Elements of Modernism

It is important to note, that in the inter-war period, modernism existed mostly outside official cultural institutions in Australia. Women turned up to be a crucial force of its extension. According to the historian Bernard Smith: “Indeed, the contribution of women to post-impressionism in Australia appears to have been corporately greater than that of men (Smith, 1962, p. 198). The reason of it was a rising of the feminists’ movements in Australia and establishment of the United Association of Women in Sydney. The women’s movements began in the late 1880 and 1890s and reached the highest point in1906 and 1914 (Peers, 2011, pp. 3-7). Thus, when in the 1920s the Australian art felt the first signs of atrophy

During the Interwar Period (1919-1939), many countries around the world underwent many ideological changes. Prior to World War I, imperial competition amongst the European countries led to patterns of constitutional and ethnolinguistic nationalism and patterns of industrialization. Members of a Bosnian Serb nationalist group assassinated Austrian heir Franz Ferdinand, which became the catalyst for the first World War that would last until 1919. With 20 million soldiers and civilians dead and another 21 million wounded, the countries looked for ways to recover from the results of the war. Three new patterns of modernity emerged after World War I; Capitalist democracy, Communism, and Supremist Nationalism.

Modernist movement is a change in art and architecture during late 19’s and early 20’s. Modernism, in general, includes the activities and creations of those who felt the traditional forms of art, architecture, literature, and activities of daily life were becoming outdated in the new economic, social, and political environment of an emerging fully industrialised.

William Faulkner released his famous book, As I Lay Dying, in 1930 (Eldridge x). The thirties were a hard time for everyone involved; citizen, soldiers, government workers no one was excluded from the hardships of this excruciating time in America. The reason Americans were suffering so much was due to very recently coming out of the First World War, and then shortly after, falling into a nationwide state of economic depression. In 1932 employment rates were only “sixty percent of what they once were in 1929” (Eldridge xxi). Not only was the depression looming over American citizens, but many were still recovering from the effects WWI had on the world. World War I ended in 1919, which seemed to lead to prosperity in the United States of America,

sex and drugs) are not enough to satisfy the wants and desires of some citizens (Bernard, especially)

Going from long skirts and traditions the youth are beginning to radically change our culture creating controversy. This era is where many of our traditions that have never been questioned before are being put to the limits by our growing youth. We used to be a culture of women covering up, planned dates, horses and buggies and everyone attending church. The war is over and everything is changing, so the real question we must ask is, is it actually bad? First of all planned dating and seeming improper to mingle between the sexes is old and does not allow the youth to choose the right person that they want to spend the rest of their life with. Women throughout creation have always been forced to cover up and seem ‘ladylike’ but now the youth are showing that women have the freedom to act as they please. Finally, religion has always been something everyone believes but now with the new theory of evolution we should allow people to choose for themselves what they want. Therefore the youth are not merely destroying our

59. modernism- the movement that is currently in effect. Suzanne Collins is an example of a

Thomas Pynchon was born on May 8, 1937. He studied engineering physics and English at Cornell University before taking a job as an engineering aide with the aircraft manufacturer Boeing in 1960. The Crying of Lot 49, his second novel, was published in 1966 amid America’s counterculture movement. The novel’s protagonist, Oedipa, attempts to reinstall some sense of order to her life and to the increasingly disordered American mainstream by doggedly pursuing a conspiracy. Her efforts ultimately prove futile, as America, and by extension the universe, continues to careen towards its fate—a state of complete chaos.

WWI was a very horrible and deadly war causing many people to rethink the way the world was. It made them question who they were and what they believed in. Many people started doubting the government, and the way things were done. Many authors chose to change their style of writing and how they explained and described. There is one author whose poem is known as "The true birth of modernism. T.S. Eliot wrote about the world that the audience lived in and would go back out to after reading. He did not

Postwar, American design was made in terms of what could be fashionable and superficial. The school of Industrial Design catered to this by creating stylized objects with extreme ornamentation and distinctive visual qualities. Their triviality came across through a use of obsoletism, in that they made their objects to break down or easily replicable. In using this, their aim was to get people to buy.

