What do we mean by Modernism?

Class discussion about some of the factors that influenced the emergence of the modernist era.

There is some debate about the start of the modernist movement, some saying it was establishing in 1900 but for the sake of the course the era of study is 1860 to 1960. Literature, music, design, art were all moving away from a traditional understanding and expression.

In small groups we discussed some of these influences:

The first and second world wars threw Europe into many changes. The requirement for ingenuity, survival and then something better to make such devestating and traumatic loss have some meaning was a huge force for change in the creative world.

There was tremendous social change that was being realised as a consequence of industrialisation and scientific changes and a sudden increase in the mechanisation of traditional industries including the craft industries that had started over 100 years previously. This left people either out of traditional roll and much poorer, or advantaged by these changes. A shift in how society viewed productivity and the rapidity with which it began to expect commodities, also shifted a mindset to speedier ways of producing art, as well as more available time to appreciate it. I believe a felt sense of change allows for other ways of seeing the world, objects and concepts including art. a greater openness to the new was available despite great resistence. The tension of this in the individual and collective psyche allowed for the emergence of the modernist movement and its many strands and isms.

The increases in technology included speedier and cheaper ways to travel and communicate, thus more people were exposed to more global influences of types of art and artifacts. This emerged in many artists work.

Industrialisation meant that housing and communities evolved around urban areas of manufacturing, thus creating bigger and bigger towns and cities and so people were presented with more diversity. Part of industrialisation also provoked some ideals about housing and community design such as Port Sunlight on the Wirral, an integral part of the community being an art gallery and library.

New technologies impacted the art world directly in the production of new and high quality art materials: paints, papers etc.

I think a huge contribution to the modernist movement is the emergence of psychoanalysis and an increasing curiosity and understanding of the unconscious level of mind and human functioning. The focus on symbol and metaphor paralleled the emergence of the abstract movement where the meaning was overtaking the importance of the representative object.

Society in terms of occupation, religious philosophy and values was diversifying. A desire for individuality and exploration was a powerful force in the individual and cultural psyche.

The library task produced many examples of the diversity of styles of art and design, and applications to pieces of art work, architecture, household objects, publicity posters, clothing and footwear. The discovery of artists influencing directly the design of furniture, clothing, building is very exciting. I selected a favourite artist: Piet Mondrian and found that his geometric, primary coloured squares were integrated into the design of the foyer of a university college building in 1923.