What is modernism? When and why did it begin? How long did it last? And has it really been eclipsed by postmodernism? Replies to these questions are often vague or confusing. Introducing Modernism is a guide for readers today perplexed by this crucial formation of 20th century culture.
Modernism is usually understood as a radical aesthetic transformation, a shock wave of innovations in art, architecture, music and literature. This book explores the avantgardist works of Picasso, Joyce, Schoenberg and other modern masters, it assesses the cinema, but also delves deeper. Modernism is interpreted as a set of varying and conflicting responses to the global phenomenon of modernity itself, the revolutionary advances in technology, industry and science, against a background of the 20th century's mass social and political upheaveals.
