Modernism around the World

Murals which aimed to synthesise the history and culture of Mexico, Japanese novels exploring urban alienation, an exhibition of Bauhaus paintings from Germany which inspired a generation of Indian artists.

Presenter Rana Mitter is joined by Jade Munslow Ong, Christopher Harding, Maria Blanco, and Devika Singh.

Amongst the Modernist writers and artists mentioned are:
Chilean poet Vicente Huidobro
Mexican artist Diego Rivera, and poet Manuel Maples Arce
Brazilian artist Tarsila do Amaral
Cuban novelist Alejo Carpentier, and painter Wifredo Lam
Argentinian writer Jorge Luis Borges
Indian writer and artist Rabindranath Tagore, and artist Amrita Sher-Gil
South African writers Olive Schreiner, Roy Campbell, Solomon Plaatje, Rolfes Dhlomo
Japanese theorist Okakura Kakuzō, and writers Edogawa Ranpo, and Ryūnosuke Akutagawa

Producer: Luke Mulhall

Image: the Indian polymath and modernist Rabindranath Tagore
Image credit: Keystone France/Getty Images

Originally broadcast as part of the Modernism season on BBC Radio 3 and 4 and BBC Sounds. There is a collection on the Free Thinking programme website https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p07p3nxh

And across the Proms season, various interval features are focusing on cultural openings and events from 1922. You can find those available to download as Arts and Ideas podcasts.