Modernism is just another word for 20th century. It was a movement which started in the beginning of the 20th century and carried on until about the 1960’s.

Modernism first emerged in the 20th century, in order to help the recovery and progression within Britain after the war. Prominent modern designers such as Mies Van Der Rohe, Le Corbusier and Walter Gropius changed the way people interacted with space, by blending exteriors and interiors together & exploring new simplified forms. Which were mass-produced often on an assembly line in order to make them fast and cost-effective. These Ideologies overruled previous Designers within the Art Nouveau movement, as the idea of ornamented living did not meet basic social needs any more. By disposing of these old fashioned ways, Modernism helped implement a solution into a less complex living that was easily obtained and affordable. Many of their ideologies focused around industrial design, responding to ever growing changes within technology and society. Le Corbusier believed in Creating a better urban environment to improve on light and space, increasing physical space and maximising it; for example movable light sources. These ideas became a new way of thinking in both the US and Britain. In my essay, I will respond to the modernist ideologies found within the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre and if the building was a Modernist success or disaster.

Modernism was a progress to society, in many ways it helped shape and form what we call the western culture. Modernism was a time period during the 20th century that promoted changes to the Western culture. Many of the changes occurred in the attitude and functioning of society, modernism is often referred to the age of rebellion. During this time many people were rejecting the social norms that have been practiced for years and finding more about their own individuality. Modernism was not only the age of rebellion but had rapid social and economical changes, as technology evolved communication joined the modern lifestyle. The second industrial revolution was influential, the amount of progress it brought in the 1920’s gave America the ability to move forward and advance. The second industrial revolution industrialized not only technology, but caused time period called the roaring 20’s in which the average American took advantage of the progresses from the second industrial revolution. Throughout the roaring 20’s, Americans began to think more about life as these rapid changes occurred, thus developing new ways of thinking through many philosophers. Modernism progressed the western culture in many ways, and the specific events of the second industrialization, roaring twenties and the deeper thinking of philosophers benefited the western culture.

“Modern painting, breaking through old conversation, has released countless suggestions which are still waiting to be used by the practical world.”(Gropius) The birth of modernism and modern art goes back to the Industrial Revolution, a period that lasted from the 18th to the 19th century, in which rapid changes in manufacturing, transportation, and technology profoundly affected the social, economic, and cultural conditions of life in Western Europe, North America, and eventually the world. Before the 19th century, artists created art pieces for wealthy people and institution places like the church where they can create art works about storytelling of religious or mythological scenes . These arts were there to instruct the viewers.However, this changed when during the 19th century many artists began to create works that were about people, places, or ideas that interested them, and of which they had direct experience. With the popularization of the idea of a subconscious mind, many artists began exploring dreams, symbolism, and personal iconography as avenues for the depiction of their subjective experiences.Challenging the notion that art must realistically depict the world, some artists experimented with the expressive use of color, non-traditional materials, and new techniques and mediums.

Post-modernism design was definitely not for the faint hearted, designs mainly focused on bright colours and unusual shapes. They were very experimental yet sometimes limited due to time costly processes. The movement began in architecture as a reaction against the modernistic movement. Postmodernism saw a rise during the decade of the nineteen-eighties, however, this expressive style was not only seen in interior design, but also in fashion and other art movements. Escapism and fantasy were a source of inspiration for avant-garde designer collections, a lot of Japanese designers became known in Western capitals for their inventive styles that explored into both volume and proportion. The elements translated from post-modern architecture were in the form of expressive shapes and interesting exterior façade colours. Whereas, contemporary designs follow a more mature and sleek finish, with works from architects such as Zaha Hadid. Alongside contemporary design comes sustainability and reducing carbon footprints, taking into consideration the traditional materials used to build them.