Modernism In Modern Art

When thinking of traditional art I tend to imagine the grandiose oil paintings or gestural sculptures of figures displayed in the various national galleries I have visited, this to me, is what I think of being 'traditional' in terms of art. A more general description of traditional art is; “Art that is a part of the culture of a group of people, skills and knowledge of which are passed down through generations from master craftsmen to apprentices.” (www.yourdictonary.com, 14/11/2017). whereas I do to a extent agree with this statement, I am however conscious that in the current day the term 'traditional art' is used in opposition with digital art. So therefore in the digital era traditional art can be seen as an art form that is created with a physical and tangible medium, usually painting or sculpture, as opposed to art created using digital means.

Between the great Wars, Australian art was under the strong impact of the European trends. The painters adopted the techniques of the leading European artists. The emergence appearance of the Modernism and Cubism was due to the hard work of Australian female artists such as Grace Cossington Smith and Grace Crowley. These women found an inspiration in different art streams but both could create a respective career. Their creations emphasized on structure, colour and design. At the beginning, the public did not perceive the new art directions as they were unfamiliar with them. The men’s art world strongly criticized the women’s attempts to bring the modern art movements in Australia. In spite of it, the contribution of Grace Crowley was one of

A Japanese postmodern artist Yayoi Kusama, had an art technique of drawing and painting dots. Her art form was influenced by her psychological problems in which she expressed herself in an artistic form of painting dots. Both literature arts and the visual arts uses different techniques to express themselves whether it be modern or postmodern. Postmodern art use a lot of different techniques to express themselves and manipulate the audience in an entirely different way like how Kusama had expressed herself in a different way than artists have previously done before. Postmodernism started after WWII and used a happier and sometimes an ironic tone in their creations. Modernism started in the 20th century and were sometimes difficult to understand the pieces of art and writing. It is the departure of traditional arts and a movement in the arts to create new styles and techniques. The new form of art often causes conflict and sorts of negative reaction to those viewing because of its new art form that questions many people. The new form of art are subjective and creates different reactions that often tends to question what art really is in general. Both modernism and postmodernism uses many of the similar authorial techniques but uses different tones in the writings. Many of the authorial techniques they use are imagism, fragmentation, motifs, mutations, and many other techniques to create an effect.

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.

At the mid of the nineteenth century and in the early of the twentieth century, during this dynamic period and mainly due to the impacts of the Industrial Revolution in Europe. The machine age has a significant effects and turning point in the society, economy and the technology developments. The mass production of new materials, electrical power, and a great many innovations and developments reached its peak during the period and were taking place in all areas of society. A Modern movement emerged during this dynamic period in art and design called a Modernism which has the most effect and turning point on the art and design today. Modernism emphasised function over the form by simplifying the design and dislike of ornament and utilise industry for machines, mass production and technological advances to improve the social problems by architectural and design. One of the most significant modernist’s

Design is extremely crucial in human civilisation, it is an establishment of a plan or convention when constructing an object, system or measurable human interaction. Diverse kinds of objects may be designed, from a thing as small as a nail to an enormous, stunning architecture, even methods or processes of designing. Rand (1947) once mentioned that “Design is the method of putting form and content together. Design, just as art, has multiple definitions; there is no single definition. Design can be art. Design can be aesthetics. Design is so simple, that’s why it is so complicated” (p.23). Meanwhile, design history is the essence behind every design, it is a way that impacts one’s understanding of design in a positive way, it teaches every designer the fundamental principles of design. This essay will compare and contrast a book, Modernism in Art, Design and Architecture, written by Christopher Crouch and an article, True Cost Button-Pushing: Re-writing Industrial Design in America, by Peter A. Hall by demonstrating the key arguments, critical perspectives on both authors’ intentions and how they approach the same point and how their perspectives are relevant to the course.

Modernism plays a big role in history and definitely changed the way of life today. In this essay I will discuss what modernism is and how it changed the peoples perspective on design by evaluating the existence of skyscrapers and how these came to be, due to modernism.

