Modernism and Postmodernism - Essay Example

MODERNISM AND POSTMODERNISM By Student’s Name Code + Course Name Professor’s Name University Name City, State Date Modernism and Postmodernism Introduction This essay compares and contrasts the views of authorities as a component of building an analysis of the activity of postmodern practitioners. The postmodern practitioners discussed involve postmodern characteristic such as humor, parody, irony and playfulness. The two practitioners that the essay contrast and compares involve Bruce Nauman and south Park. Bruce Nauman was one of the American most influential and also productive postmodern artists. Nauman had to reject most of the traditional materials and hence; he was best known for his installation works and also his sculpture, in which case it had to employ neon lighting, fiberglass, and Styrofoam. All this was for the aim of producing some challenging and intuitive viewing experiences (Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia). On the other hand, South Park was and is still an American adult vigorous sitcom, in which case it is a comedy central television network. The whole activity is quite intended for the grown-up audiences, and the show is also famous for its crude language, including weird humor, which ridicules in some vast range of topics. Therefore, the two postmodern practitioners are relevant to postmodernism because they contain postmodern characteristic such as humor, parody, irony and playfulness. This essay explores the various authorities such as Franklyn, Hixson, Chiger, Adams among others and their publications and also various similarities and differences that Bruce Nauman and South Park have in their works. Comparisons and Contrasts First involves the themes that both practitioners present in their work. It is quite evident that Bruce Nauman deals with the works that cover some broad range such as media, drawing, video, installation art, screen printing among others works. It is quite evident that Bruce brings about such themes as dynamism and also mental themes. This is because of the fact that it opposes the hierarchical structures that are quite present in the high societies. Bruce Nauman also brings about the theme of modernity, and he presents the belief that the weight of the outdated systems and philosophies were quite retentive (Adams, 1998). On the other hand, South Park involves or rather comes up with various themes in his work. Some of the themes that South Park presents include abortion, drugs, politics, censorships, celebrities, environmentalism and global warming, gay marriages and homosexuality, religion and literature among other post modern themes. Having a close analysis of the two practitioners, it is quite evident that they both have or rather presents similar themes, in which case it touches on the lives of the modern human being. The only difference that exists in the times is the fact that the themes may vary (Franklyn, 2006). The following is an image of Bruce Nauman image that create humor (Ketner, et al, 2006). The other factor that postmodern practitioners have is humor. It is evident that Bruce Nauman incorporated humor in his video art. In fact, most of his work were quite provocative, humorous and sometimes painful including the fact that it was tough-provoking. Indeed, his video usually involved in some repetition of bizarre behaviors. Nauman usually videotapes audience that experiences some installation that Nauman creates, and whenever they feel they are confined, he starts to record their panic on video (Hixson, 2008). On the other hand, South Park incorporates some humors also in his work. Post modern humor, in essence, reflects on the experiences of someone being thrown into some postmodernity. It does respond to and references the frameworks, fears, technologies and also fixations among others, in which case it strengthens the postmodern continuation. In is evident that south park had to use carnivalesque humor, in which case it is quite complex critique on some community in which the television is the main instrument of communication, the focal piece to many individuals lives and also the barometer of contemporary culture. Therefore, it is true to say that both South Park and Bruce Nauman were examples of humor, but the only difference is the fact that South Park was a carnivalesque (Franklyn, 2006). The following is an example of South Park work. The other evident scenario in the two practitioners involves time. Indeed, time is quite significant in postmodernism. In Nauman’s work, it is evident that time is quite undefined, and this is often when he uses looped video and also sounds to make the start and the end of some piece to exist within the context of seeing it. He ensures that he conceptually refines the approaches to body art and process art although it raises questions about the responsibility of the artist and that of the society (Hixson, 2008). On the other hand, South Park also presents the issue of time. It is quite evident that Park deals with currency as the subject of post modernism texts, in which case it is contemporary. Time that Park presents helps in reflecting and examining the present, not the past. This also implies the post modernism explores technology as a component of their content and incorporates it into their form. Indeed, south park currency is quite the biggest component of text (Chiger, 2012). The following are Bruce Nauman images (Nauman, 1983) The other component that is similar in both the practitioners involve intertextuality, in which case it is the post modern text that persistently refers to other texts, and this is often for the purpose of coming up with new meaning in the texts. In South Park’s work, there is quite the use of advertisements, TV shows and also video games, in which case it forms the most components of intertextuality. On the other hand, Bruce Nauman does incorporate acculturation in his work, in which case it implies that he brought some text from other fields. It is evident that the western acculturations enter because of the Cultural Revolution, distress among others. In essence, what Bruce Nauman and South Park presents is the bringing up of a new revolution that has some sense to post modernism. The following is an image of South Park (Park, 2013). Parody is quite evident in post modernism. It involves some humorous or rather some satirical imitation of some texts. It is quite evident that South Park had to integrate the use of other formats of media, and this is within itself by imitating and taking the piss out of matters within the community, for instance, abortion and research regarding the stem cell. The use of parody by South Park also creates some reference to fashionable culture and famous characters within the community as it disapproves vast ideas of generic conventions (Franklyn, 2008). On the other hand, Bruce Nauman also