This course will both survey postmodern art in general, and will pursue a more focused approach to a dominant theme of such art, the sublime. In this respect, we will concentrate on the writing of Lyotard and other critical responses to Postmodernism. The course will investigate whether postmodern art should be considered fundamentally neo-Romantic, or whether it should stand as an independent, revolutionary category in itself. The relation of Modernism to Postmodernism will be examined, and in the context of diverse issues explored by artists including identity politics, gender, subjectivity, constructs of 'essence' and 'self', and the strategies of historic quotation and appropriation. Other topics to be examined include the political values and claims of postmodern art and the status of the art-producer as artist-theoretician. Media explored include painting, photo-media, video, performance art, design and fashion.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

The student is challenged by the range of media examined in this course arising from the explosion of new art forms,

1. The student learns to question and evaluate the validity and stronghold of modernist painting and the 'heroic' male artist in the last three decades of the twentieth century.

2.  The student's knowledge of postmodernist art will be expanded and their ability to think critically about the changing role, meaning and purpose of art in rising global cultures will result from their engagement with diverse media ranging from photography, fashion, the moving image, collage and painting.

3. Students will assess the rise of feminism in art practice, the appropriation of 'history' in imagery across media, the blurring of boundaries in disciplines, cultures and geographies, and the rising voice of minority groups excluded from the normalising definitions of art presented during the height of modernist era of the 1950s and early 1960s.

Staff Feedback

Students will be given feedback in the following forms in this course:

• Students will be given verbal feedback directly after the tutorial research presentation paper is delivered in class and
• Written comments on the submitted presentation paper and the research essay

Student Feedback

ANU is committed to the demonstration of educational excellence and regularly seeks feedback from students. Students are encouraged to offer feedback directly to their Course Convener or through their College and Course representatives (if applicable). The feedback given in these surveys is anonymous and provides the Colleges, University Education Committee and Academic Board with opportunities to recognise excellent teaching, and opportunities for improvement. The Surveys and Evaluation website provides more information on student surveys at ANU and reports on the feedback provided on ANU courses.

Other Information

INTRODUCTION

This course surveys Australian and international postmodernism in art and ideas primarily within the last thirty years of the twentieth century. Once seen as denying the possibility of an historical continuity after the 1960s, postmodernism is being reassessed as a possible continuum of modernism. But is this so? The course will survey postmodern art in general and pursue a dominant theme of such art, the sublime. In this respect we will study the writings of Lyotard and other critical theorists engaging with postmodernist issues. Postmodern, sublime investigates whether postmodern art should be considered neo-Romantic, or whether it should stand as in independent revolutionary category in itself. The course does not propose definitive conclusions but aims to open lines of inquiry through which to think about art practice in diverse cultural, social and political contexts.

 

Three key concerns may be identified to guide us through our experience with postmodernism; representation, legitimation, and production. We may see how these concerns are shaped by theoretical and philosophical concepts impacting upon, and shaping, art and society. Reference is made to the impact of semiologly, structuralism, post-structuralism, psychology and deconstruction.

 

The politics of representation, identity and sexuality through feminist and gender strategies will be explored. We shall see how traditional ‘high’ and ‘low’ categories and ‘master’narratives have been challenged and fractured through interventionist demands for representation by artists working throughout, and shaping, the postmodern period, and the strategies of historic quotation and appropriation will be examined.  Did postmodernism challenge the meaning of periphery and centre and what have been the implications of this reposition for art practice, arts communities, cultural institutions and the marketing of art?  And if postmodernism erased the notions of self and subjectivity, have artists re-engaged with these and through what means?

 

We may see how postmodernism in art responded to new computer technologies and information systems, and consider the impact of market forces and global capitalism on art’s production. Were postmodern impulses claimed and legitimated by the avant-garde and the marketing machine as a style through which new markets were formed and economies expanded? Did new technologies as a means of (re)production necessarily kill off modernism in art? 

 

The definition of art practice throughout the course is wide-ranging. Media explored may include painting, photography, computer art, video, film, decorative arts, body and performance art.  Theoretical perspectives will facilitate and not dominate the inquiries in Postmodern, sublime. An interpretative engagement with art as an imprint of complex human experience is our focused concern.

