Modernity and Modernism notes

"Modernism is the term used to describe the cultural expressions of modernity in relation to the experience of modernity. "

• In design, it was agreed that design should not be illusionary or create false impressions.
• Modernists embraced the advancement of technology. 
• The main idea/purpose of the art was that it was functional, "Form Follows Function". 
• With the aftermath of World War I, modernism took an optimistic approach to society, through the thought that this tragedy would not happen again.
• For a modernist it was appealing to make the art form one which would be instantly recognised, an iconic composition to an international audience. This international point of view was formed through how World War I brought countries together. It is also suggested that modernists held a belief that their art could change the way people think.
• It can be seen that modernism was adopted as if it was a religion, as it constituted a set of beliefs, making people believe they were living in a 'new age'.

There are two distinct concepts, Modernity and Modernism.

• Modernity - Uses the latest processes and techniques ensuring to be contemporary and up to date, and has the quality of being modern.
• Modernism - an early to mid twentieth century movement in all aspects of the arts. 

"Arguably, the process of modernisation allowed Modernism to develop and flourish"

• Pre-modernity - world governed by the church, Monarchy and Patriarchy.
• This form of influence lead to structures such as the Piazza San Pietro, Rome, which was created by Gian Loreno Benini in 1655-57.
• In the late 18th century it was regarded that the Industrial Revolution was seen to have begun with Thomas Telford's Ironbridge in 1789. The Industrial Revolution is suggested to have fully taken place during the 1830s in which the development of factories, transport, canals and railways were absorbed into the culture. Here we see the emergence of the working class.

The age of Enlightenment was the dawn of modern research, philosophy and science which took place during the late 18th century. The most part of this movement was the writers and thinkers, for example Denis Diderot who created the first Encyclopedia. This movement was seen through some of the pieces of these artists:

• Rembrant Van Rijn -  A pioneer in art as we know it, he is famous for his experimentation in print making techniques etching and engraving. He was considered to be the Baroque graphic master.
  In his piece, The Anatomy lecture of Dr Nicolas Tulp, we see the recordings of a scientific event, research into the anatomy of the human body.
  
  
  
  
  
  
•  Joseph Wright - Experiment with an air pump (1768)

• Important key dates: (1751 – 72) publication of Diderot’s Encyclopedia, (1776) American Declaration of Independence, (1789) French Revolution, (1804) Napoleon crowned Emperor, (1814) Bourbon Restoration, (1830) July Revolution (France).

• Modernism was the process of rationalisation, secularisation and democratisation. This can be seen through the works of Eugene Delacroix Liberty leading the people 28th of July, which shows the spirit of the revolution.

• This piece was the earliest and permanent surviving photograph taken, that used the process of lithography and took several hours to dry. A few years after which, Louis Daguerre created his famous piece Boulevard du Temple in 1839, his photograph took ten minutes to produce and is the earliest known photograph to contain imagery of people. This daguerreotype revolutionised the world, with this new form of capturing an image.
  
  

  

  'The first photograph' - Joseph Nicephore Niepce, View from the Window at Le Gras 1826

  
  

  

  Louis Daguerre - Boulevard du Temple 1839

• Edvard Munch's piece, Evening on Karl Johann, shows the alienation and relationship between the figure and the crowd, him against the world.

 'In or about December 1910, human character changed'  - Virgina Woolf 1924

With the introduction of cubism and futurism, the form of objects and human beings drastically changed, it became more abstract and focus on different ways to portray something but still being able to recognise what the object is.

• Pablo Picasso was a pioneer with in Cubism which can be recognised through the angular lines and shapes used with in the compositions. 
• Umberto Boccioni was a pioneer with in Futurism through the documentation of kinetic energy.

• Marcel Duchamp changed the way we perceive art with his piece, "Fountain" 1917. He questioned what value art had, was it the urinal he had used or the signature on it that made it valuable? It was of course his signature, his signature can be argued to be the art itself however I like to see this piece as something that changed the view of the public, something that inspired so many artists to create work, an iconic piece.
  
  
  
  
  

• In design and architecture, modernism has various ‘rules’, form follows function and truth to materials. It leads to a minimalistic aesthetic and is best represented by Bauhaus which often has a moral seriousness, priding itself with high quality aesthetics.

• With new technology, pieces could be created in mass production, meaning that expenses were cheaper with each product being demanded by the consumer.

We see that modernism started with a Utopian defiance towards War, an optimistic approach to anti war and aims to absorb and use new technology to benefit rather than discard it.