Modernism in the Fine Arts

PAUL KYSER
Art Appreciation MWF 10:30

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Modernism in the Fine Arts

Modernism is a very broad word but in the fine arts its a clear change and
rejection in the traditional style of art from other art periods. Therefore, an example of a
modernist approach of art would clearly be what Picasso started and that is the art
movement of cubism. One work of the artist Picasso was greatly different and could even
be said that the painting profoundly affected American artist and even was stated by Lee
Krasner that Picassos Guernica painting floored me (sayre523) therefore motivating
artist like Krasner to create some abstract paintings of their own. Subsequently
modernism is really a rejection of other art techniques like the use of religion in the
artworks So Modernism showed itself most clearly at first in terms of technique,
technique in the most immediate concrete sense (Chefdor, Quinones, Wachtel19).
Modernism, a period in the twentieth century, that is breaking away from traditional
forms of art that is trying to find new ways to express art.
Modernism is an era that is a compilation of various art movements such as
symbolism, futurism, surrealism, expressionism, imagism, vorticism, dada etc. However,
Modernists (including some of the most successful and most famous), are not affiliated
with any of these groups (kirschen1). Therefore, modernism is confusing and many
people find it hard to correctly define, being that Modernism is more of a reaction against
the stylistic features of art in the Victorian era and less than a movement like the
impressionism with a specific goal Modernists deliberately tried to break away from the
conventions of the Victorian era (kirschen1). The era of modernism was filled with
experimentation being that lots of modernist artist doing separate techniques and styles

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Challenging the notion that art must realistically depict the world, some artists
experimented with the expressive use of color, non-traditional materials, and new
techniques and mediums (MoMA1).
Fine art is an activity when the artist creates a work through self-accomplishment
and a specific goal. But modernists think ahead and wants to create a new tradition or art
norm for the future generation. Therefore Rather than existing as the most recent
manifestation of a tradition stretching back into the past, the avant-garde artist saw himor herself as standing at the head of a new tradition stretching, hopefully, into the future.
The progressive modernist looked to the future while the conservative modernist looked
to the past (Witcombe1).
In the era after modernism there is post modernism and there is many
distinguishing factors like the questioning of the master narratives that were embraced
during the modern period, the most important being the notion that all progress especially technological - is positive (theartstory1). Post modernism also gave a new
meaning to art. The artwork from this era was created abstract and could have multiple
meanings determined by the viewer and Postmodernism overturned the idea that there
was one inherent meaning to a work of art or that this meaning was determined by the
artist at the time of creation (theartstory1). Postmodern art was an obvious reaction to
modern art and was a perfection of past modern art failures, therefore postmodern art was
a new approach to popular culture and the mass media emerged in the 1950s, sparking a
wave of art movements that reintroduced representation from disparate sources and
experimented with image, spectacle, aesthetic codes, disciplinary boundaries, originality,

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and viewer involvement in ways that challenged previous definitions of art

(theartstory1).
Modernism boomed before World War I when artists decided to go against
traditional art norms. Artists like Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse structured their
paintings differently than Impressionist artists and these developments began to give a
new meaning to what was termed 'Modernism'. It embraced disruption, rejecting or
moving beyond simple Realism in literature and art (New World Encyclopedia). Also
paintings drawn by Modernist artists depict objects differently than Impressionist artist
therefore setting a new style of art for future generations because modernist artists do not
want to follow traditional ways of drawing and painting. Modernism art was believed to
be part of the larger social movement, so the artists that were involved were instead
valued members of society who produced art that added to society, even if it was, at
times, critiquing less desirable aspects of it. Modernism, while it was still "progressive"
increasingly saw traditional forms and traditional social arrangements as hindering
progress, and therefore the artist was recast as a revolutionary, overthrowing rather than
enlightening (New World Encyclopedia).

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