 

 

Basic Bibliography               

 

Allen, Christopher                  Art in Australia: from Colonization to postmodernism, Thames and Hudson, London, 1997

 

Barthes, Roland                     Image, music, text, Fontana, London, 1977, 1984

 

Baudrillard, Jean                    “The Structural Law of Value and the Order of Simulacra”, The Structural Allegory, John Fekete, (ed.), University of Minnesota Press, 1984

 

Benjamin, Andrew                 The Lyotard Reader/Jean-Francois Lyotard, Oxford, New York, 1989

 

Bryson, Norman (ed.)           Visual Culture: images and interpretations, University Press of New England, Hanover, [1994]

 

Butler, Rex (ed.)                    What is appropriation?: an anthology of critical writings on Australian art in the 80s and 90s, Power Publications, Sydney, 1996

 

Docherty, Thomas (ed.)         Posmodernism: A Reader, Columbia University, New York Press, 1993

 

Duro, Paul                              ‘Painting in Plato’s Cave: Postmodernism and imitation’, Art Monthly (Australia), September, 1990

 

Ecco, Umberto                       Faith in fakes: travels in hyperreality, London, 1995 edition

 

Foster, Hal (ed.)                     The Ant-Aesthetic: Essays on Postmodern Culture, Bay Press, Washington, 1983  

 

-------------------                       Recodings: art, spectacle, cultural politics, Bay Press, Washington, 1985

 

-------------------                       The Return of the Real: the avant-garde at the end of the century, MIT Press, Cambridge, 1996

 

Gablick, Suzi                          Has Modernism Failed, Thames & Hudson, London, 1984

 

Gelder, Ken & Thorton S.     The Subcultures Reader, Routledge, New York, 1997

 

 

Grundberg, Andy                  ‘The Crisis of the Real: Photography and Postmodernism’, in Daniel P. Younger (ed.), Multiple Views, Logan Grant Essays on photography 1983-9, University of Mexico Press, 1991

 

Harrison, Charles &               Art in Theory 1900-1990: an anthology of changing ideas, Blackwell, Oxford, 1992 (and later editions covering > 2000)

Wood Paul (eds)                    

 

Harrison, Sylvia                     POP Art and the Origins of Postmodernism, Cambridge, London, 2001

 

Harvey, David                       The Condition of Postmodernity: An Enquiry into the Origins of Cultural Change, Blackwell, Cambridge, 1990

 

Heartney, Eleanor                  Postmodernism, Tate Publishing, London, 2001       

 

Jencks, Charles (ed.)              The Post-Modern Reader, Academy Editions, New York, 1992

 

Krauss, Rosalind                    The Originality of the avant-garde and Other Modernist Myths, MIT Press, Cambridge, 1985

 

Kristeva, Julia                        Powers of Horror: An Essay on Abjection, Columbia University Press, 1982

 

McLean, Ian                           ‘Racism and Postmodernism: Australian art and its institutions’, Art Monthly (Australia), September, 1997

 

McNair, Brian                        Mediated Sex: Pornography and Postmodern Culture, London, 1996         

 

Moxley, Keith                        The Practice of Theory: Poststructuralism, Cultural Politics and Art History, Cornell University Press, 1994

 

Nunes, Mark,                         “Jean Baudrillard in Cyberspace: Internet, Virtuality and Postmodernity, Style v. 29 (Summer 1995), pp. 314-5

 

Owens, Craig                         Beyond Recognition: Presentation, Power & Culture, University of California Press, Berkeley, 1992  

 

Poster, Mark (ed.)                  Jean Baudrillard: Selected Writings (Stanford University Press, CA, 1988)

 

Risatti, Howard (et al),          Postmodern Perspectives: issues in Contemporary Art, Prentice Hall, New Jersey, 1990

 

Rosenthal, Norman (et.al)      Apocalypse: beauty and horror in contemporary art, Royal Academy of Arts, London, 2000

 

Sontag, Susan (ed.)                A Barthes Reader, Jonothan Cape, London, 1982

 

Stangos, Nikos                       Concepts of Modern Art: From Fauvism to Postmodernism, Thames and Hudson, London, 1994

 

Taylor, Victor E &

Winquist, Charles E               Encyclopedia of Postmodernism, Routledge, London & New York, 2001

 

Wallis, Brian                          Art after modernism: rethinking representation, New Museum of Contemporary Art, New York, 1984 

 

Whitney Museum                   Abject Art: repulsion and desire in American Art, Whitney Museum of American Art

 

This selection of material is a guide only and you will enjoy consulting journals including Art in America, Art in Australia, Art Monthly, Parkett, Artnews etc for research material. Most of these journals are generalist and there are many academic journals which cover specific areas such as gender, body, queer theory, and feminism, for instance. On-line resources continue to improve and there are now many excellent monographs on contemporary artists and exhibition catalogues including Biennale catalogues that present and discuss art and artists. 