The Modernist period was brought upon by the industrialisation of the 19th century. This changed the way people saw the world and as a result many styles were created. There was an experimentation of new ideas, styles and materials. The Modernist era was from the late 19th century to the early 20th century. Drastic changes in the art world was brought upon by this era produced works that are unlike any other style that had been seen. It was a break from the past and experimented with new forms of expressionism. Sculpture is a form of visual arts which is shown in three dimension and can be traced back to almost every art movement and is seen in many styles and done in many materials around the wold. Sculpture is a good indicator of the Modernist movement as the the sculptors provided works relevant to the social changes that are coming about. Sculpture also dates back and is not a new concept in its entirety, but we are able to see how it

Modernist’s rejection of conventional Victorian realism and the call to ‘make it new’ were responses to what an emerging, lost generation saw as the strangeness and urgency of the new twentieth century. And what newness it was! - new machines, new industrialisation, new capitalism, in short; a whole new world. Society felt as if it has ‘disembarked from the quaint old horse and buggy and re-embarked on the hurtling steam train of progress’ stated literary historian Michael Parker. This may have been exhilarating but it was also frightening, unnerving and alienating. The advent of such upheavals like the Great Depression and First World War uprooted the world from its sense of universal order and submerged societies into a sense of chaos and disillusion. To add to this collective disillusionment, people lost faith in traditional values like courage and masculinity and chivalric notions of patriotism.

The modernism period was a time for art to search for a new form of expression. It was a movement in western art which had develops in the middle of the 19th century and tried to capture the pictures and sensibilities of the age. Modernism art expand way beyond simply dealing with the present and involves the critical examination from the artist masterpieces. Modernism advance a era of testing in the arts from the mid 19th to the mid-20th century, coming after World War I. in the era where it was characterized by industrialization, being advanced in science which lead to society changes. Postmodernism started in the late 20th century. It’s characterized as a “general suspicion of reason”

Modernism at its core focuses on the culture, society and world during the time in which works were made in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. While Modernism encompassed a handful of unique styles and movements, only one in particular took an interest in the qualities of dreamlike states and unconsciousness: Surrealism. The Surrealist period dates back to beginning in 1925 and ending in 1945. Members of this art movement worked together closely in an organized fashion under their leader Andre Breton. Under Breton’s work the First Surrealist Manifesto written in 1924, he laid down the movement’s foundation and created a stepping stone for other artists to follow behind. Through this text and the artist’s works, “the Surrealists laid the foundation for a type of artistic practice that continues to maintain its relevance.”1 Surrealist artists took a stand against the formal workings of the everyday, trained artist and instead looked within themselves to create works turning away from control and logical reasoning that continuously inspires artists even to this day.

Is modern art affecting our American Economy, or any economy for that manner, in a terrible way? After all, these wealthy individuals are spending their hard earned bills, hundreds upon thousands upon millions of it in some piece of art that doesn’t make any sense to anyone but the maker. This could lead to a huge break, that these supposedly “grimey” buyers are making our economy go down the toilet, and it could be on them. Art in itself is a very inspiring investment, but the fact that these artists that spit out works that don’t put any effort or passion into it are making the green show more readily than more passionate artists. Modern art sales may be affecting our economy with their meaning leading to quick production, their odd “cult worship” making it understandable to those who purchase it, inflating their ego so to speak, and the types of sales types where the money goes and how it is made.

The modern period was characterised by massive social, technological and political change. Discuss how two artists OR designers of your choice experimented with responding to these changes. You must consider specific examples of their work.

Following World War I, people who had previously romanticized the ideas of war and perspectives on life were dismayed by the devastating amount of pain and loss that they experienced. Due to the excruciating pains of war, people across the world began to lose faith in humanity, religion and began to change their perspectives on life itself. The Great War caused many people to feel pessimistic towards life and questioning its ultimate purpose. From this overflow of emotion sprang a new form of thinking and expression that is known today as modernism. Modernism is rooted in people’s beliefs that their existent day to day lives were not fitting for the new emerging social, political, and economic changes that were occuring in the world. The

“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.