movementsmodernism

Modernism refers to a broad philosophical and artistic movement that emerged in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It was characterized by a deliberate break with traditional forms, styles, and ways of thinking. Modernist artists and thinkers sought to represent the new realities and experiences of the modern world, which was rapidly changing due to industrialization, urbanization, and new scientific and philosophical ideas. Key themes included a focus on subjective experience, a questioning of established norms and authority, and an exploration of new forms of expression.

In literature, modernism saw experimentation with narrative structure, stream of consciousness, and fragmented perspectives. Authors like James Joyce, Virginia Woolf, and T.S. Eliot are often associated with this period. In visual arts, modernist movements such as Impressionism, Cubism, Futurism, and Surrealism challenged traditional representational art, exploring abstraction, new color theories, and the representation of inner psychological states. Architects, too, embraced functionalism and minimalist aesthetics, rejecting historical ornamentation. Modernism was not a single, unified style but rather a diverse collection of movements and individual approaches, all united by a spirit of innovation and a desire to redefine artistic and intellectual boundaries in response to a rapidly evolving world.