Class Schedule

Week/Session	Summary of Activities	Assessment
1	Lectures 1& 2: Introduction to the course: Postmodernism and art history Tutorial: There is a meet and greet tutorial in the first week of semester (Tuesdays and Wednesdays as programmed) Recommended Reading: Mieke Bal, Semiotics and Art History, from Art Bulletin, v. 73, no 2 June 1991, pp.174-208 (This key text is on-line under author Bal, Mieke in the ANU Library Catalogue. You will be able to print it out). Leslie C. Jones, ‘Transgressive Femininity: Art and Gender in the Sixties and Seventies’, Abject Art: Repulsion and Desire in American Art, Whitney Museum of American Art, 1993, pp. 32-57. .
2	Lectures: 1) Neo-expressionism and the trauma of history 2) The Postmodern sublime Tutorial Focus Reading: This tutorial we will focus our discussion on some readings included in Hal Foster’s The Anti-Aesthetic: Essays on Postmodern Culture and Recodings: Art, Spectacle, Cultural Politics, (1985). This is essential reading. We will also organize and select our tutorial topics. Recommended Reading: Jürgen Habermas ‘Modernity- An Incomplete Project’, (Anti-Aesthetic), pp. 2-15 Frederic Jameson ‘Postmodernism and Consumer Society’, (Anti-Aesthetic), pp.111-125 Jean Baudrillard ‘The Ecstasy of Communication’, (Anti-Aesthetic), pp.126-134 Hal Foster ‘Between Modernism and the Media’, (Recodings), pp. 33-57) Also: Derek Conray Murray Soraya Murray ‘Uneasy Bedfellows: Canonical Art Theory and the Politics of Identity’, Art Journal, Spring, 2006, pp. 22-39 (Keith Moxey ‘Authorship’in The Practice of Theory: Poststructuralism, Cultural Politics, and Art History, pp. 43-56)
3	Lectures: 1) Seductive refraction and appropriation strategies: art on the edges of advertising 2) Matthew Barney: a myth of sexual differentiation Tutorial Presentation Topic: Tutorials this week are at the National Gallery of Australia. Select a postmodern art work (including sculpture) at the National Gallery of Australia. Research the artist and the work and discuss what characteristics, issues or concerns seem apparent? In what ways is the postmodern work different from a modern or a high modern work in the Gallery?
4	Lectures: 1) Feminist Art and Feminism –the 1970s 2) Beyond Simulacra: mirror and scene and the aesthetics of reproduction in the work of Wolfgang Tillmans Tutorial Presentation Topic: Feminism and postmodernism have not always been compatible. Do you agree and if so why? Select an artist that engages with feminism and issues of identity in the postmodern period and consider if and how the artist problematizes modernism and postmodernism as constructs. http://www.outskirts.arts.uwa.edu.au/volumes/volume-29/adams-jude-looking-with-in Roland Barthes ‘The Death of the Author’, Image, Music Text, 1977 (1984), pp. 142-148 Julie Ewington ‘Fragmentation and Feminism: the critical discourses of Postmodernism, Art & Text, Spring, 1982, pp. 61-73 Kate Linker, ‘Representation and Sexuality', Art After Modernism: Rethinking Representation, 1984, pp. 145-177 Linda Nochlin, ‘Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists?’, Women, Art, Power and Other Essays, 1988, pp. 145-177 Craig Owens, ‘The Discourse of Others: Feminists and Postmodernism’ in The Anti-Aesthetic: Essays on Postmodern Culture, 1983, pp. 57-82
5	Lectures: 1) Yayoi Kusama:’ Obliterate yourself with dots’ 2) The Third Space and the art of Yasumasa Morimura Tutorial Presentation Topic: Arguably, postmodernism, say, from the late 1960s affected the imaging of the male and/or the female body across art media. What seemed buried, censored or repressed aggravated the surface. Did erotica, desire and advertising imagery play roles in these changes, and, if so, did artists deal with these critically or simply celebrate the ‘release’? Suggested Reading: Emmanuel Cooper, Fully exposed: the male nude in photography, Routledge, London, New York, 1995 Juan Antonio Suarez, Bike boys, drag queens & superstars: avant-garde, mass culture and gay identities in the 1960s underground cinema, Indiana University Press, c. 1996 We may also read the following Kusama writings: ‘Anatomic Explosion, Wall Street’ 1968 ‘Homosexual Wedding’ 1968 ‘Take a Subway Ride from Jail to Paradise’ 1968 ‘Grand Orgy to Awaken the Dead’ 1969 ‘Manhattan Suicide Addict (extract)’ 1978 ‘Lost’ 1983
6	Lectures: 1) Postmodernism photography; history and theatre 2) Destiny Deacon: a laugh and tear in every photograph Pierre Bourdieu, 'Being Different' (1977) in Charles Harrison & Paul Wood (eds), Art in Theory 1900-2000, Blackwell Publishing, USA, 2003, pp. 1020-1025, Paul Jobling, ‘Between Words and Images: Simulation, Deconstruction and Postmodern Photography’, in Postmodernism, Style and Subversion, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 2011 Susan Sontag, ‘In Plato’s Cave’ from the book: On Photography (collection of essays), 1977. Tutorial Presentation Topic: 1/ What is appropriation? How have Australian and International artists dealt with this postmodernist strategy? Analyze some images by artists who have used appropriation and consider its effectiveness against some postmodern theory. Suggested reading: Craig Owens, ‘Representation, Appropriation and Power’, Beyond Recognition: Representation, Power and Culture, 1992, pp. 88-113 Charles Green, Peripheral Vision: contemporary Australian art 1970-1994, Craftsman House, NSW, 1995 2/ How has postmodern imaging producers dealt with theatre, history and even the grotesque and ugly in their art?
