Lecture 10: Chronologies 8: Modernism

• Modernism is a philosophical movement in the arts, that along with cultural trends and changes, arose from wide-scale and far-reaching transformations in Western society in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Among the factors that shaped Modernism was the development of modern industrial societies and the rapid growth of cities, followed then by the horror of World War I. Modernism also rejected the certainty of Enlightenment thinking, and many modernists rejected religious belief. Modernism, in general, includes the activities and creations of those who felt the traditional forms of art, architecture, literature, religious faith, social organization and activities of daily life were becoming outdated in the new economic, social, and political environment of an emerging fully industrialized world.
• Modernity's Concept: The quality of being modern, using the latest techniques or processes, up to date or contemporary
• Modernism's Concept: Early to mid 20th century movement in art, design, literature, and the arts in general
• Arguably, the process of modernization allowed Modernism to develop and flourish
• How the Western world became modern, seeing as the pre modern world was governed by the Church, Monarchy/Aristocracy, Patriarchy (A system or society dominated by man)

• St Peters in Rome, represents the power it holds over the western world and its colonization, making it a huge influence to society

• Jean-Honore Fragonard, "Swing", a frivolous  cynical depiction of the lifestyle of the rich and the poor

• In 1750-1789, the Industrial Revolution, generally seen to start with Thomas Telford's Ironbridge of 1789
• Fully takes hold of 1830s-1840s: The Development of factories (Emergence of production lines and mass production techniques), Transport infrastructure - Canals and Railways, Mechanization in agriculture leads to move from countryside to cites, Emergence of the working class
• 1750-1789, the age of enlightenment, which saw the dawn of modern philosophy, research and science, hence commencing the questioning of religion
• Important writers and thinkers are Voltaire (1694-1778), one of whose key works is "Candide" (Or Optimism) of 1759, and Denis Diderot (1713-1784) who compiled the first encyclopedia

• Rembrand van Rijn, "The Anatomy Lecture of Dr Nicolas Tulp", 1632, the study of the human body and the coming of modern medicine

• The experimenting in proving that all living things need oxygen
• Key Dates: (1751-72) Publication of Diderot's Encyclopaedia, (1776) American Declaration of Independence, (1789) French Revolution, (1804) Napoleon crowned Emperor, (1814) Bourbon Restoration, (1830) July Revolution

• "Liberty Leading the People", a depiction of Patriotism and Liberty, though more to the preference of man

• "View from the Window", Joseph Nicophore Niopce's first photography, that took 20 hours to develop

• "Boulevard du Temple", 1830, Louis Daguerre, in a way the commence of stereotypical photography, considering the shadows and exposure as well as the set of subjects, making a rather massive impact to art at the time

• "The Two Ways of Life", 1857, Oscar Rejlander, the portrayal of two separate lifestyles in a photograph, the "Good and the Bad", not necessarily a religious image, it however still gives across that message, protected identities of the models who were depicted negatively in it

• "The Great Wave", 1850, Gustave Le Gray, mediums are shown to change at that point in time, with different focuses and compositions

• Bohemianism, "Bonjour Monsieur Courbet", 1854, the mocking and negative view people have of artists

• Realism, "The Cleaners", 1857, departure from romanticism and the development of a social conscience

• A metaphor for the downfall of society, "The Hireling Shepard"

• "Evening on Karl Johann", Edvard Munch, an alienation between people

• "Olympia", the ideal of a strong woman, despite whatever occupation she held

• "Bathers of Asnieres", 1859-1891, depicts two sides, with the left side showing the working class on their break, while the upper class enjoying a typical day out in contrast to them

• "Les Damoiselles D'Avignon", 1907, Pablo Picasso, considered one of the world's most important artworks, seeing how it changes the way the world is seen in terms of nude art particularly, with abstractism
• "In or about December 1910, human character changed." ~ Virginia Wolf

• Picasso developed cubism

• Umberto Boccioni began the development of a style that visualized movements and speed
• Germany began developing Expressionism

• "Fountain", changes the face of art seeing as anything could practically be transformed as a form of art, it was/is considered another important piece of artwork to the world
• In design, and especially architecture various tenets: "Form follows Function", Truth to Materials

• Leads to a minimalist aesthetic - Adolf Loos - Ornament and Crime, 1908
• Best represented by the Bauhaus, and the International Style, the architectural style of modernism
• Often has note of high aesthetic and moral seriousness
• Bauhaus was initially born out of optimism, an aspirational reaction to WW1, with a view of harnessing to improve people's lives
• Ends up doctrinaire, almost blind obedience to rules, above all
• IKEA embodies a lot of the ideals of Modernism

• Villa Savove Poissy's designs depicts cleanliness, sleekness, and all around modernism, despite being more than a hundred years, it is still considered very modern for its design
• Type is a modernist obsession

• Leather and steel frames became materials for modernist furniture design
• Barcelona Pavilion, 1920, key architectures of modernism, with minimalist spacing, high polished surfaces

• "Let's Squash Fascism  gets picked up by other forms of advertisements, where words aren't necessarily required but strong (If not obvious and literal) visuals

• Glass House by Philip Johnson, a highly iconic design of modern housing, with the huge usage of glass and steel, in a way depicts that it a design only for the rich, not the masses, showing the failure and falling of modernism

• Seagram Building New Work, had a minimalist design, with a whisky color scheme to it, again not for the masses, but for those that can actually afford it
• Capitalism and money making in the western world
• Modernism starts off attempting to rectify the wrongs of the world during the war, only to go downhill of the World Wars.
• Aim to harness new technologies benefit society, rather than destroy it
• Key features of it are minimalism, truth to materials, form follows function