V. Conclusion

The Impact of Cubism on Modern Sculpture 

 

  Vernon Hyde Minor, Art History’s History

  

V. Conclusion

I have traced the development of modern sculpture, focusing more on Cubism through some works by Picasso and Boccioni in connection with the Industrial Revolution in Europe. After the Industrial Revolution and the appearance of the camera, the major art tendencies simply changed and departed from the traditional way. During the modern period, avant-garde art, not only painting but also sculpture and other forms, became very abstract and hard to understand in both the outer appearance and the concept of art.

 

While studying modern art history, both painting and sculpture, I have been curious about the term “art”, the original meaning of art. "What is art?" In his book, 'Art history's History ', Vernon Minor describes the meaning of art and the origin of art from the notion of many ancient and modern philosophers, theologians, and art historians. There should be some differences in their thought, but the most common notion about art is that art should contain a sense of beauty, expressed through proportion, linear quality and so forth . The main theme of art from the beginning to the eighteenth century at least had been based on the thought of Plato. According to Plato, there are two main meanings in terms of art - Mimesis (Imitation) and Techne (technique). This is the main theme of ancient art theory. From Plato's account, artists should make a work of art imitate nature because only nature is the perfect world in Plato's thought. Through this way, the works contain the beauty . I strongly agree with Plato's thought of art.

 

Now under post-modern culture, everything can be a work of art, and everybody can be a artist also. Art is getting more abstract- meaninglessly abstract . In modern society, people simply loose their past history and look down on history because modern life is so complex and absorbing. As time goes on our societies are getting more complicated, and more problems occur than in the past. That is the reason for the modern artist to simply negate the past. I realize that every history including art history is the history of negation of the past. I think this is a natural thing because we can see many weak points, wrong and bad sides of the past. Most artists are trying to seek always new unlike the past. Partly this kind of tendency is surely devoted to the development of the modern culture, but there is a limit.

 

Nowadays because of the very abstract tendencies in art, most modern works are set apart from the general public (ordinary people). Art should be shared by everybody. It is not just for the art critics and artists themselves. We should bear this in mind.
ⓒ 모암문고 www.moamcollection.org