Can someone explain Modernism without me having to pull up a dictionary?
In: 0
Modernism was an early to mid 20th century artistic movement that was a reaction against the Victorian-era ideals of the prior generation. The previous movement was all about ideals and “shoulds” and putting the world into convenient categories. Modernism was about acknowledging that the world was kind of going to hell in a handbasket (see World War 1) and asking “what should we do?” or even “what CAN we do?” There was a lot of emphasis on futility, anxiety, and hypocrisy that artists saw in the world around them, and how rapid developments in technology didn’t necessarily make humanity better because it dehumanized the average person (think Upton Sinclair’s “The Jungle”).
This is just a cursory overview. There’s a lot more to it than that but my description is how I see the essence of it.
Latest Answers