Masters of the Postmodern Period

Author: Luo Li
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-04-01
Features: Since artists could sign their works, art history has almost become the history of masters. Almost every important era is marked by the names of masters. What gives them this honor? Fundamentally, it is their genius that changes and drives the historical process of world art. From the history of art development, the difference between a master and an ordinary artist lies in the fact that masters are good at discovering and creating, while ordinary artists merely repeat. Another difference is that masters view art as a sacred profession, embodying ideals, passion, and imagination, whereas ordinary artists often treat art as just a means to earn a living. Unfortunately, the latter are far more numerous than the former, sometimes by tens or even hundreds of times. Masters are a topic that is always worth exploring—this is also the premise for the creation of this series. In this series, exploring the creativity of masters and how this creativity has changed the course of world art history is a fundamental purpose. One of the benefits of reading this series is that, in addition to appreciating the legends and secrets behind the masters' historical creations, readers can clearly see the flaws of masters as ordinary people, such as eccentricities, selfishness, arrogance, vanity, and jealousy. After all, masters are also human, and it is inevitable for them to have these flaws. Interestingly, history often excuses their flaws through admiration for their genius. History only chooses masters because history is, after all, created by them. The introductions to the eight masters selected in this book are intended as a window into postmodernist art. For the number of art enthusiasts in China, postmodernist art seems to be something that can be experienced but not fully understood. And precisely to satisfy readers' curiosity, this book strives to start from phenomena around us, highlighting the phenomena that exist around us yet remain misunderstood, thereby setting the backdrop for the book and outlining the role these eight masters have played in the development of postmodern art. The works of these art masters not only showcase the visual beauty brought by post-industrial civilization but also serve as a warning about the various problems postmodernism has brought. In the history of art, postmodernist art has not completely broken away from modernist art. However, the diversity of expression in postmodernist art is vast, and this diversity undoubtedly comes at the cost of sacrificing traditional forms and aesthetic models. This is precisely the achievement of postmodernist art and its artists.