Modernism

=**Mordenism**= Modernism, More specifically, the term describes both a set of cultural tendencies and an array of associated cultural movements, originally arising from wide-scale and far-reaching changes to Western society in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Modernism was a revolt against the conservative values of realism. The term encompasses the activities and output of those who felt the "traditional" forms of art, architecture, literature, religious faith, social organization and daily life were becoming outdated in the new economic, social, and political conditions of an emerging fully industrialized world. Modernism movements rejected either religion or all aspects of Enlightenment thought, rather that modernism can be viewed as a questioning of the axioms of the previous age.

A characteristic of modernism is self-consciousness. This often led to experiments with form, and work that draws attention to the processes and materials used (and to the further tendency of abstraction).



The first clear sign of the modernist movement can be recognized in the 1880 in a series of progressive designs such as the design for the cover of the book published in 1883 the designer and architect Arthur Mackmurdo he did a reference to churches designed by Sir Christopher Wren. It can be argued also a tendency in some designs of wrought iron with free-floating forms , or   some floral textile designs   ,   most of whom had some momentum derived from the design patterns of Victorian architecture.

The freedom vindicated in the 1890's by artists of various secessions occurred in different European cities gave ideological support to the movement and visibility. A highlight in the evolution of modernism was the Paris Universal Exhibition of 1900 in which modernism triumphed in every medium exposed. Anyway we can say that peaked in the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative Art in 1902 in Turin, Italy, where designers exhibited works of all European countries where modernism flourished.



= **Modernism around the world** = The first references of Art Nouveau are in England with the works of John Ruskin (1819-1900), influenced by gothic art, he published an enormous quantity of books on literature, painting, architecture, sculpture, aesthetics, and a lot of other social themes. Ruskin is interested by art, but in addition he also manifested the social and political consequences of Art, architecture and literature. These ideas had a big influence on arts and architecture all around Europe and America. In England, Ruskin was followed by Edward Coley Burne-Jones (1833-1898), William Morris (1834-1896), Walter Crane (1845-1915) and others, basically through the mentioned Arts and Crafts movement, organized around the Art and Crafts Society founded in 1888, and helping a strong revival of arts. For those artists the beauty is essential and would be evident in every manifestation of art, and this art is not only manifested with the personal works of artists, but also with a big industry developed around the movement and following it's aesthetic ideas.

The Art Nouveau or Modern Style had also a big development in other countries of Europe, as in Belgium where Victor Horta (1861-1947) build rejecting historical styles, creating the bases of modern architecture. In the same country, Henry Van de Velde (1863-1957), a painter and architect, developed also an architecture with a style breaking the traditional tendencies. In Belgium the Art Nouveau takes partially a different orientation not in decorative arts, but specially in architectonic shapes, because in some buildings of Horta and Van del Velde, the curve is not the predominant line.



In France Hector Guimard (1867-1942) shows in his works for Paris Metro stations and other buildings as Maison Louis Colliot 1897 in Llille, the Castel Béranger, the Palais León Nozal 1902, the Concert Hall Humbert de Romans, the Chalet Blanc in Cabourg -Normandie-, the influence of the Modern Style with the "coup de Fouet", expression meaning predominance of curve in Art Nouveau shapes.



In Austria the Art Nouveau under the name of Sezessionstyl is represented by Otto Wagner, an architect who build some exceptional houses in Vienna as Majolikahaus in 1898, the Ankerhaus in 1894, Wagner Palace in 1890/91, and some railway stations.



In Germany the precursor of Jugendstyl -German name of Art Nouveau- was Marc Klinger (1857-1920), and other figures are August Endell (1871-1925), architect building the Elvira Haus in 1886 in München, Bruno Paul, Riemerschmid, Pankok, the sculptor Hermann Obrist (1863-1927) and others.

In other countries, it is worth mentioning artists such as Giuseppe Sommaruga (1867-1917) with his Hotel del Campo dei Fiori in Varese and the Palazzo Castiglione in Milan, Michelozzi with the Casa Via Scipione-Ammirato in Florencia, Ernesto Basile with his Capella de Santa Maria de Gesú and the Villa Igeia in Italy, Odön Lechner in Hungary, Eliel Saarinen in Finland, and a lot of other artists all around Europe and America, where the figure of Louis Comfort Tiffany had a big success as a ceramist and glazier.



=Characteristics=

> > *The use of line, curve and asymmetry , both the plans and elevations of buildings and decoration. > > *There is also a tendency to stylization of motifs, and less commonly the strictly realistic representation of them. > > *A strong trend toward the use of female images, which are shown in attitudes delicate and graceful , with a generous use of waves in the hair and folds of clothing. > > *An attitude aimed to sensuality and indulgence of the senses, with a nod toward the erotic in some cases. > > *Freedom in the use of exotic type reasons, be they pure fantasy or inspiration in different cultures. > > *the application envelope the reason for taking any of the characteristics mentioned above as opposed to the usual characteristics of the object to decorate. This can be seen in the application in furniture, architecture , on posters or promotional posters in everyday objects where the highlight of organic wraps or joins in order to decorate.
 * The inspiration in nature and heavy use of natural elements but preferably in vegetables and rounded shapes of organic intertwined with the central motif.