Modernity and Modernism lecture 1

• John Ruskin (1890-1900)

- art historian wrote about weather the works of modernism was better than classical writings 

-anti modernist - thought modernism had lost something essential 

-to him modern meant of their time (isn't this what contemporary means??)

• Paris 1900s

-original centre of modernity (before it was replaced by NYC in the 50s)

-Cities starting to form at the time - everyone squashed together but none really knows each other - shift from village life (alienation) - urbanisation 

-Humans shifting rules of nature - high speed travel - electric lighting (can control dun rise and sun set) - more confusing and dizzying 

-Secularisation happening at the time (turning away from religion toward reason)

-Impulsive sweeping away the old and bringing the new - i.e. the eiffel tower (giant iron structure - rep industry)

-Cities becoming the epicentre go life!!

• Haussman 1850s

-Employed to redesign the streets of Paris - i.e. The Grand Boulevard 

-Moved 'dangerous' things to the outskirts so that the centre is gentrified causing a split between the classes - upper in centre

• Psychology coming in to being

-Starting to study the brain and the effect of the modern world on it

• This social alienation and trappings of modern life is represented in lots of paintings - i.e. by Seurat- people appear like faceless robots painted in a mechanical anti - expressive way (pointillism)

Modernism is an attempt to distill all of these ideas and rapid developments visually - not just describing it but describing the experience of it -A PROGRESSIVE MOVEMENT (making things better) - modernism is a range of styles that sprang from modernity 

• The advent of photography threatens art

-starts to become more about psychology - slowly more abstract and about deconstruction - moves in a new direction