OUGD401 - Lecture - Modernity & Modernism

Starting at the start of the century in 1900, the modern world starts to become established in an industrial urbanisation. Work shifts from land to the city and the factory, street lighting, the telephone and the cinema are invented. Important philosophical and scientific work was developed which influenced how people started to think about their own existence. Paris was at the height of this modernist movement with advancements of architecture and technology, in turn the Eiffel tower was built as a symbol to this modernist culture. Because of all these simultaneous changes, artists started to become interested in the events around them. They started to paint this modern environment instead of kings and queens. Fashion becomes very important as in this vast array of population, individuals become lost in the crowd and therefore want some acknowledgement from their peers. For the first time, common people start to dress like royalty to feel important when being enveloped in the city environment. This drives more interest towards artists which bring more new unusual artwork and techniques.

When photography gets invented in the early 19^th century, painting almost becomes redundant as the reality can be documented perfectly. This drives new strange depictions compositions and techniques in painting as these classical realistic techniques become irrelevant. Picasso starts to create surreal cubistic portraiture which develops into cubism. This movement drives throughout all forms of art, even poems and literature become expressive and enthusiastic towards the modern way of life.

Graphic design in the 1960’s become responsive to the modern world and become ordered and structured. The order and grid systems relate directly to the gridded architecture at the time. The design looks clean, minimal and composed which applies information and success over decoration. They remove excessive decoration to make the function of the product the pinnacle of their design. The idea of removing all decoration and style in theory makes the design immortal, it should never go out of fashion as it does not follow any fashion. This Bauhaus cutlery,  Topos by Robbe and Berking

is a perfect example of this delivery as it is minimal and true to its materials.

Architecture is built which delivers the materials as they are and try to hide them, raw concreate or glass is left how they are which conforms to the form follows function rule. This can be seen on the Mies Van der Rohe Seagrams Building below

This vast spread of Modernist life between 1750 - 1960 covers almost 200 years however, not everything created in this time period is considered as modernist. For example, even though Times New Roman was created in the modernist timeline, it is not a modernist font as it is based on historic columns in Rome.