“Representation”, by WJT Mitchell: “Postmodern culture is often characterized as en era of 'hyper-representation,' in which abstract, formalist painting has been replaced by experiments like photorealism...” (16)

The term postmodern art identifies artwork that embodies a set of ideas opposed to the ideas found in modern art. These ideas revolve around the belief that all forms of expression have been probed and that artwork should encompass a multitude of ideas. Unlike modern art, postmodern art does not focus on abstractions or distortions for emotional effect, but rather on concrete representations.

Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Postmodern_art

Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modern_art