Postmodernism in the Arts, Architecture and Cinema - Essay Example

Post Modernism A Critical study Contents of the Report Modernism Modernism in Art Modernism in Architecture Modernism in Music Modernism in Film Post Modernism An Artist’s View of Post Modernism Few Post Modern Artistic Works Modernism VS Post Modernism References Modernism Modern – A word derived from Late Latin word “modo” means in the sense of “just now”. This word was coined late back in the sixteenth century that meant “being at this time, now existing”. As centuries went by this term was used to specifically describe present times also including what was new. In the nineteenth century this term was used to designate “modernism” (answers.com, 2007). Modernism is a new genre of human excellence in thought. This is a driving force that enabled humans to improvise and structure their environment according to their necessities. Modernism has revolutionized each and every aspect of human being. This melioration in environment was a direct consequence of science and technology. Modernism can be best described as a movement, an optimistic movement that covers the cultural and artistic domains. This movement had come into effect in the late nineteenth century and the early twentieth centuries (Crouch, Christopher, 2000). Modernism is a renaissance for art, architecture, music, literature, applied sciences, philosophy and so on. Modernism influenced people to substitute the existing system with an intention of achieving progress at a rapid pace that could not be achieved by the traditional means. Modernism is retrospection in arts, sciences and music in order to add a new flavor, another dimension for the existing thought and facts. In this period the modernist thinkers rejected the traditional forms of arts and treated them as being outdated and old fashioned (Crouch, Christopher, 2000). The years 1890-1910 mark the beginning of modernism. A strange way of thinking crept in the minds of people who discouraged revising past knowledge for present day applications but they preferred having an entirely new set of rules that decide. Art, physics, Industrialization and social sciences had major backbone changes that challenged the traditional methods. In this period the analysis of problem had a subjective view that closely related to the existing theories of science. More importance was given to forces than facts (Crouch, Christopher, 2000). It was determinism that forces can lead man to achieve the impossible. The debate between the life forces and conceptions of reality was always won by life forces. Positivism and Certainty were the main driving forces in this period, which led to this modern thought. Others include the changes in the society due to the two world wars, the dictatorial ways of ruling. Expressionism, surrealism, symbolism and Imagism were the methods through which the thoughts were transmitted to people all round the world by artists. Modernism can be defined with one word- Rejection. This is the main criteria in modernism. Modernism can be basically classified into three periods, the period from 1890-1910 marked the beginning of Modernism. This is the time when subjective thought and expression were the prime factors in influencing art. Theories proposed by Freud (historyguide.org, 2006) influenced this period. In the second phase which is commonly known as modernism explosion (1910-1930) paved way to radical thinking. It simply fantasized radical thought and rejected the traditional practices. The theory of Relativity, Ideas of Edmund Hessels futurism and Imagism are the important attributes. Here the artists focused on preparing manifestos so as to form groups and share thoughts and improve in their respective fields. Cross culture arts came up during this period. Influence of art from one culture on other was significantly visible during this period. It was during this time that the Dada movement and the surrealism took birth and became popular. The next phase, that is, from 1930-45 concentrated on academia in arts. The day to day challenges were soled from the ideas of modernism. Marxism had a big influence in this period. Usage of goods of modern production was almost common in this era. A brief analysis of various forms of art and their effects due to modernism is described below Modernism in Art Modernism in art is closely associated with modern art. This form of art focuses more on bringing out the emotions, themes and other abstractions. This form of art had close association to observing nature and other materials. Impressionism and Symbolism dominated this era of art. The art at these times tried to bring out human values and scenarios close to reality. “These gave way to fauvism, cubism, expressionism and futurism” (Crouch Christopher, 2006). Also popular in this period was Dadaism and surrealism that were considered anti art. Modernism in art is often criticized to be a degenerated form of art as it does not showcase the artist’s skill. There are many artists in this period to deal with. However, the contribution of Spanish painter and sculptor, Pablo Picasso cannot be ignored (Cirlot Juan-Eduardo, 1972). Picasso’s remarkable achievement in the field of art was the creation of cubism. This is more of a revolution in painting and sculpture. There is a simple underlying concept here. Objects will be viewed from multiple view points than a single viewpoint, dissembled, analyzed and then reconstructed to give a Two dimensional effect of a three dimensional object ( John Cauman, 2001). This had its roots from simplification of real world object forms into geometrical forms like cylinders, spheres, cones and cubes. There are two main types of cubism – Analytic cubism and synthetic cubism (John Cauman, 2001). In analytic form of cubism, the cubists analyze the object that needs to be painted and hence is termed as analytic form of cubism. The objects are analyzed in such a way that the objects are broken into simple geometric forms. Either no color is used here or monochromatic color scheme is used. It was developed by Picasso and Broque during 1907-1912. The basic geometrical shapes were used to symbolize natural world. Benchmarks in this form of art were le guitareste and woman with a guitar by Picasso and