Modernism, Rejection of Tradition

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Modernism, rejection of tradition Within the period of 1860 – 1935 was a time in which the art industry was going through a radical change and breaking from the tradition. Modernism refers to the philosophy and style produced around this time. Throughout the development of Europe and the rest of the world the art was greatly influenced by the surrounding influences and times that they were in. The artistic period of 1960 – 1935 was greatly influenced by changes brought on by the industrial age. “As traditional art forms had become out-dated due to industrialization, modernism emerged in Western Europe out of a need to reject tradition and embrace the political, social and economic change of the industrial age” (Arteducation.com.au 2009). The paintings around this period were more focused on academic and social aspects rather than the traditional forms of religious and political institutions that were used earlier, as these were seen by the radical modernists to be restrictive of individual liberty. Artists sought to seek out the finer things in everyday life and to focus on these things. While most of the artists around this period were depicting truth through their work others were carrying out more abstract forms of art such as Pablo Picasso that would strip away the material things of the world (Arteducation.com.au 2009). One of the most well known images from this era is the work of Edvard Munch and his panting ‘The Scream’ (Fig. 1). The painting captures the emotions and feelings, even though the artist has stripped it down to relatively simple coloured lines. “The Scream has captured the popular imagination since the time of its making. The image was originally conceived by Munch as part of his epic Frieze of Life series, which explored the progression of modern life by focusing on the themes of love, angst, and death” (Moma.org 2012). The visual subtleness
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