Modernist Art - A New Approach in Theatre Essay

Modernist Art - A New Approach in Theatre - Essay Example The essay "Modernist Art - A New Approach in Theatre" focuses on modern era and art. Modernity can be understood as a conceptual framework of individual expression at the same time that it can be considered a reflection of society as a whole. This suggests that it is comprised of intellectual ideas as well as by the development of new processes, techniques and materials. Modernity has been described as the â€Å"dialectical relationship ... which modernism consciously or unconsciously, directly or indirectly, positively or negatively reflects the effects of capitalist development.† The modernist ideology is thus revealed to have a number of different contexts bound together and interacting with our social understandings contributing to our intuitive and overt sense and understanding of the world around us. With the arrival of modernism, the realism and humanism of earlier periods melts away as performing artists focus more upon style, technique and spatial form in an attempt t o find a deeper expression of human experience, such as is seen in the ‘radical theatre’ approach taken by Peter Brook. The use of the word ‘radical’ in modern is deliberate when it comes to Brook’s theater. The Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary defines the adjective as â€Å"believing or expressing the belief that there should be great or extreme social or political change† and the noun in terms of â€Å"a person who supports great social and political change.† Toni Sant claims â€Å"radical theatre aims to make extreme changes...".