Focussing on specific examples,
describe the way that Modernist art & design was a response to the forces
of Modernity
Modernity can be described as the period in the development of mankind
that can be characterised by a continuous period of ever increasing change.
This was brought about by the amazing explosion of knowledge, discovery and
invention around 1850.
The notion of “the only thing constant is change” is now well
established in our society of today. But back in the 19th century this notion
was only just being born, whereas change is happening all around us as fast as
ever today and many would say it is accelerating, just think of how the
development of computers and communication devices is affecting how we run our
lives.
The beginnings of modernity must have been very exciting times. The
physical structures surrounding people, driven by changes in architecture,
combined with the invention of the 'machine' began to irreversibly change the
way mankind viewed the world. The true artist has a keen eye for observation
and these changes were not missed by the artists of the time. Indeed they
embraced the changes with creative and new approaches.
However, given the breadth of the period that can be classified as
modernity, we will concentrate the essay on artists that were living at the
beginning of the modernist period which can loosely be categorised as between
1840 to 1900.
Taking the point that we mentioned about physical structures changing
around the people, modernity and modernism development can be historically
linked to the process of industrialisation and urbanisation. Paris and
other cities became a site for a ‘modern’ experience and brought people
from outside the cities to come, and visit and experience the new visual
culture and to find work. Harrison argues…
'Modernisation,
modernity and modernism - three concepts around which thought about the
modern world and its culture has tended to revolve' (Harrison,
1997 p-6)
People came to participate in, and contribute to, a fast growing culture
of this time. Everyone wanted to benefit from the new life with a real feeling
and a need to progress, rebuild and improve. Modernity was about creating
a better lifestyle and to move on from the past. To specifically answer
how modernist art and design was a response to the forces of modernity, my
analysis starts with the modernisation of Paris and the
revolutionary changes that Georges-Eugène Haussmann made. Haussmann,
or more popularly known as Baron Haussmann, was associated with the
rebuilding of France. This process was referred to as the process of
Haussmannisation.
Huassmann was responsible for radical changes throughout Paris architecture;
such as the huge boulevards that can be seen in the painting below. These
boulevards destroyed a lot of the medieval small boulevards, pushing poorer
people and crime to the outskirts.
It was at this time that fashion played a big part in the modern
life style. Fashion was a way of communicating your wealth and individuality to
the people in the city. This was a departure from the stable situation to be
found in the country.
Here, the clothes worn by those in the country changed little and so the
different types of clothing could easily be attributed to a certain level that
you occupied in society. A farm worker would dress in one way, in contrast to a
middle class worker such as a shop keeper. In equal contrast would be the way a
wealthy land owner or aristocrat dressed at that time. And so each level
of society could easily be recognised by their “uniform”. This was not so
marked in the city and was an indicator of change within the urbanised/city
society that was beginning to evolve relatively quickly.
'Haussmannisation is often identified as the
rupture that brought about the city's modernity' (Soppelsa,
2009, page 37). There are people who disagreed with this statement.
Soppelsa goes on to say that George Harvey had a different opinion. The
historian argued that life in the city was modern before his intervention.
'...that piecemeal attempts at urban renewal
were made under his predecessor, Rambuteau" (1833-1848), (Soppelsa,
2009, p. 38).
Even if Haussmann wasn't totally responsible for this radical
social and cultural shift, he was a key factor in bringing modernity to Paris
and artists responded to this new environment by changing their styles
dramatically. This strongly suggests that architectural change played an
important role in changing the perception of the masses and caused the masses
to look differently on life. And this change was picked up and reflected by
artists through their art. One of these artists who reflected this change
was Gustave Caillebotte (1848-1894)
The painting above is simply called 'Rainy Day' and has been
heavily influenced by the forces of modernity. You can see how
Caillebotte's painting involves the new and modern boulevards and also the
wealthy citizens of Paris. You can relate this to the fashion side of
modernity; people dressing in certain ways to communicate class. Artists
and designers were very much involved in the movement and made a great
contribution to modernism. They specialised in the aesthetic and
practicality of the ‘new’. Leaving the past behind, they started looking
at the city and society's activities for their inspiration instead of painting
the time honoured subjects of myth and religion. At the same time they
were keen to experiment with new techniques and new forms of art including fine-art
and graphic design.
