Humanities Modern World

Humanities have undergone some dramatic changes. From their classical disciplines they are transformed into national art, national literature and national past. There was an intellectual and cultural movement in the 18^th century that emphasized on reason over superstition and science over faith (Khan Academy). Intelligent thinkers such as John Locke and Isaac newton accepted knowledge and spread new ideas about openness. This was a significant turning point for western civilization since the concepts are seen and relevant in the 21^st century. Several ideas dominated this movement in ideas including;

• Rationalism- the view that human beings can use their faculty of reason to gain knowledge.
• Empiricism- Promotes the notion that knowledge comes from experience and observation of the world.
• Progressivism – the belief that through their powers of the reason humans can make unlimited, linear progression over time
• Cosmopolitanism- humans viewed themselves as an open-minded individual rather than close-minded people. They were ruled by reason, not prejudice.

By 1900 the world was being transformed by all the discoveries, technological advances, and inventions. Electricity, the automobile, the airplane, radio, x-rays, and the incandescent light bulb revolutionized the world. The art of wrestling with all the new assumptions about reality and culture generated a new extravagance in the field of arts. Arts is breaking all the rules since they are trying to keep up with technological and theoretical advances that are changing the structure of life as a whole. As a result, art has changed; the artistic standard of art has evolved from the mimesis, the literal representation of the appearance of nature, society, and people.

The 20^th century experienced the most violent era in history with two world wars. Dictators such as Hitler, Idi Amin, and Mussolini imposed extreme political systems that caused mass starvation and genocide. On the other hand, the 20^th century was marked as the era for the struggle of human rights and the rise of global capitalization. Artists previously worked under the instructions of wealthy patrons associated with either the state or the church, but in this era, they became part of the market economy. Art was now seen as personal self-expression. Where artistic styles had once covered numerous artists working over broad regions of time in the 19^th and through the 20^th century, successive forms of art changed.

IDEOLOGY AND POLITICS

In the past years, people viewed the world based on a set of assumptions. One was that human nature could be improved through the application of regulation and Punishments. Secondly, they believed that the power of the federal government could be harnessed to develop an individual and transform society. However, the assumptions became unrealistic for political conservatives (Khan Academy). Jane Adams, one of the famous progressive reformers, founded the hull house in Chicago to help immigrants adapt to life in the USA. Ida Tarbell exposed the corrupt business practices of standard oil and became the pioneer of investigative journalism. Presidents Woodrow Wilson and Theodore Roosevelt both expanded the power of the federal government to apply regulations on private industries and implement the protection of workers and consumers. The progressive reformers influenced the passage of significant legislation, including few amendments to the US constitution. The 16^th amendment established the federal income tax, the 17^th amendment allowed for the direct election of senators, 18^th banned the sales of alcohol, and the 19th amendment guaranteed women the right to vote.

ARTWORKING

Art made since 1960 reflects our past; it speaks to the social, political, and technological changes of the last 50 years. What makes today’s art special is that, like the world, it has become diverse. It cannot be easily defined through a list of visual characteristics, themes, or cultural concerns. Minimalism and Pop Art are the two major art movements in the 1900s that offered different directions of art in the late 20^th century and 21^st century.

Both movements rejected the expectations of the art’s aesthetic qualities and the need for originality. Minimalist objects are spare geometric forms made from industrial processes and materials which lack surface details and any discernible meaning. Meanwhile, Pop Art took its subject matter from low-brow sources like comic books and advertising. Like minimalism, the use of degrading techniques eliminated emotional content implied by the artist’s approach, something that was essential in art in the previous generation. The result of both movements blurred the line distinguishing the fine art from the more ordinary aspects of life and forced us to consider art’s place and purpose in the world. Minimalism paved the way for artists to explore questions about the conceptual nature of art and its form. In the late 1960s and 1970s, these ideas lead to the dematerialization of art.

Surrealism- After World War, I faded it was replaced by surrealism, a longer-lasting movement that explored the human psyche (Shanna). Pioneered by artists such as Salvador Dali, the movement followed the steps of a leading psychologist of the day in discovering dreams and exploring what made reality real. This movement was characterized by strange painting which had dream qualities. The art in this movement is fascinating to look at and study today. Surrealism was a return to a calmer art movement that sought to dig deeper into human consciousness, emotion, and preference.

Pop Art- Pop art emerged in the 1950’s a break away from the previous movements. The artist in this movement sought to communicate more effectively with their viewers. Roy  Lichtenstein was the pioneer of this movement, and he commercially used his art. He expressed his emotions and ideas in a very vivid, appealing way in such a way that his viewers could understand relate to them. Pop art is the most recognized movement of the twentieth century as it expanded. Artists such as Andy Warhol became well known for their similar brands of work.

Neo-expressionism and feminism- After the superrealism movement crumbled, Neo-expressionism and the feminist movements’ sought to invoke with their works of art (Shanna). Neo-expressionism was a return of the cynical artwork of the 1940s and the futurism, but it didn’t have the same angry feel it previously had. Artists in this movement wanted to produce a more careful, serious examination of emotion and expression. They aimed to make their viewers curious and think deeply rather than being angry.

Performance art-The last twentieth decade featured art that was primarily labeled as performance art. The art characterized the growing use of computers, and the technique was used liberally in new video games, movies, and other technological advances. Art is used to capturing the attention of potential buyers. Art was mostly commercial before the dawn of the 21^st century.

CULTURE

Art historians share a responsibilities for the successful maintenance of instruction in humanities and the general history of culture (Schmeckebier). The modern era of culture dates way back in the 17^th and 18^th centuries, the scientific, political, and economic revolutions shaped most of our society. Art historians research the baroque style of the 17^th century. This period had an extended and frequent conflict between the Catholics and the Protestants, which aided the growth of the Europe great monarchies. It was in this period that nations grew in size, wealth, and autonomy, and national borders were hardened. Also, colonization took place in that period when the Europeans power divided and exploited the world’s natural resources and people for their benefit.

The merging middle class began century’s long campaigns to gain political power, challenging the control of aristocracy and monarchy. Successive reform movements and revolutions gradually extended the franchise. Assent previously had been limited to males who owned land or who paid a certain amount of taxes. It wasn’t until the mid-19^th and 20^th centuries that universal assent became a culture in Europe.

Capitalism became the dominant economic system during this period. People risked capital to produce goods in a currency-based market, which depended on inexpensive, waged labor. The labor ultimately organized into unions and in this way, asserted considerable influence. Broadly shared was the political power boosted by the overall increase in the standard of living and the first experiments in public education. Over time steam-powered machine sand unskilled laborers in factories were replaced by skilled artisans. London, Paris, and New York led the unprecedented population growth of cities during this period as people migrated from the countryside.

Works Cited

Khan Academy. The progressive Era. n.d. Document. 7 December 2019.

Schmeckebier, Laurence. “Humanities in the Modern World.” College Art Journal (1943): 76-80. ejournal.

Shanna. 20th Century Art Movements with Timeline. 13 June 2016. 7 December 2019.