7	Lectures: 1) Howard Arkley and the great Australian Dream 2) Mariko Mori: a pure land? Tutorial Presentation Topic: Examine some images of Japanese or Chinese artists and consider the notion of tradition and technology in the ‘third’ space, which they appear to imagine and occupy. How have they transacted ‘traditional’ culture, history and identity politics within an internationalized global world whether through conventional media or digital manipulations?
8	Lectures: 1) Avant-garde claims on graffiti- a modern postmodern? 2) ‘Art in the Age of Aids’ Postmodernism affected the nature of exhibitions and the presentation of art in institutions beyond the autonomous dimension propounded by the canon of modernism Tutorial Presentation Topic 1: How did HIV & AIDs affect representation in the art of the 1980s and early 1990s? Did the pandemic alter attitudes to ‘identity’ and impact on perceptions about postmodernism? Tutorial Presentation Topic 2: Australian and international artists engaged with postmodernist energies and issues in their art practice whether that embraced painting, sculpture, photography, design, performance and computer generated art. But are these media classifications valid in the work of some artists? Discuss in relation to one of more artists. Readings: Ted Gott, ‘Agony Down Under: Australian Artists’ Addressing AIDS’ ART IN THE AGE OF AIDS, National Gallery of Australia, 1994, pp. 1-33 Andrew Montana, Primitive & Pop: Keith Haring’s Australia 1984, Australian Scholarly Publishing, North Melbourne, 2017 (extracts) Joan Simon, ‘No Ladders; Snakes: Jenny Holzer’s Lustmord’, Parkett, 40/41, 1994, pp 78-87. Paul Taylor (curator) Popism, exhibition catalogue essay, National Gallery of Victoria, 1982, pp. 1-12 (and exhibition check list).
9	Lectures: Special screening Viewing and discussion of the Situationist Guy Debord’s Society of the Spectacle. Based on the book of the same title, published in 1967, the film is essentially a critique of the development of modern society, and the centrality of the commodity, through which social life is replaced by its representation. For Debord, being became having, and having became appearance. Advanced capitalism, mass media and political regimes use spectacle as the manipulative agent: “The spectacle, he wrote ‘is not a collection of images: rather, it is a social relationship between people that is mediated by images”. Recommended reading for lecture: Ken Knabb, (editor and translator), Guy Debord, Complete Cinematic works: scripts, stills, documentaries, AK Press, Oakland and Edinburgh, 2003 edition. Jean Baudrillard, ‘The Hyper-realism of Simulation’ (first published 1976) in Charles Harrison, Paul Wood (eds), Art in Theory 1900-2000, Blackwell Publishing, USA, 2003, pp. 1018-1020,
10	Lectures: 1) Punk and the politics of subculture- style and dress 2) Humphrey Macqueen and the romantic postmodern, sublime in fashion Tutorial Presentation Topic: Protest and the politics of style in the dress and ornament of some late 20th century youth subcultures. How did postmodernism affect the politics of style and dress? Designers appropriated past styles and quoted from history but other devices and strategies come into play. These included punk and underground ‘styles’ that challenged the status quo and pushed the boundaries of even semiotic systems of dress codes. Tutorial Topic 2: “ McQueen’s quest to seek out fragile but strong women and clothe them in armour of his own making continued. ‘If you look at all their personalities, the world they live in, they are all out on a limb,’ he said of the women who inspired him. ‘They’re not refined women like the women in a John Singer Sargent. They’re like punks in their own world, individuals who don’t fit in a mould.” So wrote one of Alexander McQueen’s biographers, Andrew Wilson’s book of 2015, p. 243: McQueen was at times accused of being a misogynist in his fashion imagining of women, but was he? Consider the use of the term armour in this quote above in relation to McQueen’s designing for the catwalk, and for women. Suggested Reading: Christopher Breward, Fashion, Oxford University Press, London, 2003 Dick Hebdige, Subculture the meaning of Style, Methuen, London, 1979 ----------------, Hiding in the light: on images and things, Routledge, London, 1988 Greil Marcus, Lipstick Traces: A Secret History of the Twentieth Century, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1989 Cressida Miles, ‘Spatial Politics: A Gendered Sense of Place’, The Subcultures Reader, Steve Redhead (ed.), Blackwell, Oxford, UK, 1997 and later editions, pp. 48-60 Andrew Wilson, Alexander McQueen: Blood Beneath the Skin, Simon & Schuster, London, 2015, pp. 1-12 (Introduction- extract)
11	Lectures: 1) Representations of black identity: Lorna Simpson 2) The politics of black and white: the art of Gordon Bennett Tutorial Presentation Topic: Consider the strategies of a ‘black’ artist (Australian or international) who engages with the politics of representation, (mis)representation and exclusion from, and domination under, ‘official’ history. Suggested readings: Maurice Berger, ‘Are Art Museums Racist? Art in America, September, 1990 pp. 68-77 Chris McCauliffe ‘Interview with Gordon Bennett’, What is Appropriation, Rex Butler (ed), Institute of Modern Art & Power Publications, 1996, pp. 271-9 Huey Copeland “Bye, Bye Black Girl”: Lorna Simpson’s Figurative Retreat”, Art Journal, Summer, 2005, pp. 62-77 Adrian Martin: ‘Moffatt’s Australia: (A Reconnaissance), Parkett 53 1998, pp. 21-27 Eve Sullivan, ‘The Juvenilia of Tracey Moffatt, Art in Australia, vol 4/ no 2 Summer, 2003, pp. 234-9
12	Week 12 Lecture: 1) Australian Artists and Museums- Institutional Critiques and Interventions There are no tutorials in Week 12. Students are encouraged to consult me on their major research essays in the tutorial room at their respective tutorial time, if they wish.

