The Enlightenment to Modernism: A Brief Examination of this Revolution in Thought and Society

by Layph Johnson in Philosophy, January 17, 2007

Modernism’s reactionary stance against the thought of the Enlightenment lead to an upheaval of all societal constructs of the time. The influence of Modernism particularly spread in the early 20th century. The fascinating effect of this movement are significantly demonstrated in Freud’s psychoanalysis, Nietzschean philosophy, the art of Salvador Dali, as well as nearly every other aspect of culture surrounding this time period.

It is obvious that Dali’s inspiration comes from tapping into the unconscious psyche. Dali’s work is incredibly representative of Freud’s theories about the mind. Dali has a very apparent love for the irrational and primitive impulses. Much of his artwork is bluntly and disturbingly sexual with no emphasis on beauty. In “Illumined Pleasures,” Dali paints both sadistic and erotic images, irrationally joined in sexual relationships. Dali seems to paint as if he were trying to put his id onto paper. The chaotic primal instincts that Freud claims make up the core of human being are clearly reflected in Dali’s fascination with the juxtaposition of love and death, as well as the beautiful and repulsive.

Salvador Dali’s focus on the chaos of the human psyche is very contrary to the Enlightenment focus on the rules of nature. Enlightenment artists focused on the external, natural beauty of existence, while Dali intentionally distorts this beauty to portray his personal view of reality, as well as his psychological interactions with it. Dali attempts to embrace the disturbing paradoxes of reality, as opposed to Enlightenment artists who tried to explain them as best as they could using reason. Dali seems to make the point that individual reality is all that is real. Attempting to find truth through the rules of the external world is impossible because each individual has a different view and perspective from which to interpret it. Dali allows no room for self explanatory images in his artwork, because to do so would be an acknowledgment of a concrete, absolute reality. Salvador Dali’s work is very representative of the ideals of the Modernist Movement.

Read more in Philosophy

« Marion and Heidegger: God without Being?

Lost in Thought »

Whether it be the study of psychoanalysis, the rise of surrealism in art, or the overall shift in attitude away from Enlightenment thought, Modernism’s reflection in society was undeniable. The movement’s philosophy permeated cultural thought to such a degree that it led to the total abandonment of the traditional ideals and created a brand new starting point from which today’s culture is The Modernist Movement was an uprising in revolutionary thought that completely changed the way in which society views human nature.