Modernism and Post-Modernism

Darisbeth Franco

   Modernism was a period where new types of painting rose with new materials. These artists would show feeling in a different way from before by expressing themselves in ways of fantasies instead of realistic. These art were to be seen more carefully because it is harder to understand. modernism consist of "Impressionism, post-impressionism, fauvism, cubism, futurism, constructivism, dada-ism, surrealism, expressionism, abstract expressionism, etc." (59,  The Guerrilla Girls ). This was a time a change that many artists took part in. These artist were part of the creation of Modernism.

Sonia Delaunay, Prismes Isotique 1914

  Throughout this burst of Modernism, many artist had a big influence on this change. One women being Sonia Terk Delaunay. She, along side with her husband, were responsible for the creation of simultanism. This was a theory of color but of course Robert Delaunay, her husband got most of the credit. Sonia Delaunay was a modernism painter because "her art pushed the envelope between art and life." (60 Guerrilla Girls )

Claude Cahun Self portrait 1929

Another Artist was Claude Cahun, Shes was the first women whose art was photograph of herself. She was listed as a man because of the way she showed herself.  Cahun art work was different from other western art. Other artist were drawing and painting women being ogled by men, while Cahun pictures was more to relief from this idea."Instead of presenting herself as a passive object ready to be consumed by a heterosexual male gaze, she defiantly presents herself as both object and subject as both object and subject of her own sexual fascinations." (63 Guerrilla Girls).  Claude was a lesbian marxist and a jew which was something the Nazis were heavily against. At this time the she had to leave, because then she would be put to death. They never caught her as she never returned to Paris.

Frida Kahlo was also a surrealist in her time and painted self portraits. She was a very known artist and still up to this day is know. After getting into a bus accident, fighting for her life, she was in bed unable to move she started to draw her injuries. The paintings she painted had very powerful messages that shows the pain she went through. Her work was consider Mexican modernism.

Frida Kahlo Self-Portrait on Borderline

Georgia O'Keefee, Black pansy 1926

To add on, another artist was Georgia O'Keeffe. She was a women who study in the Art institute of Chicago. She was known as the mother of Modernism because of her work it really reflected the idea of modernism. After her husband died sh decided to move to New Mexico. Here she was inspired by the landscape and was able to create many painting that became well known. O'Keeffe was very know for her work throughout the 20 century. Her work was very bold. She painted flower, cityscapes, landscapes, bones. She was a "Contribuition to american modernism." She was going away from  realism. She had a passion to create her own expression.

In compare to Modernism, post-modernism is what came next. "Post-modernism was specifically a reaction against modernism which had dominated art theory and practice" and was used to, " describe challenges and changes to establish structure and belief system," the in western society. (Tate) Tracy Emin is an example of a Post Modernism. "Its is her deliberate attempts to shock the public by creating highly explicit feminist art or by incorporating obscene words into the title of her works, or by publicising the  fact she works in the nude, that remains at the heart of her creative image."(Visual Arts). Tracy Emin is a British Artists. Her work mostly reflects her struggle and who she is.
One thing Emin focuses on is her childhood. Her childhood was not so easy
and was raped at 13 and had an abortion at 18. Her first work that made her who is she is the picture "Everyone I ever slept with 1963-1995." This shows the messages of something she went through, her rape case and the kid that never was.

Everyone I ever slept with 1963-1995, 1995

Work Cite
“Tracey Emin (B.1963).” Tracey Emin: Installation Artist, Postmodernist Painter, www.visual-arts-cork.com/famous-artists/tracey-emin.htm.

Australia, National Gallery of. Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera & Mexican Modernism, nga.gov.au/Exhibitions/mexModern/index.htm.

Tate. “Postmodernism – Art Term.” Tate, www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/p/postmodernism.

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