Early Modern Blog Post

    The Early Modern age brought upheaval and turmoil into the world on a level that had never been seen before. The first world war, lasting four devastating years from 1914 to 1918, saw a loss of over 16 million military deaths. Even worse were the civilian casualties, which tragically number at an estimated 37 million. To put that number in perspective, that's as if the entire population of modern day New York City was wiped out--eight times over. 

    This type of absolute carnage, pain, and suffering had never been seen in the world before, and delivered a fatal blow to the optimism of the Romantic period. Gone was the hopeful attitude of the Impressionists, instead replaced with the stark horror and emptiness brought by the reality of death. Faith in the goodness and nobility of humanity was quickly failing, as well as a belief in the importance of human life. After all, how important could life be if it was so quickly and carelessly discarded on the battlefield? 

    For four long years, humanity screamed in silent agony as everything they knew and trusted collapsed around them in flaming shambles. Soldiers and civilians alike living in the Early Modern age were forced to watch as millions of human lives were callously snuffed out. Even survivors who did return home carried with them the heavy burden of the horrors they had been forced to endure, as well as physical damage. No one escaped the war unscathed.

    It is hard to have faith in anything when the world is on fire, and you and everything you love are burning with it. 

    The world would recover from the war, but it would never be the same. The art world was impacted along with everything else as people began to question history, tradition, and even the very definition of art. The Early modern age saw the rise of pioneering styles such as abstraction, surrealism, cubism, and expressionism, which threw all tradition and commonly held ideas of style and aesthetics out the window. ("Art Forever Changed By World War I")

    The hopelessness and a sense of meaninglessness in life brought by the war often bled through into the art of that time period. One of the works that best exemplifies this sentiment is The Nighthawks, by Edward Hopper. 

    This painting was completed in 1942 and is oil on canvas. It measures 33 x 60 inches. The painting shows a mostly empty diner at night that illuminates a deserted street. Three people sit at the bar, seemingly in silence and staring off into space. The sterile appearance of the diner, the lack of a door, and the glass enclosing the people makes it feel more like an aquarium than a pleasant place to sit. The people inside seem to be aware of the fact that they're on display, and have defensive postures. The entire work radiates a sense of loneliness, emptiness, and a lack of hope. This work captures the sense of isolation felt by many after the war was over. (Hopper)

    Another famous modern painting that demonstrates how the war effected art is Pablo Picasso's Guernica, said by some to be the most powerful antiwar painting ever. 

    This oil on canvas work was completed in 1937 and is 137 x 305 inches. Though Picasso's cubist style makes it difficult to understand what is happening, the chaos and pain depicted is clear. A woman weeps over her dead child, a dismembered soldier lies on the floor, a horse and bull rear their heads in fear or pain, and a woman staggers by the door, engulfed in flames. The cubist style makes the confusion and emotionality of the work even more potent, enhancing the fear and chaos. ("Pablo Picasso (Pablo Ruiz Picasso) - Guernica")

    Modern artists frequently played on ideas of depression, isolation, and life's meaninglessness. Seldom is this better illustrated than in Edvard Munch's painting, The Scream. 

    Painted in 1893, this work is 36 x 29 inches, and is oil, tempera, pastel, and crayon on cardboard. It shows a sexless, deindividuated, humanoid figure standing on a bridge at sunset, holding its face, and screaming while staring with wide eyes into the distance. The swirling colors, lack of detail, and emphasis on flowing curves lead to the sense that the figure isn't really a person at all, but rather an embodiment of the sense of horror that dominated the age. ("Edvard Munch, The Scream – Smarthistory")

    Personally, I do not like any of the paintings I chose to talk about. While I do greatly appreciate the talent and skill involved in creating such a work, I find Early Modern style to be somewhat depressing. I would love seeing any of these works in a museum, but I find their isolating nature to be something I wouldn't want in my house. 

    As you can see, the Early Modern Period was a time when artists forsook their previously held ideals and beliefs in favor of a more stark view on life. Optimism seemed foolish and naïve in the face of the reality of death that marked that time. However, many innovative never-before-seen art styles came out of that dark time, which is something to be happy for. 

References:

"Edvard Munch, The Scream – Smarthistory". Smarthistory.Org, 2021, https://smarthistory.org/munch-the-scream/.

Hopper, Edward. "Nighthawks | The Art Institute Of Chicago". The Art Institute Of Chicago, 2021, https://www.artic.edu/artworks/111628/nighthawks.

"Pablo Picasso (Pablo Ruiz Picasso) - Guernica". Museoreinasofia.Es, 2021, https://www.museoreinasofia.es/en/collection/artwork/guernica.

"Art Forever Changed By World War I". Los Angeles Times, 2021, https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/la-xpm-2012-jul-21-la-et-cm-world-war-art-20120722-story.html.