Monday, August 3, 2009

Understanding Modernism Abstract Art Paintings and Contemporary Painting Style

Modernism in art contemporary paintings takes on a very broad area, but in general modernism is considered to deal with the implications of industrialization on mankind’s soul.  If we think of the advances of the 19th century, railroads and the telegraph, the recording of sound and the transmittal of sound through the telephone, this era spills over into the 20th century with the advances in flight and even flight away from our home planet to other orbs in space.  How could this be compared to the struggle for mere existence that folks endured from time immemorial up until 1969, when man walked upon our moon?  Art, ever reflective of real life, mimics the stresses and strains, joys and still moments of the artist’s own life, in whatever era he lives in, so it comes as no surprise that modernism in the 21st century displays the world of the mostly-urban, mostly-civilized man.  Rural scenes still exist, of course, but they are portrayed in vastly different styles than in previous ages.
When we think of modern art, who springs to mind but Picasso, he of the jarring perspective and bright colors, shaking up the art world as he did in the early 20th century and throughout his long life?  Not even impressionism charged the art world so and made it ready to expand its consciousness to consider new approaches.  If we think of modernism’s focus upon introspection, then what artists see inside themselves must be unique, because each individual is unique.  It is the artist’s responsibility to himself and to society to bring this out in such a way as to communicate his own uniqueness.  How he does this varies from abstract expressionism to cubism to Dadaism to performance art, installation art and even self-art, for instance body piercing and tattooing. 
The rejection of traditional art practices alone does not make up modernism; the political spectrum must be considered as well.  For example, Dadaism evolved in neutral Switzerland about the period of the First World War, with its nationalism and colonial entanglements breeding war and confusing the populace about the exact causes of why they were at war.  Dadaism called itself anti-war, anti-intellectualism and anti-bourgeois; in fact, it was pro-chaos, and in perhaps an ironic way, since the birth of the movement began during wartime and did not last long after hostilities ceased.  The proponents of the movement moved on to other pursuits in life after they had had their say.  Dadaism may be said to have executed its purpose and then quit, a purely intellectual genre of modernism that must have proved gratifying to those who aspire to modernism’s emphasis on speed.
By focusing on the ‘new’, modernism by necessity rejects the old and even seems to despise it, as the concepts of modernism preclude formality and the old ways of painting, with brush and canvas and studio sittings.  By using impressionism’s  open air techniques, everything is out in the open for all to see the process as the piece is being made.  Nothing hidden, nothing subtle, everything open, seems to be the modus operandi.  Yet modernism possibly forgets that today’s modern man will be obsolete in a few years or so and will look back on this day and laugh at his perceptions and conceits; it is one of the drawbacks of modern thought that seeks to be always new and exciting.


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This post was written by: beemagnet77

BeeMagnet is a professional graphic designer, web designer and business man with really strong passion that specializes in marketing strategy. Usually hangs out in Twitter has recently launched a blog dedicated to home design inspiration for designers, bride, photographers and artists called HomeBase

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