Postmodern Principles

Postmodern Principles by Olivia Gude examines in-depth the elements and principles of art which are usually the main concepts of art education texts today. The first element is appropriation. Students typically feel comfortable using recycling imagery out of print materials, due to a commonplace of growing up in a world where recycling materials is important. Juxtapositioning was revolutionized by Robert Rauschenberg. To juxtaposition, creates personally generated abstract marks. For students, juxstapositioning is helpful in explaining shocks of contemporary life that come together naturally as random happenings. Recontextualization is next element which is taking a familiar image, and placing it with an image that is not associated or would “go together.” Another element is layering which is placing texture/image on top of one another. Layering is great for students as it evokes complexity of the unconscious mind. There are a few other elements of art; however, these are the main principles that I would incorporate into my art education curriculum.