Even though women were having a difficult time being recognized, there still many that made a mark during Modernism. In Europe, many women were creating new ways to make art. They had an influence on the techniques and development of modernism. They made a major impact on Modernism using fashion. Claude Cahun was one of the first 20th females to dress up and photograph herself as a form of art. She "took pictures of herself in a range of gender-bending stereotypes that would make Dennis Rodman jealous: male dandies, ultra-feminine maidens, and ambiguous androgynes"(The Guerrilla Girls 63). This was the meanings behind her photographs. Instead of taking sexy/pretty pictures of herself to be looked at by men, she took pictures according to what she believed was sexy. Below is a self-portrait of Claude Cahun. This picture gives you an insight into how Claude used to dress and what she believed was sexually appealing.
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| Claude Cahun Self-Portrait 1928 |
Beginning of the late 1940s, Modernism reached its peak with Abstract Expressionism. Abstract Expressionism was a new way to create abstract art by using simple things like brush strokes. A famous abstract artist was Sonia Delaunay. She was a Russian artist who moved to Paris in 1905. She believed that "modernity could best be expressed through a dynamic interplay of color harmonies and dissonances which replicated the rhythms of modern urban life" (Chadwick 260). Delaunay's first abstract work was a pieced quilt influenced by Russian peasant designs called Couverture 1911 (pictured below). Her "work with textiles and embroidery encouraged her to break down forms and emphasize surface structure" (Chadwick 261). After making several art pieces, she learned to use color freely. During the summer of 1913, Delaunay began to make simultaneous dresses. The news of her dresses spread like wildfire. By 1913, the Italian Futurists were looking into the idea of clothing as a signifier for revolutionary modernism. Sonia Delaunay was a huge influence on abstract art just by using her paintings and fashion designs. Many people were encouraged by her work.
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| Sonia Delaunay Couverture 1911 |
German Expressionism was a German art movement that emphasized the artist's inner feelings or ideas over replicating reality. Dadaism or Dada was a form of artistic anarchy born out of disgust for the social, political and cultural values of the time. Dada is "an art movement that challenged convention and scandalized bourgeois society" (Guerilla Girls 66). It uses shapes to portray the modern world. Hannah Hoch was a famous dada artist. She faced a lot of challenges as a Dadaist. She used images lifted from the media which got her excluded from an international exhibition in 1921. Hoch also had a nine-year lesbian relationship with Dutch poet Til Brugman which she had to end due to the Nazi invasion. After everything had cleared up, she began to publish in antifascist journals. Hannah Hoch was one of the famous Dada artists. She made a mark by going through all the obstacles that she had faced.
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| Hannah Hoch The Kitchen Knife Cuts Though Germany's First Weimar Beer Belly Culture 19 |
Surrealism was an artistic and literary movement that explored the workings of the mind and championing the irrationals. Surrealism's goal was to liberate thought, language, and human experience from the oppressive boundaries of rationalism. Women artists were quick to draw on the regenerative powers of nature. One famous surrealist artist was Frida Kahlo. She was a Mexican Painter who made paintings using vibrant colors in a style that was influenced by indigenous cultures of Mexico. One of her most famous works was called The Two Fridas' 1939. The painting shows two versions of the artists sitting side by side, with both of their hearts exposed.
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| Frida Kahlo The Two Fridas' 1939 |
Postmodernism is a movement that took place after the Second World War. It can be seen as a reaction against the ideas and values of modernism. Modernism and Postmodernism had very similar ideas, however, they are considered to be two different forms of art. "The term Postmodernism has been used to characterize the breaking down of the unified (through hardly monolithic) traditions of Modernism" (Chadwick 380). Postmodernist art can be seen as body art. Many famous women artists used their bodies to portray art. Modernism is generally based on idealism and an unworldly vision of human life and society. Many Modernist artists played around with new techniques and ways to make paintings.
Women played a major role in Postmodernism. Most women had used themselves as art by photographing themselves. One of the famous artists that did this was Cindy Sherman. Cindy's work mostly included her taking photos of herself. However, none of those photos revealed anything about her as a person. In all of Cindy's photos, she is sitting in a different position. She would position her body the way that artists have seen women for centuries.
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| Cindy Sherman Untitled 1979 |
Another famous artist during Postmodernism is Yoko Ono. She is a Japanese artist that was married to John Lennon. In some of her earliest works were often, she communicated to the public in verbal or written form. One of her famous works was Painting to Be Stepped On (1960-61). For this piece, she had invited people to tread upon a piece of canvas and placed directly on the floor.
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| Yoko Ono Painting to Be Stepped On (1960-61) |
Postmodernism and Modernism have similar ideas, but, artists during each era had come up with a new way to portray art. Modernism was the era were artists found new techniques and new ways to make art. During Postmodernism, that same idea was carried through, but women used their bodies as art. They would voice their opinions through art. During these two eras, major changes had been brought into the art world.
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