Assessment Summary

Assessment task	Value	Due Date	Return of assessment	Learning Outcomes
Research presentation tutorial paper	30 %	05/05/2019	01/07/2019	2,3,4
Research Essay	50 %	03/06/2019	01/07/2019	1,2,3,4
The Take Home Visual Test: Due via Wattle on Tuesday 23 April 2019	20 %	23/04/2019	23/04/2019	2,3

* If the Due Date and Return of Assessment date are blank, see the Assessment Tab for specific Assessment Task details

Policies

ANU has educational policies, procedures and guidelines, which are designed to ensure that staff and students are aware of the University’s academic standards, and implement them. Students are expected to have read the Academic Misconduct Rule before the commencement of their course. Other key policies and guidelines include:

• Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure
• Special Assessment Consideration Policy and General Information 
• Student Surveys and Evaluations
• Deferred Examinations
• Student Complaint Resolution Policy and Procedure

Assessment Requirements

The ANU is using Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website. Students may choose not to submit assessment items through Turnitin. In this instance you will be required to submit, alongside the assessment item itself, hard copies of all references included in the assessment item.

Moderation of Assessment

Marks that are allocated during Semester are to be considered provisional until formalised by the College examiners meeting at the end of each Semester. If appropriate, some moderation of marks might be applied prior to final results being released.

