modernism

=Modernism= toc

History
Classified as both an art form and as a period of sociological representation, Modernism is characterized by drastic change that results in a belief system that is strongly positive towards an advanced, progressive future. Characterized by the shift in the late 19th to early 20th century of populations from the farm country to urban city dwellings, modernism cause a lot of concern in regards to an increase in social alienation and a sense of losing oneself in the bustling cityscape. Based largely on the idea of the human subject, quite the controversey was started between arguing theorists Sigmund Freud and Karl Marx. Freud argued that the human subject was an entity governed by the forces of his/her unconscious that keeps their wants/needs/desires in check. Marx in turn, criticized this idea of humans being self-determining individuals, and argued that humans are collective products of the forces of labour and capital, //but// that humans have control over this factor. Michel Foucault got in on the argument as well, siding with Freud's belief that we repress emotions, desires, and anxieties unconsciously but then added that this repression is produced by a particular blend of regulating and repressing sex and sexuality.

Art
Modernism characterized art by its use of radical styles that questioned the traditional representations that were previously used in painting. Form became the primary focus, with avant-garde artists springing up in the early 20th century - artists who generated abstract paintings focusing on the simplest elements of form, with straight lines and primary colours. Elemenst such as line, colour, shape, scale and form are viewed as expressions of the mental state of the painter.

The painting //The Guitar Player// by Pablo Picasso is a prime example of the modernist form in the best sense of the word. The focus is on line and form, and it evokes a certain feeling by the colours used and the sharp lines and edges. Another form of art that emerged during this time period is conceptual art, which involved the production of works where the idea or the concept behind the work itself is much more important and potent than the actual work itself. The work becomes the visual representation for a specific idea.

Architecture
Following the end of the First World War, there was a serious shortage in building supplies. Out of this need to use modern materials for rational purposes and the need for function and a want to disregard past historical ornamentalism and grandiose styles as seen in the Victorian era, the modernist style of architecture arose. What was once eclectic design was quickly replaced by smooth, simple, functionable buildings that was comprised mainy of glass, steel and iron. An example of this is the Crystal Palace in London, designed by Sir Joseph Paxton in 1851, one of the earliest precursors to the modernist design. By the 1950's, modernist art had been classified by the Museum of Modern Art in New York City as being an "international style" and the need for effective building plans emered as the building requirements of a shifting global society also changed. A good example of the modernist neighbourhood are tract houses that were build incredibly quickly after the Second World War to house the families that were rapidly populating the company and who would go on to be termed "the baby boomers" generation. Often criticized for it's sterility and the institutional feel that the buildings gave, the want for something different began to emerge. Gone were the days of wanting a building designed solely on its function. The ornamentalism that had once dominated the Victorian era began to return, albeit much more restrained. The reaction became known as the revolutionary idea of 'postmodernism.'

Main Characteristics of Modernist Art/Architecture:
>
 * rejection of historical styles as a source of architectural form.
 * idea that materials and functional requirements determine the result.
 * adoption of the machine aesthetic.
 * rejection of ornament.
 * simplification of form.
 * adoption of expressed structure.