It is quite clear that modernity can be described
as the period in the development of mankind that can be characterised by a
continuous period of ever increasing change. This was brought about by the
amazing explosion of knowledge, discovery and invention around 1850.
The notion of “the only thing constant is change” is now well established in our society of today. But back in the 19th century this notion was only just being born, whereas change is happening all around us as fast as ever today and many would say it is accelerating (just think of how the development of computers and communication devices is affecting how we run our lives).
The notion of “the only thing constant is change” is now well established in our society of today. But back in the 19th century this notion was only just being born, whereas change is happening all around us as fast as ever today and many would say it is accelerating (just think of how the development of computers and communication devices is affecting how we run our lives).
The beginnings of modernity must have been very
exciting times. The physical structures surrounding people, driven by changes
in architecture, combined with the invention of the 'machine' began to
irreversibly change the way mankind viewed the world. The true artist has a
keen eye for observation and these changes were not missed by the artists of
the time. Indeed they embraced the changes with creative and new
approaches.
However, given the breadth of the period that can be
classified as modernity, we will concentrate the essay on artists that were
living at the beginning of the modernist period which can loosely be
categorised as between 1840 to 1900.
Taking the point that we mentioned about physical
structures changing around the people, modernity and modernism development can
be historically linked to the process of industrialisation and urbanisation.
Paris and other cities became a site for a ‘modern’ experience and brought
people from outside the cities to come, and visit and experience the new visual
culture and to find work. This can be summarised in the quote by Charles
Harrison.
'Modernisation, modernity and modernism
- three concepts around which thought about the modern world and its
culture has tended to revolve' (Harrison, Charles, 1997 'Modernism'
Tate, London pp-6)
People came to participate in, and contribute to, a
fast growing culture of this time. Everyone wanted to benefit from the new life
with a real feeling and a need to progress, rebuild and improve. Modernity
was about creating a better lifestyle and to move on from the past. To
specifically answer how modernist art and design was a response to the forces
of modernity, my analysis starts with the modernisation of Paris and
the revolutionary changes that Georges-Eugène Haussmann
made. Haussmann, or more popularly known as Baron Haussmann, was
associated with the rebuilding of France. This process was referred to as the
process of Haussmannisation.
Huassmann was responsible for radical changes
throughout Paris architecture; such as the huge boulevards that can be seen in
the painting below. These boulevards destroyed a lot of the medieval small
boulevards, pushing poorer people and crime to the outskirts.
It was at this time that fashion played a big
part in the modern life style. Fashion was a way of communicating your wealth
and individuality to the people in the city. This was a departure from the
stable situation to be found in the country.
Here, the clothes worn by those in the country changed
little and so the different types of clothing could easily be attributed to a
certain level that you occupied in society. A farm worker would dress in one
way, in contrast to a middle class worker such as a shop keeper. In equal
contrast would be the way a wealthy land owner or aristocrat dressed at
that time. And so each level of society could easily be recognised by their
“uniform”. This was not so marked in the city and was an indicator of change
within the urbanised/city society that was beginning to evolve relatively
quickly.
'Haussmannisation is often identified as the rupture
that brought about the city's modernity' (Soppelsa, 2009, page 37). There are people who disagreed
with this statement. Soppelsa goes on to say that George Harvey had a different
opinion. The historian argued that life in the city was modern before his
intervention and...
'...that piecemeal attempts at urban renewal were made
under his predecessor, Rambuteau" (1833-1848), (Soppelsa, 2009, p. 38).
