The 20th century according to some can be divided into two periods, modernism and postmodernism. They are in effect the two clearly different ways of thinking and our approaches to life. Modernism began in the 1890’s with people wanting the world around them to change with the use of science and technology. This helped to change the face of the arts, literature, music, even photography. It applied the thought of no rules and abstract thinking, seeing the surreal. Whereas postmodernism, which started just after the Second World War was utterly rational, constraining and highly self-conscious in retaliation against modernism.
Man Ray is a fine example of modernism. Ray was an American artist, who lived mainly in France and considered himself above all as a painter, even though with a friend (Lee Miller) he invented the photographic technique of solarisation. Ray work was surreal with exaggerated and manipulated images.
MAN RAY
Martin Parr on the hand is very much the postmodernist. His work is for the everyday man, capturing moments and documenting time. In his own words Parr said ‘I like to capture things that change, I love the way photography gets into our world and into our society’ One of Parr’s most famous exhibitions was working class seaside scenes.
Research
http://www.culturenorthernireland.org/article/201/martin-parr
http://www.manraytrust.com/
http://witcombe.sbc.edu/modernism/modpostmod.html
http://books.google.co.uk/books?hl=en&lr=&id=lPUQrEbX_nwC&oi=fnd&pg=PA61&ots=7gzSdhxIK_&sig=U55lZaaml1R--IyRmWYUatj9yrE#v=onepage&q&f=false
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