Participation

Students must participate actively in the course through reading of assigned texts and participation in class discussion

 

Note that in your tutorial papers and essays, you may wish to explore ideas surrounding the experiences or concepts of marginalisation; empowerment and legitimation; globalization; production and reproduction; gender and sexuality; appropriation; quotation and pastiche.

Assessment Task 1

Research presentation tutorial paper

One 1,500-word research presentation tutorial paper (30%)

The fully documented essay is submitted within 2 weeks of the tutorial presentation. 

Assessment Task 2

Research Essay

Due Date:

Length: 2,000 words for undergraduate students excluding documentation (endnotes & bibliography, captions).

This essay is worth 50% of the overall grade.

Note: Your ideas will take shape throughout this course and this may inspire your own choice of topic. You must discuss an essay topic of your choice with me before working on it.  

 

Essay topics: 

Can postmodernism in the visual arts be seen as challenging the values and ideals of grand ‘master’ narrative traditions? Discuss the work of one or several artists in your answer.

 

Has the postmodern age foreclosed the making and reading of art history, or contributed to diverse methodologies and approaches- in other words an opening up of a dominant art historical canon and narrative?

 

Appropriation, quotation and even pastiche are key ingredients of postmodernism. Why have these been important to artists and how have they been used as strategies? You may discuss this in relation to one or several artists or designers.

 

Why did theory become so important to artists in the late 70s and 1980s? In what ways did some artists become artist/theoreticians and what were their means and purpose?  

 

Discuss the acceptance of graffiti art by cultural institutions as an avant-garde practice during the early 1980s.  Did legitimation or appropriation have anything to do with its commercial acceptance?

 

Discuss the idea that postmodernist theory concerned feminists and minority groups such as gays and lesbians in the early 1980s? Did these groups (discuss one if you like), assist in changing the parameters of postmodernism at the end of the 1980s?

 

How has the concept of the abject or the grotesque been used in the work of an artist/artists? Address the reasons for its manifestation in the art you select to discuss critically.

 

Cindy Sherman appears trapped in a wilderness of mirrors and reflections without a real source of identification other than images of female identity seen in television, advertising, the media, cinema and even the art gallery. It is a kind of simulacrum. Addressing examples of her work, why have Sherman’s images attracted so much attention?

 

How do Barbara Kruger and/or Jenny Holzer challenge the binary notions of public/private and masculine/feminine in their art practice? Why do they critique commodity culture?

 

Postmodern photography is often theatrical. It borrows from theatre, history, advertising imagery and even pornography. Discuss the work of an Australian or international photographer in which these strategies have been adopted, substantiating your answer with theoretical perspectives.

 

Discuss the idea of life and art as performance in the works of Yayoi Kusama.

 

Why are there seemingly so many narrative breaks in the photographic series and projects of Tracey Moffatt? What is the impact of this?

 

Mariko Mori’s art is illusory and promises through her sophisticated manipulation of computer generated and digital imagery an unobtainable world that is consequently dangerous.  Do you agree/disagree with this statement and why?

 

How does Wolgang Tillmans engage with the real in his aesthetics of reproduction?

 

‘You may be a character, but that doesn’t mean that you have a character’. This line from the movie Pulp Fiction teases us with ideas about surface depth, image, simulacra and quotation. Discuss the idea of hyper reality in the postmodern age. What were some of its cultural and political implications?

 

How did the work of Juan Davila challenge mainstream values in Australian art and society? What are some of his strategies and how do these relate to postmodernism?

 

What narrative vehicles or filters does artist Matthew Barney use to explore the creation of the masculine body?

 

How did some artists deal with the impact of HIV and AIDS in their work during the 1980s and 1990s?

 

Discuss the representation of ‘black Americans’ or ‘Aboriginal Australians’ by one or more artist within the last 30 years.

 

What has been the impact of postmodernism on Aboriginal art over, say, the last thirty years? Have changes in the definition of the centre and periphery had anything to do with this? You are welcome to discuss and critique exhibitions, catalogue production and or marketing strategies in your answer as well as drawing upon examples and areas of art practice.

 

Why did Howard Arkley want to draw attention to the Australian suburban home through his art? How did Arkley use pop art ideas, and subvert formal aspects of early-mid twentieth century modernism as visual resources?

 

Why was pattern and decoration so important to artists engaged with feminist and gender issues at the beginning of postmodernism in the late 60s and early 1970s?

 

Could the Italian design group, Memphis have been anything other than a short-lived design experiment? How did computer-generated technology and globalization contribute to their design, production and marketing success internationally?

