Introduction
The performance art is a unique genre of which the presentation focuses on the lively aspect than the elemental audio platforms. This has been the most valued element of arts since the Elizabethan times to the latest or postmodern world. The 20th century has been abuzz with stylistic enhancement in the performance arts, with archaic styles such as Futurism and Dada being upheld in this latest generation of art history. Moreover, the field of performance arts has replaced the old system of visual arts based on paintings and traditional sculptural works to a new aesthetics based on varying levels of performances (Nelson, & Shiff, 2012). This essay focuses on the similarities in the performance arts in different periods of time; the 1960 and the 1970 spanning through 1980’s to 1990’s. These two periods in the lifeline of arts show a flourishing trend in which the performance was rejuvenated as a processor to the death and decline of modernisms and abstract expressionism (Jones, 2008). Besides, this comparative attributes of the performance arts in these two generations shall be taken with regards to the body movements, and how its manifestation contributed to the distinctive view of arts compared to the past generations. Thus, the performance arts enlisted in these periods were anchored on social, cultural and political constructs of a society, and completely delineated from the conventional styles of arts based on paintings and sculptural practices.
Similarity based on the Same Theme of Criticisms
The first aspect of similarity in these two generations of performance arts refers to the theme in which these two periods enshrined in their arts. The portfolio behind the institution of performance arts was based on the standards of criticisms to the conventional arts. In this accord, the 1960 and 1960; which advanced the body movements of the earlier generations were based on the criticism to the traditional forms of arts whose modes were deemed non-cognizant to the needs and demands of the artists and the society (Eagleton, & Parker, 2015). Thus, the generational change in arts from visual elements based on paintings and sculptures to the performance arts was entrenched on the ideology of meeting the demands and standards of the society, which was slowly tilting to inert needs and associative demands of artists and the society.
Principally, the performance arts generate a new frenzy in the social and cultural prospects of the society, and was attentive to answering the artist’s needs, and to further shy off from the traditional visual arts that held a very conservative viewpoints to the plight of the society. Indeed, these two generations of arts were entrenched on change platforms, and meeting their needs to the artists that were perceived as unmet in the previous generations. Besides, both generations established and advanced the course of modern arts by realizing new ideas and entrenching them to the society for a sustainable practice orientation. Either, the two generations solicited for a transition from the traditional and rather archaic artists’ models to new and systemized portfolios.
Similarity based on the Nature of Performance
The second similitude in these generations of art history refers to the nature of their performances. As reiterated before, the art of visual performance was entirely anchored on body movements, and the question abounds; where were these styles acquired? The answer to this question sets a new element of similarity since both generations shared a common origin in these styles. Therefore, in both generations, the performance arts borrowed ideas and styles from other forms of arts to advance their course.
The borrowing was typical to a given social course, whose manifestation was very clear in the generations. For example, the cabaret and vaudeville was the key inspirations of the Dada performance in these two generations, and it exhibited a clear borrowing to the performance styles anchored on address. In the terminal period of 1970, the field of performance arts began borrowing from dance and even sport to make their performance even more appealing to the society. The main point presented here is that the 1960’s and 1970’s generations showcased a similar in the performance arts since they borrowed their impressive styles from other forms of arts (Trower, 2011). This practice could be referred to as interactive accords in art practices.
Post-minimalism factors of Similarity
The performance of arts in 1960 and 1970 were the preeminence of the Post-minimalism, and had deeply entrenched qualities of the Process art. These two distinct generations had a conformal point since they both confided with the features of the post-minimal arts. The onslaught to this new discovery came in the backdrop of dire change fronted by the new art frontier embedded on performance, rather than the archaic traditions associated with paintings and other sculptural works. Being anchored on process arts, the two generation had a similar feature since their performances focused on the techniques and material of art production. Besides, the two generation were founded on the process arts; an intrigue by the existence of the mundane as well as repetitive activities of performance. In addition, both generations held their performance arts on the task-based activities. The inclusion of task-based performance styles were foreign to the traditional arts, and acquired a new paradigm in the 1960 and 1970’s generation arts (Eagleton, & Parker, 2015). Delineation to the task-based performance arts was its apparent hue and distinct styles that were completely different from choreographed moves and ritualized performance styles inherent to the traditional dance and theatre.
Feminism Agenda as a Point of Conformity
Second-wave feminism was a conformal point in the 1960s and 1970s performance arts. These periods saw a new awakening in the performance arts and a realization of confrontational paradigm to the earlier notion that arts were a preserved occupation to the males. Thus, these generations signified a rebranding portfolio to the art history, and began on a new platform of equality and resistance to social injustices against women. Performance arts in these new generations witnessed a twist of event in the meaning and notion of art history as women used this platform to rebuke social injustices leveled against them by the society, and to further challenge a perception that women were no match for such tasks.
Furthermore, their critical view subjected them to outrage, rage and lust from the society whose view had been bent on one line of thinking and did not appreciate the ingenuity of performance in cross-gender matrix. Similarly, these generations saw women make their own discoveries in the art history, which had been ventured by the male counterparts. Their struggle to liberate their stature in a single storyline view by the male colleagues led to a fresh perspective in the art industry. In addition, women resorted to new roles as they felt impinged even by the same religion that would have played positive advocacy to their plight and intervened in shunning biased views in the society. Here, the 1960s and 1970s witnessed a new period of justice and confrontational views against the myriads of antisocial practices in the society. Therefore, the aggression by women to delve in a male-dominated industry led to their influx and possession of the industry.
Similarity based on Audience’s Tastes
The 1960s and 1970s periods witnessed a change in the audience tastes and expectations in the field of live performance. These two generations shared a common platform as the audience had an expectation of being challenged or provoked than the traditional mind frame where the audience sat for the entertainment value and the mainstream historical accords of a performance. Besides, this determination spurred a new influence in the performance arts as the audience would no longer be attracted to the pleasantly of a performance, but with its aesthetics and value to provoke and invoke them on essential attributes of arts in the society (Jones, 2008).The stylistic category of these generations of arts was haphazard and did not confide to a specific style. For example, these periods disregarded the manifestation of a unique stylistic attributes, but concentrated in their unique performance styles. In addition, the movement also disregarded every odd and adopted a variety and overlapping approaches. These approaches were identified by body arts, endurance arts, ritual and the happenings in these generations. The elements associated with culture and practices were common in these generations, and they often dictated the nature of movements in these performance.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the history of performance arts spans down form the year 1950’s and matches over to the postmodern word. The selected periods, 19760s and 1970s witnessed a new awakening in the art history, and transcended the nature of arts from its preeminence version to the new model based on performance. This new intervention came with transformations in the moves styles, and the informational directions if the performances. Elements of similarities here include; movements, the mainstream theme of performance arts being entrenched on a feminism approach, and the generation’s arts interdependence on other social and cultural spheres to borrow its styles (Eagleton, & Parker, 2015). Therefore, these generations share numerous points of similarity that were common to the performance arts in the post-war generations.
References
Eagleton, M., & Parker, E. (2015). History of British women's writing, 1970-present: Volume ten. Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan.
Jones, A. (2008). Body art/performing the subject. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.
Nelson, R. S., & Shiff, R. (2012). Critical terms for art history. Chicago [Ill.: University of Chicago Press.
Trower, S.(2011). Place, writing, and voice in oral history. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
