The Women's Guide to Modernism and Postmodernism

The period of Modernism can be dated back to the late 1800's and early 19oo's with the emergence of abstract painting and sculpture in a number of European capitals. In the same instance, Impressionism and Cubism, along with other art forms sought to capture the profound spiritual content in new and imaginable ways.  Modernism reflected a break away from past traditions of art. It can be described as a kind of rebellion of artists, particularly woman artists, who fostered a period of experimentation in the arts. It is argued that rapid industrialization, social change, and new ideas in psychology and philosophy may have been the cataclysm for the radical movement of Modernism. Gabriele Munter, the inventor of Bavarian glass painting was a prominent figure in abstraction as well as german expressionism. She had come to Munich in 1901 to train at the Munchener Akademie, from which she was denied. Seeking private instruction, she met famous painter Wassily Kandinsky who encouraged her to pursue art. Munter's Portrait of Marianne von Werefkin 1909, is a great example of her individual style. "Munter's portrait situates the fire in her multicolored flower hat and violet scarf against a striking gold background. The simplification of the fire into blocks of color, the pyramidal form, and the replacement of modeling by a heavy black outline in characteristic of Murnau paintings" (Chadwick, 140).  An example of her works can be found below. A commentary of Gabriele Munter's success as an artist by the Princeton University Art Museum can be accessed using the following link...https://artmuseum.princeton.edu/story/works-gabriele-münter

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(Portrait of Marianne von Werefkin, 1909)                (Fisherman's House, 1908)

"During these same years, artists in England and in France were also abandoning naturalism in favor of stylized abstractions (...) In London, the major critical and theoretical voice was that of Roger Fry, soon identified with the painters and writers of the Bloomsbury circle. The work of Vanessa Bell and others associated with Fry's Omega Workshops, was equally concerned with fusing a pictorial language derived from the decorative arts with a new content associated with the formal lessons Fry deduced from Post-Impressionism" (Chadwick, 140). Together, Bell and Grant began their experiment in home design and decoration with lacquered boxes and geometric patterns reminiscent of mosaics. In May of 1913, the Omega Workshops were formed. They became a meeting place for artists who wanted a career in designing and decorating fabrics, furniture, and pottery. These styles were innovative because they were modeled on haute couture or high fashion in Paris and were similar to the Arts and Crafts Movement of the previous century (Chadwick, 141). Exhibited in the Daily Mail Ideal Home Exhibition and the Allied Artists Exhibition were screens with stylized abstract motifs designed by Grant and Bell. Bell went on to exhibit her works in "The New Movement in Art" at the Mansard Gallery in London in 1916. Her show included four abstract paintings closely related to her work in fabrics while at Omega. A detailed history on the foundation of the Omega Workshop and the journey of abstract art into the everyday home can be found at this link... https://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/o/omega-workshops/story-omega-workshops

                   

(Still Life on the Corner of a Mantelpiece, 1914)   (White (RIGHT), Vanessa Bell's fabric design from 1913)

  

(A private view card believed to be designed by Grant for the opening exhibition at the Omega Workshop, 1913)

Perhaps the woman with the greatest recognition in Modernist Art is Georgia O'Keefe. "Sexual ambiguity defined O'Keefe's modernity; the American painter had adopted a wardrobe of simple and elegantly tailored black and white costumes which she would wear for the rest of her life" (Chadwick, 302). O'Keefe's wardrobe is related to the intersection of dandyism and Modernism, which intersected men and women's sexual lives into their art, at this time the cross dressed figure had gained popularity. Designers like Coco Chanel began masculinizing women's fashions, while feminists advocated androgyny. On the other hand of clothing, O'Keefe often displayed her own body through nude photographs of herself, taken by her husband. O'Keefe's paintings were largely personal statements and became a figure for aspiring and professional working artists. One critic wrote of her, "Georgia O'Keefe is probably what they will be calling in a few years a B.F. (before Fried) since all her inhibitions seem to have been removed before the Freudian recommendations were preached upon this side of the Atlantic. She became free without the aid of Freud" (Chadwick, 306). It is said that within O'Keefe's simplistic depictions of nature, like her single flower paintings, there is the female body. Look at a few of her paintings below and decide for yourself if the female body is present. 

                      

(Grey Line with Black, Blue, and Yellow, 1923)        (Single Lily with Red, 1928)

Post Modernism is used to describe the breaking down of the unified traditions of Modernism. Chadwick writes about Post Modernism saying, "the fact that Postmodernism draws heavily on existing representations, rather than inventing new styles, that it often derives its imagery from mass media or pop culture, has focused attention on the ways that sexual and cultural difference are produced and reinforced in these images. Post modernism can often take the form of critique. Some popular trends include the critiques of how woman are portrayed in the media, and "how the social apparatus reinforces by images cultural myths of power and possession (Chadwick, 382). Cindy Sherman's photography reveals the instability of gender and challenges the idea that there might be an innate unmediated female sexuality. In her photos, Sherman's poses act out the "psychoanalytic notion of femininity as a masquerade - that is, as a representation of the masculine desire to fix the woman in a stable and stabilizing identity" (Chadwick, 383). Post Modernism has also included performance artists like Yoko Ono. In her "Cut Piece" performance, Yoko Ono became the centerpiece of her art, scissors and audience participation conveyed the image onto her. Woman began using their bodies to create art both literally and physically, by using limbs to smear paint on canvas or subject their anatomy to the observation of strangers. Other art forms include multimedia art, conceptual art, telematic art, installation art, and telematic art which uses computer networks as their medium. If I was to discuss Modernism and Post Modernism in relation to one another, I would argue that Modernism was a reflection of the artist, which sought to muddle the rules of traditional art and allow for creativity and self expression in a feverishly chaotic yet harmonious way. Post Modernism appears to tone down the noise of Modernism and attach itself to the root of all the movements created during Modernism. Post Modernism is a critique of both art and life, continuously folding in on itself with the idea of self reflection, understanding social interactions, and harnessing the future of women, food industry, and technology and so on and so forth with the use of art.

   
(Untitled film still, #35)           (Untitled film still, #26)          

(Data.Tron, by Ryoji Ikeda, multimedia)


(Cut Piece, Yoko Ono 1964).

Work Cited

Chadwick, W. (2012) Women, Art, and Society. New York, New York: Thames & Hudson, Inc.