Modernism in Arts: Australian Artists' Reaction and Strategies

Running Head: MODERNISM IN ARTS
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Student Name
Institution Name
What were Australian modernist artists reacting against and what artistic strategies did they use
in their response.

MODERNISM IN ARTS
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Modernism refers to a movement of arts between the period of the late 19th century and
the early 20th century. Modernism comprised of activities and end products of the artists who
considered traditional art works old fashioned in the period of industrialization. In Australia,
modernism was introduced in the 1910s by immigrants. The movement brought Australians
together to fight against global war and the great economic depression. They advocated for
advance in technology and change socially. The most common thread was to reject the
traditional representation of things around the world. War atrocities and the lost Gallipoli
campaign were the most influential movements in Australia that time and the consequences were
greatly felt during the Second World War. This essay is going to focus on the things that
modernist artists were reacting against and some of the strategies that the put in place as a
response to their grief in Australia.
Modernism was considered a rebellion against the 19th century traditions in academic and
history on the basis that traditional forms of art works in the modern and new world had been
deemed outdated. The movement was known as avant-garde at first as its main purpose was to
overthrow the status quo. 1The modernists called for re-examination of all aspects so that they
could try finding the elements that were holding them back from progressing and then replacing
these elements with new ones which were more progressive in the modern world.
Some of the best known modernist groups in Australia were found in Melbourne,
Sydney, Adelaide, Angry Penguin painters like Arthur Boyd, Sidney Nolan, Max Harris, John
Perceval, Albert Tucker and Joy Hester. It was during the 21st century that government bodies
admitted that modernist in arts was embraced with a lot pf hostility in Australia.
1 Haese, Richard. "Civilizing Australia." Thesis Eleven 106, no. 1 (2011): 118-127.

MODERNISM IN ARTS
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Some commentators define modernism as a mode of thinking philosophically that run
across all the novelties in the arts and the disciplines. One of the modernist artists in Australia is
Gordon Bennett, who was also known as John Citizen. One of his most renowned art works is
the home décor of Preston’s Aboriginal. 2The portrait promoted racist home interiors that Preston
seemed to promote and provide decorative back drop so that non Aboriginal Australians would
be able to feel at home with Australians. The painting shows how some simple activities like
home décor could work hand in hand with ideologies that promoted nation building and
unresolved conflicts of Australia.
Bennett became accredited due to his powerful views of the post-colonial experiences especially
the focus he had on language in the introduction of thoughts and identity. He firmly criticized
racial stereotypes as he often painted through a pop-artist alias as John Citizen and inspired by
his ego. He wanted to expand and avoid typecasting his practice. It was in 1990s that he
appropriated the Preston’s Aboriginal art work to his own painting from international modernism
so that he could come up with the post-modernism which criticized Australia history of
2 Lang, Anouk. "Modernity in Practice: A Comparative View of the Cultural Dynamics of
Modernist Literary Production in Australia and Canada." Canadian Literature 209 (2011): 48