Postmodernism as Artistic Movement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Postmodernism as Artistic Movement - Essay Example The essay "Postmodernism as Artistic Movement" focuses on postmodernism in the context of art. The sublime element, as a part of postmodernism concept, is without definite form and is indefinable thus it cannot be given a specific visual form. However, the visual form must suggest some element of the sublime. This is because every visible form is capable of suggesting some deeper meaning to different audiences at varying levels regardless of the original intentions of the artist. This is because art is understood to exist as a constant interaction between the artist and the viewer, between what the artist created and how the viewer interprets this creation based on individual experience, understanding and context. The postmodern movement brought these ideas forward. â€Å"The political and the aesthetic are inseparable, simultaneously present, faces of the postmodern problematic†. These ideas can be discovered by examining the philosophy behind the movement and applying them t o the artwork of a contemporary artist such as Jenny Holzer. Artists today attempt to convey a sense of the incommunicable in their work without depending on the traditional symbols and treatments of realist art. Philosopher Jean-Francois Lyotard wrote that the â€Å"only definition† of realism is that â€Å"it intends to avoid the question of reality implicated in that art†. The problem with realism is that the artist tends to â€Å"pursue successful careers in mass conformism by communicating by means of the correct rules.