Earlier this week I was reading this Adam Simon piece on David’s newest in which Adam notes at one point his impression that Diao is “working out his complicated relationship to modernism.” I also think a good bit about that epoch, both as a creative whose forms reference it and whose studio practice could fairly be described as Modernist (in the sense that my visual vocabulary is intentionally stripped down). I’d say to follow that up that I relate to Simon’s description of one particular aspect of Diao’s practice- the recognition that the artist is clearly rejecting some of the ethos (in the terms that motivate me- it is true that both Modernism offered us new, relevant ways of seeing *and* had problematic aspects that contemporary artists should address).
One of the general tenants of at least late Modernists was a general belief or at least a sense of some universality of humanity. I won’t spend time unpacking the ways that’s problematic (it’s class 2) as I’d rather use the references of my work to the Modern epoch as a sort of key that contemporary art viewers should think about those ideas (as they might be applied today). Naive notions about universality aside, I think it is valuable to explore ideas about the desires we share- to be as free as possible (I’m not a Libertarian) and if possible loved, and certainly, *certainly*, to belong. I’m not sure how human society exists without some tie that binds us.
It is (was) the prominence of this concern among many Modernists that led to many, probably most if not truly all, of them espousing various forms opposition to war. I think have written (though I can’t point to a specific post) about similarities between the epoch of Modernism and our current moment. To be specific, I think many people share a general belief that our past institutions and values are not likely to serve as if we desire to move into the future. War, as state-sanctioned and enacted violence, has no place in a prosperous, meaningful future. We must end it if we wish to preserve human life on our planet, and we must relinquish it as a means to resolve human conflict.
Painting After Art is Dead 
4 thoughts on “Modernism redux”