An Age of Uncertainty Hee-Jeong Lyu &Stacy Moon. After the World War I, people started to challenge the ideas from the Enlightment. People started to.

An Age of Uncertainty

Hee-Jeong Lyu &Stacy Moon

After the World War I, people started to challenge the ideas from the Enlightment . People started to challenge science, literature, art, music, communication, and transportation.

Intro to age of uncertainty

Science challenges old ideas

Albert Einstein New ideas on space, energy, time, and matter Asked questions about old beliefs; age of Enlightment;

Newton, the laws of motion +gravity THEORY OF RELATIVITY: space and time are relative

concepts rather than absolute concepts

Contradicting to Newton’s idea. People are confused and uncertain; Newton’s idea = comforting belief

Sigmund Freud Theory about the human mind “Believed human behavior is

irrational, or beyond reason He

called the irrational part of the

mind unconscious.” Unconscious: lacking awareness Conscious: Having awareness of one’s existence

and thoughts.

Literature in an Age of Doubt

World War I; philosophers&

writers questioned ideas that were

previously accepted by the society

during the age of Enlightment Expressed anxieties

through writing and

art; visualizing the future

Uncertain World turns into Theory EXISTENTIALISM: emphasize uniqueness of individual

experience indifferent universe. Human existence is unexplainable. Freedom for responsibility and choice stress consequences; people make their own decisions. Started by Jean Paul Sartre, Karl Jaspers

Existentialists: no universal meaning

to life. Friedrich Nietzsche: Have fate in

yourself. Do what you think is right

for you.

Franz Kafka, James Joyce, many other writers

included Freud’s theories on the unconscious. Stream of Consciousness: “technique that

presents the thoughts and feelings of a character

as they occur.” (dic.tion.ar.ies)

Rebellion in the Arts

Renaissance and previous generations changed art, architecture, and music, but after the war art developed into a new Era.

Painters Break Away from Tradition Artists went against earlier traditional paintings

Wanted to reflect the inner world of emotion and imagination; didn’t wanted to show realistic objects

Paul Klee& Wassily Kandinsky used bold colors, distorted shapes and forms

Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque found Cubism: 1907

Cubism: Inspired by African art, emphasizing flat, 2D, fragmented surface, foreshortening, modeling, and changing shapes into geometric form

The Dada Movement (1916-1924)

Protest in art movement. Disrespected traditional art and cultural values by

producing works that were nonsense. Dada in French is “hobbyhorse.” – it was picked

randomly. Dadaist’s art works were nonsense, absurd, and

meaningless.

Surrealism: art movement after Dada. It was based from Freud's idea, it attempted to express the world of dreams, fantasy with real life. It used fantastic imagery and inappropriate figures. Surreal means “beyond or above reality.” Artists tried to call the unconscious part of their

minds. Drew objects in unrealistic ways

SURREALISM

Architects Move in New Directions

Architects refused to accept traditional building starts after the World War I. They started to find new ways to construct and design buildings, Highly decorated structures X Design reflects building’s function& use O

Frank Lloyd Wright: FUNCIONALISM: design reflects building’s function& use

Clean, low lines, open interiors that blend with surface

Composers Try New Styles

Composers shifted away from traditional music Igor Stravinsky used

irregular rhythms and harsh combinations (audience booed and walked out from the performance)

Arnold Schoenberg created 12-tone scale

From the U.S. New Orleans, Memphis,

Chicago; developed mostly by African Americans

“The lively loose beat of jazz seemed to capture the new freedom of the age.”(p.417)

Jazz

Society becomes more open

After the war people wanted more pleasure. All people had their own independent freedom. Women were not longer discriminated. Women could have careers now. They could wear more abandoned clothing, change their hair style, and wear make-up and many other things.

Technology changes Life

After World War l, the pace of new inventions quickened. During the War, scientists had to invent new medicines to help millions of people who fought in the war.

During the war they also needed better transportation and communication. This was also needed after the war. Example: Automobile. Air filled tires, powerful

engine, polished, sleek

This changed the lifestyle of many people. People traveled more for enjoyment. Because people traveled more often, motor hotels changed to vacation campgrounds. Airplane. After the war, airplanes improved fast. People

could perform aerial acrobatics. Charles Lindbergh made a flight from New York to Paris in 33 hours. People also could travel on airplanes.

Radio. Radios developed during the war. Soldiers needed to communicate with their side. The wireless communication was so great that they used it after the war too. Soon radio stations developed, that broadcasted sports, news, and plays. Many countries, especially the Europeans eagerly listened to radio broadcasts and in a little while most of the owned a radio.

Movies: Before World War l, motion pictures were created. After the war motion pictures got more broadly known. In Europe, the themes of most movies were political or psychological. Hollywood was a place where 90% of all films were produced. At this time the most popular silent movie star was Charlie Chaplin.

The advances of transportation and communication brought the world into a closer touch.

Charlie Chaplin

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