Postmodernism Influence On American Culture

The artistic movements of modernism and postmodernism had a major influence on American culture and society. This is evident in the modernist painting of Alfred Henry Maurer, as well as in the postmodernist art of Norman Rockwell. The poetry of Langston Hughes during the modernist era during the early twentieth century also had a major impact on American Culture through the revival of art in the Harlem Renaissance. Likewise, Richard Brautigan’s postmodernist approach to poetry was significant as well. What most exemplified the modernist era were the tragic stories and novels written by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Bret Easton Elis brought out the themes of postmodernist art in his novels as well. All of these artists embody all that these artistic …show more content…
Art was becoming more recognized by people at the turn of the century, and some of the best artists were showcased in 1906 at Alfred Stieglitz 291 Gallery, located on Fifth Avenue in New York (Wydeven). One of the featured artists was Alfred Maurer, and his work quickly became noteworthy and well-liked by many. He drew many portraits of women, but the subject and theme of these paintings was not the women themselves, but rather abstract ideas that these women represented. One example of this would be his painting titled An Arrangement (Maurer). The painting features a woman who is on the floor with a body language that suggests that she is somber or upset. The dress that she wears is primarily black, which is a dark color that symbolizes sadness and indicates negativity to some degree. Another painting in which Maurer does this is his painting titled Lady with a Japanese Fan (Maurer). The painting features a lady with, needless to say, a Japanese fan, but more importantly she has a somber look on her face and is wearing a dress that is completely black. These two paintings represent the modernist theme of cultural crisis in the twentieth century and the hardships that people faced. This approach made his art relatable to many …show more content…
His first published work is the novel Less than Zero, which is about a trio of people in their young twenties from Los Angeles. Clay, the main character of the novel turns to sex and drugs because he feels alienated in the world around him. This theme of alienation is one of the main themes of postmodernism, and it is illustrated in this novel by Ellis. He uses similar ideas of alienation in his short stories of The Informers (Forrest). Ellis was heavily influenced by modern writing when writing his most famous novel American Psycho. The novel is said to be a “radical indictment of American culture” during Ronald Reagan’s presidency (Forrest). This era is defined as very bleak and many people at the time obsessed over money. This ties into modernist ideas because he tied in the state of American culture at the given time with his writing. Through his use of alienation of characters and modernist ideas, Bret Easton Ellis proves to be a prominent author of the postmodern