The Legends of the Modern : A Reappraisal of Modernity From Shakespeare to the Age of Duchamp

What made art modern? What is modern art? Being a product of modernity, criticism has conventionally approached these questions through a modernist lens, and thereby gives modernity too much sway over its interpretation. This book looks skeptically on the fundamental ideas that shape modern art and literature—ideas such as expressive freedom, originality, creativity, subversion, and spiritual profundity. The aim is to assess the coherence and consequence of these ideas; it is to argue that art became modern not so much by adopting their legendry but in the failure to live up to it. Not the freedom of artistic creation, but the contradictions thereof, indeed the dread of decadence, explain the forms taken by modern art and literature since its origins in the baroque period. Already alive in Michelangelo, Shakespeare, and Cervantes is a modern artist unhappy with the conditions of modernity. These artists bespeak both exhilaration and disappointment with their emboldened sense of creative power. This book argues that disenchantment with art underpins the artistic expression we call romantic and later modernist. Uneasy with modernity, modern and modernist art struggles to throw off the prerogatives it claims to enjoy, and secretly seeks the protections of tradition. As for the politics of modern art and post-art movements, though they appear to be subversive and radical, they really tend toward conservative immunity. One by one, the legends of modernity harbor the opposite of what they seem. "What made art modern? What is modern art? The Legends of the Modern demystifies the ideas and "legends" that have shaped our appreciation of modern art and literature. Beginning with an examination of the early modern artists Shakespeare, Michelangelo, and Cervantes, Didier Maleuvre demonstrates how many of the foundational works of modern culture were born not from the legendry of expressive freedom, originality, creativity, subversion, or spiritual profundity but out of unease with these ideas. This ambivalence toward the modern has lain at the heart of artistic modernity from the late Renaissance onward, and the arts have since then shown both exhilaration and disappointment with their own creative power. The Legends of the Modern lays bare the many contradictions that pull at the fabric of modernity and demonstrates that modern art's dissatisfaction with modernity is in fact a vital facet of this cultural period."--Bloomsbury Publishing. "What made art modern? What is modern art? The Legends of the Modern demystifies the ideas and "legends" that have shaped our appreciation of modern art and literature. Beginning with an examination of the early modern artists Shakespeare, Michelangelo, and Cervantes, Didier Maleuvre demonstrates how many of the foundational works of modern culture were born not from the legendry of expressive freedom, originality, creativity, subversion, or spiritual profundity but out of unease with these ideas. This ambivalence toward the modern has lain at the heart of artistic modernity from the late Renaissance onward, and the arts have since then shown both exhilaration and disappointment with their own creative power. The Legends of the Modern lays bare the many contradictions that pull at the fabric of modernity and demonstrates that modern art's dissatisfaction with modernity is in fact a vital facet of this cultural period."-- Provided by publisher What Made Art Modern? What Is Modern Art? The Legends Of The Modern Demystifies The Ideas And Legends That Have Shaped Our Appreciation Of Modern Art And Literature. Beginning With An Examination Of The Early Modern Artists Shakespeare, Michelangelo, And Cervantes, Didier Maleuvre Demonstrates How Many Of The Foundational Works Of Modern Culture Were Born Not From The Legendry Of Expressive Freedom, Originality, Creativity, Subversion, Or Spiritual Profundity But Out Of Unease With These Ideas. This Ambivalence Toward The Modern Has Laid At The Heart Of Artistic Modernity From The Late Renaissance Onward, And The Arts Have Since Then Shown Both Exhilaration And Disappointment With Their Own Creative Power. The Legends Of The Modern Lays Bare The Many Contradictions That Pull At The Fabric Of Modernity And Demonstrates That Modern Art's Dissatisfaction With Modernity Is In Fact A Vital Facet Of This Cultural Period. Cover Half Title Title Copyrights Dedication Epigraphy Contents Introduction PART ONE What Made Art Modern 1 Hamlet, or Art against Itself 2 Michelangelo, or the Labors of Freedom 3 Don Quixote, or the Weakness of Fiction PART TWO What Makes Modern Art 4 The Inward Turn 5 The Legend of Freedom 6 The Legend of the Artist 7 The Legend of the New 8 The Legend of Creativity 9 The Legend of Artistic Block 10 The Legend of Transcendence 11 The Legend of Subversion 12 The Legend of the End of Art Coda Notes Bibliography Index