Modernism/Postmodernism

Modernism was a movement during the 19^th and 20^th centuries. During this time, women wanted to win equal rights in different patriarchal environments such as government, politics, society, employment, and art. Artists began to change the way they expressed their artwork using different techniques with a variety of materials and concepts. A modernist mentality allowed individuals to become more optimistic. Modernism allows the artist to express themselves, more freely and uniquely and break free from the typical traditional viewpoints. During this time frame, individuals emphasized on abstract and geomatic forms. Female artists used their bodies as a form of expression, they moved away from their background and focus on the artwork. Female artists refused to hide behind the shadows of men. The modernist movement also had a great influence on fashion. “Women functioned both as producers of this new visual culture and as the signifiers of its meaning” (Chadwick 252). Fashion expresses change so deliberately that it became a tangible, visual depiction of breaking away from tradition. Besides modernism, many other movements were created as a result of this revolution. "In Western art, movements and "isms" appeared, one after another: impressionism, postimpressionism, fauvism, cubism, futurism, constructivism, dada-ism, surrealism, expressionism, abstract expressionism, etc." (Guerilla Girls, 59). These different movements and new forms of expression revolutionized art and became known as modernism. Artists like Sonia Delaunay inspired many movements in modernism, she experimented with different forms and colors that created artwork that seemed to exhibit movement. Dadaists were inspired by Sonia based on her artwork, would “communicate the vitality of modern life” and reinforced the idea that “Immobility is dead and this is the reign of movement” (Chadwick 272,274). Her piece, Simultaneous Contrasts, shows a representation of unified complementary colors and contrast with the use of light.

Sonia Delaunay, Simultaneous Contrasts, 1912

Abstract expression was a movement that expressed art in a diverse way. "The consolidation of Abstract Expressionism as the dominant practice in American modern art pushed to the margins not only women moving toward artistic maturity in other 'modern' styles during the 1940s but also many women professionally active in what would come to be seen as 'conservative' and 'outmoded' figurative styles."(Chadwick 319).  During the abstract expressionism, Lee Krasner was a women artist who believed in this movement. Her artwork was marked by “its refusal to produce a self in painting" (Chadwick 320). Krasner "allow[ed] herself to emerge her art out of fear that it would betray her femaleness in a movement that prized male heroics (Chadwick 320). The idea of abstract expressionism was displayed in her piece the Cat Image. Krasner uses brushstrokes to paint red, pink and yellow lines. She wanted to showcase the female artist to have a voice and wanted to challenge the idea that women artists can paint.

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Lee Krasner, Cat Image, 1957

German Expressionism was a movement that had "colorful" artwork. They were meant to go against olden traditions and add a twist to the "common" or "familiar" artwork during the time. An artist that was familiar for this time frame is Paula Modersohn- Becker. She challenged the idea that a woman’s body is meant for men to view and be pleased by it; she painted a full-length sculpture painting. The purpose of her artworks was to "search for primordial power through images of nature" (Chadwick 289).  Paula Modersohn- Becker painting emphasized on the idea that "all the contradictions inherent in the woman artist's attempt to insert her own image into existing artistic conventions" (Chadwick 289). She wanted to demonstrate the conforming to one’s body. One of her piece, Self Portrait with Amber Necklace, shows an image of a woman who is fearless because she is nude holding onto a necklace. Paula is making a statement about women empowerment and how liberating they are. She “ignored conventional perspective and anecdotal detail to produce monumental images of idealized mothers" (Chadwick 287). She tried to portray the idea that women are submissive and are not objects.

Paula Modersohn- Becker, Self Portrait with Amber Necklace, 1906

Surrealism was a movement that liberated women. Artists such as Frida Kahlo and Hannan Hoch were recognized. Frida Kahlo painted her own reality. She wanted to express her emotions and feelings through her artwork. Her most memorable piece of work is The Broken Column, it showcases all the pain and suffering she went through and how she overcame those emotions. Even at her lowest point, she was able to stand strong and surpass her hardships. Another important artist is Hannah Hoch. She used the art of photographs to highlight her work.  Hannah wanted to giver her representation of what a “new woman” was supposed to look like. She felt that “the German media’s glorification of the independent, modern female, free to smoke, wear sexy clothes, vote and work…” was the image that woman should be represented as (Guerilla Girls 66-67). During this movement, the idea of power was important. Artist like Frida and Hannah were able to overcome struggle because they had the strength and drive to archive what they wanted with any male figure holding them back.  

Frida Kahlo, The Broken Column, 1944

Postmodernism was more evident after World War II. After this historic event, it started the revolution of technology and advancement which was presented in artwork. Compared to modernism, postmodernism emphasized reality while modernism focused on abstract ideas. These realistic occurrences were presented in the artwork of that time. Both movements might be interconnected but form drastically different pieces of work; "[p]ostmodernism draws heavily on existing representations rather than inventing new styles, and it often derives its imagery from mass media or popular culture, has focused attention on the ways that sexual and cultural differences are produced and reinforced in these images."(Chadwick 380). An important artist that created postmodernism work is Barbara Kruger. She used black and white images with red text in her pieces to show the technological advancement of how the representation of text in different forms can change the importance of the image. Kruger would use images from pop culture magazines that she did not support. She wanted to use these images to highlight an issue she went against.  Her piece, You are not yourself, is a mix representation of a shattered mirror and a woman’s reflection in an abstract form.

Barbara Kruger,  You are not yourself, 1981

Works Cited

Chadwick, Whitney. Women, Art, and Society. Langara College, 2016.
The Guerrilla Girls Bedside Companion to the History of Western Art. Penguin Books, 2006.