Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Replacing Post-Modernism


In the previous post I noted the end of Post-Modernism was due to its preference for critique and ironic commentary over offering a replacement worldview to Modernism, (one concerned with solutions to the fundamental topics of inquiry). In the wake of the collapse of Post-Modernism, there are several possible movements that could replace it.  These different approaches may be categorized as such:  a return to tradition, a return to nature, a return to the past, a return to sentiment and a return to narrative.

A return to tradition concerns the propagation of a set of beliefs and habits that have existed for several generations for the most part unchanged.

A return to nature is typified by a direct personal interaction with nature, a discernment of nature’s principles and an awareness of psycho-physiological responses.

A return to the past is characterized by a tendency to openly explore historical models and solutions.

A return to sentiment is marked by a change in attitude from ironic critique to sincere belief.

A return to narrative is epitomized by the telling of stories and myths.

In future posts I will investigate how each tendency is being manifested in contemporary representational art.