Even if Haussmann wasn't totally responsible for
this radical social and cultural shift, he was a key factor in bringing
modernity to Paris and artists responded to this new environment by changing
their styles dramatically. This strongly suggests that architectural change
played an important role in changing the perception of the masses and caused
the masses to look differently on life. And this change was picked up and
reflected by artists through their art. One of these artists who reflected
this change was Gustave Caillebotte (1848-1894)
The painting above is simply called 'Rainy
Day' and has been heavily influenced by the forces of modernity. You
can see how Caillebotte's painting involves the new and modern boulevards and
also the wealthy citizens of Paris. You can relate this to the fashion side of
modernity; people dressing in certain ways to communicate class. Artists
and designers were very much involved in the movement and made a great
contribution to modernism. They specialised in the aesthetic and
practicality of the ‘new’. Leaving the past behind, they started looking
at the city and society's activities for their inspiration instead of painting
the time honoured subjects of myth and religion. At the same time they
were keen to experiment with new techniques and new forms of art including fine-art
and graphic design.
There is a debate as to when graphic design emerged in
to modernism. Jules Chéret (1836-1932) was a graphic designer
based in France. Chéret trained in England as a
lithographer where he was strongly influenced by the British approach to
poster design and printing. Lithography was the technique of placing ink
on a series of metal or stone carvings which are really reliefs of colour
regions on the printed area. This technique combined with developments in the
printing process allowed for more rapid production of artworks and enabled
posters to be produced in volume to be displayed as advertisements.
On returning to France, Chéret soon became well known
for his
poster advertisements depicting the popular
entertainment of the time. Chéret is often called both 'the
father of posters...' and 'the father of modern
advertising' (Scher, 2002, p.168) because his work was one of a
kind and revolutionary due to his bold colourful illustrations and typographic
elements. The illustrative elements which formed the majority of the space
within a poster compared to the small amount of typography were hugely
characteristic of his work. This meant that his work could appeal and be
understood by an illiterate audience. This Moulin Rouge (which translates
as 'the Red Windmill') poster by Chéret was one of many and in this
example he is depicting a part of society. The poster is beautifully composed
with strong but simple use of colour, text and imagery.
"He realised a poster did not have to show
product; it merely had to produce '...a reaction of amusement,
curiosity, excitement or some positive feeling which will help make the right
points..." (Hutchinson, 'The Poster: An Illustrated
History From 1860')
These posters advertised up and coming events and thad
therefore to be created in a short amount of time which was on a completely
different time scale to that of fine art. The city at this point was heavily
populated and people had a job and money to spend, which led to a night life
and so there was a demand for quick advertising. Chéret had responded
to this force of modernity and his technique is clear and powerful.
In conclusion, the forces of modernity were the result
of the rapid development of scientific knowledge, which in turn resulted in the
industrial revolution and was the driving force of change and led to the
modernisation of society. The interpretation and response to this by the
artists of the time can be succinctly summarised by Jeremy Aynsley:
'Modernism in Graphic Design can be identified by
stylistic simplicity, a flatness of form, a taste for asymmetrical composition
and the reduction of elements to a minimum...'
Hausmmann played a key role in changing the face of
Paris (and France) by his influence on town planning and architecture. There is
a clear response to the rapidly changing society by the artists of the time.
Two artists that can be singled out who significantly reflected this change in
Paris at the time were Gustave Caillebotte and
Jules Chéret. Jeremy Aynsley regarded this response as art that
looked to the future and marked a turning point whereby the "artist"
was liberated to look to the future and discard looking backwards and this
very much goes for all areas of design at that time. We can't be that precise
as to when this paradigm shift in culture and society (and art) occurred, but
we can be sure the advent of modernity at that time has been shaping the world
ever since.
Bibliography
Internet
Peter S. Soppelsa (2002) 'The Fragility of
Modernity: Infrastructure and Everyday Life in Paris, 1870-1914' [Internet], The
University of Michigan
Academic Services. Available from:
[Accessed 20th January 2012]
Jules Chéret- 'The complete works' [Internet]
Academic Services. Available from:
Jules Chéret- 'The Father of the Modern Poster'[Internet]
Academic Services. Available from:
Journals/ Blogs
Paula Scher (2011), Jules Chéret
Books
Charles Harrison(1997) 'Modernism' Tate,
London pp-6
Professor Jeremy Aynsley
Director of Research, Professor and Head of Programme
History of DesignSchool of
Humanities