 

Let’s say that a multicultural society sits within a multinational globe. What were the implications of this on postmodern architecture and urban planning?

 

The death of the international modern style and the birth of postmodernism is said to be in 1972 when low income housing was dynamited. Drawing on examples, discuss the postmodern style in architecture in relation to the modern style it seemingly replaced.

 

How did political protest affect dress and body ornament within youth subcultures in the latter half of the 20th century?

 

Couture and the postmodern: discuss how a fashion designer has subverted and corrupted modernism, ‘good taste’ and linear history and exploited advertising, marketing and social media to create spectacle and image

 

Coded desires: discuss representations of the male or transgendered body in art imagery of the late 20th century. What significant forces (political, social, economic,) may have affected the representations you discuss?

 

Feminism in art is a meta-narrative of modernism and therefore it cannot make claims to postmodernist practice. Would you agree/disagree with this claim (or otherwise)? Always support your theoretical argument with visual examples.

Assessment Task 3

The Take Home Visual Test: Due via Wattle on Tuesday 23 April 2019

From the two sets of images below, select one set to analyze in relation to postmodernism and postmodern issues in art. Consider the following, if relevant, in your answer: narrative and fragmentation; originality and appropriation, gender politics and difference, medium.  If we agree that postmodernism can be regarded as a period, how can the works participate in the discourse? Do not engage with a narrative about the artist, but focus on the 2 works of art in the context of the postmodern, or otherwise. Word length 1,000 words (no footnotes required).

 

Image set 1/

 

Judy Chicago, The Dinner Party, ceramic, porcelain, textile, 1974-1979

 

Barbara Kruger Your Body is a Battleground, photographic silkscreen on vinyl, 1989

 

Image set 2/

 

Jackson Pollock, Blue Poles, enamel and aluminium paint with glass on canvas, 1952

 

Juan Davila, Stupid as a Painter, acrylic and collage on photographic mural, 1981

 

 (The image test is worth 20% of the overall grade)?

Rubric

Criteria	Fail	Pass	Credit	Distinction	High Distinction
RESEARCH AND KNOWLEDGE	Does not include a bibliography (when required) Little knowledge of major themes	Adequate range of sources (when required) Relies mostly on internet sites Adequate understanding of the topic	Good range of references but missing significant sources (when required) Good understanding of the topic and major issues	Wide range of sources, including peer reviewed articles, but missing some authors (when required) Thorough knowledge of the major issues and perceptive analysis of major points	Thoroughly researched, consulting all the major sources, including peer reviewed journals (when required) Sophisticated understanding of the major issues and awareness of complexities
ARGUMENT	Lacks any argument and does not address the assessment criteria	Sound attempt to write an argument and adequately address the assessment criteria	Clearly stated argument which addresses the assessment criteria convincingly	Strong argument that presents a wide range of convincing points	Highly sophisticated and lucid argument that addresses the assessment criteria comprehensively and insightfully
VISUAL ANALYSIS	Does not discuss relevant images	Includes a suitable choice of images with a basic analysis Visual analysis integrated in a basic manner	Suitable choice of images with comprehensive visual analysis Visual analysis successfully integrated into the overall argument	Suitable choice of images with discerning visual analysis Visual analysis astutely integrated into the overall argument	Excellent choice of images, with highly perceptive visual analysis Visual analysis integrated into the overall argument in a compelling and seamless manner
ORGANISATION	Little or no structure Aimlessly rambles Completely off topic	Adequate arrangement of ideas Usually remains focused on the topic	Clear organisation of ideas Good use of paragraphing Good introduction and conclusion Remains focused on the topic	Strong organisation Effective use of paragraphing and topic sentences Logical paragraphs Effective introduction and conclusion	Excellent organisation Extremely logical paragraphs with highly effective use of topic sentences Engaging and highly effective introduction and conclusion
WRITING	Poorly written with many spelling and grammatical errors	Adequately written essay Usually correct grammar and spelling	Well written essay Usually correct grammar and spelling	Fluently written essay Minimal grammatical and spelling errors	Highly articulate and written in an eloquent style Comprehension enhanced by grammar and spelling
REFERENCING (when required)	Inadequate referencing Images inadequately labeled	Adequate referencing and image labeling but with some mistakes and inconsistencies Use of the Chicago Style Manual and footnotes	Good referencing and image labeling with few mistakes Use of the Chicago Style Manual and footnotes	Careful referencing and image labeling with almost no mistakes Use of the Chicago Style Manual and footnotes Effective use of quotes	Meticulous referencing and image labeling Use of the Chicago Style Manual and footnotes Excellent and balanced use of quotes

