MODERN ART AND PHOTOGRAPHY

When is a work of art considered to be Modern Art? Is it the energy in the images, or the simplicity of geometric lines? Is it the bizarre perspective of the drawing or the novelty in the technique of photography and printing? A discussion of its underlying influences and the various art movements and their contributors will help characterize this multi-faceted art.

Modern Art, the artistic productions in painting, sculpture and other art forms from the late 19th century until about the 1970s, is one of the most celebrated and controversial epochs in the history of art. Spanning Europe, the Americas, and other regions in the Western influence, it spawned new ideas in approaching art in terms of representation, techniques, and materials; ideas that were either perceived as innovative or radical.

This new approach was largely influenced by the invention of the camera whose effect on the artists was two-fold: artists either embraced photography or repulsed it. Those who embraced it capitalized on the new techniques it offered in depicting subjects, or in its mechanical capacity to capture what is optically true. Those who rejected it realized that no matter how much they tried, they could not approximate in their paintings the realism afforded by the camera, bringing forth a new type of representation – abstraction. Furthermore, the invention of the printing press not only accelerated replications tremendously but also made other printing techniques possible.

Another major influence to this new approach was the liberation of artists from political or religious motives. With the arts uncommissioned, artists began incorporating personal meanings in their works, the notion “art for art’s sake”. They were able to express themselves with originality though oftentimes rebelliously or avant-garde. Furthermore, most of their works were sold to the public paving the way for popular art.

Abstraction, which totally veers away from imitating things, took various forms during the many movements influencing and comprising Modern Art. Each movement, whose lifespan ranged from about five years to several decades, defined what makes Modern Art modern and identified the key persons responsible for this revolutionary art’s development.

Impressionism was the first major avant-garde movement that influenced Modern Art. It started in Paris before the end of the 19th century when instead of the traditional indoor studio painting sessions, artists created paintings on the outside using landscapes and daily scenes as subjects. Done on the spot, many paintings utilized sketchy and brushstroke techniques like works by Edouard Manet and Claude Monet. Post-impressionism soon followed. This experimented on the dramatic qualities of colors and patterns, as effectively shown by Vincent Van Gogh, whose influence on the subsequent art movements was also significant.

About 1905-1910, fauvism developed in France. “Fauve” is French for “wild animals”. True enough, it employed strong and vibrant colors to achieve beauty as demonstrated by Henry Matisse. Expressionism, which was fauvism’s counterpart in Germany and Austria, used bright colors as well but for the purpose of achieving emotion, rather than beauty. Notable expressionists were Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and Franz Marc.

A few years after, cubism began influencing many artists in Paris through the pioneering efforts of Pablo Picasso and George Braques. This radical style involved geometrical forms and fragmentations such that lines, rather than color, were the focus of the artworks. Cubism lasted until early 1920s. Almost simultaneous with Cubism’s period was Futurism which made radical changes in Italy. Futurists like Umberto Boccioni revered any new technology and mechanization. However, Futurism lasted only until 1914.

After the ravages World War 1, those who believed that the human vision for betterment was pointless started the movement dada, a term which is intentionally meaningless. Dada began in Switzerland and spread in Germany, Paris and even New York. Dada artists like Marcel Duchamp, Man Ray, Kurt Schwitters meant to shock the public through their unconventional artworks. Dada lasted only until 1920.

De Stijl, or The Style, which prevailed in Holland from 1917 until early 1930s, promoted the use of geometric shapes and primary colors to reflect universal harmony. It was founded by Theo van Doesburg and Piet Mondrian. Almost concurrently, Bauhaus was being practiced in Germany also promoting geometry and machinery.

Back in Paris in 1924 until 1940s, surrealism was developed, emphasizing on the unconscious and subconscious mind. Espoused by Andre Breton and adopted by surrealists Salvador Dali, Henri Rousseaou and many others, it was sort of a positive version of dada. Surrealism employed juxtaposition of elements that seemed to contradict each other, thus depicting scenes and objects in a bizarre, unreal fashion.

Subsequent to surrealism, abstract expressionism soon developed in the United States and prevailed until the 1950s. With this development, New York became the center of art after World War 2, taking over Paris’ spot. Abstract art simplified the depiction of real forms, making the images non-figurative as illustrated by Jackson Pollock’s and Joan Miro’s works.

Pop Art then followed in the USA and in Great Britain and existed until 1960s. Short for popular art, this benefited from mechanical reproduction techniques. It gave birth to comic strips and advertising as a reaction against abstract painting. Notable pop artists include Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, and Tom Wesselmann.

Displays of Modern Art works representing these various movements are housed in several museums located mostly in Europe. Many of them also hold exhibits and events celebrating Modern Art, lasting from a few days to several months either on a regular basis or on special occasions.

In Europe, Tate Modern is Britain’s new national museum of modern art, showcasing collections from 1900 until present. The Pompidou Center in France, through its Musée National d'Art Moderne, stores and displays over 50,000 works of arts representing various Modern Art movements. Other museums of Modern Art include the Gallery of Modern Art
in
Glasgow, Peggy Guggenheim in Itay, Lenbachhaus Museum in Munich, Stedelijk Museum of Amsterdam, the British Museum and the Serpentine Gallery in London, the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, the Irish Museum of Modern Art in Ireland and several others. Outside Europe, most notable is the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

Modern Art has traversed many countries, spanned several decades, and produced an enormously rich collection of artworks in seemingly diverse approaches, styles, and techniques. Yet, one thing is proven: Man’s innate creative nature made him resilient thru changing times. And will continue to do so.