why is an understanding of modernism important to aan understanding of photogrpahy

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Why is an understanding of Modernism important to an understanding of Photography? To answer this question I believe that I must fully understand the two concepts, and history behind both modernism and photography and study the links between the two to assess why in fact it is important to have and understanding of modernism to aid us in understanding photography. Firstly I will begin to study modernity as a whole, and its sociological and artistic relevance to the question. A definition of modernity in the first instance is the ideology within sociologists that the development of society is due to the rational progress, and evolution of society until it reaches a certain end which can be accepted by a general audience. A theorist who strongly supports the idea of modernism is Anthony Giddens. His theory is that the new developments and technological advances we now have are a development of modernity. When speaking of the world today Giddens generalises it as being; “The attitudes and ways of life associated with modern societies, such as our belief in progress, the benefits of science and our capability to control the modern world” In relation to art, and artistic relevance, Modernity and modernism is key. Through the study of books I have come to the understanding that there were three major movements throughout history in which Art has drastically been revolutionised due to modernism. These times were particularly apparent in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Modernism at this time was a big cultural shock, but also gave people the power to improve their ever changing environment, this was due to the eve of new science and technological advances in western society, due to industrialisation. As far as Photography and industrialisation were concerned or the culmination of the two meant that new materials could be
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