To be authentic in art, the idea must be original and not a copy of someone else’s.
The principles of modernism rest heavily upon the idea of breaking away from old traditions and ‘striving to ignore conservative values of art’ (1) (Kaufman, 2017). Each modernist artist brings a new perspective to the movement and so is successfully authentic.

Henri Matisse strived to create art “of balance, of purity and serenity devoid of troubling or depressing subject matter,” (2) (The art story, 2017) so that viewers could take refuge in it. I think his success lies in his bright, pure colours with gaps of white canvas to create light, as they reflect his model’s personality and express his own emotional state. (3) Despite being a modernist it could be argued that Matisse’s work is not truly authentic.

He had taken a lot of inspiration from his travels to North Africa “he incorporated some of the decorative qualities of Islamic art, the angularity of African sculpture, and the flatness of Japanese prints into his own style”. (4) (The art story, 2017)
However, although Matisse adopted his style from inspiration, his original ideas make his work truly authentic. Authenticity depends entirely on the context. The process of painting is not authentic, yet a painting can be authentic because of new ideas behind it. Therefore authenticity is achievable to some degree but this doesn’t sacrifice the success of the artwork (which is what I think is most important).

Principles of modernism do hold value in contemporary practise because it encourages us to look beyond the obvious and discover an original voice in our work.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

References:

(1)- Mac Kaufman. (2017). 5 Principles of Modernism. Available: https://padlet.com/mkaufman3/110okm5tzqy0. Last accessed 06/11/17.

(2)- Unknown. (2017). Henri Matisse French Painter, Draftsman, and Collagist. Available: http://www.theartstory.org/artist-matisse-henri.htm. Last accessed 06/11/17.

(3)- Unknown. (2017). Henri Matisse French Painter, Draftsman, and Collagist. Available: http://www.theartstory.org/artist-matisse-henri.htm. Last accessed 06/11/17.

(4)- Unknown. (2017). Henri Matisse French Painter, Draftsman, and Collagist. Available: http://www.theartstory.org/artist-matisse-henri.htm. Last accessed 06/11/17.

Images-

(1)- Henri Matisse. (1905). Joy of Life. Available: http://www.henrimatisse.org/images/gallery/joy-of-life.jpg. Last accessed 06/11/17.

(2) Utagawa Toyokuni II.. (Early 1800’s). Tamatoko of the Daikokuyo.. Available: https://i.pinimg.com/236x/4e/29/f6/4e29f6db7678eb6edd15987bc75b02f2.jpg. Last accessed 06/11/17.