Essay Question

Focusing on specific examples describe the way that modernist art and design was a response to the forces of Modernity.

John Ruskin a modernist painter and critique of the 19th first came up with the idea of 'Modernism' in the mid 1800's. The term refers to the idea that modernity is an improvement to the old. Modernity defines a period of time at the end of the 19th and into the 20th century which went through rapid change. Many argue that a new period of history had begun after the First World War, a period which brought a new style of design which was efficient, cheap and most of all Functional. In 1913 Charles Peguy a French writer remarked “the world has changed less since the time of Jesus Christ than in the last 30 years” Huges R (1991). He was referring to the change in beliefs, sense of history, Art and modes of production, where mass change was taking place. Modernist thinkers argued that with innovation and experimentation came new ideas, and with new ideas society as a whole progresses forward. It proved a shift in ideas and attitudes amongst artists and designers of the time, there was a common belief that there could be a universal language which would be universally understood and used. 'A vision of how the design world could transform human consciousness and improve material conditions'. (Greenhagh, P. 1990).   

Life in the country was fundamentally different from life in the city, urban life started to change at a rapid pace especially within Western Europe. One of the main reasons why life in the city was so different to life in the country was down to Industrialisation and Urbanisation, the fact that people from rural areas started to move to the city in order to start work in factories. The pace of life was quick and people had more of a routine to their lives, they had work time and leisure time, as they were given set working hours. This structure meant that people started to use the time they had off work to go to new places and do new things. The Pullman sleeper train was designed in 1857 by George Pullman along with other forms of public transport , inventions such as these meant that people could visit places which they couldn't have in the past, places which seems far away, became easily assessable, therefore people would spend money and time discovering them. Alongside public transport, Cinema and the Telephone were also invented meaning that people were brought together and the world became smaller. People could see Fashion, Architecture and Art through cinema and in their travels.

Paris became a popular for those who were wealthy and had time to spend, it was a place of new experience, many considered it as 'The place to be' and it quickly became the social hub of Europe.

The Eiffel tower was build in 1889,it became the height of modernisation and pushing Paris in front of other countries in terms of superiority and hierarchy. Its designer Alexandre Gustave Eiffel, French structural designer was a specialist in metallic structures, he designed the tower to be true to materials. This caused out raw as it was simple in its design.  The Trottroir Roullant, an electric moving walkway which was installed at the metro station Montparnasse-Bienvenue in Paris in 1900, brought about a new way of thinking. This new design linked urbanization and a controlled lifestyle; It was very popular and encouraged progression even further, followed by a heavy consumer culture, as people travelled from all over to visit it.

New Technologies brought drastic change to Art and Design, for example the introduction of new methods of photography, influenced a new painting style. Degas was one artist who experimented with this style, instead of placing the focus of the image in the centre he painted it coming of the page, as if it were a photograph.  Art changed from being based on myths and religion to being about the city and the people within it.  The way in which Artists saw movement and the body changed due to new scientific discovery, and many art works became much more free and experimental. However the fast pace of life was not for everyone, many felt isolated by this sudden change. It was when Haussmann redesigned the slums of Paris and replaced them with boulevards that the poor were pushed to the outskirts of Paris, and there really became a class divide. This was called Hausmannisation; the new boulevards were a huge inspiration to artists, instead of portraiture which was more popular in the past.

Due to the new materials which became widely available artists who were classed as modern nearly always used materials which were new and unusual. New materials such as aluminium plastic and new metals were produced and so allowed the design of the stiletto heel and other new designs to be invented. Design began to be about the function rather than all about the way it looked, simple designs which served a purpose became more popular than those with a false impressions, as they had to be mass produced. The fact that new materials were becoming more and more popular, designs also became more true to the materials in which they were made from.

The Bauhaus was a German design school founded by Walter Gropius, The first aim of the school was to "Rescue all of the arts from the isolation in which each then found itself." Carmel-Arthur. Judith (2000) Bauhaus, London, Carlton Publishers.  Meaning the school tried to integrate all forms of design together in order to create more all rounded designers who had knowledge which extended across their own focused study areas. The Bauhaus is one piece of Design which supports the idea of “Form Follows Function”, a theory developed also by Walter Gropius and backed by many. It used modern techniques and modern approaches to teaching, the building its self was a modern design, in the sense that it prioritised function; it had huge glass windows to allow light in. A famous quote by Laszlo Moholy-Nagy a co funder of the Bauhaus  said “Designing is not a profession but an attitude. Design has many connotations. It is the organization of materials and processes in the most productive way, in a harmonious balance of all elements necessary for a certain function. It is the intergration of technological, social, and economical requirements, biological necessities, and the psychological effects of materials, shape, color, volume and space.” Stangos. N (1974) Concepts of Modern Art, London, Thames and Hudson. The Bauhaus encouraged experimentation, and the idea that design should be based on the social and economic necessities of society. Meis Van Der Rohe a German Architect who worked for the Bauhaus, later said "The Bauhaus was not an institution with a clear program- it was an idea". 

The Bauhaus looked to Cubism as inspiration where artists such as Picasso, Braque and Gris were breaking down objects to their simplest forms. This was appealing to them as simple designs were easy to mass produce as consumer goods. The Bauhaus created the solution to uncluttered living. One design which is universally know to come from the Bauhaus is the Barcelona chair, it was designed for the German pavilion section of the international Exposition on 1929.  Meis Van der Roche was the designer and the chair was inspired ancient folding chairs with were functional and easy to carry. This piece of design is a perfect example of modernist design and copies of the chair are popular worldwide.

Le Corbusier was a great architect of the modern era, he argued that any architecture should be designed to be functional and  in order to meet the needs of those within it. “All architecture is shelter, all great architecture is the design of space that contains, cuddles, exalts, or stimulates the persons in that space.” Chipp. H (1968) Theories Of Modern Art,  London, University of California Press.  The Chaise Lounge is one of the most famous furniture designs by Le Corbusier; he called it the “rest machine” as it could change its position in order to meet the user’s requirements.

 In the lead up to world war 2 when the Nazis began to take power, there was a disagreement of ideas, where modernists tried to avoid historical references, Hitler admired the classical culture of the Mediterranean, meaning the Nazi’s architectural style thrived of classical designs such as the Greek Olympia, which was the opposite to modern design. The Bauhaus’s Leadership refused to work with e Nazi’s and therefore was forced to close in 1933. The Oxford Encyclopedia of British Literature sees modernism ending by c.1939, however many would argue that the modern era continued on until the 1960’s.

In conclusion there are many examples to show that modernism was the cause for many pieces of art and design, architectural examples such as the design of the Bauhaus in Germany, the Eiffel tower, and the Trottroir Roullant in Paris all show this. As well as architectural design there are many examples of interior design such as The Barcelona chair, and the Chaise Lounge. All of these examples show that modernism lead to designers using new materials, and having a ne view on art and design in a more general sense.

Bibliography

Huges. R (1991) The Shock Of The New, London, Thames and Hudson

Rodrigues.C (2004) Introducing Modernism


Carmel-Arthur. Judith (2000) Bauhaus, London, Carlton Publishers.

Stangos. N (1974) Concepts of Modern Art, London, Thames and Hudson.


Chipp. H (1968) Theories Of Modern Art,  London, University of California Press.


Munari B (2008) Design as Art, London Penguin


Christopher. C (2007) Modernism in Art Design and Architecture, USA, St Martins Press


Powers. A (2009) The Modern Movement In Britain, London, Merrel


Greenhaulgh, P (1990) Modernism in Design', London, Laurence King Publishing LTD