The collapse of a shared symbolic order in Western art
In short: Before the 20th century, art functioned as a shared language of faith and meaning. That unity shattered during a period of radical creativity before World War I, leaving artists to navigate a world where technology dominates and private expression replaces public, corporate tradition.
The transition into Modernism is defined by what David Jones called "The Break" in the 19th century. During this period, the overarching religious and cultural framework which had bonded Europe for upwards of 1,000 years finally collapsed. In its place emerged a landscape of fragmentary individual visions. This shift was compounded by the rise of technology, which marginalized the arts and stripped them of their previous role as signs with widespread public resonance.
In this new reality, art became increasingly idiosyncratic, personal, and experimental. Because the "corporate" tradition of meaning had vanished, artists were forced to choose private languages, often at the expense of a broader audience. Lord Richard Harries notes that this creates a formidable obstacle for those wishing to convey traditional Christian themes: how to maintain artistic integrity without falling into pastiche or using stale images that no longer resonate in a secular, technical society.
The explosion of Modernism—marked by the 1913 Paris debut of figures like Joyce and Stravinsky—was preceded by the rise of Expressionism. This movement broke from representational art to prioritize the expression of intense feeling through color and line, often carrying overtones of violence. While these shifts began in the 19th century, they crystallized in France and Germany around 1905 with the formation of Die Brücke (The Bridge). Today, the disassociation between art and faith remains a profound challenge, as the "technician" continues to divide the cultural landscape.
The crisis of the modern artist is essentially a crisis of signage. If human beings are sign-makers, the modern era presents a world where the old signs are broken and the new ones are too private to be shared. This tension was already pronounced in the 1930s and became even more dire in the post-World War II era, leaving the priest and the artist in separate, isolated catacombs.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: The Explosion of Modernism - Rt Revd Lord Richard Harries
- Also: The Explosion of Modernism
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