New Age of Diversity Created By Artists Through Different Art Forms

The Exceptional Work of Post Modern Artists and How They Changed The Landscape of Art

Artist 1 : The new way of : Architecture . 

  The postmodern movement was one that was filled with controversy. The postmodern style had a common factor of a nontraditional approach. Frank Gehry is known for his bold and unconventional forms and architecture. He was one of the only true postmodern architects. In Bilbao, Spain between 1991 and 1997, Gehry made a true name for himself. This gave him international recognition. From this creation, there was a phenomenon created called "The Bilbao Effect." They believed with creations of "rebirth" such as Gehry and this new era of seemingly "out there" works, it was believed that there was a new era for art. This piece provided a sense of economic and social impact on the Guggenheim Museum and seemed to provide people with a new look on architecture. This fit the theme of a public sculpture which is a major part of the postmodern era. The curvature of the sculpture adds dimension to the piece. The beauty of this sculpture is the assembly of multiple lines and different shading that is created by the light refracting off of the sculpture. This piece being assembled next to the water, also adds a layer of complexity to the piece. It makes the reflection of the water and the reflection of the sculpture into the water appealing to the viewer. The titanium panels were an unconventional idea that was a common aspect of all art during this postmodern era. The postmodern era was an era categorized by people unconventional ways to make art. I really liked this sculpture because it something different than I have ever seen before. The ability of artists to step out of the norm is something that really stands out to me. it reminds me of how creative the human mind is. This is also a reminder of the beauty that artists can make. The diversity of his sculptures is something I find inspiring, I have never seen anything like these before.

    One of the most iconic pieces created during the postmodern era was the Walt Disney Concert Hall, in Los Angeles California. This again was designed by the "starchitect"  Canadian-American architect, Frank Gehry. This bold design made of steel panels is a pleasure to the eye. Gehry is known for his creation of oddly shaped buildings. The concert hall appears similar to the Bilbao Museum that he also created. This concert hall, was 49 miles long covered in stainless steel panels. Gehry integrated the work of reflections very well in this piece. The ability of the sun to reflect and bounce off of the concert hall, created an illusion for the viewer. There were more colors and light created because of the use of steel panels. Inside, the space is bright. The curvature of the sculpture creates dimension for the viewer. The concert hall appears to be flying or floating due to the way the lines of the steel were created. Attached below is an inside view of the concert hall in the video. The concert hall looks magical to me. This work opposes symmetry and showcases how beautiful art can be when people try to break out of the ordinary way of creating art. The different sized waves of steel creates the illusion that the sculpture is growing from the top. Also, through the use of juxtaposing the angles and size of the waves creates a layer of dimension and complexity. Using the space that he was given for this sculpture made it so he was able to add multiple layers of waves.  I loved the way this was created especially the use of different positioning of the waves.

https://youtu.be/F3WAWSBDk1I?feature=shared

    Artist 2 : Comic Relief and A New Spin on Art during the Postmodern Era

The artist below to me, showcased the ability to be an individual and show his own take on art. 

Roy Lichtenstein was a prominent postmodern artist as well. He created his own unique new style of art. Lichtenstein was a New York born artist and was one the most unconventional artists of his time. He made a painting called "Drowning Girl." This was an oil based polymer paint canvas. This was based on the work from Tony Abruzzo. He was inspired from a DC comic that was published in 1962 titled Run for Love. The use of different coloring is huge in this piece as it shows the creation of the contrast of the woman with the waves of water over her. The use of shape and color also shows her tears. There is an emotion created by the main figure being displayed as crying. The emotion draws the feeling that she is actually drowning. This being inspired by a comic, she is not drawn as a realistic girl would appear. It appears to be a cartoon figure in the painting, which sparks the viewers interest. I really enjoyed this piece. It is so much different than your usual art piece that you would see an artist create. The dark lines create contrast for the girl with the water submerging her. Without the use of contrast and lines, the message of this image would not be the same. This piece is a part of the permanent collection at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. Drowning Girl was created in 1980. This continues on the idea of the diversity of art. There is so many forms of art and so many unique and beautiful ways that people can showcase their minds and abilities. 

