The Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism

In this article, Jameson emphasizes the differences and changes between the modern and postmodern art movements. He argues that postmodern art lacks depth and originality, being a product of capitalism and technology. The art in this era is characterized by an “utter absence of ‘personality’” (p 97) as the use of photography and film increases. Jameson compares relatively unemotional postmodern photography (using Andy Warhol’s Diamond Dust Shoes) with an example of a modernist painting (Van Gogh’s A Pair of Boots). There is a big difference in the expressivity of the latter; Van Gogh is able to portray the powerful emotions of peasant toil in his recognizable strokes, whereas Warhol’s piece “does not really speak to us at all” (p 87).

In reference to the postmodern attempt at “historicism,” Jameson calls this “’nostaligia’ art” the “random cannibalization of all the styles of the past” (p 96), claiming that these artists’ allusions to history are often inaccurate and inappropriate. Jameson then explains the idea of “pastiche,” the neutral, but experimental fragmentation that we see in many postmodern art forms, such as schizophrenic writing.

Jameson argues that the depthlessness and superficiality characterized by postmodern art stems from increasing capitalism and materialism. Just as mass production and consumerism lead to increasing anonymity and ambiguity, this consequently decreases the ability for personal expressivity and originality. His motivating question is to identify when these art forms become completely meaningless and cease to act as art. At what point does the depthlessness and superficiality become so prominent that a piece is considered futile?

Q1: What does Jameson mean when he discusses “cognitive mapping” near the end of the article? What does that even mean? This part was very confusing to me, as it seemed more conceptual.

Q2: The diagram on p 88 that compares Van Gogh and Warhol’s connection to “Magic Realism” and “The Realism of Old Age.” What exactly is magic realism? Is it like surrealism, such as in Magritte’s “Le modele rouge”?