Artist’s Response to Changes in the 20th Century
The twentieth (20th) century has been marked by diverse and immense changes in the way of life of people. Some of the changes associated with the century include such as increased interest in the exploration of ideas, experimentation, embracement of new materials, escalated freedom of expression and cultural changes resulting from these factors. The advancement and embracement of technology that has revolutionized communication and tools for use in various activities have had a major impact on art. Technology has also resulted in the creation of global village that has enabled people to have a close virtual contact with different cultures. Art has also experienced various changes. They have created new platforms for artists to express their ideas and creativity. Moreover, due to the increased embracement of freedom of expression, artists have generated new forms of art to convey emotions. These art forms were traditionally absent and seemed to deviate from previous ideologies of artistry.
According to Wood (p. 48), art has been symbolized by a conservative history. Art signified western canon that was dating to Periclean Athens. Such conservation of art changed with the advent and proliferation of modernism. Art has become a more prominent feature. This inference follows from the fact that art has attracted more people, has been featured in mass media, the money involved and has become a complex issue to many (Wood, p. 9).
Thesis Statement
Traditionally, artists were expected to conform to certain forms of art. However, the 20th century has seen a deviation in such ideologies. Creation of the global village by technology has enabled artists to embrace various forms of culture previously considered as inferior that have revolutionized their expression. Moreover, artists have embraced the concepts of experimentation and exploration. Artists in the 20th century are seen to re-examine various aspects of arts, some of which deviate from traditional ideologies such as realism, in pursuing progress. These artists are seen to determine aspects of art that seem to prevent progress and, consequently, replacing them with new ones that allow progress. Such experimentation was traditionally hindered by the prevalence and embracement of the ideologies of realism. Consequently, artists have adapted new techniques and forms of artists that have made dissemination of art ideologies easy making it popular. This paper seeks to explore some of the approaches that artists have embraced in response to changes in the 20th century while stating the most influential approach.
Delineation between high and low culture
The 20th century has revolutionized the cultural definition of various art forms. The century is interested in both high and low cultural arts. Artists have been more interested in art that was previously considered to be of low culture. Moreover, civilization in art has resulted in the incorporation of artistic elements that were previously considered to have adverse effects on art. Artists in the 20th century are characterized by ideologies that are more democratic. According to Wood (p. 48), artifacts from the non-western culture were considered as being evidence for western art superiority. Mimesis was an indication of the achievement of art. Primitivism also marked modern art.
In the mid-20th century, the scope of the European colonization reduced immensely after I and II world wars. Consequently, the influence of the European culture reduced immensely. Indigenous cultures that were under oppression emerged as a way of empowering their cultural identity and promote dilution of the colonial influence. Artistic elements that were previously considered inferior started to be more prevalent and influential in the art. An example of such a situation whereby ‘inferior’ indigenous culture rose was observed in India. According to Ratnam (p. 218), progressive artists debated on the course that the Indian art was to take after the country attained its independence.
As earlier mentioned, the embracement of new artistic elements and the mixing of styles and genres are some of the approaches used by artists in the 20th century. For instance, there was a combination of a modern document with traditional bark painting frame by Yirrkala Bark Petition. The typing and signing of the petition document were done in English, an alien language to the native Australians. The petition presented a strong contrast to the indigenous art. The frame of the petition emphasized the identity and powered for the emergence of a power land rights movements. Such artistry elements revealed a link between political claiming of land and the Indigenous Australian painting. Such integration provided a complex of new elements in the art that complicated the function of the traditional work (Ratnam, p. 218).
The 20th century has also seen artists borrowing and incorporating exotic art features as a way of enhancing and diversifying their expression. Western artists also incorporated primitivism in the non-western art rejuvenates their creativity. Ratnam (p. 216) explains that non-western cultural products were valued due to their simple forms and direct manners of expression. Consequently, the avant-garde invested in aesthetic value in objects that primarily were regarded as ethnographic artifacts such as African masks.
