From the Modern to the Postmodern and beyond: Art of the Later 20th Century
	The Art World's Focus Shifts West :: Postwar Expressionism in Europe :: Modernist Formalism :: Alternatives to Modernist Formalism :: Art for the Public :: New Models for Architecture: Modernism to Postmodernism :: Postmodernism In Painting, Sculpture, And New Media :: Into The 21st Century
	THE ART WORLD'S FOCUS SHIFTS WEST The destruction and extensive loss of life during World War II had long-term personal, cultural, political, and economic consequences. After the war, the United States and the Soviet Union emerged as rival superpowers. Disruption and upheaval After World War II, disruption and dislocation took place throughout the world. Unrest continues in many countries. Hostilities and political uncertainty still characterize the world situation. In the 1960s and 1970s there emerged in the United States a counterculture that had considerable societal impact and widespread influence. The civil rights movement and the women's liberation movement rejected racism and sexism. Feminists charged that Western society's institutions perpetuated male power and subordination of women. The dynamics of power Various ethnic groups and gays and lesbians mounted challenges to discriminatory policies and attitudes and battled discrimination with political action. The art world also changed as the center of Western art shifted from Paris to New York. Modernism, formalism, and Clement Greenberg Modernism shifted course in conjunction with the changing historical conditions and demands and became increasingly identified with a strict formalism. The influential art critic Clement Greenberg identified Modernism as a rejection of illusionism and an exploration of each artistic medium's properties. Meanwhile, the distance between progressive artists and the public widened. The emergence of Postmodernism Postmodernism may be viewed as a rejection of the more rigid confines of modernist principles. Postmodernism accommodates a wide range of styles, subjects, and formats.
	The Art World's Focus Shifts West :: Postwar Expressionism in Europe :: Modernist Formalism :: Alternatives to Modernist Formalism :: Art for the Public :: New Models for Architecture: Modernism to Postmodernism :: Postmodernism In Painting, Sculpture, And New Media :: Into The 21st Century