Put simply, Modernism was a movement that refused to abide by the norms of artmaking from the past. As the name suggests, it was embodied by this idea of being and portraying “Modern” ideas. This empowered women to pave new ways for the artists to come and created a new world of art. Modernism valued and mirrored the realities people faced and the hopes people had for the future of their time period. Innovation, creativity, and individualism were of the utmost importance for these artists. Inevitably, the New Woman surfaced. Women embraced their bodies and creativity unlike ever before during this time.
Claude Cahun, a trailblazer during the era of Modernism, was bold with her artwork. She was “one of the first 20th-century females to dress up and photograph herself in the name of art” (Guerilla Girls 62). Rejecting the societal norms and confinements placed on her by her husband, Cahun made statements through her artwork about gender roles and the stereotypical expectations. In fact, she protested them. Her piece, “Self-Portrait” from 1928 embodied this protest. By photographing herself, posing herself, and styling herself, Cahun was in charge of herself and how she was seen. This was part of the movement of the New Woman. She was empowered and in control of herself, denying the male gaze. Cahun was also lesbian and so, her work stood up for those who could not stand up for themselves. Her aura, clothing, and opinions shocked people which was vital to her personality and artwork. Without her statements, her art would lack meaning and power. Claude Cahun paved a way for women to come, encouraging them to lead a path of their own.
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| Claude Cahun Self Portrait 1928 |
Frida Kahlo, a woman who redefined strength, pioneered a new face of Modernism. She created art that would perplex her audiences and yet, her message would be conveyed. Frida, enduring a tragic trolley accident, experienced pain so incredible that it was a miracle she survived. She created several self-portraits to tell her story and utilizing symbolism, her pain and STRENGTH were felt by each viewer. Her appearance, the unibrow, and bright red lipstick are part of her signature look. She demanded the same respect people gave to male artists by keeping a unibrow and asserted her feminity with the red lipstick. In addition to the trolley accident, Frida says the other major pain she dealt with in her life was Diego. Her relationship with Diego was complicated and caused her a lot of conflict throughout her life. This story is represented in her piece, The Broken Column. She illustrated her pain without disguise as her body is covered in nails and where her spine is supposed to be in a cracked column. It is important to note, however, the largest nail is on her left breast, the closest region to the heart, representing the pain she endured from her relationship with Diego. Despite these significant details, her facial expression is of the most important. Her tears represent the freedom that she granted herself. Although her pain could have been marked by the pain she incessantly felt, physically and mentally, Frida rose above and created art that would last beyond her lifetime.
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| Frida Kahlo The Broken Column 1944 |
Postmodernism was an art movement that valued expressionism in all forms: pop art, conceptual art, neo-expressionism, and feminist art. They overthrew the practices of modernism that only emphasized and saw value in the more prestigious artists. They refused to follow the hierarchy that was modernism. Postmodernism allowed people to explore the realms of art that went beyond the canvas. It encouraged all forms of art: comical, exciting, experimental, and intellectual. Anyone can participate in postmodernism. It was less exclusive than modernism.
Postmodernism allowed artists to use a variety of mediums. Before, live-action and including the body as the medium was exclusive to theater and dance. Postmodernism introduced the body as a medium in the practice of art. Performance art, pop art, performance art, and feminist art utilized the body to make statements about the corruption of society against women. Women were empowered to express themselves in any way they saw fit.
Marina Abramovic, a brilliant performance artist, took the risk and changed the face of performance art. Her renowned performances speak volumes on the nature of human beings and ultimately, the realities that societal norms hide. Taking the risk, Marina’s piece “Rhythm 0”, exemplified how cruel people could be when they are “instructed” to treat a human being as an object. Marina laid out 72 objects on a table and stood behind it. She told the audience that for the next six hours, she is an object they can do anything they want to with the objects laid on the table. The objects ranged from flowers and perfume to nails, razor blades, and a gun loaded with one bullet. They cut her neck, instructed her to point the gun at herself and shoot, and sexually assaulted her. Dedicated to the project, she allowed all of it, except for shooting herself, to occur. After six hours, Marina “came back to life” and confronted the audience. Many ran away as they could not handle facing what they did to Marina. Marina commented, “This work reveals something terrible about humanity. It shows how fast a person can hurt you under favorable circumstances. It shows how easy it is to dehumanize a person who does not fight, who does not defend himself. It shows that if he provides the stage, the majority of ‘normal’ people apparently can become truly violent” (Williams). Marina was dedicated, creative, and created art from a performance that would shock people even decades later. She is the quintessence of postmodernism as her piece defied the limits of art set by movements in the past.
Modernism and postmodernism, although overlapped in time, differed greatly. In the sense of inclusion, postmodernism reigned as supreme. Postmodernism art was created with the security that everything would be justified as art, regardless of the medium utilized. Modernism, although less inclusive, was nonetheless a powerful movement that rejected the practices before it. It gave birth to abstract expressionism and a variety of artistic methods that are admired to this day. Most significant to note, the women of both eras were brave, courageous, and innovative. They were trailblazers and pioneers in their field.
Works Cited
Chadwick, Whitney. Women, Art, and Society. 4th Edition. United Kingdom: Thames and Hudson Ltd., 1990
The Guerrilla Girls. The Guerrilla Girls' Bedside Companion to the History of Western Art. New York: Penguin, 1998
Williams, Faye. “Performance Artist Stood Still For 6 Hours to Let People Do What They Wanted to Her Body.” Elite Readers, 11 July 2018, www.elitereaders.com/performance-artist-marina-abramovic-social-experiment/.
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