Ezra Pound Modernism

Required Text: Theories and Documents of Contemporary Art: A Sourcebook of Artists’ Writings, eds. Kristine Stiles and Peter Selz, University of California Press, 1996.

In the contemplation of art, or rather the conceptually intangible definition it currently possess, it is imperative to be mindful that “art” has been utilized as a promotional device, ceremonial item, aesthetically purposed article or perhaps none of these or all. It is because of this vague term that Carolyn Dean, in her text, “The Trouble with (The Term) Art”, makes a case for the consequences of applying the term “art” in societies that lacked such a notion which also accounts for the Western-centric lens the field intrinsically utilizes when viewing non-Western art. The claim is deftly supported by the utilization of expert accounts in the subject, alternative perspectives for what is considered the current norm, and self-examining questions,

Ezra Pound was a highly controversial poet in modern literature. Although he was attributed for enabling modernism movement in American literature, he was also criticized for his aesthetic and political views. With the enthusiasm for poetry, Pound filled most of his life with poetry.

Understanding art is often thought of as being an unreachable goal, but art should not be considered arbitrary because it influences the cultures and societies around us. The purpose of this paper is to define and also establish my opinions on Pensacola Christian College’s (PCC) definition of art, the bibliosophy of art, and Dr. Francis Schaeffer’s criteria for art. These topics are useful for artists as well as anyone else critiquing art, and can also serve as guidelines and standards for an artist when they create art.

At one point or another in one’s lifetime, people let go one thing to try and move on to something bigger and better, whether it’s a new job or new way of life. In its entirety, modernism is similar. It can be defined as moving away from the traditional creations and activities towards news tasks formed by the individualism and freedom within a man or woman. For instance, in the poem “One Art” by Elizabeth Bishop, the speaker eventually moves on from his previous set of ideas to something new. Similarly, in “anyone lived in a pretty how town” by E.E. Cummings, the main character doesn’t feel comfortable with the repetitious structure of the society he’s placed in. This leads the main character to form his own opinion, uncommon to his society,

Throughout human history people used to capture the reality of their time, express their feelings and share their impressions by copying both literally or figurative the mundane. The so-called artists have had different impacts in society all along the centuries. Only a few are currently taught in school, although the reverberation of their work is still impregnated in XXI Century. Nowadays, the term ‘artist’ can be used in reference of painters, sculptors, writers, singers, choreographers and other professions whose production are considered valuable culturally speaking. One of the main problems is that their work produce such a magnificent impact on the audience the artist is set aside and usually forgotten as a person, so they feel their rights to be violated.

Poets, and the poetry they write, are fundamental to the society in which they exist. The Modern poet is no exception. With words as weapons, the poet often challenges the very beliefs that underpin their civilisation and cause their fellow citizens to reflect on the status quo. It is the effectiveness of the literary devices the poet uses that often means the message is felt at a heart level, not just the head. An essay can give a dissertation on an important topic but it is the poet, using anything from personification to onomatopoeia, metaphor to assonance, that creates such

Much of the passion for a modernist change in art can be seen to arise from a need to compensate for new conditions in modern experience.

Contemporary art refers to art being produced and celebrated within current living generations, however it is more than that to the artist, it is a means to interact and communicate with modern society in new and exciting ways. A majority of these artists want to challenge racial stereotypes, call in to question the strict dualistic quality of gender, question political leadership, remark on the brutalities of war and its lasting effects on society, and confront consumerist society, but above all else contemporary art ebbs at modern reality and pushes for societal changes. Artist seek to resolve these issues through their art and effectively use several reoccurring themes such as, identity, commodities, memory, place, body, and spirituality

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow became one of the most beloved poets because of his exceptional writing skills and has largely impacted America today in many ways. The way in which he presented his style within his writings is unique and remarkable, and the reason why he is widely popular. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was one of America’s most prolific poets of his time, and helped shape American character through his manipulation of the English language.

Modernism could be seen as one of the most influential movement of the twentieth century. During the interwar years, Modernism continued to pursue its goals of changing the world through the use of design and machine.

This philosophical periodicity was lost in later times. Artistic genres now cut across one another, with a complexity that cannot be disentangled, and become traces of authentic or false searching for an aim that is no longer clearly and unequivocally given... (40-41)

The modernist period in British and Irish literature was one of the most important and exciting times in literary history. The term modernist stemmed from the beginning of the 20th century labelled the modern period. The modern period was a time of confusion and transitions, mostly due to the result of people returning from World War I. The modern period was an era of massive unemployment and technological changes. Freud, Jung, and Marx were redefining human identity, Assembly lines and factories were being introduced, and gender differences were starting to crumble. The modern period was a time of change, and the field of Literature was no exception. Susan Gorsky, in her book titled Virginia Woolf, states that " Virginia Woolf perhaps

At the end of the 19th century, fin de siècle did not just indicate the end of one century: it indicated the collapse of language and a way of thinking. This idea was illustrated by works such as von Hofmannstahl’s Lord Chandos Letter and Schnitzler’s Dream Story, which seem to argue that a new mode of thinking was necessary for a new age. Indeed, Freud’s writings and Trakl’s poems offered this new mode of thinking by challenging the border between what is “real” and what is “imaginary” through their works. In music and art, a similar trend was taking place: late 19th century works offered the audience a window into the artist’s emotions, experiences, and desires. This idea is seen in Gustav Mahler’s 1st Symphony and Egon Schiele’s Seated Male Nude, in which both artists channel their experiences and emotions to release suppressed elements of their psyches. However, the purpose for their expressivity is different: Mahler’s expressivity stems from a desire to find relief from mental stress stemming from his turbulent life, Schiele’s from a desire to explore new ways of conveying the self.

Late Modernism Reborn? In our world of ideas, different philosophical movements emerge from time to time and some of these movements completely alter the entire society and the way we interact with our environment. One such philosophical movement, modernism, virtually revolutionized both our society and culture, and also the graphic design world. With the emergence of the Swiss Style, our typographic understanding changed from subjective to objective.