Modernism

Modernism is a broad cultural, intellectual, and artistic movement that emerged in the late 19th and early 20th centuries as a response to the rapid social, political, and technological changes that were taking place in the world. It is characterized by a self-conscious break with traditional ways of thinking, artistic styles, and social norms, and a focus on experimentation, individualism, and the exploration of new forms of expression.

History[edit | edit source]

Foundations of Modernism[edit | edit source]

Modernism originated in the late 19th century, driven by the effects of rapid industrialization, urbanization, and scientific progress. These changes challenged traditional societal structures and values. Movements like Impressionism and Post-Impressionism in art began to question classical conventions by emphasizing subjective experiences and innovative techniques, such as the use of light, color, and unconventional brushstrokes. In literature, writers like Henry James focused on exploring psychological depth, while early naturalists worked to depict more realistic portrayals of life, providing a foundation for the modernist exploration of human experience.

Radical Modernism[edit | edit source]

At the turn of the 20th century, radical modernism emerged as artists and intellectuals pushed the boundaries of traditional artistic and literary forms. Movements like Cubism, led by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, focused on abstraction, multiple perspectives, and fragmentation of visual forms. Futurism, initiated by Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, celebrated technological progress, speed, and the rejection of past traditions. In literature, writers like Joseph Conrad and Gertrude Stein experimented with narrative structures and language, reflecting a broader shift towards more radical and experimental approaches to art and thought. This period also saw the rising political tensions in Europe, which influenced the ideological direction of these movements.

Middle Modernism[edit | edit source]

Dadaism emerged as an anti-art movement, mocking the rationality that had led to the war. Writers like T.S. Eliot (The Waste Land) and Virginia Woolf explored themes of disillusionment and alienation. The Expressionist movement flourished, especially in Germany, as artists and writers sought to convey the psychological and emotional trauma of the era. Constructivism and Suprematism in post-revolutionary Russia embraced abstraction and functionality, reflecting a utopian vision of art integrated with politics and society.

The Interwar Period[edit | edit source]

The interwar years marked the height of modernist experimentation across disciplines. Surrealism, inspired by Psychoanalysis, delved into the unconscious mind, with figures like Salvador Dalí and André Breton producing iconic works. The Bauhaus school became a hub for modernist architecture and design, emphasizing simplicity, functionality, and industrial materials. In literature, modernist techniques reached their zenith with James Joyce’s Ulysses and the stream-of-consciousness narratives of Woolf. Modernist cinema also emerged, with Sergei Eisenstein pioneering montage techniques.

World War II and its Aftermath[edit | edit source]

The existential crises of World War II and its aftermath gave rise to Absurdism, as writers like Samuel Beckett explored themes of futility and alienation. Modernist architecture evolved into the International Style, championed by figures like Le Corbusier and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, reflecting a global vision of functional design. Abstract Expressionism, led by Jackson Pollock, became the dominant artistic movement in the United States, shifting the modernist center of gravity from Europe to America.

Late Modernism[edit | edit source]

In the mid-20th century, modernism began to fragment, with movements like Minimalism and Conceptual Art focusing on reduction and abstraction. Literature and philosophy turned toward postmodern critiques, but some writers, like Samuel Beckett, continued to explore modernist themes. In architecture, modernism’s utopian ideals were increasingly criticized, leading to the emergence of Brutalism and later postmodern design.

Collapse[edit | edit source]

Modernism developed from Romanticism's reaction against the Industrial Revolution and bourgeois values. Literary scholar Gerald Graff argues that the primary motive of modernism was to criticize the 19th-century bourgeois social order and its worldview, continuing the Romantic critique. While J. M. W. Turner anticipated modernism through his innovative use of light, color, and atmosphere, he differed from modernists by maintaining that art should convey significant themes. Modernists, however, were critical of the Romantic notion that art reveals the nature of reality. They believed that art, interpreted subjectively, could not convey an ultimate metaphysical truth. Instead, they saw art as a means to challenge and disrupt the viewer's perspective.

Modernism often rejects 19th-century realism, which focuses on naturalistic representation. Some modernists, like Picasso in his 1907 painting Les Demoiselles d'Avignon, pursued a more 'real' realism by presenting subjects from multiple viewpoints on a flat, two-dimensional plane. The Poet of 1911 similarly decentered the body from various angles. The Peggy Guggenheim Collection notes that Picasso synthesized multiple views into a single image. Modernism is often viewed as the culmination of Romanticism, sharing its sense that "things fall apart." While Romanticism sought metaphysical truths about character, nature, higher power, and meaning, modernism, despite yearning for such a center, finds only its collapse.

Form Follows Function[edit | edit source]

Form follows function is a design principle from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, stating that the shape of a building or object should be primarily based on its intended function. Louis Sullivan, an architect, popularized this concept, emphasizing that a structure must be rationally designed to be truly beautiful. Though often misattributed to the sculptor Horatio Greenough, the idea can be traced back to the monk Carlo Lodoli.

In the automotive industry, the principle was seen in the streamlined design of the Chrysler Airflow in 1935, although market demands sometimes conflicted with pure functionalism. Designers like Raymond Loewy adapted "form follows function" with his "MAYA" (Most Advanced Yet Acceptable) principle, balancing functionality and market appeal.

In software and enterprise architecture, the principle implies that the design (form) should derive from functional requirements. Agile software development, with techniques like test-driven development, embodies this by ensuring functionality drives the project's structure.

Beliefs[edit | edit source]

Modernists often search for a metaphysical 'centre' but experience its collapse. Postmodernism, by way of contrast, celebrates that collapse, exposing the failure of metaphysics. Modernism rejects Realism, if the latter is understood as focusing on the embodiment of meaning within a naturalistic representation. At the same time, some modernists aim at a more 'real' realism, one that is uncentered. Modernism, with its sense that 'things fall apart,' can be seen as the apotheosis of Romanticism, as romanticism is the (often frustrated) quest for metaphysical truths about character, nature, a higher power and meaning in the world.

Variants[edit | edit source]

Criticism [edit | edit source]

Related philosophies: Counter-Enlightenment, Traditionalist School

Criticism of Modernism or just Anti-Modernism is a critique of Modernism. Anti-Modernism is often associated with Traditionalism.

Relationships[edit | edit source]

Modern Gang[edit | edit source]

• WIP

Semi-Modernist Frenemies[edit | edit source]

• Romanticism - I appreciate your contributions to the art world, but it's time to move on from the past and embrace a more progressive vision.
• Post-Modernism - A little ahead of me...
• Post-Post-Modernism - Is that a bit too far?
• Metamodernism - How much more of development?

Traditionalists[edit | edit source]

• Traditionalist School - You're holding back progress and creativity with your outdated ideas. It's time to join the modern era.
• Pre-Modernism - It was necessary to take a step forward.

Gallery[edit | edit source]

Portraits[edit | edit source]

• 
  Barojism

Further Information[edit | edit source]

Wikipedia[edit | edit source]

• Modernism
• Modern architecture
• Literary modernism
• Modernism (music)
• Generation of '36
  • Garcilasismo
  • Poesía arraigada ( Spanish)
  • Poesía desarraigada ( Spanish)
  • Postismo ( Spanish)
• Generation of '98
• Imagism

Theoreticians[edit | edit source]

Generation of '36 Generation of '98 Imagism

Literature[edit | edit source]

• The Edinburgh Dictionary of Modernism, Vassiliki Kolocotroni, Olga Taxidou.
• Modernism and the Language of Philosophy, Anat Mater, 2006.

Navigation[edit | edit source]