Where Did Mid Century Modern Art Come From?
The term Mid Century Modern Art is a re-coined term from an older movement. Its foundations can be found in the Art Nouveau movement of the late 1800’s.
Furthermore the transition from Nouveau into Art Deco in the 1910’s held great impact.. It is from here that Mid Century Modern Art was born from.
While many will focus on aspects of culture from the 1940’s through the 1970’s, this movement did not arrive from nowhere to suddenly appear.
The names behind its birth are quite substantial and recognized today. Men such as Picasso were key in the success of this transition.
As Art Deco climaxed in the 1930’s, it would be a mere 20 years for the seeds of Mid Century Modern Art to mature. We then find those such as Andy Warhol arrive into the sphere of art.
It is easy for us in our time to miss the cultural stronghold which the Victorian Era held on the world. It would not be until after World War 1 that the Monarchists of England began to be subdued by the industrialized world.
Television shows such as Downton Abbey capture this story depicting how the world began to radically change in that time.
While today we may not see this as revolutionary, nor as a counter culture, there is no doubt that these influences are what made the Mid Century what it was.
With the onset of the 1950’s to the 60’s we arrive at a peak of industrialization. Steel factories and names such as Ford Motors ruled the world.
Home ownership was at a high, and commerce through new shopping malls were on the rise. This alternate world carried with it the influences of the Art Deco and Mid Century ideas in everything from clothing to home design.
It would be within the 1960’s that this anti establishment mindset of Mid Century Modern Art reaches its peak. It had been fueled by many world changing events that are forever etched into history.
Influence Of Picasso And The Surrealist In Mid Century Modern Art
Picasso was born in Spain in 1881 during the peak of the Art Nouveau movement. He would by age 10 be his fathers apprentice learning the arts. By the age of 23 he would decide to permanently move to Paris France in 1904.
Within this period the Art Nouveau ideas had begun to transition into the foundation of Art Deco. This was ground zero for where Mid Century Modern Art would be born.
Certainly Picasso did not single handedly bring these transitions into being. Nevertheless tracking his life one can also measure his contemporaries to understand how this transition took place.
It would be through their radical thinking in art theory that would shift culture within Europe. This would then cascade to the rest of the Western world.
Nevertheless this realization would not begin to formatively take shape until 1909. His blue period ended with his move to France in 1904.
Between 1904 to 1907 many of his works were based upon African historical art. The result from which he found a lot of criticism due to his portrayals.
He contended that his work was founded within historical art and staying true to that aspect.
Picasso’s work after this period would forever change. New ideas including experimentation with things such as line art were explored.
I believe he could see how the art world itself was at a pivotal point in history. The shifts within his art matches the rough dating of the Art Deco movement.
It would be in 1909 that his work with Georges Braque would shift to what would be called Analytical Cubism. Foundations here were laid for the later geometrical art found in Mid Century Modern Art.
The works Picasso and Braque were an attempt to move away from Renaissance Art forms. A more stylized view was taken, and less focus was placed on realism.
This would be the Modern Art of their time. Yet Picasso was not alone in his endeavors. He would form friendships to aid in solidifying his name in history.
The success of Picasso would later be ensured by a man named Andre Breton. Breton was a leader within the Surrealist Movement and he would claim Picasso as one of their own.
Picasso never officially was a part of their movement. Rather the friendships forged within this organization after WW1 would forever allow Picasso to be recognized by the world.
Surrealism itself held within it the ideology and framework that would become Mid Century Modern Art. The relationship between them is much like a parent to the child.
The Surrealist concepts were a continuation of the idea of being anti establishment. They were also pushing the envelope of what could be called art.
This also included the literary world which later Picasso would also become involved in. His poetry can be seen arriving at 1935.
It is here that he gave up on painting and his focus would remain within literature.
Other notable artists from these periods which held great influence were names such as Henri Matisse, Marcel Duchamp, and later Jackson Pollock. This was the beginning of modern visual arts as we would come to know it.
There is no mistaking that this generation not only carried and made the Art Deco world what it was. Yet they also laid the foundation for Mid Century Modern Art.
It would be in the footsteps of these men that others would follow to carry their ideas forward in time.
The Generation That Gave Us Mid Century Modern Art
Andy Warhol was born in 1928. The influences from the previous generation has already been laid and were prepared for the mind of those like Warhol.
Warhol simply stated that to know him all one must do is look at his art and films. He stated that there is where he could be found and that there is nothing behind it.
It is here that a clean and complete break away from the Art Deco world can be found. Mid Century Modern Art had come into its maturity.
The Art Deco movement did have purpose and intent behind their objectives. Picasso and others pushed their arts for the sake of creating new art for their generation.
Its agenda was to explore horizons which were forbidden and often controversial.
For Andy Warhol often his art would simply contain common everyday items such as a can of Campbells Soup. He once filmed a man eating a mushroom for nearly an hour. To say the least he was eccentric.
The focus of Warhol was to use this eccentric nature and with it garner the attention which it provided. It suits much of the mentality moving forward into the 1960’s.
The counter culture which prevailed hated the establishment yet held nothing of substance to create new culture with. To say the least Warhol’s purpose in art was different than its accepted definition.
This is a stark contrast when compared to anti establishment ideas found within Art Nouveau. The merits of much Mid Century Modern Art fly in the face of Plato or Oscar Wilde.
Nevertheless the influence from the early 1900’s succeeded in birthing this movement. We see industry itself focus on new ideas of design in every facet of life.
Clothing, furniture, interior design, music, literature, art, it all shifted into a new era unlike any before it. Yet this movement could not have succeeded without industrialization.
Philosophical Impact Of Mid Century Art
If there is anything we can take away from this marriage of industry, design, and art, is the rise of common people. What was once extravagant could now be had by the many.
The statement of Mid Century Modern Art to this global shift is that any rule could be broken. The old world standards no longer apply.
With this being said, if the masses found a small idea to be popular then industry would promote it for profit at a lower price.
Prior to the rise of industry the common man’s life was far more basic. The average home was quite similar from one to the next.
Styles in clothing closely matched with less variation. There was a clear separation of class and caste within Europe.
Art itself was standardized to its period. With the introduction of industry we arrive at a new era.
Ideas would spread with speed. People could break free of the older caste systems of Europe under the Monarchy.
Jobs could be found in factories. The common man would soon be able to afford a motorized car.
People became hungry for this new world. Globally the people of the world could focus on their importance, desires, and tailor life to suit their way of life.
These changes was the fertile ground within which Mid Century Modern Art could grow within. The establishment was less important than the common mans view.
Industry saw opportunity despite the difficulty of two world wars and the Great Depression. It would be industry which would allow the world to pull through to the other side of this dark era.
While we can all debate the result of the 1950’s and 60’s as being good or bad, the way of life was a very different world than just one generation before.