postmodernism is A late 20th-century style in the arts, architecture, and criticism that represents a departure from modernism.

It is a style, it is a theory.

Elements of Postmodernism• Intertextuality• Pastiche• Kitsch• Mixing art forms, genres• Questions meaning• Self-referential• Contradictory• Blurred boundaries• Constantly changing, always

outdated

Intertextuality

Intertextuality

• Allusion – references to other texts (books, poems, movies, tv shows, etc)

• Extensive use of quotations• Parody – An imitation of the style of a

particular writer, artist, or genre with deliberate exaggeration

• Texts are connected and almost seem to speak to each other

• Computer hyperlinks are “so pomo”

The Simpsons Do Intertextuality

Pastiche

• Definition: A mix-matched combinations of fragments of materials, forms, motifs, etc., taken from different sources. A hodgepodge.

• Usage: To borrow and combine meanings to create new, different, and/or enhanced meanings.

• Common examples of pastiche:– Tumblr, Twitter, Facebook wall– Rap samplings– Saturday Night Live

• The problem with pastiche? Claims of plagiarism. If you’re interested, click here for more information into how the pervasiveness of pastiche in our culture is leading to confusion about plagiarism.

Kitsch

• Art, objects, or design considered to be in poor taste because it is tacky or sentimental

• Kitsch is usually appreciated in an ironic way• In pomo– artists question what the difference

is between “low art” and “high art”

Mixing art forms, genres

• Questions genre and form– by morphing well-known tropes (AKA– typical devices or structures)

• For example, think Science Fiction meets Westerns. Or, hip hop/country music collaborations. This is called “Genre Hybridity”

• Why? This forces the audience to think about expectations, stereotypes, and the artifice of storytelling. Postmodernism is reflective!

Question Meaning

• “God is dead”– Nietzsche• Nihilism• Questions truth, honesty, validity of telling a

story, history• Does the artist’s intentions matter? Or is the

audience’s interpretation matter?• The audience creates meaning• It questions if art is even art and what the

purpose of art is

Self Referential

• The text is “self-aware”– it mentions itself, it questions itself, it says what it is

• Boundary between audience and text is broken

• Pomo is metatextual• Check out this meta tumblr

Contradictions

• Pomo works are often contradictory– leading to confusion and more questions.

• Postmodernism assumes “There is no such thing as an absolute truth.” – THINK about it. That is an absolute truth. So which is it?

• Pomo is retro but progressive (references previous eras but always forward moving)

Blurred Lines

• Who is the artist, what is the art, who is the audience?

• Some people think postmodern art is ridiculous because it “doesn’t follow the rules”

• Lines are blurred between art and the criticism of that art, for example: this

• The blurred lines of pomo make us feel like we are part of the art

Pomo is constantly changing, yet it is already passé

• Pomo always strives to reinvent itself• It’s like technology: as soon as it is created, it

is already becoming outdated• Once it’s new, it’s already old