The Influences of Modern Art


The first two decades of the 20thcentury were a time of upheaval and change that consequently brought radical changes to all aspect of the human condition. The social, political, cultural and economic character of life was caught in fluid turbulence. Some big events that shook the humanity in this time period include:
  • The invention of:
    • Motorcars (1885)
    • Airplanes (1903)
    • Motion picture (1896)
    • Wireless Radio transmission (1895)
  • The Turkish Revolution
  •  The Bulgarian declaration of independence
  •  The slaughter of the two world wars


All this turmoil inspired various creative revolutions in the visual art and design industry. These movements questioned long-time values and approaches to the organization of space as well as the role of art and design in society. The traditional objective view of the world was shattered. The emerging European avant-garde did not deem the traditional representation of external appearances satisfactory enough to fulfill its needs and visions. Many artists were occupied with elemental ideas about color and form, social protest and the expression of Freudian theories and the deeply personal emotional state.

Not all the movements had a major impact on graphic design, such as Fauvism. Other movements, on the other hand, like Cubism, Futurism, Dadaism and Surrealism, De Stijl, Suprematism, Constructivism and Expressionism influenced the language and form of graphic design directly, as well as other visual communications in this century. 

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