1) Reflect on the reasons behind the public's reaction to Modern Art when it first emerged as a trend in the 1940's in the United States.
2) Why do you think modern artists felt compelled to create a new form of visual language?
Due Monday, October 1st
2) Why do you think modern artists felt compelled to create a new form of visual language?
Due Monday, October 1st
The movement of abstract expressionism began in the 1940s. I believe the start of this new visual language is a result of the aftermath of World War II and the continuous change of societal values. This work is characterized by the focus of abstract forms that evoke subjectivity, as the name suggests. For example, Jackson Pollock is known for his splashing of paint onto large canvases, which are merely, when you think about it, multicolored lines layered on top of each other. When artists began using these types of techniques, the art was not well-received by the public. As Orson Welles said in the documentary on modern art, modern art is its own master. It breaks free from typical artistic trends, and because of its variance from the norm, has the tendency to unnerve the viewer. Fernand Leger, an artist from that time period, said that “every object, picture, piece of architecture…has a value in itself; it is strictly absolute and independent of anything it may happen to represent.” Thus, the work does not need to have to reference something specific to be art because it adopts significance within its self. Critic Clement Greenberg, who was a big supporter of Pollock and stressed the importance of formal qualities, also believed that art is for art’s sake and that paintings should not have allusions because it is what it is.
ReplyDeleteThe abstraction of the canvas that came with the advent of modern art in the 1940’s was a shock to a public accustomed to viewing more traditional works of art. Suddenly the absence of depth, linear perspective, and subject matter characterized the art being produced and its lack of narrative or subject matter must have, as Nicole stated, unnerved the viewer. Modernism emerged out of a search for a universally acknowledgeable truth during the chaotic time during and after World War II. The artists abandoned religion and its artistically influential tradition in the search for a different kind of visual language and it was found in the bare forms of abstract expressionism. Robert Motherwell stated that “one might truthfully say that abstract art is stripped bare of other things in order to intensify it, its rhythm, spatial intervals, and color structure. Abstraction is a process of emphasis, and emphasis vivifies life.” I think that the riotous times of the 1940’s was the major proponent behind the reduction, flatness, and abstraction of the art being produced. Wartime called for the abandonment of superfluous artistic rules and techniques and the purer forms that were left behind suited the artists in their search for simplicity and purity.
ReplyDeleteI feel Nicole's post is incredibly insightful when discussing Modern Art's origins. I agree that the movement was most certainly a rection against cultural events such as World War II. However, past movements such as the British Aesthetic movement, who also shared the core value of "art for art's sake," also may have motivated this newfound style. Modern Art was shared similar values to the works developed through the Arts and Crafts movement as well, a reactionary movement against the Industrial Revolution that valued the flatness of the canvas, simplicity in detail, and precision in form. Abstract expressionism developed on these values further, making the movement their own, by creating non-objective art. These pieces which used shape and color to emphasize a message certainly stood out from previous artistic styles. Yet, as Nicole also mentioned, this art which was simply lines and color was not understood by the public at first. Rather it took a re-educating on the concept of artistic expression and an acceptance of the core values of this form before the movement became popular or fiscally successful.
ReplyDeleteLike Clareese and Nicole pointed out, modern art and abstract expressionism started to become popularized by artists after World War 2 and the 1940’s. Social values and structure started to change and evolve after these detrimental experiences. Artist’s beliefs where shifting and they then started experimenting with new ways on how to express themselves in new ways. Audiences didn’t know how to react to these new aesthetics, because they never saw them before. Clement Greenberg writes, “ Art is -- among other things -- continuity, and unthinkable without it. Lacking the past of art, and the need and compulsion to maintain its standards of excellence, Modernist art would lack both substance and justification” Modernist art is growth, and artists want to call attention to their growth; the ways in how the artists called attention to their pieces is what befuddled the viewers. It all happened during a time of change and continuous change is hard for a large group of people.
ReplyDeleteThe Modernist movement actually began in the late 1800’s but it wasn’t until the 1930’s that it hit the mainstream of U.S. pop culture. Ironically, the reason for its popularity was also the reason for its aversion: it defied tradition and many people were uncomfortable with that. The modernist movement emphasized freedom, experimentation and radicalism, and often this resulted in strange and disturbing images. Many people loved this change and the increased sense of individuality that came with it, but an equal number of individuals were frightened by it.
