Modernism in the Late 19th and 20th Centuries

The late 19th and 20th centuries were full of various technological innovations and major social upheavals. From the conflicts brought by a world at war to the booming revolutions of industry, civilization had gotten quite a boost. This led to new ways of creative expression, in both visual art and literature, that broke the binds of tradition and classical design. The term Modernism can characterize a broad array of styles and techniques, but it encompasses the same core ideals and principals that allows a piece to be easily identified as a Modernist work.

A predominant theme in Modernism is the futility of needless embellishment. Previous forms of art and literature were so overwhelmingly adorned with frivolous designs that new thinkers had the urge to strip down their crafts to the bare minimum. In architecture, for example, there is a great contrast between the Paris Opera House designed by Garnier in 1861 and the Brauhaus

Workshops designed by Gropius in 1925. The incredible, intricate design of the opera house is a wonderful illustration of everything that the modernist wanted to stray away from; the gold statues and carefully carved stone existed as nothing more than beauty for the sake of being beautiful. However, working in an era still feeling the staggering tolls of the Great War, Gropius designed his workshops to be very straightforward. Not only was there no need for these superfluous adornments, there was also a scarcity of resources, which lead Gropius to use cost-effective materials such as glass and concrete for the majority of his buildings. However, there was still beauty in such a simplified work. From the shine of the glass to the sharp and precise geometry, there was still art to be found for everyone wh...

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... story itself, where Borges made his work relatively simple to read, but in order to understand the true meaning, the reader had to break through the illusion of a normal narrative. Borges breaks away from the typical writing style where the moral of the story is nicely packaged and handed to you at face value.

The whole idea behind Modernism is the breaking of the chains that bound artists and authors alike; surpassing the limits imposed on them by the conventions of their predecessors. A true Modernist was not afraid to risk their prestige or their career in hopes of setting new standards for what it means to be a true work of creative genius. The tenaciousness of the Modernist style is the same as that of history's greatest inventors and philosophers, changing the way we perceive the world, and leading us on the path towards becoming a more advanced civilization.