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What is Modernism?

Modernism was an unconventional movement that abandoned the traditional beliefs and behavior of realism, while reflecting new and upcoming ideas involving science, technology, experimentation, modern art, and literature. The Modernistic approach on life was one that accepted diversity. This period relied much on the cultural recognition of different unconventional beliefs. The movement sprung out of the devastation brought about by wars such as World War I and II, and the Vietnam War. This post war period was characterized by the international tension and domestic unrest. Although increased industrialization quickened the pace of life during that time, new social and economic problems had begun to arise. The American citizens at that time felt a sense of separation and isolation from the government, as if the society was no longer whole.

Central Beliefs

The goal of modernism was to improve human existence. It was believed that humans could obtain a high level of knowledge of the universe. Emphasis was put on education, literacy, and scientific research. Modernism essentially glorified and worshipped the human race, trusting in its endless possibilites. As a result, music, architecture, art, science, and literature were changed. Modernists were aware of the randomness of human life. They knew that things never lasted. The profound truths of experience and life were revealed through Modernism.

History: The Rise of Modernism

American modernism takes its roots from the revolutionary period of France. One of the first countries to enter this "modernistic" approach, France influenced many of the American beliefs during this era. In fact, the term avant-garde, closely associated with the period of Modernism, was a french term which became known in America as "the breaking away from tradition." The previous values of romanticism and realism were rejected, opting for progression and a transformed society. As the movement spread to western America, advancements in society caused new forms of art to emerge such as impressionistic paintings.

By the time the twentieth century began, the Americans were in a period of elevated confidence, emerging as a new world power. Significant accomplishments had been achieved, including the successful completion of the Panama Canal, and Henry Ford's creation of the Assembly Line. The assembly line had dramatically increased productivity, and the greater output of goods led to higher profits. However, when World War I confronted America, the Americans were idealistic and full of optimism. More importantly, America emerged from this terrible war as the world's leading economic and military power. However, those who had experienced the war brought home to America a new set of beliefs, bringing about the new era of Modernism. Prominent individuals such as T.S. Eliot, Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, John Dos Passos, and Ezra Pound no longer had the idealism and optimism that was symbolic of pre-war America. Instead, they brought to America the view of the world as violent and spiritually empty.

Modernism was based heavily on experimentation, which eventually led to the production of advanced weapons such as the atomic bombs of World War II. The new dangers of war created a chain reaction of chaos. Artists and writers in turn started to produce emotional works that reflected their thoughts and feelings on different events. This mass production of art mirrored the hard times of the depression and the wars. People also started to feel more separated from the government, and therefore wanted more individual freedoms.

Art and Music

Art

In the years preceding modernism, a main focus of artists was to capture the world in a realistic image. However, when film was invented, it became unneccessary for artists to provide viewers with an accurate image of the world, and as such, modernist art was often abstract. Abstract shapes, simple colors, and two dimensional shapes were popular.

File:99333-1.jpg

Illustration of the Watch, 1925

The age of industrialization also had a strong impact on modernist art. Machines and machine parts were often seen as a simple type of unembellished functional beauty. Modernists believed that technology would be key in achieving social improvement, a belief that was reflected in their art. Modernist designers and artists saw the mechanization as a key objective of a new society. They applied it to everything from the production of art to the design of kitchens. Machines and machine parts were seen as models of functional, unselfconscious design, of beauty without ornament. Artwork was conceived as a machine, or the result of machine manufacture.

Music

The developement of technology such as the radio created a boom in the music industry. Modern music broke away from classical sounds and instead incorporated more upbeat sounds. Jazz and swing were extremely popular during this era. At the heights of the Great Depression, gospel music started to become popular by people like Thomas A. Dorsey and Mahalia Jackson, who adapted Christian hymns to blues and jazz structures.

Literature

Literature during the early twentieth century was meant to be thought provoking, to change one's perception of the world and traditional values. Modern writers used informal language to portray complicated ideas and believed that writing was a craft, involving technique. As a whole, most writers focused on the diversity of the complex and developing American mentality.

