Jameson on Postmodernism

In Fredrick Jameson's essay, Postmodernism, Or The Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism, he lays out the differences in culture between the modern and postmodern periods. He is concerned with the cultural expressions and aesthetics associated with the different movements. In order to provide support for his arguement, Jameson draws evidence from the fields of architecture and art.
Jameson feels that postmodernism is concerned with all surface and has no substance. He says that what follows modernism, which is postmodernism, "becomes empirical, chaotic, and heterogeneous" (1). Jameson characterizes the pieces of postmodernism as lacking of depth and that the products of the era have a more free-floating and impersonal feel to them.
When it comes to describing Vincent Van Gogh's Peasant Shoes, Jameson interprets the piece as a mix of the Earth and the World and the "meaning-endowment of history and of the social" (59). The boots represent the literal hard work but also represent the life of the owner of the boots. The piece signifies the society in which the owner lived and even holds the history of the worker and her family and lifestyle.
In Andy Warhol's postmodernist piece, Diamond Dust Shoes, however, Jameson has a much different view. He feels that the piece is more representative of a fad than a meaning and is void of rich social context. Unlike Van Gogh's work, Jameson believes that the shoes used in DDS are a "random collection of dead objects, hanging together on the canvas like so many turpips". He feels that the shoes lack an "earlier life-world as the piles of shoes left over from Auschwitz" (60). Jameson see's all postmodern work like this; void of history and unable to create emotion unlike the high modernism that was once produced.

Diamond Dust Shoes and A Pair of Boots

Andy Warhol's Diamond Dust Shoes is an acrylic silkscreen creation that incorporates ink and "diamond dust" on linen. Where the silk screen image is dark, Warhol covered those places with his diamond dust. Instead of murky shadows, a glittery substance takes its place. Brush strokes are nearly nonexistent in the piece. It lacks depth perception and appears flat to the viewer. The piece gives off a slightly "sloppy" feel; the peach color runs into the blue, the teal runs into the brown, and the edges are not crisp. Overall, however, one is overwhelmed by the materialistic "sparkle" of the piece and the sloppiness is easily ignored.
Vincent Van Gogh's, A Pair of Boots, contrasts quite a bit with DDS. Instead of glamorous high heal shoes, Van Gogh depicts a worn pair of workman's boots. Van Gogh's brushstrokes are highly visable and styalized in the piece and the colors are more mixed than pure. There is less of a blantant contrast between the colors as there is in DDS.
There is also a contrast between the themes of the two pieces. The workman's boots are evidence of the hard work of their owner. The viewer can see how worn down the boots are because the tongue of one boot is broken and the leather appears stretched. Also, the metal studes display the impression of hard work and harsh living conditions. One gets a meloncholy feeling while viewing this piece and the emotion of desolation is evident. In Warhol's, Diamond Dust Shoes, however, glamour and materialism stands out. It is a testament to the Pop Culture phenomenon and the the popularity of mass production. The commercialism of the shoes portrays Warhol's love of consumerism. Warhol's piece also is more abstract and dream-like than Van Gogh's realistic piece.
Both A Pair of Boots and Diamond Dust Shoes are reflective of the time period they were produced in. Van Gogh created his piece admist depression and poverty while Warhol's piece reflects the mass consumer culture of the 60's and 70's.