What Is Modernism - Essay Example

What is modernism? In contemporary society, modernism is everything that is trending now. It involves a hunt for new forms of appearance and a break from the past. According to art critics, modernism is the period between 1860 and 1970 followed by post-modernism. The timeline is agreed upon, but what exactly is modernism and what made it relevant? Modernism is a movement that cuts across many disciplines, including philosophy, music, literature, sculpture, dance and painting. Modernism was influenced by trends in the society i.e. the industrial revolution, politics, technological and scientific innovation. Every change is guided by unique principals for this case modernism involved a break from indigenous traditions and continual progression (Toril, 11). Modernists celebrated intelligence, radical thinking and creativity because these were the abilities of mankind furthermore, they did not fall captive of indigenous limits. Realism period involved art that painted the subject exactly as it was, for example, Edouard Manet painted a French courtesan ‘Olympia’ (1863) bold, brash and unashamed. This was the first time that artists broke from traditional standards. Impressionism followed where artists painted impressions of the actual subjects. What they portrayed is a distinction between what they see and that which the brain processes, bringing out the impact of scientific knowledge on art. From this period, the ‘isms’ poured forth, which involved post-impressionism, fauvism and cubism. Artists utilized every opportunity to break loose from commonly held teachings and techniques. Modernism had well renowned and prolific artists like Salvador Dali (surrealist painter), Pablo Picasso (cubism), George Seurat (pointillist) and Marcel Duchamp (Dadaist) just but to mention a few. Modernism encompassed nearly the whole of 20th century art; it is now easy to understand why modernism is a significant point of discussion by art critics and historians (Toril, 13). Well, viewing modernism from a different angle, it’s not all about painting. There are other disciplines as Music, philosophy, architecture, dance, literature and sculpture, the list is long. The rise of worldwide technique (in the 1930s), architects utilized modern materials like glass, concrete and steel to produce structures that were streamlined and clean. These creations show the progress of man. The following three examples of art works describe how they are modern and not just a product of its time. Yes, the selection comes from a modernist time frame (Toril, 14). The first example is Pablo Picassos’ artwork Les Demoiselles dAvignon (The young ladies of Avignon). The artwork is modern in the sense that it has gone beyond the traditional standards. From what we can see are images of nude women, traditionally it is not morally accepted to portray this aspect publicly. Modernism revolution of art involved going beyond these mere restrictions in the society as portrayed in the artwork. Pablo Picasso is well renowned modernist in his artwork; this art is not just a product of its time since it portrays the aspect of romance and creative evolution in the contemporary society (Peter, 125). Artist: Pablo Picasso Description: Les Demoiselles dAvignon. (The young ladies of Avignon) Medium: Oil on canvas Size: (244 x 234 cm). Date: 1907 The image has utilized different color schemes for example; it has shades of grey, maroon, white, black and light blue. It presents images of nude individuals of female gender, with partly covered bodies. The images have different skin tone and two of them have faces that do not look like normal faces. A closer look at the image in general one can see that the individuals in the image have clothing. The clothing is of light material that it seems they are naked to the eye on first view. What the eye portrays initially is what the mind wants to see for an ordinary person, but technically the intention is perfectly hidden in plain view. The images on the artwork are distinct from each other, the lines are clear with some parts having well rounded corners and others sharp edged corners (Toril, 86). The artwork is oil on canvas, it is considered to have revolutionized the art of painting by bringing out the aspect of romance. The artwork was not positively accepted even by Pablo Picasso’s friends and colleagues themselves for example, Georges Braque. Their view was that it had gone beyond the accepted standards of morality, but the artwork was a hit. Immediately it was finished Gertrude and Leo purchased it and hosted it on their walls. The image was made during the modernism period which springs from 1860-1970; under this is the cubism period where Pablo’s works were completed. Cubism occurred during early 20th century and this portrait was done in France, this period is the world was going through global crisis for instance, the world war one. Countries concentrated on the aspect of nationalism in that every person had to identify themselves with a particular regime. During the middle of the century, countries were supposed to observe international law. Decolonization became the major agenda of this century, most of the countries under imposed leadership gained independence and self-determination. Changes occurred in major segments of life from technology, medicine, science, culture, ideology and economics. A major shift was seen in weaponry, telecommunication and war (Toril, 89). Another example is George Seurat’s ‘a Sunday afternoon on the island of La Grande Jatte,’ he was a pointillist, post-impressionist and neo-impressionist. This artwork falls under pointillism in modernism period, the technique involves blending of pigments on a palette. This blending brings the aspect of sharp contrast to indigenous methods. Modernism is clearly brought out here because it involves an improvement from the traditional ways. This technique relies on the ability of the eye and mind to blend color blends, focusing on the style of brushwork utilized (Eysteinsson & Liska, 47). Artist: George Seurat Description: ’A Sunday afternoon on the island of La Grande Jatte’ Medium: Oil on canvas Size: 207.5 by 308.1 cm Date: 1884-1886 The artwork is composed of individuals likely of different socioeconomic classes, partaking of various park activities. The colors are not blended physically on the canvas, but they are blended optically because the dots are multi-colored. George took his time in the parking making sketches; he did close to sixty studies in preparation for the final project. The artwork was received warmly, since what it portrays socially is acceptable. The distinctiveness of the exertion is that it brings out the modernism