Postmodernism
Postmodernism was introduced in this week's readings. It can be difficult to clearly define because it has been used to describe a variety of approaches to making art. Artists often looked back at the Modern era in order to comment or reinterpret the ideas or styles.
Sherrie Levine is an artist who pushed the boundaries in defining postmodern art practices. She is most notable for a series in which she re-photographed the photographs of Walker Evans. Evans took these photographs while working for the Farm Security Administration (FSA) during the Great Depression and they were in the public domain. The resulting photograph was a duplicate of the original, raising questions about expectations of what makes an artist. Levine was exploring ideas of appropriation and originality which were some of the ideas behind
Postmodernism.
Discuss how Levine's approach questions originality of creation of an artist. What makes an original? Was Levine justified in her work? How does this work reflect Postmodernism as you understand it?
Walker Evans, Alabama Tenant Farmer Wife, 1936
Sherrie Levine, After Walker Evans, 1981