Essay Final

Focusing on specific examples, describe the way that Modernist art & design was a response to the forces of modernity?
Paris 1750 – 1950.

The idea of something being 'modern' is linked to our understanding to the ideas of progress. Progress is central to the modernity. 'Understanding modernism as a selective tradition enables a shift in focus towards examination of the of the ideologies at work – and their relation to sexism, racism, nationalism – which have defined modernist canons, defined what counts as significant art practice, and formed both the implicit and explicit biases for much art criticism and history. Modernism can then productively begin to study in William's terms as a 'signifying system', or set of ideologies , within culture which are constitutive of that culture' Modernity generally speaking took place between 1750 – 1950. The process of modernism is directly influenced by industrialisation and urbanisation. 'Europe was experiencing an extraordinary industrial and financial expansion and this period of prosperity gave him (Napoleon III) the chance to become a builder on an imperial scale.' (Magdalena Dabrowski, French Landscape, The Modern Vision, 1880-1920)

The creation of 'the city' was the birth place of modernity and the 'modern' experience. As more people in France left villages and farms to live in cities such as Paris, social attitudes changed. The rapid growth of the city brought with it new experiences.

Communication and transportation (rail and road), steamship and telegraph greatly improved and the rail network had been fully established by 1840. Train stations linked Paris to the rest of France which played a big part in the rise of the Parisian population. The rail networked was good because it allowed not only the rich to take day trips to explore the countryside and surrounding city, but the poor too. This allowed communication to flourish between people. The availability of printed image and information also helped progression. Printed image and information was seen as the key to understanding and knowledge resulting in a positive change for the people.

Paris was the centre of fashion and people interested in fashion and dress would come from around the world just to purchase Parisian dress and clothing. Parisian fashion influenced all fashion for example American dress and clothing. 'With the help of his perfect Baron Georges Haussmann, Napoleon changed the face of Paris, effectively making it the “City of Lights” we know today.' (Magdalena Dabrowski, French Landscape, The Modern Vision – 1880-1920)

Rationality and reason was the idea that to improve humanity people would have to move away from the old religious ideas and the system of control and rule. The Church began playing a much more minor rule in society with the governments ruling the people instead. scientific progress and intellectual investigations became more popular and mainstream and scientific authority started to displace astrology and alchemy which lost scientific credibility. 'The Age of Enlightenment', many enlightenment writers and thinkers were in favour of free speech and thought, valuing theories such as empiricism which is the theory of knowledge over traditions or innate ideas, preferring sensory perception, historicism and evidence.

Artists and Designers who were seen as 'modern' could be seen to establish themselves with a 'utopian' attitude which consisted of creating a better more equal society. 'Since Utopia is the best Humanity can perceive, Utopia should be Humanity's guiding philosophy. This ultimate philosophy of striving for the best life possible for everyone, can be one global element of common sense and common purpose in an otherwise complex and fragmented world. Utopian philosophy can be the goal that unites the world for good and noble actions.' (Will, 2003) Jon Will explains what a Utopian idea is which explains the vision of the modernists'. 'Modern art does not necessarily mean the same as 'art of the modern period', since not all the art that has been produced within that period is deemed to be 'modern' – only certain types of art are regarded as having a claim to be modern.' (Dabrowski, M. 1999 'French Landscapes',)

Form following function was central to modernist designers. The function of a piece of design was key to its existence, the form should directly be in result of its function. Decoration was against everything modern designers believed it which led to the 'anti historicism' view, replacing old design which generally sourced its style from the past for example gothic and classical style. They replaced this with new, fresh timeless design.

Along with 'Form follows Function, truth to materials was also a philosophy modernist designers had. Just like the utopian truth, truth in design meant not creating false impressions or illusions. An example of this would be concrete in architecture should not be painted but left bare.

Technology was beginning to improve dramatically and modernist artists and designers embraced new technologies. Mass production was now a factor which designers had to be aware of and consider which also supported the need for less complicated designs - 'form following function' and truth to materials.

The mass housing projects lead by Georges-Eugène Haussmann and overlooked by Napoleon saw the demolition of the slums and traditional quarters in Paris. It brought with it a belief amongst modernists that the change of surroundings along with art and design would bring a new understanding and step forward in consciousness. 'The best portrait of modern Paris is probably the earliest, the multi-volume study of the city 'Paris, its Organs and its functions', written at the end of the Second Empire by Maxime du Camp. Like the novels of Balzac and Zola, it transformed the actual Paris into a conceptual paradox; a bounded place without boundary’s, a human realm unknowable by individual men, or, in certain poetic and fictional terms, a seductive and mysterious woman' (Brettell, 1999, p54), Paris used to be full of crime and poverty but following Haussmannization it had apparently become a mysterious woman!

'The sheer instability of the social, economic and physical reality of nineteenth-century Paris had a profound effect on artists' representations of it. (Brettell, 1999, p54), Photographers from far and wide gathered to record the old buildings before they were completely torn down. Photography starting to document urban life during modernism. You can see Charles Marville's work to see Paris before Haussmannization (fig1). “Modernity exists in the form of a desire to wipe out whatever came earlier, in the hope of reaching at least a point that could be called a true present, a point of origin that marks a new departure.” - Paul De Man.

