After today's lecture, I thought a lot about the artistic facets of Modernism and Post Modernism, particularly self-reference in Modern Art and appropriation in Post Modern Art, and further, the effect of these on the mediums chosen in each style. This made me see Modernism in the context of Levi-Strauss' concept of the engineer and Post Modernism in the context of the bricoleur.

Self-reference was central to the Modern Art movement, particularly in painting. Emphasis was placed on the materiality of the paint itself, and on the flatness of the surface of the canvas. The medium dictated the entire piece, and was anything but arbitrary. I interpret the foundations of this movement through the lens of the engineer. Tools are chosen (paint, flat canvas, etc.) specifically for each piece, highlighting the original use of each medium.

In contrast, appropriation and recyclability were central to the Post Modern Art movement. For example, Bob Perelman’s ‘China’ is made up of pre-existing sentences arranged to create a new piece, like the Readymades or Photomontages of the Dadaists. Perelman, like the bricoleur, depended upon resourcefulness to unearth tools that he could use, and created a work based on what he found.