Humanities Assignment 3

TWENTIETH CENTURY14 Author Philip E. Bishop described the twentieth century as turbulent. He aptly stated that the twentieth century was the fi rst time it was possible for a series of events to be capable, through the power of communication, of affecting the en- tire globe almost all at once. Between 1914 and 1918, a war between the European powers expanded into a world war that killed 9 million people. Russia emerged from the war as a communist state. This development created tension between Eastern and Western Europe. That unrest is refl ected in the arts. By examining develop- ments in painting, literature, and music, one can imagine the turmoil and complexity of that period. The many artistic styles were directly related to current events, and refl ected the turmoil and despair that were felt by many people. The styles that emerged from that period had major repercussions upon the art world. Twentieth- century art forms refl ect the lifestyle changes of people trying to keep up with the quickening pace of life.

Advancements in the fi eld of communications ushered in a new way of think- ing about the world and one’s place in it. For some people, expansive new meth- ods of communication meant more freedom. However, for others the developments encouraged new ways of living that challenged the old, traditional values. The new, fast-paced communication developments seemed too complicated and caused some people in older generations to wonder if their traditional way of life was going to dis- appear forever (Bishop). That created a climate for change, and artists represented the new viewpoints in their work.

Through the use of radio and the telegraph, the world was becoming more aware of what was going on in other areas of the globe. The development of a broader global awareness among people from many different countries and cultures was beginning to take shape. Television, radio, the telegraph, and motion pictures all played a role in creating a “global community.” “Some people were not able to cope with the fast moving pace whereas others thrived on the rapid advances made in technology …” (Dixon and Fleming).

There were some individuals who were very creative and expressed society’s uncertainty through their artwork. For example, in 1920 William Yeats wrote a poem that refl ected the attitude of the early twentieth century. The poem is about a bird who fl ew over the area where he lived and, without much regard for listening to his master anymore, paid no attention to what was being said. Yeats wrote:

Turning and turning in the widening gyre The falcon cannot hear the falconer; Things fall apart; the center cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,

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The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere The ceremony of innocence is drowned; The best lack all conviction, while the worst Are full of passionate intensity. (William Yeats, “The Second Coming”)

There were new forces rising in the world and “Western-style democracy all sought to shape mass society through the arts of mass appeal” (Bishop 390).

In a handbook for the Arts and Ideas text by William Fleming, Laurinda Dixon eloquently described the twentieth century in terms of “isms” and “schisms.” The fol- lowing are just a few of her clear statements and concise, easy-to-understand phrases that explain the twentieth century. After reading her commentary the art, music, lit- erature, dance, and theater of the twentieth century make more sense. The purpose of abstraction and chance music and art makes perfect sense when one realizes that it has various viewpoints, that it can be seen from many angles, and that it may not mean the same thing to each individual viewing it. The twentieth century was a time of conflict, disorder, and the questioning of values.

Laurinda Dixon, Syracuse University Professor, stated that

It had been said that the 20th century was change and variety than the past 1,000 year all told. Technology had grown with bewildering speed, and the world’s store of knowledge was now so vast that it was impossible for a singe person to understand everything. During the first half of the 20th century within the memories of many people alive today, motion pictures were born; the automobile, radio and the airplane were invented and the first skyscraper was built. Science and Technology became the new gods of the modern world, and the discipline of psychoanalysis was developed to care for the psychic wound inflicted by the intolerable stress of living in such complex times. The 20th century ushered in a age of crisis, as the disputes that were contained in the 19th century broke out into open conflict. For fifty years the world was plunged into almost continuous war, made more horrible by modern machines and chemical weapons. World War I, hopefully was christened as the ‘war to end all wars,’ but raged from 1913 to 1918. From 1917 on, bloody revolutions broke out in Russia, Italy, Spain and Germany. In 1939 a second World War began, more horrible than the first. As a result, the cultural scene during this time reflected the constant threat of violence and annihilation as well as the pressures of industrial society. The number of dif- ferent artistic styles, each ending with an ‘ism’, which developed during the first half of the 20th century, may seem obscure and confusing. However, it was there where knowledge of past human motives and experiences comes to our rescue. Human beings tend to react to extreme crisis in two ways: either rationally or emotionally. Some would rather escape from unpleasant things, giving vent to strong emotions and spontaneous feelings. Others prefer to detach themselves from the turmoil, so as to analyze, reform and intellectual- ize

the crisis. Likewise, the cultural movements of thee time fall naturally into

the camps: “abstract, expressionist and cubism nonobjective etc…” (Dixon and Fleming).

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World War II The war in Europe was over by May 1945, and the war in the Pacific ended by August. The Allies liberated the countries that had been conquered by the Axis powers, and they were horrified by the results. The were especially disgusted when they saw that the Nazis had placed the Jews in concentration camps. The Allies planned to invade Japan in late 1945, but on August 6, 1945 an atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. Three days later another bomb hit Nagasaki. The Japanese surrendered on August 14. There were 17 million lives lost during World War II; many of the casualties were civilians. Around 6 million Jews had been starved, tortured, or killed in the concentra- tion camps. “After the war, the USSR controlled most of eastern Europe, Germany was divided. War criminals were tried for crimes against humanity. As reconstruction began, the United Nations was formed to try to prevent future wars” (Encyclopedia of the World ).

Expressionism Expressionism was a term used to describe paintings that were emotionally demonstra- tive and often about the dark side of human nature. The artist used distortion in order to express the intensity of the emotion.

Surrealism Surrealism was a painting style that reflected the ideas that artists used dreams and the subconscious to express their thoughts and ideas in their art. The works seemed illogical and may have almost appeared to be like a dream or even a nightmare.

Abstract Expressionism Abstract Expressionism was a movement that developed in the United States and was characterized by the effort to avoid using forms that looked like recognizable objects. Instead, the work was intended to reflect the stream of consciousness. The piece of art may only consist of lines, colors, and shapes; there are no recognizable objects repre- sented in the painting.

Dadaism Dadaism was a movement that took an object and destroyed its function. For example, an iron to be made into a sculpture would have nails driven into it so it would not work. The words “da da” were used to represent the meaninglessness of the art itself. Dadaism expressed ideas of futility.

In music, the composer who wanted to represent the idea of the twelve-tone row, or serialism, was Arnold Schoenberg. He wanted to prove that he could play the composition as if it was regular music.

Accomplishments of the Twentieth Century

1901 Wireless radio transmission

1902 First international box-office smash, Georges Melies’ fantasy A Trip to the Moon opened a new type of entertainment for the public

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1903 Orville and Wilbur Wright flew an airplane aloft for 12 seconds

1905 Einstein’s theory of relativity

1906 Picasso’s “Cubism” famous painting Les Demoiselle Avignon

1906 Air conditioning

1909 Assembly line in auto industry by Henry Ford, making ownership of the Model-T affordable

1920’s Jazz—America’s musical contribution to the world, born in the United States and comes from the Blues

1921 Insulin was developed

1926 Television first became available and by the end of 1950s would be in many more homes in the United States

1927 Lindbergh flies the Atlantic Ocean

1930 The Empire State Building, which took 7 million man-hours to build and was the tallest skyscraper in the world

1939 Plasma and blood typing emerged

1946 First computers

1954 Polio shots available

1964 Civil rights movement in the United States

1967 First heart transplant

1989 Fall of the Berlin Wall

1990 Disabled rights movement

1991 Internet

1997 Hong Kong returned to China

1997 First mammal cloned

Source: http://cjonline.com/stories/121299/mcc_achievements.shtml#.V6VQY1srJdg