This era gave birth to many new and abstract writing stylings:

Impressionism- emphasizing the individual perception of everything, through the conscious and unconscious mind
Expressionism- reflecting upon the inner vision, emotion, and spiritual reality of everyday objects and events
Surrealism- portraying objects as they seem rather than as they "logically" are to touch into the subconscious
Absurdism- making fun of or highlighting the absurdities in the real world such as the holocaust, billionaires vs. the homeless, and massive wars

Major Authors

Erza Weston Loomis Pound- (October 30, 1985 – November 1, 1972)
William Faulkner- (September 25, 1987 – July 6, 1962)
Marianne Moore- (November 15, 1887 – February 5, 1972)
Ernest Hemingway (July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961)
Richard Wright (September 4, 1908 – November 28, 1960)
Arthur Miller (October 17, 1915 – February 10, 2005)
F. Scott Fitzgerald (September 24, 1896 – December 21, 1940)
Robert Frost (March 26, 1874 – January 29, 1963)
Zora Neale Hurston (January 7, 1891 – January 28, 1960)
John Steinbeck (1902-1968)

Author in Focus: T.S. Eliot

T.S. [Thomas Stearns] Eliot- (September 26, 1888 – January 4, 1965) He was born in St. Louis, Missouri with a double hernia and was the youngest of seven children. His mother, Charlotte, was an amateur poet who admired Emerson. Eliot started writing stories in his teens for his high school, the Smith Academy. He attended Harvard as an undergraduate and received a masters in English Literature He moved on to marry Vivien Haigh on impulse without his parent’s permission. He had physical and emotional problems that he didn’t know about until after their marriage and then refused to divorce her because of his Anglican beliefs. Eliot married Valerie Fletcher in 1957 after Vivien’s death. Eliot won a Nobel Prize for literature, but stopped writing poetry after WWII. Eliot's works addressed religion, individualism, and unified emotions of people in the country. His most famous works were "The Waste Land", "The Four Quartet", and "The Love Song Of J. Alfred Prufrock."

Examples of Modern Literature

In Another Country, short story by Ernest Hemingway
The Road Not Taken, poem by Robert Frost

References

→“American modernism: A Brief Introduction.” California State University. 5 Nov. 2006 <http://www.csustan.edu/‌english/‌reuben/‌pal/‌chap7/‌7intro.html>.
→“American Modernism: 1870- Present.” Constable.net. 5 Nov. 2006 <http://www.constable.net/‌arthistory/‌art-chron-americamodern.html>.
→Artifacts. 5 Nov. 2006 <http://artifacts.net/>.
→Childs, Peter. “Modernism (1870-1940).” The Literary Encyclopedia. 20 Sept. 2002. 5 Nov. 2006 <http://www.litencyc.com/‌php/‌stopics.php?rec=true&UID=1219>.
→Collector’s guide. 5 Nov. 2006 <http://www.collectorsguide.com/‌index.php>.
→Dayton Art Institute. 5 Nov. 2006 <http://daytonartinstitute.org/>.
→Kandinsky, Wassily. “On White II.” 1923. 3 November 2006. http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/kandinsky/kandinsky.on-white-II.jpg
→Holt, Rinehart, and Winston. Adventures in American Literature. Orlando: Harcourt Brace & Compan, 1996. 563-651.
→“Introduction to Modernism and Post Modernism.” WSCC. 5 Nov. 2006 <http://vc.ws.edu/‌engl2265/‌unit4/‌Modernism/‌all.htm>.
→“Literary Periods and Their Charactaristics.” TeachnLearn. 5 Nov. 2006 <http://www.teachnlearn.org/‌LITERARY%20PERIODS%20AND%20THEIR%20CHARACTERISTICS.htm>.
→“Modern American poetry.” English. 5 Nov. 2006 <http://www.english.uiuc.edu/‌maps/‌poets/‌a_f/‌eliot/‌bio.htm>.
→“Modernism.” New Advent. 5 Nov. 2006 <http://www.newadvent.org/‌cathen/‌10415a.htm>.
→Witcombe, Christopher L.C.E. “The Roots of Modernism.” Witcombe. 5 Nov. 2006 <http://witcombe.sbc.edu>.