Return to Recognizable Imagery in Post-Modern and Post-Modernist Art Essay
For this essay, you are askedto consider whether or not the late-70s / 1980s return to recognizableimagery in postmodern and post-Modernist art was indeed public-friendly.Or did it follow the pattern that Steinberg observes? Can we say thatthis art “invit[es] us to applaud the destruction of values which westill cherish, while the positive cause, for the sake of which thesacrifices are made, is rarely made clea?”?
In “ContemporaryArt and the Plight of its Public?” Leo Steinberg describes the plightthat any new art creates for all of its viewersart professionals anduneducated bystanders alike. Steinberg writes: Contemporary art isconstantly inviting us to applaud the destruction of values which westill cherish, while the positive cause, for the sake of which thesacrifices are made, is rarely made clear. So that the sacrifices appearas acts of demolition, or of dismantling, without any motive¦.(Steinberg, 10) Steinberg argues that the phenomena of shock andoutraged response recur: each new art innovation temporarily exasperatesthe public. In the 1950s and 1960s contemporary artists astonishedaudiences with seemingly absurd and perturbing tactics likeincorporating junk in artworks, vandalizing valuable musicalinstruments, using their own bodies as material, etc. At the end of the1970s, postmodern and post-Modernist artists returned to recognizableimagery, something that had disappeared from advanced art. Wasn’t thisreturn to imagery friendly to the public? Could the new work be called”contemporar?” art if it did not disturb the public? For this essay, youare asked to consider whether or not the late-70s / 1980s return torecognizable imagery in postmodern and post-Modernist art was indeedpublic-friendly. Or did it follow the pattern that Steinberg observes?Can we say that this art “invit[es] us to applaud the destruction ofvalues which we still cherish, while the positive cause, for the sake ofwhich the sacrifices are made, is rarely made clea?”? This is anexpository essay. That means you must take a position on the issue.Whatever position you take, you must justify it in a logical argumentbacked up by evidence taken from three artworks. This paper is anopportunity to argue your position by thoughtfully selecting andstrategically discussing artworks. Your essay must begin with a fullyelaborated thesis paragraph in which you introduce the question, stateyour position, and detail exactly what you will discuss in order toprove your argument. Choose three artworks: You may write about artistspresented in class, but not the specific artworks shown in class.* Youmust choose three different artists: for any given artist, write aboutonly one work. The date of the works is crucial. DO NOT write aboutworks made before the late 1970s or after the 1980s! The controversyover the return to recognizable imagery does not begin before the end ofthe 70s, and it is resolved by the end of the 80s. If you are notcertain whether a work is suitable for your essay, email me a jpeg wellbefore you intend to write the paper. Assume it will take 24 hours forme to respond to email. *You cannot write about any of the photographsin Sherman’s Untitled Film Stills (1977-1980) andCenterfolds/Horizontals (1981) series. (She made many more works in the1980s to choose from.) Likewise, you cannot write about Longo’s Men inthe Cities series. 1 This is not a research paper. You don’t need to doin-depth research into the artworks. Just make sure that you know thefacts. Be certain to reread Steinberg’s essay before beginning tooutline your paper. You should review your lecture notes on the returnto recognizable imagery, parts I and II, and on activist art in 1980sNew York. You must acknowledge any and all sources that you quote orparaphrase. Write proper footnotes or endnotes to acknowledge the ideasand quotations you have borrowed from other authors. A completebibliography is required. Use whichever style you want (Chicago, MLA,etc).
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