The New Era of Art

Postmodernism surfaced in the late 20th century as criticism to alternative literature, art, and other elements of culture. The meticulous craft of postmodernist art reflects changes in society and the perception of such societal ideals. In these ways, postmodernism sparked a new, progressive art movement (which still continues today) that allowed artists to use new artistic techniques and challenge traditional principles.

A well-known 'pop art' movement artist, Andy Warhol, reveals postmodernist beliefs in his image, the "Marilyn Diptych." Warhol created this picture in response to Marilyn Monroe's death in 1967.



In the image, there are several postmodernist features. On the exterior, it seems as though Warhol purely has Monroe descending in color for artistic effect, not for any underlying meaning. On one side of the picture, Monroe's iconic photographs shines in color. On the other side, the Monroes are blurry and are in black and white. Through this technique, Warhol conveys the difference between life (with color and 'excitement') and death (without color and gloomy).

Additionally, Warhol appears to display his viewpoint of American culture. Monroe's face is printed 50 times, demonstrating how widely-known she was and her appearance in the media. The repetition of her face expresses how America is absorb in the media and obsessed the power of a media image. Moreover, the repetition also conveys how America begins to increasingly depend on mass production of products (and its profits, implying that the culture is greed-driven).

Furthermore, the diptych the picture Monroe is illustrated on (take note of the brown line down the center of the photographs) provides for another example. In the Renaissance Era, Christians often used a diptych (described as hinges that attached two flat plates together) for altarpieces in churches. This fusion of methods displays how Warhol thought Americans worshiped the media and the image of celebrities excessively.

Using these newer approaches to artistic creation may be shown in an unseen way through the idea of postmodernism. The almost invisible view postmodernism may contain expresses how thinking one concept will not only be one idea, but may be perceived in a multitude of other ways.