Modernism not only started to dispel religion but had almost become a religion within its own right. Modernism was a belief in which people thought they were living in a 'new age'. “Modernity is the transient, the fleeting, the contingent; it is one half of art, the other being the eternal and the immovable.” - Charles Baudelaire.

George Seurat's Sunday Afternoon on the island of La Grande Jatte, 1884 (fig2). One of Seurat's most famous painting's. He spent over two years creating the painting. The setting is of La Grande Jatte which is in the Seine in Paris Between La Defense and the suburb of Neuilly. The painting denotes typically middle class people relaxing by the river.

If you compare this painting to Bathers at Asnieres 1883 – 4 (fig3) The painting shows workers swimming and watching a boat race which can be seen in both of Seurat's paintings, the two works are both the exact same dimensions and the compositions are very similar. You could say Seurat shows the different contrasting social divisions which existed at the time maybe to highlight the issue in Paris. This may have been a response to modernity and modernism. 'Ultimately La Grande Fatte was about: infinite division, infinite relationships, and the struggle to render them visible, even at the expense of “real life.”' (Hughes, 1991, p118) Although 'the city' carried connotations of freedom and progress and a 'utopian' ideal, there were still urban poverty and a hierarchy within society.

(fig2), Seurat used optical and colour theory; he contrasted small dots of coloured paint in a way which merged together and the viewer could see a single hue from a distance - pointillism. He thought this method would make the colour more chromatic and powerful. Seurat used zinc yellow (zinc chromate) a new technology’s of the time, highlighting the lawn in the paintings but also he mixed it with orange and blue pigments. So here we can see technology allowing painters of the time to experiment with colour and light allowing them to explore possibility’s and outcomes common place today, for example pointillism are very similar to the idea of pixels.

Henri De Toulouse-Lautrec was a French painter, print maker and illustrator. He designed a number of the Moulin Rouge cabaret posters (fig4),(fig5) which originated from Paris. He also showed the provocative, exciting and realistic images of the modern experience within Parisian life. 'From the crowded streets and cafes of Paris, a peculiarly ironic and detached view of life was emerging, based on the sense of dandyist display - “seeming” rather than “being” - disposable and rapidly changing style, fleeting social encounters, impersonal transaction. It found its painter Henri De Toulouse-Lautrec' (Hughes, 1991, p283)

Toulouse-Lautrec like to hang out in Montmartre which was at the time famous for unconventional, art based culture. Artists, philosophers and writers usually grouped around Montmartre because of the interesting location at the centre of modernity which Toulouse-Lautrec documented through his work. (fig5) 'Degas's brothels, and Toulouse-Lautrec's cafes. The fact that these images used new or anti-traditional representational strategies and that they eschew notions of balance, order, harmony and internal unity can be viewed as an expression of the essential conditions of modern urban life.' (Brettell, 1999, p61)

Living as an artist or designer in this era especially in Paris would have been extremely interesting and it would be hard not to be influenced by what was going on in Paris such as industrialisation, urbanisation, social division, new ideas, new practices and new recreation. It would be impossible to escape the environments influence which was extreme modernism from the 1850's onwards. This contributed immensely to the exploration and experimentation with art and design from 1750 – 1950. “Don't bother about being modern. Unfortunately it is the one thing that, whatever you do, you cannot avoid.” - Salvador Dali.

Today our understanding is generally shared as a people and as an international community because of technology such as the Internet for example; we live in a modern international world and our experience in comparison with late 1800's Parisians social experience is obviously very different. Todays society generally experience things together and instantly share experiences and trends in the world with the development of such communications. What is said to be 'modern' today is old tomorrow.

Bibliography

Brettell, R.R 1999 'Modern Art ', Oxford University Press.

Hughes, R. 1991 'The Shock Of The New', London, Thames and Hudson Ltd.

Will, J. (2003) 'Utopian Philosophy' [Internet], Utopia Now Organization, P.O. Box 901, Owings Mills, MD 21117, USA. Availible:
<http://users.erols.com/jonwill/> [Accessed 30th December 2010].

Paul De Man. (N/A). 'Modernism Quotes'. Available: <www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/modernity.html>[Accessed 10th May 2012].

Charles Baudelaire. (N/A). 'Modernism Quotes'. Available:

<thinkexist.com/quotation/modernity_is_the_transient-the_fleeting-the/325191.html> [Accessed 11th May 2012].

Salvador Dali. (N/A). 'Moderism'. Availible:

<http://www.entwagon.com/cgi-bin/quotes/quotes.pl?cat=Modern_And_Modernism&id=2> [Accessed 11th May 2012].

Deepwell, K. 1998 'Women artists and modernism', Manchester University Press.

Dabrowski, M. 1999 'French Landscapes', The Museum of Modern Art, New York.

Frascina F, Blake N, Fer B, Garb T, Harrison C. '1993 'Modernity and Modernism French Painting in the Nineteenth Century', Yale University Press in association with The Open University.