There is a debate as to when graphic design emerged in to
modernism. Jules Chéret (1836-1932) was a graphic designer based
in France. Chéret trained in England as a lithographer where he
was strongly influenced by the British approach to poster design and printing.
Lithography was the technique of placing ink on a series of metal or stone
carvings which are really reliefs of colour regions on the printed area. This
technique combined with developments in the printing process allowed for more
rapid production of artworks and enabled posters to be produced in volume
to be displayed as advertisements.
On returning to France, Chéret soon became well known for his
poster advertisements depicting the popular entertainment of the
time. Chéret is often called both 'the father of posters...' and 'the
father of modern advertising' (Scher, 2002, p.168) because his
work was one of a kind and revolutionary due to his bold colourful
illustrations and typographic elements. The illustrative elements which formed
the majority of the space within a poster compared to the small amount of
typography were hugely characteristic of his work. This meant that his work
could appeal and be understood by an illiterate audience. This Moulin
Rouge (which translates as 'the Red Windmill') poster by Chéret was
one of many and in this example he is depicting a part of society. The poster
is beautifully composed with strong but simple use of colour, text and
imagery.
"He realised a poster
did not have to show product; it merely had to produce '...a reaction of amusement,
curiosity, excitement or some positive feeling which will help make the right
points..." (Hutchinson, 'The Poster: An
Illustrated History From 1860')
These posters advertised up and coming events and thad therefore to be
created in a short amount of time which was on a completely different time scale
to that of fine art. The city at this point was heavily populated and people
had a job and money to spend, which led to a night life and so there was a
demand for quick advertising. Chéret had responded to this force of
modernity and his technique is clear and powerful.
In conclusion, the forces of modernity were the result of the rapid
development of scientific knowledge, which in turn resulted in the industrial
revolution and was the driving force of change and led to the modernisation of
society. The interpretation and response to this by the artists of the time can
be succinctly summarised by Jeremy Aynsley:
'Modernism in Graphic Design can be identified by stylistic simplicity,
a flatness of form, a taste for asymmetrical composition and the reduction of
elements to a minimum...'
Hausmmann played a key role in changing the face of Paris (and France)
by his influence on town planning and architecture. There is a clear response
to the rapidly changing society by the artists of the time. Two artists that
can be singled out who significantly reflected this change in Paris at the time
were Gustave Caillebotte and Jules Chéret. Jeremy Aynsley
regarded this response as art that looked to the future and marked a turning
point whereby the "artist" was liberated to look to the future and
discard looking backwards and this very much goes for all areas of design
at that time. We can't be that precise as to when this paradigm shift in
culture and society (and art) occurred, but we can be sure the advent of modernity
at that time has been shaping the world ever since.
Bibliography
Internet
Peter S. Soppelsa (2002) 'The Fragility of Modernity: Infrastructure
and Everyday Life in Paris, 1870-1914' [Internet], The University
of Michigan
Academic Services. Available from:
[Accessed 20th January 2012]
Jules Chéret- 'The complete works' [Internet]
Academic Services. Available from:
Jules Chéret- 'The Father of the Modern Poster'[Internet]
Academic Services. Available from:
Journals/ Blogs
Paula Scher (2011), Jules Chéret
Books
Harrison, C (1997) 'Modernism' Tate, London pp-6
Professor Jeremy Aynsley
Director of Research, Professor and Head of Programme
History of DesignSchool of
Humanities
Barnard, m (2005) ‘graphic design
as communication’ Oxon, Pontledge
No comments:
Post a Comment