Modernism was a movement in Western
culture during the 19th and 20th centuries. It was the new visual language of
the 20th century, and it was known as the new form of art. Through modernism
people could be creative and express themselves in a unique way. Art during
this movement became very personal because it was centered around art, personal
life, current issues, and fine arts. Modernism
art consisted of the movement of abstraction, German expressionism, dada, surrealism and other movements which featured different shapes
and colors. In addition to this, women began forming their own identity through
their artwork and even through clothing. Women during this time began to create
artwork that could be seen from their perspective. Artist Gabriele
Munter proves this to us with her portrait of Marianne Von Werefkin. This painting
shows the true movement of abstraction, because of the colors and shapes. It shows Marianne making some sort of facial expression, which shows the authenticity
of the portrait.
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| Prismes électriques by Sonia Delauney 1914 |
Despite the lack of credit that women received during this
time they still wanted to pursue art. Guerrilla girls mentions how “Women were
working away. Often they came up with innovation that their husbands got credit
for” (Guerrilla Girls 59). Despite women not directly receiving credit for their
work it still motivated them to pursue art because people appreciated their
work once they knew it was created by their husband. Sonia Terk Delaunay serves
as a great example of this. The text states that Sonia “had her first painting
show in 1908 and didn’t have another until 1953. Why? Because her husband,
painter Robert Delaunay, entered and hogged-the picture” (Guerrilla Girls 60).
Although, her husband always seemed to outshine her it did not stop her from
inventing greater ideas. Her painting “Prismes
Isotiques, 1914”, displays actual shapes, like circles, rectangles, and
squares, and there is also so much color. Paintings like this allowed the
author to express themselves in a broad way. Sonia just did not want to express
one specific thing, and this painting expresses that.
The Dada movement focused on fashion and “thinking
about the body and display” (Chadwick 274). This movement allowed artists to
create dresses and different designs for women. It was artist like Alexandra
Exter and Popova who were able to make a name for themselves during this time. This
was the era of the new woman, which allowed a woman to be true to herself. The art
piece by “Liubov Popova, design for a flannelette print and a coat and skirt,
1924” The text states that “The dress of today is the industrial dress”, also
argued for a redefinition of a dress as fuction rather than object” (Chadwick
275). It is showing that women are valued and are not just seen as tools and
objects like they were in the German expressionists.
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| Liubov Popova, design for a flannelette print and a coat and skirt, 1924 |
Artists like Claude Cahun greatly impacted the art
world. Cahun took everyone back with how carefree she lived her life, which is
why she is one to remember when it comes to the surrealism movement. This
movement showed how men viewed “women as powerless … instead of the consuming
femme-fatale, one sees an obedient animal” (Chadwick 280). Cahun uses her art
to dismiss the stereotype of women being seen as powerless. She wants women to
be carefree and she forces men to accept that through her art. Claude Cahun
uses her art piece of “Claude Cahun: Boy and girl together” to show that she
can be whoever she wants to be. She does not want to be seen through the eyes
of a man which is why she creates her own image of what she believes she is.
This movement allows women not to only create their own identity but also
accept who they are.
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| Claude Cahun: Boy and girl together |
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| Sherrie Levine After Walker Evans, 19336 |
Post-Modernism was the movement for women to finally receive
credit for their work. They were able to let their audience view their art from
a woman’s perspective. This really allowed them to feel connected to their art
work. There are many female artists like Barbara Kruger, Jenny Holzer, Laura
Mulvey, and Mary Ann Doane who finally got to take control of how they
perceived art. The text mentions how “film critics like Laura Mulvey and Mary
Ann Doane demonstrated how the camera assumes the controlling position of the
male spectator in order to produce pleasure for the male-positioned viewer” (Chadwick
382). This movement shows the power that women get back by just being able to control
the camera. It also shows how they can change the mindset of their viewers by
having them look at the images from a different perspective. The image “After
Walker Evans” by Sherrie Levine, shows a woman with no emotion she is just
staring into the camera. This image shows ‘her act of refusal: refusal of
authorship, rejection of notions of self-expression, originality, or subjectivity’
(Chadwick 384). This image exemplifies women taking control of their life. They
can choose whether to smile or frown, but the whole point is that they have a
choice. This movement of Post-Modernism is similar to Modernism when it comes
to the role that women play. Both movements have women innovating new ideas.
The main difference is that in the Post-Modernism movement women are actually
receiving credit for their work and creating art through their own lenses.
Chadwick, Whitney. Women, Art, and Society. Thames & Hudson, 2007.
Guerrilla Girls, The Guerrilla Girls’ Bedside Companion to the History of Western Art. New York, NY: Penguin Group, 1998.
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