The Magic Mountain : A New Type Of Art Movement

Though the start of the modernisation may trace back to the beginning of Industrial Revolution. “Modernism in the design world did not exist in a fully developed form, until well after First World War.” (Wilk, 2006) Causing the great loss of lives and other countless damage to the world, it reshaped many people’s way of thinking the world. With the inspiration of early avant-garde movement, the modernism began to emerge advocating an utopian future and shared certain core principles by various styles of modernists: rejecting the past and applied ornament; forms follow function, a preference for

The concept of modernism and its significance to understanding the world around us is revealed through the words of Marshall Berman. He allows the readers to learn about his thoughts, experiences, and ideas and interpret them however we find fitting. The perspective that Berman has on the cultural and political movements throughout the process of modernization helped me understand the power of modernism’s meaning. His hope is that the readers will become familiar with the ideas of modernization and expand our knowledge on the subject.

Modernism is the heartbeat of culture, or as Clement Greenberg (1992:754) states, modernism involves of what “is truly alive in our culture” and it includes more than just art and literature. Western civilization began to interrogate their foundations and progressed into a self-critical society (Greenberg 1992:754). This notion began with the theories of the philosopher Immanuel Kant (1724-1804); he criticized the means itself of criticism (Greenberg 1992:754). Therefore, Greenberg (1992:754) perceived Kant as the first real Modernist.

These journeys vary in nature, traveling though the more pessimistic, cynical, and sometimes even nihilistic parts of the intellect, to traveling through the optimistic peaks of higher human ideas. In “The Minister’s Black Veil,” Hawthorne has shown that we all hide secrets; in “The Fall of the House of Usher,” Poe has shown the strength of fear over each individual; and in “Civil Disobedience,” Thoreau revealed the power of one to govern oneself. The vast range of knowledge that these insights present is great, but they all accomplish the same thing: providing a glimpse into the complex working of the human mind. This goal is not an easy one to accomplish, but throughout the history of Romanticism, Gothicism, and Transcendentalism, it was done time and time again. One can begin reading a story from one of these periods in the name of pleasure without any intent of gaining knowledge, but upon finishing the text the reader will certainly know his or herself at a much more intimate and personal

Published in 1989, Modris Eksteins’ book, “Rites of Spring” argues that World War I, with Germany specifically as a catalyst, is the turning point of modernism. As Eksteins explains it, World War I was the final battle between the old world and the new, modern, world. To put it simply: England and her allies represented the old ways, while Germany and her allies represented new ways. Eksteins believed that the end of the nineteenth century was filled with urges for modernism with Germany leading the way as the “modernist nation par excellence of our century” Throughout the three acts of his novel, Eksteins continues to address how Germany, and both world wars, managed to battle the old ways of the nineteenth century and as a result continue into the twentieth century with humanity completely disillusioned as a whole.

Modernism changed the scene of thought and brought advances in the world that has given reason to its distinctive status as a period of intellectual thought. Modernity and its shift in thought has given rise to what we would call modern and this reference point is crucial when evaluating the direction man is heading in intellectual thought and society as a

Diego was born in a city in central Mexico named Guanajuato City. This town is in a narrow valley with narrow and winding streets. Rivera first got interested in art at the age of ten, when he studied at the Academy of San Carlos, which was in Mexico City. The young artist was recognized for his talent and sponsored by the governor of the State of Veracruz. He was then able to continue his studies in Europe.

