Raino Isto

Towards a Weakened History of Modernisms

This article responds to Matthew Rampley’s comments on the pragmatics of writing an art history of Modernism in Central and Eastern Europe by positing the methodological utility of ‘weak theory’ as a framework for understanding both art history itself and the writing of regional art history in the present day. The article puts forward some aspects of a ‘weakened’ history of Modernisms: the notion of Modernism as a multiplicity of movements, styles, and ideologies; the phenomenon of translocality; and the importance of affective considerations in writing the history of Central and Eastern European art. It suggests that we embrace the emotional valences of writing a nuanced history of art from the region, rather than attempting to avoid such affective elements, and rather than seeking to explain away any references to belatedness or hierarchical cultural relationships.

Raino Isto: raino.isto@gmail.com

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