The embodiment of modernity through literature as well as artwork was extremely prevalent during this modern era. It represents the foundations of the way we live our lives today and shows the rapid shift in capitalism, innovation and overall ways of thinking. Modernity forged the nation forward for the better and reordered the way Americans lived their day to day lives. Moreover, artwork such as ‘Convergence’ by Jackson Pollock exemplifies an overall movement towards freedom and free-thinking which can be supported by works of Beatrice Hinkle and F. Scott Fitzgerald.
To begin, the painting ‘Convergence’, even with just the name, is very revealing of what it was trying to represent. The literal definition of convergence is the integration or coming together of two entities. This piece of artwork consists of many sporadic lines of red, blue, orange and black which shows overall chaos but surprisingly also shows togetherness with no odd or out of place areas. It seems Pollock wanted to create something with a lot of movement and expression behind it to make noise in regards to some of the constraints of society oppressions. This is a representation of modernity because Pollock was challenging the status quo and wanted to fight for freedom of expression and speech which were constantly under threat during this time.
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‘The Re-Creating of the Individual’ by Beatrice Hinkle exemplifies similar ideas more in relation to gender and sexuality as a source of power where she discusses women's susceptibility and reliance on men which had been engraved in society’s roles for so long. However, she also discusses the slow progression women have made and the strides they have taken to claim their freedom, such as: “With the revolt of women against the old restrictions and the demand for freedom to experience for themselves, there has appeared a most significant phase of the changed morality - the new relation of women toward each other”. This furthers the meaning behind Pollock’s ‘Convergence’ because women finally had the strength to rebel against society’s restrictions and really start a movement of empowerment and support for each other - to fulfil each other's lives for themselves and not just for men. While the roles of women still seem to be challenged today, this era allowed them to advance their own sense of freedom of expression and ultimately helped aid them in this shift for equality and new morality.
In addition, ‘The Great Gatsby’ by F. Scott Fitzgerald also highlights many important aspects of modernity that help further the thought behind Pollock’s ‘Convergence’. He emphasizes various themes having to do with this era such as society, class, the American Dream, etc. This is illustrated throughout his fragmented text where the reoccurrence of the American Dream symbolism for example, is extremely prevalent. Within the first chapter, Nick says: “The Carraways are something of a clan, and we have a tradition that we're descended from the Dukes of Buccleuch, but the actual founder of my line was my grandfather's brother, who came here in fifty-one, sent a substitute to the Civil War, and started the wholesale hardware business that my father carries on to-day”. He creates a success story of his family’s entrepreneurship, which in turn, enabled them to achieve the American Dream of wealth and the road to nobility through lots of hard work. This is a more structured way of thinking of freedom of expression as Pollock’s ‘Convergence’ represents, but this form of modernity is something people today definitely still search and strive for.
Altogether, the ideas formed during this time opened up the world to a whole new set of possibilities and ways of thought the nation had never been allowed prior to modernity. Artwork and literature that was created in the midst of this era is able to give us a peek into the origination of many forward-thinking ideas and ways of life. Modernity overall is something that has definitely manifested itself into our world today and ultimately gave society a necessary push to the future for generations to come.
Works Cited
- F. Scott Fitzgerald. (1925). ‘The Great Gatsby’. Retrieved October 27, 2019 from Course Reserves.
- Hinkle, Beatrice. (1930). ‘The New Morality’. From ‘The Re-Creating of the Individual’. Retrieved October 27, 2019 from Course Reserves.
- Pollock, Jackson. Convergence. 1950. Albright-Knox Gallery.
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