Modernism

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Modernism is a movement in philosophy, art, and social organization that emerged in response to significant changes in Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It developed along with widespread industrialization, urbanization, and technological innovation, as well as the cultural shifts brought about by war. Modernism represented a break from traditional forms of art, philosophy, and social organization, seeking instead to express the realities and experiences of the modern world.

Characterized by Ezra Pound's 1934 directive to "Make it New," modernism aimed to challenge and revitalize cultural expressions. Innovations associated with modernism include abstract art, stream of consciousness in literature, montage techniques in cinema, atonal and twelve-tone music, divisionist painting, and modern architecture. The movement was marked by a rejection of realism, an embrace of reprise, incorporation, rewriting, recapitulation, revision, parody^[a][b][2], and a critical stance toward Enlightenment rationalism. Many modernists also moved away from religious beliefs.^[c][3][4]

A key feature of modernism is its self-awareness and reflexivity about artistic and social conventions, which often led to experimentation with form and techniques that highlighted the making and materiality of art.^[5]

Debate continues among scholars about the timeline of modernism. Some argue that it extends into the 21st century, evolving into forms such as late modernism or high modernism.^[6] Conversely, postmodernism, which emerged later, is seen as rejecting many of the foundational principles of modernism.^[7][8][9]

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