Year 1 Essay -

Focusing on specific examples, describe the way that Modernist art & design was a response to the forces of modernity

Modernist art and design, as considered a great artistic revolution, took place in the beginning of the twentieth- century while the rapidly developing cities of Europe were undergoing a series of different social and cultural changes and experiences. This movement is now recognised in history as modernity. European societies, at the time, responded to these changes with alternative ideas, methods and styles within the conventions of art and design. This was a direct response to Europe’s involuntary surrender to these changes, as the traditions and beliefs about art and design also underwent profound changes and reassessment, thus leading to people questioning and re-evaluating the aesthetic values, nature and function of art and design. These series of responses have become widely known as “modernism”.

Modernity, the two hundred years between the 1750’s and the 1960’s the change came rapidly and the notion was that this change was for the better. This era also saw the advancement of technology, mass production and the great development in transportation both on road and in the railways. Word spread at an alarming rate with the development in communications and effective communicating. The primary function of modernity is progress, creativity to allow society to create a better life for everyone and make everything run smoothly.

 “Modernity is the transient, the fleeting, the contingent; it is one half of art, the other being the eternal and the immovable”(Baudelaire C. 1821- 1867). 

Baudelaire addressed the unfolding of a new way of life, in a dense urban environment of the ”crowd” and the impact of technology upon society and art Modernist Graphic designers took on the idea that design should be a way of creating order and communicating easily to the masses, so that everything would all run smoothly, the designers took social responsibility for this.

The rapid spread of the industrial revolution across Europe between the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries resulted in drastic changes in transport, technology, agriculture, and the overall manufacture of materials within European cities. These changes led to socioeconomic and overall cultural changes in these societies. This idea of urbanization coincides with, and would not have existed without the revival of these economies.

Modernist art and design, as we know and recognise today, derives from artist’s personal responses to these influential social and cultural changes. Boyne and Rattansi(1990) identified for key features of modernism, and it is understood that modernist art and graphic design also adopted them in their conventions. These key features are known as aesthetic self-reflectivity, montage, use of paradox, and absence of unified and consistent subjectivity. 

For designers the complexity of modernism is reduced to two main thoughts. The first thought is that we exclude ornamentation, favouring of ‘clean’, ‘simple’, ‘non-decorated design’ Design is often in the interests of ‘clarity’ or the function that the design is to perform aiming for communication ease.

This belief stems partly from Adolf Loos’s 1908 Essay ‘Ornament and Crime’ (in Loos 1997), in which he argues that the ornamentation or decoration of objects is to be avoided because it causes them to quickly go in and out of style. Another source on this belief was that of Louis Sullivan’s 1896 formulation of the ‘law’ that ‘form ever follows function’. Both these theories suggest that the design should directly reflect the function. To achieve this, the designer would have to ‘find the optimum solution to the design problem’ (Walker 1989: 159). In layman’s terms the law means that a tall building should look like a tall building; its appearance should result from the job it is to perform, for example because of the ever growing migration of people into the cities overcrowding was a huge problem skyscrapers function is to minimise the floor space taken up and to fit as many people in a small area aspossible so the design solution was to build upwards.

The second view is nicely reflected on by Milton Glaser that ‘modernism is about progress, the endless frontier and ceaseless development’; its ‘origins are in the idea of good coming from boundless technology’ and it is ‘essentially utopian’ (Barnard, page 132).

Glaser argues that we can only embrace modernity and the developments in technology and believes that only good can come from these developments. 

These are clear examples of modernity having an effect on modernist art and design, in that it encouraged artists to somewhat disregard some of the already existing styles and conventions of art in these European societies.

The cultural changes attracted the attention of other artists who were more responsive to urban societies and what they had to offer. For example, improvements in means of communication and general entertainment encouraged people to become closer and more open minded. Some of the more technological changes also improved people’s relationship, both within and out of work environments. These changes in Europe were commonly used as an inspiration for these artists and their work, and is reflected in some of the most inspirational and iconic pieces of artwork that we know of today. An obvious example of modernity in the industrial revolution having an effect on modernist art is in the elaborate and unique design of Paris’s iconic Eiffel Tower. While London and Paris were in a somewhat race for supremacy and modernity, Paris pushed the boundaries with the elite structure of the Eiffel Tower which both accentuated the idea of ‘truth to materials’ (John Ruskin 1819-1900) in the way that the structure was not decorated at all, it displays only the structure's stripped down framework, as well as showing a clear progression of modernity. The Eiffel Tower was designed by Gustave Eiffel who was not an architect but an engineer this was probably the secret to his success and why he was able to construct this his tower to a height off 1056ft along with the help of new technologies. As this was such a significant and massive structure it was available to the masses rather than confined to galleries and conventions, the tower was constructed with the modernist attitude of truth to materials this is shown simply by the stripped down metal structure.

In considering change as a force of modernity, we can recognise architecture as a particularly successful reaction to this. Such outstanding buildings at this time, in particular, sky scrapers and towering buildings had specific designs influenced by the creative Bauhaus Movement.

Modernist designers and artists who were involved in the Bauhaus Movement believed that the materials and base designs of buildings and other projects should be acknowledged. This idea was celebrated through the encouragement of Bauhaus pupils to explore and embrace the machine, and to form various geometric shapes these shapes where though to last for a long period, unlike the styles that have come and gone over time. These shapes would be used in beginning processes of mass culture and mass production. This was never achievable in the past and allowed for the ever expanding demand in the ever expanding society.

In keeping with the recognition of the industrial revolution; steel, concrete and glass were all introduced as less expensive materials, and evidently used in design, construction and industrialisation of new designs the attitude of ornament is crime is then reflected by the non decretive style that is looking for simplicity. In architecture this proved more cost effective, thus allowing more money to be spent on further housing for the influx of people and the growing population of these European cities. 

Modernist art and design is an attitude that affirms the power of the human beings to make , improve and reshape their environment, using scientific knowledge, practical experimentation and technology. At the end of the nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth century Western society also saw drastic changes in political, cultural and artistic movements. Broadly, modernism outlines a group of progressive cultural movements in art, design, architecture which emerged in the decades before 1914. Modernism embraced the modern thinkers, works of artist and designers who rebelled against the late nineteenth century academic and historic traditions and embraced the new economic, social and political aspects of the emerging modern world.


Bibliography:

Coen, E. (1988) 'Umberto Boccioni', New York, Henry N. Abrams Inc Publishers.

Goldwater, R. (1928) 'Paul Gauguin', New York, Harry N. Abrams Inc Publishers.

Richman-Kenneally, R. Sloan, J. (1967). Expo 67: Not Just a Souvenir. Toronto: University of Toronto. page 85.

Loos, A. (1998). Ornament and Crime: Selected Essays. Austria: Adriadne Press.

Barnard, M. (2005). Graphic Design as Communication. Routledge. page 132,159.

Le Pichon, Y. (1987) 'Gauguin; Life Art Inspiration', New York, Harry N. Abrams Inc Publishers.