Modernism & Modernity: An Introduction.
(Lecture 1)
Modernity- Industrialisation, Urbanisation - The City
Modern- Unites the word Modernity & Modernism together
Modern Artists- Response to the city
1) Psychology & Subjective Experience
2) Modern Art & Photography
3) Modernism of Art & Design
John Ruskin 1819-1900
1850- Modern Painters overview of all contemporary artists. Modern used in context as distinguishing todays to classical art. Modern used in terms of the moment.
William Holman Hunt - Hireling Shepherd (1852)
The young boy was paid to look after the sheep but he forgot about them and paid more attention to the girl and the flock all ran. Which shows modernism due to it been a modern moral subject.
1937- Modern is now just not of the moment but also means the best.
The New Woman Photomontage (1937)
Paris Exposition Universalle
This painting is showing the new and improved because modernism is always to improve since the 1970.
Modernism dies according to Charles Jencks on the 15th July 1972 at 3:32pm. This is when the Demolition of the Pruitt happened. The era of modernism was one of optimism.
Paris 1900- The most modern city in the world at the time of the emergence of modernity. People using industry as prominent means of production- urbanisation. Dominance of industrial labour- peoples life's dominated by shift work therefore life more regulated. The rapid advances of electronics such as railway, which allowed them to travel around the world in hours instead of days, telephone so they could always call each other and finally electricity- Industrialisation. Which therefore has metaphorically shank the world to be a noble & more manageable place.
New concepts of time- Due to railways world time had to be standardised as before the world had no great notion of what time it actually was. The world rapidly changes to create a life thats fast & strange.
Work Vs Leisure- Cinema, shopping as leisure, places for exhibitions. One site of modernity that still exists today is the hyde park picture house.
Enlightenment- Late 18th Century when scientific/philosophical thinking makes leaps & bound. Religion is no longer relied on and the only think to believe as how the world revolved.
Artists was the first to document the whole new pace & style in life.
Caillebotte- Paris A Rainy Day (1877)
This shows the real hustle and bustle through the carts movement and the cities experience shown through the painting shows how the city is separate and not really knowing anyone in you town.
Paris 1850- A New Paris. Old paris architecture of narrow & medieval streets where packed out with crime & at this time Paris was a revolutionist city.
Haussmainsation
Barrow George Hausman- Bulldozed narrow streets which made it easier to police therefore accommodate the moves in life this was the first main modernisation. The working class moved outside the city and the city centre became very expensive.
Caillebotte- A Balcony (1875)
Caillebotte- Jeune Homme (1875)
Both of these are not about the individuals themselves, both characters are staring out over their balcony to the pacing of modern life. A balcony painting is showing an experience of modernity due to them been neighbours and stood so close together but they are unknown to each other and no socialisation has been carried out between them.
Experiments in new science 1893- A new psychology lab is a good example of the anxieties that the modern life can send people mad. They thought that through the scientific knowledges of the environment of the world and the human mind.
Caillebotte- Le Pont de L'Europe (1876)
In the Urban Environment everyone is cramped together and therefore everyone is invading your personal space. This is when new Fashion Flanders walk around the city displaying their status.
Leisure time within modernity: Dots of contrasting colours together which developed from a scientific discovery about how lights work to create colours. And therefore Seurat is been a modernism artist.
If we start to think about subjective experience... (the experience of the individual in the modern world) we start to come close to the understanding of modern art & the experience of modernity.
MODERNISM
Modernism emerges out of the subjective responses of artists/designers to the modern world.
Modernism in Design
- Modernist design is anti-historist looks forwards and invents new styles, never looks back.
- Modernist design does not attempt to hide modern design.
- Modernist design is minimal & bear functional.
- New technologies- New ways of making things.
Cutlery from the Great Exhibition (1851)
Bauhaus Style Cutlery
The Bauhaus Cutlery Set compared to the Great Exhibition Cutlery Set is so modernist and shows what it is made of (Brushed steel) where as the knife and fork above is plated with a gold plating. The Bauhaus is functionality first.
Bauhaus
Bauhaus produced the most famous artists & designers and changed the way people educated and created the modernist education.
Building
The massive window has been created not for the way it looks but for functionality purpose of the use of light and also due to the new technologies which allows this to happen such as reinforced glass. The outside of the building is made out of concrete it is a new material and it hasn't been painted they have let the material speak for itself. The use of font on the side is its own font it is a sans serif font which is very modernist and they believe they don't need them for anything so why use them.
Herbert Bayer- Sans Serif Typeface
He also tried to argue to ditch capitals due to they was needed to make the language more understandable as its not necessarily used such as punctuation. It is a very neutral typeface with no national connotations.
Stanley Morrison- Times New Roman Typeface
This typeface does show nationalism and imperial greatness. It signifies British Imperial Greatness.
Fraktur- German Typeface
This typeface is nazi german and is very nationalist which represents goth numeric superiority.
Due to technology, materials such as concrete, aluminium & plastics allows the world more cheaper and widely assessable & mass production easier.
He also tried to argue to ditch capitals due to they was needed to make the language more understandable as its not necessarily used such as punctuation. It is a very neutral typeface with no national connotations.
This typeface does show nationalism and imperial greatness. It signifies British Imperial Greatness.
This typeface is nazi german and is very nationalist which represents goth numeric superiority.
Due to technology, materials such as concrete, aluminium & plastics allows the world more cheaper and widely assessable & mass production easier.
Importance of Modernism
1) Vocabulary of Style
2) Art & Design Education
3) Idea of form follows function.
Conclusion
The term modern is not a neutral term- it suggest novelty & improvement.
Modernity (1750-1960)- socia & culture experience.
Modernism- Araised out of modernity.
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