ReplyDeleteModernists felt compelled to create a new form of visual language because the old ways of the Renaissance were boring to them and didn’t reflect their individuality. Artists, especially, have an innate desire for freedom, experimentation, and independence—none of which can be found in Renaissance artwork. Modernism allowed artists to reject tradition, discover radically new ways of making art, and give voice to their individual nature through their work.
I agree with everyone on the dawn of Modern Art. It is interesting how it was built from ideals from the Enlightenment. It was spurred in search of science; a distancing from religion. It was due to humanism, which is the root for Modernism. It emerged with industrialization: steel, electricity and the steam engine. It was a time and search of truth, completely coming from a realm of reason. The belief in progress was pivotal to its success.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Nikki on the changes and universal truths during Modernism. Having a new language was very important at this time. Form was the ultimate expression. It was about finding a new language to talk about the world; to experience living again. It was not expressing feeling, rather illustrating them.
Clement Greenberg spoke primarily of art in value with regards to its form; he ignored everything but the work's form. He felt flatness or avoidance of anything resembling spatial illusion was good art. He felt there were no external references, which purity was in a form by itself.
-Peter
As Nicole stated above in a quote from Orson Welles, ". . . Modern art is its own master. It breaks free from typical artistic trends, and because of its variance from the norm, has the tendency to unnerve the viewer." This quote exemplifies the reasons why the public was tentative towards the acceptance of modern art in the United States. Modern art stripped away all of the traditional values that were previously believed to be a necessity for creating art. The atrocities seen in WWI and WWII forced artists to question their roles in society and seek out new essential truths in the world. I think the turn towards modern art was a direct result of the horrors seen in both World Wars, leaving them to question every aspect of society. Personally, I believe one would expect such a drastic shift to occur in the art world, as well as every other aspect of society and culture, due to a need for change in order to assure that another world war would never occur. If the ways in which humans interact with each other up until the end of WWII resulted in such horrible atrocities, then it is natural for us to search for a new way of being that would never result in another horrific war. Dadaism is the perfect example of how I believe humans should have reacted. Dadaism exemplifies the absolute rejection of the past including all of its artistic traditions and morals. As with all movements, it is a core group of people that will lead the trends, and eventually society will either catch on or reject it. During the 1940's, Modern artists lead society away from the previously established traditions and into a time of individualism and the search for new essential truths in the world.
ReplyDeleteI am really enjoying how interactive the blog has become. You rock!
ReplyDeleteIn “Contemporary Art” by Taylor a collection of statements from artists are displayed all about contemporary, modern, and abstract art. Some of the artists themselves have very interesting things to say about the transition of art from a previous “state” to this new kind of Modernist/ abstraction. On sculpture, Herber says contemporary sculpture has had a “radical divergence from the old” because it abandoned the conception of surface and uses space freely.
ReplyDeleteBacking up, Modernism emerged in the 1940’s parallels the industrial age and Enlightenment. Along with its emergence after the first World War, it focuses on things like rationality, objectivity and progress. It was much different from previous “classes” of arts, such as realism, which strives for the clear representation of a form. Fineburg says, Modernism is “faith in ability to examine and reshape the world using scientific knowledge, technology and aesthetic value”. In spite of the fact that all artists during this “period” strive for individuality, they are still all considered modernists, but uniquely distinct.
A quote that I found particularly appealing is one by Rosenburg. He states, “The painter no longer approached his easel with an image in his mind; he went up to it with material in his hand to do something to that other piece of material in front of him, The image would be the result of his encounter.” To me, this involves having no sketches, no planning, no rules to the work of art so that it can change at any time. This was probably much different from earlier practices of this concern.
Modernists probably tired from the old works of realism, and landscape-type painting and wished for something further, new and different. It gave people the idea that they could “free art from itself”. Before this, people thought that art meant everything that was included, not what was taken from a piece. This was a major tuning point, being this aesthetic quality of art now played a larger role.
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ReplyDeleteAs Caty stated the Modernist movement actually began much earlier than its sudden take of in America during the 1940's. However, the chaotic and tragic events of the World Wars was motivation for artists to abandon old artistic styles. The modernist movement is characterized by a removal of ornamentation, embracing change and the search for a universal truth. Artist directly confronted the new aspects that came along with an developing fully industrial world.
ReplyDeleteThe art that came out of this era was so far removed from previous movements that it does not come as a shock that it was not at first received well by the public. With so much chaos occurring during this time it can be hard for people to accept change. The abstraction of forms, loss of subject and meaning was difficult for people to understand. However, with time people grew to accept modernism and value it for its ability to "free art from itself".