Art and Artist: Artists in the Changing World

The dominant ideas of a society in any given historical period are clearly reflected by their art and artists and so, any artwork from a historical period clearly shows what the world was like at that time. As the focus of people in the pre-modern era was on faith and mysticism, naturally their artistic endeavors revolved around similar topics. Since, for the pre-modernists the supernatural world was of a higher value than the immediate natural world, the artistic tendency was to philosophize about theological ideas and explore mysticism and faith through their art. For instance, in the pre-modern world huge importance was given to the building of huge churches and cathedrals and most of the general public was involved in one way or another with the target of completing the religious buildings.

As the major philosophical shift took place in the modern era from mysticism and religion to reason and science the art changed as well. The modernist period was charged with a revolutionary spirit in which the old order of thinking, politics, social order, religion, science, etc. was going through a dramatic change this spirit of revolution became the subject of many artists’ works. Moreover, the artist made more use of rational thought and sensual experience in their works and tried to highlight their importance. Sherlock Holmes is one of the greatest pieces of artwork from the modern era that represents the focus on reason, senses, and science.

The post-modern era was wary of the ideas represented by both pre-modern thinkers and modern artists. Instead, the focus of the post-modernists was on exploring the human condition and what internal and external factors made humans and the world in which they lived as it was. Artistically, post-modern art is the most varied and versatile in its approach as the idea of inclusiveness was an important one with the post-modern thinkers. During this period, we hear a lot of different voices emerging from the marginalized segments of society who added their unique voice and experiences into the larger artistic canon. For example, the African American literature features prominently. Moreover, artists from varied ethnic and religious backgrounds made their mark.

As art has changed so have the places and spaces where is created and perceived. As mentioned earlier the major spaces and places for art were religious buildings and structures like churches and cathedrals. In the revolutionary period of modernism, the cafes became a prominent space for artists to gather and discuss their ideas. At this time, there was much clandestine literature produced as well. The post-modern era was as inclusive of spaces and paces as it was of diverse people and in this time, art broke all chained restrictions and spread onto the streets itself. Personally, I try not to be biased about any kind of art or artist because I believe that every piece of art remains true to its own personal history and its process of creation which justifies its existence.

 

 

 

Works Cited

CEE Video Channel. “What Modernism Is.” 28 June 2010. youtube.com. Digital. 8 September 2019.

 

 

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