Philosophy & Arts Philosophy & Arts of the of the

1919thth Century CenturyThinking, Thinking about Thinking, Thinking, Thinking about Thinking,

and Reacting to Thinkingand Reacting to Thinking

I. Its All Their Fault

A. Darwin

B. Einstein

C. Freud

II. Nietzsche & “Will to Power”

A.Human motivation is desire for…

Concludes a new moral code is evolving

Judeo-Christian morality was NOT…

Tradition is OUT

B. Will to Power “Superman” Individual that can assert power over himself; man of passion with the courage to follow his instinct. “Eat from the tree of knowledge and be PROUD.”

C. Immoralism “When man no longer regards himself as evil he ceases to be so.”

“God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him”

Parable of the Madman

D. Nihilism Old truths have lost their validity: believe in NOTHING (Nietzsche DIDN’T buy this- felt his system was above nihilism )

III. ExistentialismIII. Existentialism A. Existentialists considered only ONE issueA. Existentialists considered only ONE issue

B. SB. Sǿǿren Kierkegaard ren Kierkegaard

1. rejected Hegel’s idea the philosophy is a 1. rejected Hegel’s idea the philosophy is a sciencescience

2.There are NO universal truths 2.There are NO universal truths

C. Jean-Paul Sartre C. Jean-Paul Sartre Must use free will to make Must use free will to make own choices…own choices…

“ “terrifying freedom” terrifying freedom” live without knowing if your live without knowing if your choice…choice…

D. Christian Existentialists D. Christian Existentialists

IV. ModernismIV. Modernism BIG movement of art and literature BIG movement of art and literature Writers and artists rebelling Writers and artists rebelling

against…against…

A. Naturalism A. Naturalism replicating a believable, replicating a believable,

everyday reality everyday reality

1. Henrik Ibsen1. Henrik Ibsen A Doll’s HouseA Doll’s House

Picked apart the façade of Picked apart the façade of Victorian life and showed…Victorian life and showed…

2. . Emile Zola

a. Subjects were real- STARK reality: Urban slums, coalfields, alcoholism

b. he was “a moment of the human conscience”

c. Germinal (1885)

d. Other works: The Earth (land & peasants); The Drunkard (alcoholism); The Debacle (trauma of war)

e. J’accuse about the Dreyfus Affair

B. RealismB. Realism

One form of modernism painting One form of modernism painting

Showing the harsh reality of everyday life

C. Impressionism C. Impressionism 1. Leave the studio 1. Leave the studio go outside and depict nature go outside and depict nature

as never before; new oil paints and portable easel make this possible as never before; new oil paints and portable easel make this possible

2. Depict the world…2. Depict the world… ““Painters were interested in the Painters were interested in the

experience of the natural world and in experience of the natural world and in rendering it exactly as it is seen- rendering it exactly as it is seen- not not fixed fixed and frozen with an absolute perspective, and frozen with an absolute perspective, but rather as constantly changing and as but rather as constantly changing and as it is glimpsed by a moving eye.”it is glimpsed by a moving eye.”

Impression, Sunrise (Impression, soleil levant)

Manet- 1st Impressionist

Olympia

Water LiliesWater LiliesMonetMonet

1 2

3

Renoir

D. Post-Impressionism D. Post-Impressionism 1. Rejected the impressionists limits1. Rejected the impressionists limits

But NOT a… But NOT a… 2. Less…2. Less… more…more…

Distort form and colorDistort form and color 2. Vincent Van Gogh 2. Vincent Van Gogh

Starry Night

3. Paul Cezanne Still Life With Skull

Believed there was NO true, single perspective. He painted the same still lives from different perspectives, undermining one “true” perspective.BUT wanted to restore order and structure to art.

E. Pointilism Use of tiny dots of color to create the impression of a

single, unified whole

Georges SeuretLe Pont

de Courbevoie

Sunday on the Island of La Grand Sunday on the Island of La Grand

JatteJatte

V. Other Mediums V. Other Mediums

A. PhotographyA. Photography 1. Photography 1. Photography

combined combined technology and technology and realistic artrealistic art

2. Realism art style 2. Realism art style an effort…an effort…

3. While others…3. While others…

The ten-storey Home Insurance Building in Chicago, built in 1884–1885

B. Architecture1. Steel freed architects from limits2. 1st skyscraper in Chicago

Sullivan's Wainwright Building in St. Louis, 1891

Concerns about aesthetics and fire safety hampered the development of skyscrapers across continental Europe for the first half of the twentieth century

C. Ballets Russes VIVACIOUS

1. Stravinsky

The Rites of Spring

2. Made ballet a global phenomena

Wild, jarring tones; dance was a combination of ballet and non-ballet- very physical and non-traditional. It was MEANT to be startling.

When first shown in Paris, it caused a RIOT. Fights broke out in the box seats of the Opera House.

Freed ballet from it constraints and reawakened the art form

The End!!The End!!

……or is it just a beginning???or is it just a beginning???