Modernism and Post-Modernism

Sonia Delaunay's Design for Clothes and Citreon, 1925

Image 1

As the Guerrilla Girls put it best, Modernism is comprised of the “isms” where one followed the other: expressionism, Dadaism, surrealism, and other movements (Girls, 59). This time period placed great emphasis on innovation. Modernism stands in contrast to the realistic depiction of subjects of the past and showed more use of forms in relation to colors, shapes, and lines. This period gave birth to abstractionism, and one woman who produced great work for this field was Sonia Delaunay. Although she put her career to the back-burner for the sake of her husband and her family, she was able to dedicate time to her work later on in her life. Her work was not limited to those on canvases, but also extended to designs on her attire as well her car (Image 1). As Chadwick states, “Modernity is both linked to the desire for the new that fashion expresses so well,” and Delaunay brings that desire to life.       

Hannah Hoch's "Indian Dancer," 1930

Image 2

Women’s fashion changes as feminist call for the termination of “the bustles, whalebone stays, and tight lacings” (Chadwick, 254) to something less restrictive which allowed for women to breathe. Hannah Hoch’s attire displayed significant differences as to what may been sported by a woman a century prior to that. Hoch was part of Dadaism, which was a movement that challenged conventions and was against the Bourgeois. Dadaism demonstrated “violent distortions of scale and rejection of conventionalized femininity [which] undermine[ed] the commodification of the idealized female body” (Chadwick, 271). Hannah Hoch’s “Indian Dancer” is a great representation of the Dada movement as it featured photo-montage techniques (Image 2). Hoch’s work was an illustration of “the new women,” which is “the German media’s glorification of the independent, modern female, free to smoke, wear sexy clothes, vote, and work” (Girls, 66).

Frida Kahlo's "Henry Ford Hospital," 1932

Image 3

For male Surrealists, their work was about “theorizing about women, and … the search for a female muse” as they “constructed women as magic objects and sites on which to project male erotic behavior” (Chadwick, 313). In contrast, female artists turned to their own reality for their artwork. One name which comes to most minds in association with Surrealism is Frida Kahlo. Although this label may be an unfair one as Frida did not see her own work as being that of a Surrealist, Surrealism explored the imagination of the subconscious. According to Kahlo, her paintings were her reality – from her experience in the capitalist U.S. society to her miscarriages (Image 3). Female artists used the mirror as a way to assert the duality of their being (Chadwick, 314).  

Whereas Modernism built off of the technological advancements, post-Modernism differentiates

Adrian Piper's "My Calling Card," 1987

Image 4

itself by expanding the definition of art and extrapolating more questions than answers. “More kinds of art practice and more kinds of artists are accepted and written into the historical record” (Girls, 90). In comparison to the past, more women artists’ works have been exhibited, reviewed, and collected, and there have been shows open to gay and lesbian artists. The Guerrilla Girls note the hierarchy of material which still exists where oil paint on canvas is given the most prestige. Medias such as photography and installation are not given as much prestige. Regardless of that, many women excelled using these media. Adrian Piper is one such remarkable woman who is known for her performance art, one of which is the “Calling Card” that plays with the concepts of identify and racism (Image 4).  

Faith Ringgold's "Tar Beach," 1988

Image 5

Post-Modernism, however, still does not accord that the art of Asia or Africa to the equal status of those from Europe (Girls, 90). When women of color are exhibited, they serve as tokens where a few such artists are featured to illustrate that there is a diverse range of artists at the exhibition. Faith Ringgold is a prominent artist from the Post-Modernist Era where, similar to Adrian Piper, she uses her identity as an African American as a topic for her artwork. Her artworks range from quilts to books. “Tar Beach” by Ringgold illustrates a warm-loving atmosphere where the family is on the rooftop with the adults, and the children are having their own separate fun (Image 5). Clothes are left to dry and there is a table full of food to add to the ambience. The great factor about Post-Modernism is that it allows for the interjection of narratives which do not exist. Ringgold’s narrative of this young African American girl is an example of such work which gives girls of color to see diversity and the acceptance of differences in their short stories. Akin to Ringgold, several artists from Post-Modernism pushes for social change by exploring racial and gender stereotypes through the lens of their own identity.

By Maisha Manzoor 

Citations

Chadwick, Whitney. Women, Art, and Society. Langara College, 2016. 

Girls , Guerrilla. The Guerrilla Girls' Bedside Companion to the History of Western Art. Penguin Books, 2006.