Midterm Paper. Rejection of Modernity, In Paintings from 1850 – 1907

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Rejection of Modernity, In Paintings from 1850 – 1907
The change brought about by the industrial revolution fueled a revolt which was called the romanticism revolt. This revolt is highly associated with the origins of modernism. Some poets and painters who had formed a group called the pre- Raphaelite brotherhood and were inspired by John Ruskin, a writer who used to critic art between 1819 and 1900, were not happy with the way the industrial revolution was dominantly influencing England.
Their dissatisfaction was based on the fact that the paintings as at that time were not real enough and also displayed reserved honesty. With the influence of the industrial revolution, much technological advancement were made. These advances changed the way the common people and artist looked at manmade objects. Artistic monuments like the Brooklyn Bridge, the Eifel tower, changed people’s way of life.
However, all this progress was viewed by others as directly colliding with history, and in as much as the change was welcome, there was a general feeling among the artist that their value as an artist was not only different from that of the society, but the society was directly opposed to the change. This progress or wave of change could not move forward if the society were not ready to change.
According to different historians, modernism has different dates of its origin (Ericles Lewis). Some like William Everdel argue that it started in 1870; he also believes that modernism in painting began 1885 to 1886. Richard Dedekind, a mathematician, believes that it started in 1831 to 1916. It is agreed across the scholars that modernism started in the mid-19th century up to the mid-20th century (Clement Greenberg).
When the artist started using new techniques and raw materials to come up with paintings, they were no always accepted by the public. This is the point where the artist started feeling like they being rejected for adapting modern ways. Artists like Paul Cezanne who is seen as the founder of modernism was rejected during his times, and his work was accepted later after even his death. Cezanne was a common citizen who other than contributing a lot to modernism also played a part in cubism. He made sure to submit his paintings/works to the salon every year between the years of 1864 to 1869 and with all this hard work he was among one of the least successful during his lifetime. When he died, it took only one year for the salon to recognize the work they so much rejected and gave Cezanne the accolade he deserved.
Another artist by the name Eduard Manet had to set up his exhibition in 1867 to display his paintings since they were rejected by the salon for their modern features. Eduard received poor reviews from critics even after setting up his exhibition. Paul gauging died a very poor man due to the frustrations he went through after rejection of modernism. With extensive recognized works like “Spirit of the Dead Watching,” Paul died without knowing the impact he would have on the art world during the mid-19th and 20th centuries. He was the inspiration in primitivism, an art movement witnessed in the 19th century.
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