NEOCLASSISM (POST-MODERNISM)

Postmodernism started in the around 1970s marking the end of modernism.

It is an extensive movement which developed across philosophy, arts, architecture, etc.
There is no one correct definition of postmodernism art movement as it did not follow any
particular theories and ideologies.
It is popularly said to be an outlook of scepticism, irony, rejection of ideologies of
modernism and it also questions assumptions of enlightenment rationality, an intellectual
and philosophical movement that took place between the 17th and the 19th century in
Europe.
It is often related with deconstruction, post-structuralism, and structuralism. Jean-François
Lyotard, Jacques Derrida, Charles Jencks, Fredric Jameson, etc. are some postmodernism
philosophers.
The term postmodern was first used around the 1970s by Jean-François Lyotard with the
publication of The Postmodern Condition.
The fundamental concepts of postmodernism are seen even in the 1940s, most particularly
in the art of Jorge Luis Borges and other similar artisans.
Prominent features of postmodernism are thought to include an abstract disbelief to the
"grand narrative" of Western traditions. It shows a predilection for the virtual at the price of
the Real.
Postmodernism defies philosophies of factual reality, ethics, truism, nature of humans and
societal development are the prime targets of postmodernism. Postmodernism variously
references to structuralism, post-structuralism, deconstruction.

Postmodernism in art
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The contemporary art which defies the traditional, aesthetical ideologies of modernism is
postmodern art. Postmodernism led to experimentation in different media like performance
art, installation art, etc.

Sculpture by Jeff Koons

Postmodernism in architecture
Charles Jencks, starting with lectures in the early 1970s and his essay "The Rise of
Postmodern Architecture" from 1975 associated postmodernism with architecture. His
masterwork is the “The Language of Postmodern Architecture,” a book published in 1977.
Jencks states that Post-Modernism similar to modernism differs for every art types. For
architecture, according to Jencks, “postmodernism is not just a response to Modernism but
double coding: the combination of Modern techniques with something else (usually
traditional building) in order for architecture to communicate with the public and a
concerned minority, usually other architects."
In "Revisiting Postmodernism", Terry Farrell and Adam Furman state that “Postmodernism
brought a more joyous and sensual experience to the culture, particularly in architecture.”
A book by Robert Venturi, “Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture,” was a major
stimulus on the development of Postmodernist philosophy.

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Characteristics of postmodern architecture

1. Use of bright colours internally and externally

2. Eye-catching and interesting buildings

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3. Use of classical motifs

4. Use of unusual shapes and materials creating a curious effect

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Postmodernism is still seen in various buildings
1. Wells Fargo centre, Minneapolis, 1988, Cesar Pelli

2. One Detroit centre, Detroit, John Burgee and Philip Johnson 2. One Detroit centre,
Detroit, John Burgee and Philip Johnson

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 3. Portland building Portland, Oregon, Michael graves

References
https://www.architecture.com/explore-architecture/postmodernism
https://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/p/postmodernism
https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/postmodernism/
https://prezi.com/vrse1vrk01q6/post-modern-and-neoclassical-architecture/

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