Writing up the Modernity lecture notes

Modernity and Modernism : an introduction

The word modern suggests something that is positive and improved. Modernity is a signifant social and cultural experience that happened broadly around 1760-1960. The progressincludes the process of industralization and urbanization. Communication and transportation improved where railway systems, roads and telegrpahs were introduced. The world's first modern city is believed to have been Paris in the 1900. It was the most advanced at the time, in terms of indrustry and technology.In 1937 the city hosted the 'Expostion Internationale, des Arts et des Techniques dans la Vie Moderne'( International Exhibition of arts and Techniques in Modern Life' to show the world of its modernity and advancements.The painter, Amedee Ozenfant from Woods book expresses

In architecture, as with all the other arts and techniques, it is our advances that are being shown, advances definitely gained, consolidated. Not many radical innovations.....Some people, I know, would like have seen a radical demonstration of ultra-modern buildings. Such as the Eiffel Tower provided in 1889.(2004, p14)

The trotter Roullant( the electric oving walkway) which was another construction Paris introduced for the Exposition Internationale and also another example of urbanisation. With the process of urbanisation the city became the place of works and factories are replacing the rurals.

The architecture and city structure of Paris itself was also changing. The process of Haussmanisation was introduced where from 1850's the old Paris architecture of narrow streets and run down houses were ripped out and the city architect, Haussmen redesigned the new paris with large Boulevards making the streets easier to police creating a form of social control. However, as a result, Paris became divided into rich and poor partt creating a larger separation of class in Paris. As Dawtrey(1996,p.155) states'modern culture saw the creation of an immense new bourgeoisie and an urban working class'. The artist Geores-Pierre Seurat expresses his awareness of this through his painitng, Bathers at Asnieres, 1884 where he paints workers of from the factory bathing in the river after work watching the rices across the river with boat races.As Dawtery analyses:

The painting confronts urban poverty and, perhaps, unemployment. All its figures are male; none is wearing the well cut clothing of the bourgeuisie, nor the equally elaborate costumes used by the class for outdoor leisure. One figure, an adolescent youth, seems to call out across the Seine to the unseen inhabitants of the Grande Jette(1996,p156)





Another aspect of Modernity is the process of rationality and reason where people are embracing new ways of thinking and shifting from supersition to science. this period in the late 18th century is called 'Enlightenment' when scientific and pholosophical thinking made leaps and bounds.


As the city became the site of the modern, artists are also changing thier ways of thinking, Impressionist paintings become more popular amonsgt the Avant-Gardes. For example, Caillebotte 'Paris on a Rainy Day' 1877, the work becomes focused more about the city and the experience instead of the people.



Brettel analyses

The figures are scaled down with respect to the buildings, which are also placed at greater distances from each other than they are in reality. Surely, this was done to give a modern, anonymous grandeur to this utterly bourgeois quarter. succinct in his condemnation(http://www.artic.edu/aic/collections/resource/412)