Post #3: Modernism

Aritha Samad

April 4, 2017

M O D E R N I S M

In general, 20^th century women continued to struggle being gender labeled, still would not receive proper credit for their concepts or designs, and often reconsidered their career paths in order to remain less successful than the men in their lives. However, now more than ever, women felt they could be subjects in the grand picture called ‘changing the world’. The introduction of the 19^th Amendment, which recognized women’s right to vote, especially supported all reasons the 20^th century women felt powerful enough to revolutionize the vision of the world. Soon after, “movements and “isms” appeared, one after the other: impressionism, postimpressionism, fauvism, cubism, futurism, constructivism, dada-ism, surrealism, expressionism, abstract expressionism, etc. put them all together what do we get? Modernism” (Guerrilla Girls, 59). Modernism, notoriously difficult to define, refers to the artistic movement of drastic disconnection from the past due to (1) industrialization, (2) rapid social change and (3) developments in technology. During the 20^th century, modernist women were given the opportunity to reject artistic limitations and approach art in a different manner.

In Europe, women artists influenced the techniques and development of modernism and the movements of abstraction, German expressionism, dada and surrealism.

A B S T R A C T I O N

Abstraction is recognized as art that does not bother to create a precise illustration, but does bother incorporating geometric forms and pure colors. Russian artist, Sonia Delaunay, strongly believed that the essence of modernity was through intense mixture of colors which imitated everyday urban life. Interestingly, “her first piece of decorative art, and first completely abstract work Coverture was a pieced quilt influenced by Russian peasant designs” (Chadwick, 261). Delaunay’s familiarity with cubism, textiles and embroidery influenced her desire to play with complex surfaces. In Couverture, it is unmistakable that the fusion of her expertise in texture and the birth of her son explain the paintings to resemblance to a blanket.

Sonia Delaunay, Couverture (1911)

Couverture marked the epic transition in the history of early abstraction.

Sonia Delaunay, Designs for Clothes and Cars, (Citroen B12) (1925)
Designs for Clothes and Cars illustrates the sleek outcome of combining geometric abstraction and mechanical design.

G E R M A N   E X P R E S S I O N I S M   &   D A D A

German expressionism is known as art from starting in 1910 which stemmed from architecture, theatre, and art in Germany. Another movement, Dada is marked as art after 1920 which consisted primary of sarcasm, wittiness, ridiculousness. German Dada artist, Hannah Höch, quickly adapted the photo-montage technique in which snipped photographs were combined to tell societal stories. Höch’s disagreement with war and disgust with society drove her to create bold political critiques. In Marlene, it is clear the women’s legs which are on display indicate how relevant the male gaze remains even centuries later.

Hannah Höch, Marlene (1930)

Marlene exposes the role of gender identity and women’s sexuality in a strategically assembled collage.

S U R R E A L I S M

Surrealism is characterized as art in which the artist decides to disregard control of their conscious mind to unveil imaginative dreams. French artist, Claude Cahun, daringly bent the rules by not only snapping pictures of in her feminine skin, but also presenting herself in a masculine manner. Cahun’s real life homosexuality and talent to transform into an identifiable gender defined her iconic career. In Self-Portrait, it is extraordinary to acknowledge Cahun appears behind the camera searching for her desired angle, but also in front of the camera sporting a shaved head. Years later, Cahun would be labeled ‘The Trans Artist Years Ahead of Her Time’. 

Across the continent, Mexican artist, Frida Kahlo, wholeheartedly painted sudden sensations and recent reactions to express what she felt inside and outside of herself. Kahlo’s physical pain from a crippling road accident and emotional rollercoaster with her lover Diego healed significantly thanks to a home remedy known as painting. In The Two Fridas, it is impossible to dismiss the impact her divorce after studying the broken heart, change of clothing and unpleasant sky.

Claude Cahun, Self-Portrait, 1929 

Self-Portrait challenges society to reconsider their definition of beauty regardless of one’s sexuality or gender.

Frida Kahlo, The Two Fridas, 1939

The Two Fridas shows the suffering endured from and strength followed by a traumatic life event.

 In the beginning of the 20^th century, the rebellious attitude spread like rapid fire. However, by the end of the 20^th century, the fire died down because of the common desire and determination to wash away the burnt out perceptions of life, art, and politics. At last, modernist women were given a platform in which there was freedom to distort form for expressive effect, chose from a multitude of viewpoints, and unravel thoughts into brushed scenarios. Sonia, Hannah, Claude, and Frida would all easily be able to answer Beyoncé’s question, “who run the world?”

Works Cited

Chadwick, Whitney. Women, Art, and Society, 1990. Print.

The Guerrilla Girls' Bedside Companion to the History of Western Art. New York: Penguin Books, 1998. Print.

https://www.britannica.com/art/Modernism-art