Postmodern Sculpture

Postmodern art has many characteristics and identities. In my sculpting class last year, I created a paper mâché sculpture that embodies postmodernism. My sculpture is not merely a concoction of glue and newspaper, I used anything in my surroundings to shape the body of my creature. The common items I used were plastic containers flowers are purchased in, toilet paper rolls, wire, cardboard, and more. I pieced these items, that would generally not be considered art, together, creating an artistic sculpture.

My piece can be categorized as postmodern because it rejects typical aesthetic criteria. My sculpture was inspired by a mixture of animals including a pig, dragon fly, horse, and rabbit. It does not have a clear identity as an animal, but holds the single identity of an imaginative creature that is composed from the separate aspects of the animals previously listed.

Furthermore, I painted my sculpture with circular patterns of vibrant colors such as green and yellow. The patterns and colors of my piece eliminate its aspect of reality. When painting my sculpture, I also developed textures on the wings and ears that dismiss traditional styles of painting. This proves my sculpture to be abstract and irrational, qualities associated with postmodernism.

Pro-environmentalism is also a characteristic of postmodernism, a characteristic that my sculpture bears. The sculpture I created is mainly the color green and of an animalistic creature that has a congenial expression, showing support for life and the environment. My piece is also pro-environment because it is composed of items that most would consider garbage and is therefore recycling these waste materials.

Lastly, my sculpture is open to different opinions and has no single, correct interpretation, like most postmodern art. However, my conceptualization of my sculpture is that anything can be art. With some creativity, what someone may not think twice about as garbage can be assembled into a masterpiece. Although my sculpture is clearly no masterpiece, it is my artistic expression and I openly accept criticism, a final characteristic of postmodernism.

Paper Mâché Sculpture: