Sea World

Kellin Mackey

PHL 202 Aesthetics

Final Paper

Word Count: 1369

        “Untitled (2 Necklines)” by Lorna Simpson is more exemplary as a work of art than “Sea World” by Alexis Rockman according to the criteria provided by the postmodernist art theory. The theory of art that I found to be most preferable is the postmodernist art theory. I have always been drawn to postmodernist art when I am in a museum or art gallery. I have always seen postmodern art as “rebelling” against the norms of modernism, and that has always been inspiring to me. I think that the postmodernist theory of art is the best art theory because it breaks down modernist ideals of art being considered elevated and transcendental, and it allows the artist to be completely free to express him or herself in any way possible. Postmodern art can be totally abstract, and that is so beautiful to me. Some postmodern works are completely “out there,” but that is another reason I find it to be so interesting and inspiring. I like that the postmodernist art theory allows the artist to be controversial in his or her works. I also like that postmodernist art frequently makes people uncomfortable. Ultimately, I find the postmodernist art theory to be the best art theory because it allows an artist to create works that exposes viewers to artwork outside of the confines of what modernists consider to be “acceptable” art.

I would define the postmodernist art theory as the theory of art that breaks down barriers of modernism and seeks to create a completely new experience of what art is to the viewer. Two characteristics that I think really define a “good” postmodernist work of art are: recontextualizing and collapsing boundaries between “high” and “low” art. According to the book Why Is That Art? by Terry Barrett, “Recontextualization is a means of constructing meaning by positioning a familiar image in a new and unexpected relationship to words, pictures, objects, sounds, and symbols” (212). Postmodernist artists really like to use this technique because it allows the viewer to see a familiar image and have the image completely altered by the words, pictures, sounds, etc., that accompany the image. The second characteristic that I think makes postmodern art “good” is the collapsing of boundaries between what is considered “high” art and what is considered “low” art. I think that postmodernist artists seek to breakdown this boundary between modern art and postmodern art by creating art that is unexpected, new, and even disturbing/inappropriate. Modernists consider “high art” to be “above the things experienced in ‘low culture’” (Barrett 207). Modernists assert that art must be “special, independent…art transcends ordinary life” (Barrett 207). According to Barrett, “Postmodern artists seek to collapse boundaries that are important to modernists” (207).  

        I consider the work “Untitled (2 Necklines)” by Lorna Simpson to be artistically exemplary to Rockman’s “Sea World” because Simpson’s work better meets the two criterion of characteristics of  “good” Postmodernist art that I defined than Rockman’s work does. The first characteristic that I believe makes postmodernist art good is the concept of recontextualizing. Lorna Simpson perfectly demonstrates this concept in her piece “Untitled (2 Necklines).” In the photograph, Simpson has two pictures of African American women solely showing their necklines, and then she has a series of words accompanying the images. The words read: ring, surround, lasso, noose, eye, areola, halo, cuffs, collar, loop, feel the ground sliding from under you. If only the images of the two necklines were displayed, this would seem like just a familiar image to a viewer, yet when the words are added to the images, the viewer automatically starts to think differently about the images. This is a good display of recontextualizing. Simpson meets the criterion of recontextualizing in her work “Untitled (2 Necklines)” because she adds several words that take ordinary images of two necklines, and the words give the images an entirely new meaning to the viewer of the work. I know that when I first saw the work, I focused at first on the images, and then when I read the words that accompanied the images, I got chills thinking of the actual meaning behind the piece. The subject matter in the work really makes the viewer think about a time in history when terrible things happened to a person because of the color of his or her skin. Artistically, the work is simple. There are two pictures of a woman’s neckline, and then there is the accompanying text. It is the combination of these two elements that makes the context of the piece have a whole new meaning, and that is why I think this piece clearly displays recontextualizing.

The second criterion that makes this work of Simpson’s the more exemplary work of art is how she collapses the boundaries between “high” art and “low” art. “High” art is generally thought of as artworks placed in museums, galleries, etc., and “low” art are thought to be works for the general public or popular culture. In her work, Simpson collapses the boundaries of “high” art and “low” art by creating a piece that could not only be displayed in an art gallery or museum, but it could also be considered popular art because it is a work that represents what happened in everyday life not too long ago. This work allows the ideals of modernists and postmodernists to diminish, and the two can be brought together by allowing the viewer to value the culture around him or her. The content, subject matter, and composition of the piece are artistically simple as I said before, but altogether, the work creates a deeper appreciation for the viewer for the world we live in today. At least it did for me.