ARH 271 The Art of Modernism: 1889-1945
Human beings living in European and North American societies experienced profound changes at the end of the nineteenth century. Industrialization, mechanization, and colonization made the world both smaller and more accessible, yet increasingly remote and alienating. World War I (the “Great War”) in the early twentieth century brought the destructive potential of new technologies into stark relief, and caused a reckoning with dominant modes of Western thinking. Visual artists – painters, sculptors, printmakers – synthesized aspects of this brave new world in their work and questioned not only the foundations of Western culture and society in a broad sense, but re-imagined the entire meaning of art. We will look at significant artists and cultural movements during this period, many of whom are household names, but others who have been under-recognized for their contributions – all in a way to help us better understand the world we live in today – artistically, culturally, and societally.