Broque respectively (Mallen Enrique, 2003). These arts symbolize the multiple view ports of the real world entity and analyze each part of the object in the natural form as a geometrical object and placed in a monochrome background. The resultant is a geometric collection of basic forms that depicts the real world object. Women with a guitar by Braque Synthetic cubism is also referred to as fine art work. This is more like clustering more objects together. Technically synthetic cubism has fewer planar shifts and lesser shadings. First work in this area was by Picasso titled, still life with canning chain. Le Guitariste by Picasso The old guitarist by Picasso is another example of modernism in art. This branded as his blue period where the paintings had shades of blue and blue-green. It was all about selecting an austere color and a dull subject- commonly beggars or prostitutes. Picasso’s same style is seen in the frugal repast and the blind man’s mean. This period symbolizes depression (Mallen Enrique, 2003). The Old guitarist by Picasso Modernism in Architecture The architects in modernism period believed that with new technology, it would be possible to eliminate old building styles. Innovative thoughts that include the concept of buildings to be machines to live in (Thames & Hudson, 1985) the concept was an analogy. As cars replaced horses and hence the ancient form of architecture must be replaced by new form. Following this trend, the architects design was more on materials used and geometrical forms than decorations. The sky scrapper sea gram building in New York is one of the trademark modernist buildings. They focus more on simplicity. The structure should denote clarity in its form along with open plan interiors and removing clutter. The shift from horizontal expansion to vertical expansion of private buildings is note worthy. The examples include IBM plaza, glass place and wassily chair. The Glass palace in Netherlands, 1935, Functional and Open architecture The IBM plaza in Chicago Modernism in music Music had the effect of modernism and similar thoughts in other forms of arts like science, surrealism, politics and intellectualism. Notable among these are the works of Ezra pound, Mahler, Strauss, and Debussy. (Albright Daniel, 2004) The modern form of music had three main characteristics namely Comprehensiveness and depth, semantic specificity and density, Extensions and destructions of tonality. Albright Daniel, 2004) Modernism in music is related to the modernist movement in other arts and it had the influence of expressionism, abstractism and futurism. Works to quote are the twelve tone techniques of Arnold Schoenberg. Here he used extensively the expansion and destruction of tonality. Other marked works are Gaustav Mahler’s “Music of the world” in which he attempted to bring out the depth in music. Scientific stuff from Ferrecio Busoni used even noises and mechanical sounds in music. Notable work was Ezra pound’s cover of the 1915 wartime number. His career started as a poet under the influence of madax ford. He mostly used Chinese poetic translations and he focused on free verse translation than stanzoic patterns. His works reflect the first forms of Imagism. Later in his work politics and economics can be seen. The cantos were a master piece that led way for shorter poems there after. Modernism in films The world war had a big impact on societies at that time. Expressionism and montage were the role players for films. (courses.nus.edu.sg, N.D) Cinema is basically the perfect mixture of Montage and imagination. The first attribute holds key for associations and the second attribute is achieved with the help of a camera that is, through the director’s and the spectator’s view. Both these marked the modernism in cinema. Cinema demands realism. Louis Bunnel’s movie “Un chain andalov” has a montage sequence that deceives the human eye and symbolizes a woman’s eye being cut with a razor blade. This was a surrealist film. Post Modernism The dissatisfaction of modernism led to a new trend known as post modernism. This term, post modernism refers to after affect of modernism and was coined in the year 1949. It is abbreviated as Pomo. (Lyotard Jean-Francois, 1979) Modern trend was not acceptable in the case of architecture. The architectural styles and patterns used in modern times did not appeal people. This can be thought as the ignition for the post modernism. Slowly, the dissatisfaction spread to other fields like art, music and poetry. The post modernity was empowered with this situation and the growth of post modernity was healthy. It is very difficult to define or determine what post modernism is. Post modernism in simple terms is the successor of modernism. Post modernity is quite similar to modernity but it has additional qualities that make it universally acceptable. Post modernism can be thought as the thought of reacting to modernity. It led to drastic changes in architecture. It improved the field by removing the barriers of architecture between various people of different sects. Post modernism does not mean that it is after modernism but it means the reaction or response of modernism. Post modern thoughts in one field showed effect on other fields. The philosophical ideas were largely influenced from the post modern arts. The literature works like poetry and story writing, architecture and design were more prosperous. Post modernity is supposed to have come into existence since 1950’s. Hence the works after 1950 can be thought as the post modern or influenced by ideas of post modernism. Modernism and post modernism clash in their ideas. Modernists lack decentralization, weakening unity and structure of society. (Beck, Ulrich, 1986) Post modernism’s various fields have been enriched by many pragmatists. These post modernists are known to bring post modernity to the peak. Soren Kierkegaard and Friedrich Nietzsche are note-worthy thinkers. These thinkers are the ones who did the ground work activities for the emergence of post modernity. Sean Paul Sarte, Albert Camus and Samuel Breckett are a few writers who influenced other writers as well as thinkers to turn towards more subject oriented and purpose based post modernism. The post modern philosophers include Heidegger, Ludwig, Wittgenstein