Postmodern architecture takes a free and loose approach to architectural tradition.
Postmodernism -- an approach to philosophy, art, design, dance, music, architecture and literature -- developed in the 1970s and '80s. This skeptical philosophy calls for each component of culture to reveal or critique the underlying constructs that lead to the facades accepted as cultural norms. The postmodern approach spans from harsh criticism of Western culture to whimsical and playful forms of art and design.
Roots
The roots of postmodern philosophy appear in the writing of Immanuel Kant, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, Søren Kierkegaard, Karl Marx and Friedrich Nietzshe. These philosophers show that ideas and perceptions are dependent upon people's limited ability to perceive reality, and suggest that human ideas -- such as science or social norms -- aren't objectively true because they're constructed and enforced through language.
Postmodern Philosophy
Postmodern philosophy differs from modern philosophy, which asserted that empirical assessment of reality could lead to ultimate truth. Postmodern philosophers believe that empiricism is insufficient to express reality. Jean-Francois Lyotard defined postmodern as "incredulity to metanarratives," meaning that he had doubt about big ideas such as Western progress. Other postmodern philosophers include Michael Foucault, Gilles Deleuze, Jean Baudrillard and Jacques Derrida.
Art
Modernism set new standards for art as an aesthetic, individual pursuit rather than a political or religious one. Postmodern artists -- including Andy Warhol, Jeff Koons, David Hockney and Damien Hirst -- rejected the coherent aesthetic standards of modernism and explored new techniques, such as collage, installation, video, earth art, happenings and Internet art.
Architecture
Postmodern architects such as Frank Gehry, Michael Graves, Hans Hollein and Arata Isozaki drew from Derrida's concept of deconstructionism, where readers or viewers look for the underlying fissures that break down the work's coherence. The architecture breaks the metanarrative of the bold, imposing structure and takes a playful approach to such conventions as the Roman arch, sometimes stretching it to the top of a skyscraper. Other postmodern buildings reveal internal structures such as support beams and ventilation systems of the building.
Dance
Postmodern choreographers didn't trust the metanarrative that ballet and traditional dance steps were better than other forms of movement. They used "pedestrian" movements such as walking, skipping, jumping and rolling on the floor to create dances they perceived as just as interesting as classical dance. Choreographers of postmodern dance include Merce Cunningham, Judith and Robert Dunn, Deborah Hay, Steve Paxton and Yvonne Rainer.