    Roy Lichtenstein also made "Popeye." (1981)This was another cartoon appearing piece of art. This piece, I think is not only my favorite kind of postmodern art, but art overall that we have looked at over this time. The use of lines creates the illusion that the image is live. It looks like someone was actually just slapped or punched in the face due to the use of lines and shape that he showcased in this piece. The color choice that he chose, was very bright. I think the use of bright colors shows the high intense situation that is being depicted in this image. I think the amount of thought that went into each component of this piece, allowed for the viewer to get a story through the piece of art. The unrealistic depiction of the figures also plays into the idea of this being apart of the post modern era, this went against the usual norm of the modern era. This piece is also featured at the Museum Modern Art in New York City. I really enjoyed the way he showcased the two figures in this image. This oil painting shows a very diverse piece of artwork and is so much different than anything I have ever seen. I really enjoyed looking at the comic style art that was created by Lichtenstein. I enjoyed the comical piece of this. I really liked the use of bright colors and it made me feel a sense of a childlike feeling and reminded me of watching cartoons as a kid. This again was very creative to me and overall something so different from anything that I have seen before. This is something very far from a generic and boring painting. His use of space as well is something I really enjoyed. He was able to show so much in such a small canvas. The small space made the figures appear so big. The colors made me feel that the individuals in the image had a conflict. The use of lines, creates an illusion that someone was just hit. 

Artist 3: The Sculptures 

Jeff Koons was my last selection to show the different ways that art was showcased during this time period. There were so many new takes on old forms of art. Koons caught my eye with his sculpture of "Balloon Dog." I love the color and I love the way that he made a life sized blow up dog. Most of the works I selected reminded me of being a child. This showcased what a balloon dog that I had gotten when I was little looked like. The pink color and shiny configuration makes it look like a real balloon. His ability to use shape to create a sculpture like this is something that I found very impressive. The shininess adds a layer of realism to the piece as it looks the way a pink shiny balloon would appear. The large size was a great use of space. The largeness of this piece separates itself from a basic sculpture that would have been done previously to this era. The use of bright colors as well caught my eye. I feel like the color also allows for it to demand attention when you are in a museum. This was created in 1994 by Jeff Koons. there were five different versions of a various amount of colors that was created by this work. Today there is one of these showcased at the Art Wynwood in Miami. 

    Jeff Koons was an outside of the box thinker and it is something that I admire. He continued to use the color pink, which personally I love. He made another sculpture that was titled "Puppy." Today this work is in the outside terrace at Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, Spain. This represents a life size puppy in a realistic way. The beautiful use of flowers reminds me of being a child picking flowers pretending as if I made something even close to as amazing as this. The size alone I find amazing. The use of the varying flowers in this sculpture, creates a texture of fur. The texture is something that I think makes this really look like a dog with the varying colors. The colors being different provide a contrasting look of the fur as would be in a real dog. The texture paired with the various colors, makes this appear as a real dog. This sculpture as did the other works I chose, just made me feel happy. After seeing sad images for the past couple of blogs I wanted to pick diverse and happy images and sculptures. "Puppy" was created in 1992 in the German City in Arolson. The location of this image and the shapes he chose to use, made this work look realistic yet exaggerated. I think if he hadn't put this dog outside at a park, it would not be as fitting. The outlandish size and idea of this creation was my favorite part. This was my final diverse choice of art for this week. i saved the sculptures for last as I think they were the most unique forms of art I had chosen so far. I really enjoyed evaluating these.

Citations 

1.  Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. (2024, October 7). Frank Gehry. Encyclopædia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Frank-Gehry

2. Wainwright, Lisa S.. "Jeff Koons". Encyclopedia Britannica, 3 Oct. 2024, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jeff-Koons. Accessed 19 November 2024.

3. Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Roy Lichtenstein". Encyclopedia Britannica, 23 Oct. 2024, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Roy-Lichtenstein. Accessed 19 November 2024.

4. Tate. (1963, January 1). Postmodernism. https://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/p/postmodernism

5. Roy Lichtenstein | moma. (n.d.). https://www.moma.org/artists/3542

Biography. Roy Lichtenstein Foundation. (n.d.). https://lichtensteinfoundation.org/biography/

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