Marshall Berman’s take on modernity is presented in his book All That Is Solid Melts into Air whereby he focuses on its issues and the cultural attitudes and philosophies towards the modern condition. In doing so he shares his experiences of modernity post WWII in New York in the height of an economic boom and then more specifically of his childhood neighbourhood, the Bronx. In addition to expanded austerity, industrial and architectural development, the end of WWII proved to be a key period in world history and by extension the history of art. A talented group of artists emerged in result that had been influenced by an influx of established European artist who had fled to New York to escape fascist regimes in their homelands. More importantly these artists produced art that was at the heart of maelstrom Berman describes in regards to his experience of modernity. I aim to highlight the correlation between Berman’s experience of modernity and the emergence of a new American modernism. Modernity throughout this period was broken into two different compartments, hermetically sealed off from one another: "modernisation" in economics and politics, "modernism" in art, culture and sensibility. It’s through the lens of this dualism in which we recognise that both Berman and these artists try to make sense of the world around them by making their individual expressions that would re-conceptualise what it is to be modern in the twentieth century.

“Winter Dreams” follows perfectly along with the characteristics of the Modernist movement, which is one of the many reasons it should be added into the syllabus. F. Scott Fitzgerald explores a common Modernist theme, isolation and uncertainty, within “Winter Dreams” by using a descriptive style. This descriptive style is a contrast to the literary works of Sherwood Anderson, known for his simple prose, and Ernest Hemingway, known for his journalist style. Fitzgerald uses beautiful imagery within his works to create Modernist themes. Within “Winter Dreams”, Fitzgerald combines different techniques to switch back and forth between descriptive imagery and straightforward dialogue and description. Modernism “represents the transformation of traditional

Modernism brought a new era to fiction as a whole. With World War One raging distress and fear to people worldwide, the modernists as a whole were very angry. They were angry with the propaganda of the time telling them that war was good; those who’d seen the battlefield knew better. They despised their didactic Victorian predecessors, who taught clear divisions between right and wrong. Modernists instead believed that authority figures were corrupt and that morality is often unclear. This comes to light especially within the poems of Eliot and Yeats, and especially in the modernist manifesto Blast.

Modernism started in the 1900’s in America, it was a time in which the homeland had meaningful changes. Although it may have not been for the best, it still had a part in our society. Willa Cather wrote Neighbour Rosicky. In this short story it lets us envision how modernism has occurred. Modernism is “ limitation accorded with the modernist sense that “truth” does not exist objectively but is the product of the mind’s interaction with reality.” In this story, Willa Cather does not explain how or what will happen in the story with each character. We will see how Rosicky will not give up his hard working skills to keep providing for his family.

The sculpture to the far left is from the archaic period. Archaic art is famous for the establishment of the human figure as the central image and the law of frontality. As seen above, archaic sculptures are famous for their “archaic smile” that is present during any occasion. Therefore, pain or sorrow is never depicted. With all sculptures having the same facial expression, it leaves no opportunity for interpretation or individuality. This was a pattern among archaic art because it was meant to represent order.

During the time period of modernism, society saw a massive shift, especially from the everyday life of people in the cities. With improvements being made in transportation and technology this shifted the way of life to a much faster pace, shrinking the distances between people around the world thus creating a more rapid pace of life. The emphasis on radical innovations left many people will feelings of despair, a sense of meaninglessness, and hopelessness. With the ever growing developments to society, a lack of traditional and cultural norms and beliefs in closely held faiths were strained. These concepts were much illustrated in the literature of the time. Literary figures such as T.S Eliot flawlessly depicted the perception of the troubles of the “modern man” in his poem The Lovesong of J. Alfred Prufrock, while also integrating the new way of looking and appreciating life will all the good and bad components, ideas brought forth by the forerunners of modernism.

Modernism was a movement that was developed during the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century. Modernism developed due to the changes happening in societies at the time. Around the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century there was a rise in the industrial society’s where there were advancements in technologies and machines, and a rapid growths in cities. This lead to a change in cultural trends and philosophies, which is known as modernism. Modernism was well known for the rejection on traditional way, such as the arts and beliefs. It rejected the idea of realism and religious beliefs. During these years modernism could be distinguished by two aspects, High and Low Modernism.

What further contributed to the rise of modernism was the First World War, which shell-shocked many. People lost their sense of certainty and it made them change their points of views. It made modernists question civilisation. This is seen in T.S Eliot’s poem “The Wasteland” which questions