and Derrida. Other people who were key roles in post modernity were Ihab Hassan, Richard Rorty, Jean Francois Lyotard, Jean Baudrillard, Michel Foucault and Roland Barthes. (Lyotard, Jean-Francois, 1979) Post Modernism: An Artist’s view Art is not a single field; it is collection of many other fields. All forms of art have a few common characteristics. It is often observed that arts are not focused on anything other than themselves. There are many paintings and even stories which describe themselves. Another common theme of art is depicting others work. Some of these are done as tributes and others are done on their own interest. Generally post modern arts cannot be estimated or expected. Post modern arts in the recent past are being made by compiling various features from different forms of art. These arts are also based on realistic situations as well as imaginary. (Professor Christopher, 1998) Few Post Modern Artistic works There are many artists who have contributed for the post modernity. Some of the works in art by the post modernists are appreciable. The good thing about the post modern arts are that they did not deviate from the good old ways of making art but tried new innovative and creative ways to make an art. In this fashion, artists had influenced society. The art was explored in such a way that it has become a vital role in the present day for motivating society. For instance, take the example of the art made by Barbara Kruger “your body is a battle ground”. The difference in approach of making the art is seen. The art has a woman’s face covered by a silk cloth. It was an art made on canvas. The canvas was divided into two vertical halves and the motion from one half to another signified image reversal. The slogan is written horizontally from top to bottom. Various post modern aspects are clearly visible from the art. The text or intertexture on the art is a clear sign of post modern art. The art is a signifier symbolizing beauty of women. The right and left partitions show differences to differences. (Angela Vettese, 2002) Your Body is a battle ground, Barbara Kruger Another significant work is “the key of a city” by Arsen kurbanov. The art is an oil paint on canvas sheet commonly known as oil on canvas. The art shows a woman in the back drop of a city. The picture also shows the women holding a key that in turn signifies the title of the picture. Unlike modern art which are centered, this art is dispersed. The art does not concentrate on bordering or frames. The art is a combination of many shades of colors. Also it is a surface art and it does not show depth. Post Modernistic approach more closely deals with reality than simplicity and geometry. It is more about conveying the message clearly. The same is attributed in this picture. (academart.com, 2006) The Key of the city by Arsen Kurbanov Modernism Vs Post Modernism Modernity had brought a situation to view the society as two parts, the ordered part and the unordered part. It is considered that the ordered part maintains stability in society. According to Lyotard, (Lyotard, Jean-Francois, 1979) in order to have “order” in the society equal amount of disorder is required. Post modernism does not follow these trends and it concentrates on pragmatism and hence ensures a stabilized society. It is now clear that there is a huge difference between modernistic and post modernistic forms of art. Critiques feel that creativity of art was not being utilized in the apt manner in modernism. The usage of other elements than paints and paper is more unnatural in modernistic approach. Modern art is portraying human faces in an elongated fashion that is not being acceptable by the society. Modernistic art does not test the talent or skills of an artist. Modern art is also a lot expensive that many consumers feel is not the worth that matches the hard work. It is a matter of common observation that time accompanies change. The change in the art from traditional to post modern is the result of the same. The sudden dissatisfaction due to the effects in the society due to wars led to the modernism in art. The rejection criteria and the radical thinking were the result of positivism and certainty due to the dictators that had effect on the society. This modernism was short lived but it definitely stood as a bridge that elevated all the domains of art to a new level that could match with the developments in time. Art forms like Cubism and symbolism have master piece works that can never be looked down upon. Taking into account the situation in the society at that time, the work contributed by all the artists in the modernist era is remarkable and it is worth paying tribute to them. References 1. John Cauman (2001). Inheriting Cubism: The Impact of Cubism on American Art, 1909-1936. New York: Hollis Taggart Galleries. ISBN 0-9705723-4-4. 2. Mallen Enrique (2003). The Visual Grammar of Pablo Picasso. Berkeley Insights in Linguistics & Semiotics Series. Berlin: Peter Lang 3. Cirlot, Juan-Eduardo (1972). Picasso: Birth of a Genius. New York and Washington: Praeger. 4. Crouch, Christopher, Modernism in art design and architecture, New York: St. Martins Press, 2000 5. Hughes, Robert, The Shock of the New: Art and the Century of Change (Gardners Books, 1991, ISBN 0-500-27582-3). 6. Modernism: back when it meant something, John Haber,2007, 6th may 7. The Sources of Modern Architecture and Design (Thames & Hudson, "World of Art" series, 1985, ISBN 0-500-20072-6). 8. Albright, Daniel (2004). Modernism and Music: An Anthology of Sources. University of Chicago Press. ISBN 0-226-01267-0. 9. An article on modernism in film found at: http://courses.nus.edu.sg/course/elljwp/modernism&film.htm 10. Meaning of modernism found at: http://www.answers.com/topic/modern 11. An article on the principles of Freud found at : http://www.historyguide.org/europe/lecture3.html 12. Lyotard, Jean-Francois. Introduction: The Postmodern Condition: A Report on Knowledge," 1979: xxiv-xxv. 13. Beck, Ulrich (1986) Risk Society: Towards a New Modernity. 14. Barbara Kruger, by Angela Vettese, 2002 15. ART & ARTISTS: Modernism and Postmodernism, Professor Christopher L. C. E. Witcombe, 1998 16. Works of Arsen Kurbanov found at: http://academart.com/Kurbanov.htm, 2006 Read More