There has been an appearance of indigenous elements in the Western art that has made it popular. Moreover, it has helped to reduce the negativity that has been associated with the elements of the indigenous arts. Artists incorporated native styles and genres. However, they failed to acknowledge their values and the native environment in which they existed. Ratnam (p. 216) adds to this fact explaining that primitivism did not understand the signifying systems in the non-western culture. Moreover, primitivism failed t understand the colonial mechanisms that had caused the resurfacing of objects from their native settings.
Diversification
Artists have adopted an approach of meeting various consumer needs that seem to reject traditional ideologies. Artists have experimented with diverse new materials and have invented different visual forms of art by embracing various media. Such approach deviates from the traditional artistry elements. Moreover, use of various media seemed to reject the traditional ideologies of high culture in the art that was previously considered to be superior. Consequently, the boundary between the arts of paintings and sculpture with such as magazines and pulp fiction has disappeared. Artifacts that were considered as art and those regarded as not evaporated (Wood, p. 13).
The 20th century has been marked by changes in lifestyle transformation due to industrialization. Industrial development made the capitalistic environment highly productive creating a platform for artists to have novel ideas and materials. For instance, Wood (p. 19) accounts for some of the arts such as Pop Art that have elements of reproduction as being responses to American capitalism.
The primary component used in Untitled work by Robert Morris was aluminum. Using untraditional material was an expression of the unfamiliarity of the modern production process. Wood (p. 21) explains that there is an increase in the use of synthetic and unidentifiable matter in the art in the 20th century. Moreover, art became an aspect associated with everyone rather than a luxury associated with the bourgeois. Wood (p. 21) has attributed this change to the rise of consumerism. Moreover, art has been associated with real objects and not the traditional illusions.
The advent of consumer ideologies has resulted in the disappearance of the boundaries of art. Modern art has resulted in the failure to recognize aspects of art causing confusion in its definition. Moreover, the significance of the different forms of art became difficult to evaluate. According to Harrison (p. 111) arts had to meet certain criteria. For instance, paintings were expected to have a certain degree of content or meaning and hence significance.
Revolutionized artistry elements
The 20th century has seen rapid social developments that have presented new and peculiar items for the artists of this generation. Traditional art was confined to religion, nude or landscape. Wood (p. 5) explain that traditional forms of art included such as the classical and biblical forms and their derivatives. These aspects have disappeared in the 20th century art. Moreover, artists have been more interested in democratizing modern art in which the mode of production has progressively occupied its center. Consequently, there is immense diversification of art. Diversification is the primary change that has greatly influenced art in the 20th century.
Wood (p. 19) explains that modern art has become ironical. The traditional art conveyed beauty through the sense of harmony. On the contrary, art in the 20th century is marked by embracement, questioning and even rejection of modernism. For instance artists such as Robert Delaunay in his work, Sun, Tower, Airplane, depicted modern items with cheerful and soothing colors. Such work was an embracement of modernity. Modern technical and economic conditions of machine production has influenced individuals and hence artists in the 20th century (Wood, p. 18). Consequently, artists have become more subjective in their expression. The century encouraged artists to reflect on social issues and hence presenting their attitudes towards changes in life. Wood (p. 18) explains that Avant-gardists felt that they were living between huge machines cogs, which they expressed in the art such as Metropolis by Fritz Lang’s.
Modern art embraced an aspect of instant meaning that could be understood on display that was not the case in traditional art. Traditional art was based on the intentions of its creators. On the contrary, modern art is produced as propaganda messages. Such changes in how artists express their meaning have resulted in the reduction of art to objects. Dobrenko (p. 6) explains that modern art has changed and cannot be delineated as not being art.
Works Cited
Dobrenko, E. A. “Preface.” Political Economy of Socialist Realism. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2007. 6-15. Print.
Harrison, Charles. “Barnett Newman’s Eve.” Frameworks for Modern Art. Ed. Jason Gaiger. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2004. 105-149. Print.
NiruRatman. “Exhibiting the ‘other’: Yuendumu community’s Yarla.” Frameworks for Modern Art. Ed. Jason Gaiger. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2004. 207-248. Print.
Paul Wood. “Art of the Twentieth Century” Frameworks for Modern Art. Ed. Jason Gaiger. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2004. 5-52. Print.
