[Post-Transitionalism]: Charting Modernism

Define the Modern Art Movement

When and how did it begin?

The exact beginning of Modern art is undeterminable; however, there are multiple theories as to its origin and leaders. Some of whom are Paul Cezanne and Paul Gauguin as well as other artists of the European twentieth century. In my opinion, Modern Art began with the leaders of Post-Impressionism who embarked on changing the established ideals of portraying reality in an academic manner. The post-impressionists began to stray away from truthful renderings of form and light by pursuing spaces that did not fit into these criteria. Instead their work was experimentation with paint by flattening the spaces in which they were trying to portray. The beginning of their journey began in the late nineteenth, early twentieth centuries. Modern Art was a search to find truth and purity in the subject of art which meant to define the material as art in itself.

When did it end?

Modern art ended when artists began to question their limitations. There was a turning point around 1970 when artists realized the restrictions in the purity of its materials. Instead they were becoming engaged with deeper and more expressive concepts that could be translated through ideas such as objects and processes. Nicolas Bourriaud explains in his book “The Radicant” how at this time there was an energy limitation crisis and the idea of short supply was creeping into the art world. I believe that this was a turning point for Modern art. Artists either looked inwards to expand on what was already present or looked beyond the boundaries in a more global mind set.

What are the main principles associated with the modern art movement?

Some of the main principles that are associated with the modern art movement include experimentation, abstraction, purity, energy and shock. The late nineteenth and early twentieth century was a time when there were territorial expansions and energetic movements amongst the cities of Europe. War was forcing people to see life in an explosive way and caused many to move westward. Art was also in a state of transition, straying away from convention and moving to uncharted territory. Artists were experimenting with the media and breaking into the fundamentals of abstraction. They sought to find a state of absolute purity of their materials at hand. Whether it be a single flat of color or a canvas soaked in layers of house paint, the art was no longer about a subject, but about the paint itself. They allowed chance and experimentation to take over their studios and shock their viewers with a style that echoed the up and coming energy of the twentieth century.

Who are the main artists/critics associated with it and what is the aesthetic character of Modern Art?

I believe that the aesthetic of Modern Art can simply be put as energetic. Technology, industry, war and expansion was pushing history beyond its limits, as was the same for art history. Abstraction was sought after by action painting in the Abstract Expressionist group, of who included Willem de Kooning and Jackson Pollock. Clement Greenberg was an art critic who expressed his influence on the Abstract Expressionist group and commended their efforts on flattening the picture plane and stripping it down to the essentials of the paint itself. Harold Rosenberg was another advocate for the abstract expressionist group. Other influential critics of Modern Art include Michael Fried, Rosalind Krauss and Robert Hughes. Pop Art and Minimalism were two other leading styles in the era of Modern Art that strayed conventions by upholding commercial ideas and the most simple of forms to the standards of fine art. Artists from these styles include Andy Warhol, David Hockey, Jasper Johns, Robert Rauschenberg, Frank Stella, Donald Judd and many others.