Industrialism and the Genesis of Modern Architecture (via The Charnel-House)
Another brilliant post from Ross Wolfe and a continuation of the guest blog post at my site a week or so ago. Here he emphasises the link between modernism and industrialisation, and especially the influence of the machine and the techniques of Taylorism.
…much of which seems to confirm the Ellulian stance I blogged about a short while ago: according to Jacques Ellul, modernist art is either an imitation of technology or a compensation for technology.
Whilst Kandinsky’s treatise Concerning the Spiritual in Art could be seen as a compensation for technology (along with the appreciation of the Theosophy of both Kandinsky and Mondrian), the paintings often turn out to be an imitation of technology.
Ellul suggested that Kandinsky painted like a computer. I think that was unfair, but it is also a point that is difficult to argue against! I think that the same criticism (it was meant as a criticism) could be levelled at a lot of the painters I admire, and the practice I have adopted.
patternsthatconnect 
Thanks so much for the plug, and I’m really glad you enjoyed my entry. I posted a rather long summary of my take on Ellul and the question of technophilia in modernist art, architecture, and political economy:
I do find Ellul’s choice of Kandinsky as an illustration of machinist tendencies in modern art rather strange, however, considering how intuitive and immediate most of Kandinsky’s compositions feel. Fernand Léger, the Cubist (later Purist) artist, would seem the obvious choice. A number of the Futurists’ works would seem to qualify as well, especially the work of Gino Severini. But the artist-Constructivists (to be distinguished from Constructivist architects) clearly emulated the machine as well. Tatlin, Rodchenko, Stepanova — all of them produced works valorizing industrial machinery.
Anyway, a very relevant connection you’ve made here. Thanks again for the compliment.
Ross Wolfe
September 22, 2011 at 8:35 pm
Odd world indeed Ross, many years ago I used to live there myself, the Christians didn’t like us and the Anarchists didn’t like us either!
Andy Parkinson
September 23, 2011 at 4:33 pm
Because of my cultural/ethnic background, I was briefly enchanted by the “Jewish-mystical” side of Walter Benjamin’s writings, as emphasized by Gershom Scholem and so on (a fascinating figure, and an atheist to be sure). I’ve since come to believe that the Kabbalistic references made in Benjamin are really only conceptual frameworks, and that his perspective was actually quite solidly Marxist after 1928.
Anyway, I am really glad you liked my bit on industrialism and modern architecture. I am curious to see what you make of my most recent installment, on the social mission of the avant-garde.
Ross Wolfe
September 24, 2011 at 4:00 am