Portfolio Task 2

At the start of the 20th century brought a new kind of art based upon reflecting the modern world. Expression was one of the main themes of this new art; the idea that the art would be more personal to the artist. As the 20th century drew on, the artists of the avant-garde were striving to create a true, yet expressive depiction of the times, focussing heavily on their appretiation of nature in response to urban life and industrialization. 'Modernism' was present across most of Europe; and soon the avant-garde concept was internationally known. France dominated the scene, with the German speaking countries developing a more subjective style based more on the theories of German philosophy and traditional German culture. The relatively late arrival of modernism in Italy showed an art more driven by the working class; bringing to light to strong socialist ideals of social equality, (which the bourgeoisie feared enormously). This arose from Marx's theory that trying to practically change the world was more vital than simply trying to comprehend it.

It is without doubt that Cubism was the reason why France was so central to the development of 'Modernism'. Expressionism and Futurism had responded to urban modernity with clarity, while Cubist art was far less transparent in it's representation. The clue was not so much in the subject matter, but instead it lay with the shifting planes on the surface. The varied perspectives of the chaotic planes offered an a technically advance and innovative vision of the modern world. Ironically, as these means of representing the world would cease to change in a changing world, the Cubist style would fail to represent the modern. Despite the continuing debate as to whether the modern world is depicted through translating it and striving to change it, or whether it is the job of the artist to transform art itself, Cubism remains a significant element in the transition between the modern art of the 19th and 20th century.