What is ‘Authenticity’?

Authenticity: noun [ U ]-The quality of being real or true: The poems are supposed to be by Sappho, but they are actually of doubtful authenticity.) (1)

The meaning of being authentic or having authenticity is to ensure that the work/object is genuine and not copied from another person.

Is it possible to be truly authentic?

Many artists and designers have inspiration from other artists today and I believe that it is difficult to have new ideas and capture audiences. It is evident through the modernist period that artists that had ideas had them developed by other artists and designers, expanding ideas, and moving them further forward. E.g with ‘Building Utopia’ it is clear the features of the building have been copied/developed by artist Van Der Rohe who designed ‘Barcelona Pavilion’. The smooth lines on both of the buildings are similar and the contemporary feel that they both have is refreshing. Furthermore I also believe that artists, designers and architects do have ‘authentic’ ideas, otherwise people wouldn’t pick up on the work.

Do the principles of Modernism hold value in contemporary practice?

Modernism: ‘rejection of existing ‘traditional’ methods and principles, and the second; a desire to work towards something completely new or avant-garde’ (2)

I believe that the principles of Modernism do have a place in todays contemporary practice, as many artists try to discover new ways of how to develop ideas and designs to make new and contemporary work. Moreover the ‘rejection of existing ‘traditional methods and principals’’ suggests that artists today refrain from using ‘traditional methods’ to keep up with contemporary practice, stay up to date with design and appear as authentic.

authenticity Meaning in the Cambridge English Dictionary. 2017. authenticity Meaning in the Cambridge English Dictionary. [ONLINE] Available at: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/authenticity. [Accessed 7 November 2017]. (1)

Nevermind Design.. 2017. The Core Principles of Modernism (overview) | Nevermind Design.. [ONLINE] Available at: https://charlotteroe.wordpress.com/2011/12/06/the-core-principles-of-modernism-overview/. [Accessed 7 November 2017]. (2)