aspect from how the image of individuals appears. The images are not objective to the actual individuals, but an image produced by the mind after interacting with the situation over long period (Peter, 71). The artwork was made from 1884-1886 this was late 19th century. This period was characterized by civil wars between kingdoms, reduced slave business and on the positive side urbanization. For instance, what is portrayed on the artwork is an urban lifestyle where people interact with one another on a common ground designated for that purpose. The painting was made in Paris France where George was born to a middle class family. France at that time like many other countries was an empire of its own with several colonies in Africa. During this period slavery faced much resistance; liberalism became the trend of this period. Increased concerns with the rapid population growth in the western world, this came as a result of advancement in medicine and the understanding of the human anatomy. Railway roads were introduced improving livelihoods of individuals, this period was widely known for the establishment of settlements, especially in Australia (Peter, 77). The third example is Salvador Dalis’ ‘the bleeding roses’ the artwork was completed in 1930. The artifact was made during the surrealism period, launching the modern style. Salvador Dali produced his paintings by walking through the streets where he perceived all his imprints. Most of his artifacts were based on vital agitations like the one below. What he called vital agitations include eroticism, perversity and torment all of which are seen in his works. Surrealism meant to bring a disparity between dreams and reality in artwork. The main intention of artists was to provoke the unconscious person through photographic precision in their artefacts (Hal, 42). Artist: Salvador Dali Description: the bleeding roses Medium: Oil on canvas Size: 61 by 50 cm Date: 1930 This image is composed of a nude woman supporting herself by a pole while facing up. Her smooth long hair lying gently over her back, her abdomen seems to have an injury but the blood flowing out has turned into red rose four in number as it relates to its name. On her background is a wall with a visible shadow of a man, further is the horizon of an encroaching evening with bluish clouds. The lines are precisely drawn and the images are clearly visible. The colors used on the image are not very bright but bring out intended message of nudity clearly. The painting is oil on canvas the strokes of the brush were precise to bring a distinct image. According to the period that the painting was done, the reception was overwhelmingly positive. This is because the aspect of nudity was no longer something out of the picture, but the society had interacted with it for some time (Hal, 45). Surrealism works capitalize on the element of surprise, with most of them referred to as philosophical representation of the movement. This period as mentioned earlier is filled with controversy in the artifacts. For instance, feminists criticized surrealism by claiming it is a male fellowship where they worship women by what they portray in their productions. In defense, the pioneers of surrealism view this movement as dynamic in the content. This artifact was made in Spain where he was born. The period during which the artifact was made the world was going through the great economic depression. This period was very tough for the common man leading to labor battles that eventually would end in courtrooms. Industrial productions across the world reduced significantly, this lead to mass loss of employment. Furthermore during this time the rage for world war two was building up, due to the events that were occurring. This continued until finally, Germany invaded Poland sparking world war two (Hal, 47). ‘And not just the product of their time,’ this phrase is trying to bring a deeper view on the artworks. Critically artwork is supposed to portray something normal in a way that is extraordinary. Nothing on the view of the artwork is clear on first glance, but rather it will require that one looks at it from different angles to understand the message. For artwork to be modern it should be able to go beyond the aspect of the current status in the society. Change should be a key figure on the art, furthermore if we view modernism from a different angle it involves going beyond past appearances and breaking from the past. Creativity and innovation are the foundation of modernization and in this case these aspects come clear, because the situation is real where as it is presented in an imaginary manner. What I mean here is the images portrayed as subject to the presentations of the mind after seeing the actual situation (Eysteinsson & Liska, 69). Modernism at that point in time was it periodic? This aspect may have been a product of that particular age. The artwork of this age is unique but is still very relevant to this age. The changes that occurred during that age are still with us, only that they have been advanced differently. For example, the aspect of drawing nude pictures at that time was considered a trend, but to this age it is something normal. The variation is the precedence given to the situation; this explanation shows that modernism in the paintings is not a product of their time (Eysteinsson & Liska, 72). *Does the example reject what has gone before? The example that I have chosen does not reject what has gone before, rather it has improved on it. This means that the arts of modernism have added value to the previous arts. What has happened is that these arts have crossed a boundary created by the earlier society. For instance, looking at George Seurats’ ’A Sunday afternoon on the island of La Grande Jatte’ the artwork portrays the aspect of social interaction in modern society. This portrait does not eliminate its predecessors, has improved on the scenario and the presentation of objects. What seems to bring a distinction is that the ones that have gone before were objective. Objectivity here means that the artists used to paint the actual image, rather than the imagination of the object created by the brain (Eysteinsson & Liska, 73). The technique that is used to produce this artwork is different from the earlier one. George Seurat does not blend the colors physically on the canvas; rather he blends them optically since the dots are multi-colored. This does not reject, but it builds up on the same trying to improve the clarity of the subjective images. The difference between the two ages of paintings comes from the material in which it is painted on, fluid used strokes of the brush and decoding of the images. The word decoding