Post Modern Diversity

 For most of the artistic periods up until this time, Western art had been dominated by white males. Post-Modern art, from 1960 forward began to open up to more and more diversity in the artists as well as different diverse styles of artwork that were being recognized and praised. Diversity existed in the artist's races, genders, religion, and style of artwork. Diversity also existed in the type of materials that were used to create art. 

Installation art is one type of art that emerged in the Post-Modern Era of art and was artwork that was created and designed for a certain space, typically open to the public. Christo and Jeanne Claude were two Post-Modern artists known for their installation art. 

"Wall of Oil Barrels - The Iron Curtain" - Christo and Jeanne Claude

On the evening of June 27, 1962 Christo and Jeanne Claude installed these 89 oil barrels closing the Rue Visconti. The Rue Visconti was a very narrow, historic street in Paris. This was a very poetic protest against the Berlin Wall that had just been constructed the prior year in 1961. This is a piece of installation art that was constructed for a very specific purpose in this public place. The artists wanted to get a reaction out of the people in Paris. I think that this is a very good example of Installation art because the artists purposely put this in this specific spot in Paris to mimic the placement of the Berlin Wall. The shape of this is obviously 3D in the real world, creating dimension and shape in the place of the narrow street. The space is being used to demonstrate exactly what the artists intended for this specific street. 

Another, more contemporary, piece of art by Christo and Jeanne Claude is called "The Umbrellas" which was done between 1984 and 1991. 

"The Umbrellas" - Christo and Jeanne-Claude

This is another type of environmental art, or installation art from the Post-Modern Era, set in a specific place to portray something. The artists erected blue and yellow umbrella structures in California and in Japan. This work of art was meant to display the differences in the ways of life between these two very different cultures and how they used the land in the valley. In Japan, the umbrellas were packed closer together, at times tracing the rice fields, whereas in California, they were more spread out in the vastness of the land. I think that the artists for both of these pieces of installation art did a great job in spreading the message they were wanting to spread, and I really like both of these pieces. 

Street art and graffitti style art is another type of diverse art that became more popular in this Post-Modern time. 

"Dustheads" - Jean-Michel Basquiat

This painting done in 1982 by artist Jean-Michel Basquiat is supposedly meant to refer to two people who are high on drugs at the moment of being painted. Basquiat was a very famous graffitti street artist, however this piece is a painting on canvas. Basquiat ended up having a very short career as an artist because of his own unfortunate death due to a drug overdose. This piece is full of energy and movement from the many lines and motion seeming to be in the painting. The artist was only twenty-two years old when creating this painting and that can be seen through energy and color exuding from the painting. 

Another piece of art by Jean-Michel Basquiat is called "Riddle Me This Batman" completed in 1987, just one year before he passed away. 

"Riddle Me This Batman" - Jean-Michel Basquiat

This piece of art was done using an acrylic crayon on a piece of paper. As the title suggests, it was in reference to the popular movie and comic books involving Batman, Robin, and the Joker. Basquiat involves images in this artwork as well as words to help get his point across. The color really stands out to me in these pieces of art by Basquiat because it definitely shows his age as well as helps his painting stand out. His street art would definitely stand out to the onlooker because of the many bright colors as well as the movement and lines shown throughout. 

The last type of diverse Post-Modern art that I will be exploring is sculptures. Public sculptures became more and more popular for everyone to enjoy regardless of their historical background. 

"The Mustangs of Las Colinas" - Robert Glen

In 1984 Robert Glen was installed, it portrays nine wild mustangs at about 1.5 times their usual size displayed in Irving, Texas. Robert Glen was an African wildlife artist who was commissioned for this artwork by ranch owner, Ben H. Carpenter. Carpenter wanted this sculpture to portray Texas' large, wild, untamed past and the history of the state. The sculptures were shipped from England to Texas once completed and dedicated on September 25, 1984. They are made of bronze and have fountains underneath to portray them running through water. I think that this is such a beautiful sculpture, and even though it does not have any super historical past event behind it, it does a magnificent job of portraying exactly what the commissioner, Carpenter intended for it. 

"The Knotted Gun" - Carl Fredrik Reuterswärd

This second sculpture from the Post Modern Era is displayed in New York, NY completed in 1980. The artist completed this sculpture in memorial of John Lennon being shot and killed in New York. This gun is meant to display an portrayal and stand for the non-violence movement. It is a tribute to the artists friend and wanting to push towards a peaceful world. Therefore the gun is knotted, which would not allow a shot to be made. This sculpture is also done in bronze as are the horses. The artists managed to turn this violent symbol of attack into a symbol meant for peace and to push towards having a less violent world. I think that this sculpture does exactly as the artist intended and gets the message across very well. Obviously there is still violence in the world, but it is a great reminder to always be striving for better. 

All of these types of artwork reflect the diversity that was emerging in the Post-Modern Era as more and more people were being accepted as artists and more and more styles of art were being accepted as well. I really enjoy most of these styles of art, especially the sculptures. I would love to personally travel and see these, as well as many others in real life and hope to do so one day. I love the color of Jean-Michel Basquiat's artwork and how it pops out to the eye right away. I think that all of these show the diversity of the artwork and how it was growing and spreading, during the Post-Modern Era to include many more styles than ever before. 

References

“Basquiat.” Brooklyn Museum: Basquiat, www.brooklynmuseum.org/exhibitions/basquiat/.

“Christo and Jeanne.” Claude, christojeanneclaude.net/artworks/the-iron-curtain/.

Irving Archives & Museum, www.irvingarchivesandmuseum.com/mustangs-of-las-colinas.

“The Knotted Gun.” The Knotted Gun, theknottedgun.com/.