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a core part of our culture as a community of scholars. At its heart, academic integrity is about behaving ethically. This means that all members of the community commit to honest and responsible scholarly practice and to upholding these values with respect and fairness. The Australian National University commits to embedding the values of academic integrity in our teaching and learning. We ensure that all members of our community understand how to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support academic integrity. The ANU expects staff and students to uphold high standards of academic integrity and act ethically and honestly, to ensure the quality and value of the qualification that you will graduate with. The University has policies and procedures in place to promote academic integrity and manage academic misconduct. Visit the following Academic honesty & plagiarism website for more information about academic integrity and what the ANU considers academic misconduct. The ANU offers a number of services to assist students with their assignments, examinations, and other learning activities. The Academic Skills and Learning Centre offers a number of workshops and seminars that you may find useful for your studies.

Online Submission

You will be required to electronically sign a declaration as part of the submission of your assignment. Please keep a copy of the assignment for your records. Unless an exemption has been approved by the Associate Dean (Education) as submission must be through Turnitin.

Hardcopy Submission

For some forms of assessment (hand written assignments, art works, laboratory notes, etc.) hard copy submission is appropriate when approved by the Associate Dean (Education). Hard copy submissions must utilise the Assignment Cover Sheet. Please keep a copy of tasks completed for your records.

Late Submission

Late submission of assessment tasks without an extension are penalised at the rate of 5% of the possible marks available per working day or part thereof. Late submission of assessment tasks is not accepted after 10 working days after the due date, or on or after the date specified in the course outline for the return of the assessment item. Late submission is not accepted for take-home examinations.

Referencing Requirements

Accepted academic practice for referencing sources that you use in presentations can be found via the links on the Wattle site, under the file named “ANU and College Policies, Program Information, Student Support Services and Assessment”. Alternatively, you can seek help through the Students Learning Development website.

Extensions and Penalties

Extensions and late submission of assessment pieces are covered by the Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure. The Course Convener may grant extensions for assessment pieces that are not examinations or take-home examinations. If you need an extension, you must request an extension in writing on or before the due date. If you have documented and appropriate medical evidence that demonstrates you were not able to request an extension on or before the due date, you may be able to request it after the due date.

Privacy Notice

The ANU has made a number of third party, online, databases available for students to use. Use of each online database is conditional on student end users first agreeing to the database licensor’s terms of service and/or privacy policy. Students should read these carefully. In some cases student end users will be required to register an account with the database licensor and submit personal information, including their: first name; last name; ANU email address; and other information.
In cases where student end users are asked to submit ‘content’ to a database, such as an assignment or short answers, the database licensor may only use the student’s ‘content’ in accordance with the terms of service – including any (copyright) licence the student grants to the database licensor. Any personal information or content a student submits may be stored by the licensor, potentially offshore, and will be used to process the database service in accordance with the licensors terms of service and/or privacy policy.
If any student chooses not to agree to the database licensor’s terms of service or privacy policy, the student will not be able to access and use the database. In these circumstances students should contact their lecturer to enquire about alternative arrangements that are available.

Distribution of grades policy

Academic Quality Assurance Committee monitors the performance of students, including attrition, further study and employment rates and grade distribution, and College reports on quality assurance processes for assessment activities, including alignment with national and international disciplinary and interdisciplinary standards, as well as qualification type learning outcomes.

Since first semester 1994, ANU uses a grading scale for all courses. This grading scale is used by all academic areas of the University.

Support for students

The University offers students support through several different services. You may contact the services listed below directly or seek advice from your Course Convener, Student Administrators, or your College and Course representatives (if applicable).

• ANU Health, safety & wellbeing for medical services, counselling, mental health and spiritual support
• ANU Diversity and inclusion for students with a disability or ongoing or chronic illness
• ANU Dean of Students for confidential, impartial advice and help to resolve problems between students and the academic or administrative areas of the University
• ANU Academic Skills and Learning Centre supports you make your own decisions about how you learn and manage your workload.
• ANU Counselling Centre promotes, supports and enhances mental health and wellbeing within the University student community.
• ANUSA supports and represents undergraduate and ANU College students
• PARSA supports and represents postgraduate and research students