here denotes whether an image is objective or subjective. An objective image is one that looks exactly like the actual object, but a subjective one is just a representation of the object produced by the brain (Peter, 100). *How the examples demonstrate that it has been reinvented? *What makes the examples revolutionary? The artists who made these artworks are considered as the pioneers of the exodus to modernism in art. Change is very difficult to accommodate from an individual level and even to one that involves many people. Art has constantly played a key role in the society some present a message that is meant to teach lessons; others give warning, praises and any other aspect imperative to the society. Governed by the principals of the society, artists could not draw the content that they draw in these portraits. Modernization of art came as a game changer, in that what was present before acted as a reference point for what was to come. As mentioned before modernism involved the revolution of art and other disciplines, this implies that it is the time for adding value to present. For revolution to occur there must be a driving force behind it, society had prohibited artist from going beyond the accepted standards of morality in their works. What the society did not know is that, at some point, this pressure will be enormous to the extent of breaking its boundaries. It did and this was due to the desire they had to go beyond indigenous traditions and restrictions. The results were surprising since the society embraced the new culture, but this was not accepted by everyone (Peter, 106). If we look at Salvador Dalis’ ‘the bleeding roses’ the element of nudity is the key theme. Bleeding roses has gone beyond the ordinary themes, presenting a uniqueness of its kind amidst critics. The portrait is revolutionary in the sense that it has brought a different idea not yet explored. Revolution requires intelligence, radical thinking and creativity, these are the abilities vested to human beings. Another revolutionary painting is Edouard Manets’ painting of French courtesan ‘Olympia’ (1863) bold, brash and unashamed. Pablo Picassos’ Les Demoiselles dAvignon (The young ladies of Avignon) shares the same revolutionary features as the two above. After looking at the portraits from this angle, the conclusion is clear they are not just emanating from that age. A relationship comes out between the modernism age and the present age (Eysteinsson & Liska, 75). *What makes the example unique? Uniqueness of the example is the method used to paint the images. For instance, the lines are precise giving a clear distinction of the images; different colors are utilized on the portrait they are between dull and bright giving a perfect blend. The images portrayed are also unique in a way that they bring out something completely different from their predecessors. The other example of ’A Sunday afternoon on the island of La Grande Jatte’ is also one of a kind in that the strokes of the brush blend pigments on a palette. The period is pointillism where sharp contrast was the key aspect; the mind and the eye are utilized to blend color and focus on the style of brushwork utilized (Peter, 112). *What demonstrates that the example is not something that has just been produced in the vein or current style of its time? From the time these artifacts were produced, changes have occurred in artwork still there are some aspects that continue to be utilized up to date. For example, strokes of the brush, blending of color, the theme and other aspects still relate to that time. The period in which these artifacts were done became the time in which major paradigm shift occurred in art. The styles utilized today are emanated from that period and still have a correlation. The only difference relates to the idea that one has in expressing a particular message furthermore; originality has now become a major issue in artwork (Hal, 55). Modern artists seem to agree that the artifacts done during modernism are of intense significance. To back this most of the artifacts of our time outsource on the methods used to paint back then during modernism. The artists learn these methods in art school, eventually they end up utilizing the same on their portraits. Learning in our time is a reflection of the past that forms the basis for the education of our current time. This means modernism period was the genesis of contemporary artwork (Hal, 56). In conclusion, modernism as many view, it is holistic revolution of the society. The society is composed of many disciplines, including philosophy, music, literature, sculpture, dance and painting. All of them were influenced by modernism which is made up of intelligence, radical thinking and creativity. These are the abilities that human beings possess and act as a driving force towards achieving change. Modernism period had several movements within it surrealism, impressionism, cubism, realism, pointillist and Dadaist movements. Modernism came with a great shift in the content of artifacts. Bound by societal restrictions artists could not reach the climax of artistry. Artists of this period went beyond these restrictions and came up with very impressive artifacts. These artifacts left a mark on the society, for instance the three artifacts taken as examples in this essay. The examples come from three different movements i.e. surrealism, pointillist and cubism. From the artifacts the three movements have different themes; cubism and surrealism portray nudism while pointillist portrays descent society. Another aspect about the artifacts is that they span over an extended period. This means that they were not meant for their time only, but they are in tandem with the contemporary society. Most of the artists of our age source their artistic knowledge from the pioneers of the modernist period. They utilize their methods, combination of color, correlations between the background and the images, shape and line appearance. Although there are changes on various aspects, they only act to enhance their productions i.e. use of technology. Revolution in art came as a result of artists scaling new heights on their content, others focused on the contrast they brought out through blending of pigments and most of defying traditional societal limits. Work cited Ástráður, Eysteinsson, and Vivian Liska. Modernism. Amsterdam: J. Benjamins Pub, 2007. Childs, Peter. Modernism. London: Routledge, 2000. Foster, Hal. Art Since 1900: Modernism, Antimodernism, Postmodernism. New York: Thames & Hudson, 2004. Moi, Toril. Henrik Ibsen and the Birth of Modernism: Art, Theater, Philosophy. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006. Print. Read More