incorporates irony and satire, in which case most of the people get associated in postmodernism. In fact, this is the response by the post modernists that point out that the intellectual debate of low art versus high art is itself an intellectual and elitist, hence, making art defining in this way is high art (Adams, P 1998). The following is a South Park image. Although there are various scenarios that are quite similar in the two practitioners, a number of factors do vary, and they are not the same amongst the two practitioners. First is their personality, in which case South Park deals with animation, and he is a designer. Bruce Nauman, however, deals with vast activities that range from drawing, photographing, screen printing videos among others. Bruce Nauman also has had to develop very disturbing physical and psychological topics with imagery fundamentally on human and animal body parts. South Park does not involve much of the body parts, but his work focuses mostly on the modern work. Nauman also use language that is quite different, especially in the sculptural workings of Wiley. Nauman’s pieces incorporate aluminum replicas of carcasses of animals that taxidermists uses to increase the hides. South Park uses various animations, but its purposes were to create some humor among his work (Franklyn, 2008). Bruce Nauman works through the various aspects of post modernism such as malice and run away from fear among others and in is evident that he has had to use nontraditional materials to make his art, for instance neon. All or most of the South Park materials are post modern. South Park is indeed the cultural product that reflects on the cultural, material and the epistemological situations of the era. It also acts as a substitute to the real political activity. It is also evident that South Park’s works leads the new generation into constructing their knowledge foundation in certified settings of fashionable culture playground popular contact and sound bite details gotten from the media. In essence, Bruce Nauman and South Park both have some differing issues, and hence, the way they present the materials are some of the contrasting features that do exist (Keller and Stratyner, 2009). Another contrasting feature between the two practitioners involves the acts against modernism. This involves a scenario in which the post modernism format of media embodies skepticism, and it is South Park that had to embody this feature. Indeed, South Park acts against postmodernism, and this is evident by the defining of the grand narrative for instance, in the majority of episodes one of the actors dies. In essence, the narrative shows the fact that there is no reasonable narrative within life, and indeed, South Park works against modernism (Keller and Stratyner, 2009). This is because in one of the episodes he had to condemn the religious story of Mormons. On the other hand, Bruce Nauman had to build his reputation by being highly innovative and tentative artist. In fact, his capability of going the nontraditional sectors made him the pioneer of postmodernist art. Therefore, there exists the contrasting feature. Also, Bruce Nauman embraces the western intellectual point of view, in which case its context is not the significant thing the way art results the audience feel. Indeed Nauman thinks about and references the philosophical concepts and comes to the attention the restriction of the theories and terms to his excellent art as that goes beyond theory (Adams, 1998). In summary, it is quite apparent that the two practitioners had to utilize various aspects that are quite similar in many ways, although there are some few differences. Both Bruce Nauman and South Park incorporated the use of humor, in which case it is among the core aspects of postmodernism. The other aspect they utilized is the parody, satire, irony among other aspects of post modernism. Indeed, the two practitioners had to employ the narrative style narration of modern events, fashions and also trends, in which case it is offered in the fashionable media. The two practitioners only have some few differences such as the characteristic of running against the modernism, among others. The practitioners’ works indeed shows postmodern characteristics through their use of humor, satire, irony, playfulness, parody, time among others, in which case the characteristics are significant to the vast frameworks of postmodernism. Reference List: ‘Bruce Nauman' 2013, Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6Th Edition, p. 1, MAS Ultra - School Edition, EBSCOhost, viewed 16 May 2013. Adams, P 1998, 'Bruce Nauman and the object of anxiety', October, 83, p. 97, Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 16 May 2013. BARKER, C. (2011). Cultural studies: theory and practice. London, SAGE. Pg 208 Bates-Brown, Valery Y. R. "Visual and Aural Effects Observed in Specific Media Artwork of Bruce Nauman and Nam June Paik." NAAAS & Affiliates Conference Monographs (January 2010): 822-830. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed May 16, 2013). Chiger, K 2012, 'South Park & the Law', Texas Review Of Entertainment & Sports Law, 14, 1, pp. 47-58, SPORTDiscus with Full Text, EBSCOhost, viewed 16 May 2013. EZELL, S. K. (2011). Ripping on people: the traditional and postmodern satire of "south park.". [S.l.], Proquest, Umi Dissertatio. FRANKLYN, B. (2008). Towards a theory of postmodern humour: South Park, seriousness, and social control. Saarbrucken, VDM Verlag Dr. Muller. FRANKLYN, B. S. (2006). Towards a theory of postmodern humour: South Park as carnivalesque postmodern narrative impulse. Thesis (M.A. Screen and Media Studies)-- University of Waikato, 2006. Hixson, K 2008, 'Nauman, Wittgenstein, Beckett: The 1960s Studio Films', Artus, 23, pp. 10-13, Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 16 May 2013. KELLER, J AND STRATYNER, L. (2009). The Deep end of South Park. McFarland. Kraynak, J 2003, 'Dependent Participation: Bruce Nauman's Environments', Grey Room, 10, pp. 22-45, Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 16 May 2013. WEINSTOCK, J. A. (2008). Taking South Park seriously. Albany, State University of New York Press. Pg 120 List of Images References: Nauman, B. 1983. Human/Need/Desire. Avaiabe at http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/8b/H umanneeddesire.jpg&imgrefurl=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Nauman&h=267&w =327&sz=51&tbnid=zxTMO83d9V46rM:&tbnh=125&tbnw=153&zoom=1&usg=__Zh Yv7OUd06q5H81CwqZ_o0OnI8E=&docid=yU1joCOexrFOwM&sa=X&ei=_gOXUcj1 LcaV7AbC9YHgBw&ved=0CDUQ9QEwAg&dur=658 Nauman, B. 1989. Rinde Head/ Andrew Head. New York, NY Park, S. 2013. The “Four Morons” of Revolution Muslim, and CNN's Epic Fail. Available at https://www.google.com/search?q=south+park+images&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ &sa=X&ei=jAWXUdCUH_Gp7Abi-4GQAQ&ved=0CC0QsAQ&biw=1024&bih=629 Read More