Modernism
Modernism refers to the broad movement in Western art, architecture and design which self-consciously rejected the past as a model for the art of the present, and placed an emphasis on formal qualities within artworks and processes and materials. It is a movement that, along with cultural trends and changes, arose from wide-scale and far-reaching transformations in Western society in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, particularly in the years following World War I.
Modernism refers to this period’s interest in new types of paints and other materials, in expressing feelings and ideas, in creating abstractions and fantasies, rather than representing what is real. This kind of art requires its audience to observe carefully in order to get some facts about the artist, his intentions, and his environment, before forming judgments about the work.
Post Modernism
Postmodernism is a term used from about 1970 to describe changes seen to take place in Western society and culture from the 1960s onwards. The name given to a wide range of cultural phenomena, to characterize a move away from the ‘highbrow’ seriousness of modernism, preferring a more eclectic and populist approach to creativity.
The term is used both as a ‘stylistic’ term and also as a period designation. Paintings that have been described as Postmodernist include the work of Stephen McKenna and Carlo Maria Mariani, also selected works by Peter Blake and David Hockney.
