Impact of New Technology on European Culture Essay

Introduction

Mechanization is the process of changing from agrarian handicraft economy to one dominated by machine. The process started in Europe in the 18th century. It involves the use of iron and steel and the innovation of new machines that increased production. It also involves the development of the factory system, transport and communication. It started in Britain from 1760 to 1830 and then spread to Belgium and France.

Mechanization led to a major impact in cultures across Europe. In particular, it influenced the development of art and design. New technology in art and design started in the late 19th century. Although modern art and design developed in the late 19th century, contemporary paintings can be located earlier.

Impact of new technology in European culture

Modern art is identified as having started in 1863, in Europe. The thoughts that led to modern art can be traced back in 17th century. Modern art involves artistic works developed between 1860s and 1970s. It involves the styles and principles of art produced in this period. In 1789, the French revolution removed assumptions and institutions that had been accepted for centuries without questions.

This helped people to choose their styles of buildings and design of wallpaper. The people who started modern art were romantics, realists and impressionists. In the late 19th century, movements, which were influential in modern art, started to emerge¹. These were social and aesthetic movements that advocated for good design and craftsmanship.

This happened in the late 19th and early 20th century. In this period, there was increasing mechanization and mass production. The movements originated from Britain and were concerned with architecture and decorative arts. The movements advocated for the use of plain materials and surfaces which had a lasting influence on modern art.

Mechanization led to the development of graphic design, which is a visual representation of ideas. Graphic art and design are as a result of mechanization. This enabled cultures across Europe to communicate using conventional and inexpensive materials, which are easily transported. In 1922, a book designer developed a graphic design which enabled visual form to be printed.

Mechanization also led to development of languages which were adopted by cultures in Europe. Visual communication of ideas, and facts were developed in different areas from pictograms. The alphabets used today are based on the first alphabet developed by Phoenicians and then modified by Greeks and Romans. The alphabets led to development of languages used today, for example, Arabic, Greek, Russian and Roman.

Mechanization in France led to the development of new kinds of paintings in late 19th century. The painting resulted to new fashion that was culturally tied to the development of new visual languages for the 20th century².

Art Nouveau, which is an international style in decorative arts, reached many European countries, in the early years of 20th century. The movement was the horrors of mass production, and it was aiming to reintroduce the skills, and craftsmanship that was fading out. It rejected the order of a straight line and right angles and advocated for more natural movement.

It put emphasis on decorative patterns and flatness devoid of perspective. This movement is seen as the synthesis of European art. Some of its stylish revival was attributed to growth in nationalism. It arrived in Germany in 1896 with an exhibition of thirty five monumental embroideries at a Munich gallery. By the late 19th century, it had influenced all aspects of Munich’s artistic life.

This led to a demand of a new relationship between life and art. At the end of 19th century, new technology led, to the issue of modifying women’s dress. This became a fundamental element of feminist concern. In 1880s fashionable, tight lacings came under attack in progressive circles by criminals obstructing female movement. In 1890s, Britain’s dress reform was associated with socialism.

However, many historians had argued that dress reform was an issue of taste rather than politics. The new dressing styles implied a shift from earlier notion of clothing indicating class, and occupation to a more modern preoccupation with clothing as a means of identity.

Response of artists towards mechanization

Between 1909 and 1912, many artists in England and France, were abandoning naturalism to stylized abstractions. Many artists such as Vanessa bell and roger fry concerned with developing a pictorial language received from decorative arts with a new content associated with the formal lessons. Roger Fry displayed post impressionist exhibitions in London in order to attack the Philistine tastes of the middle class³.

Experiments in decorations were started by Bell and Grant which involved the introduction of geometric patterns derived from mosaic and tile work. The design of Clive Bells art in 1914 also developed an aesthetic in which design and color determined the content. The artists established the Omega workshops which helped them in designing and decorating fabrics, furniture, pottery and other items.

These were developed to challenge the Victorian differentiation between art and craft. The work of participating artists was believed to be privileged compared to other forms of labor.

The women who started fine arts established a relationship between class and modernity which had major implications. As technology improved these artists were able to design items such as curtains, bedspreads and boxes that were displayed at places like Daily Mall Ideal Exhibition⁴.

Most of these designs were developed from oil paintings. The distinction between bells paintings and decorations helps in the development of structure and lyrical and color harmonies that improve her figurative work. The dress design in Omega experiment was not successful.

Few dresses were sold this is because the design was too exotic to clients. Delaunay was another artist who developed designs as technology advanced. She worked with textiles and embroidery in 1906. She started designing book covers, posters, curtains, cushion covers and other items from home. In 1913, she started making simultaneous dresses in accordance with the current fashion.

The patterns of the dresses were designed to enhance the natural movement of the body⁵. The patterns also helped in establishing a shimmering movement of color. The principle of abstraction helped in defining modernity for a broad public.

In the year 1913, Italian futurists exploited the idea of clothing to signify revolutionary modernism. However, futurist attitudes towards feminism were compromised by the cult of virility. In the first decade of 20th century, Russian artists believed that, they can only be able to express key ideas through culture and traditions. Between 1914 and 1917, Russia was forced into cultural and intellectual isolation.

During this time, many artists who were living in other countries were forced to go back home⁶. The artists developed a new art for the people in preparation of political revolution. This involves searching for a new aesthetic language compatible with modern industrialization. As technology improved art developed, and painting was taught in Moscow.

Popova who, started painting in Moscow emphasized on color and texture⁷. By 1923, Delaunay’s fashions and textile designs were commercially produced. Avant-garde spectacles such as Dada performances helped break down the belief about clothing as a cover of the body. This was replaced by an image of the body as a fluid screen.

Delaunay’s designed male costumes although commercial developments were designed for women. Many architectural designs in Russia designed by artists remained theories due to lack of raw materials. By 1922, Moscow had large textile industries for manufacturing clothes. In 1923, there was an article which urged artists to address industrial problems.

Many artists responded through sending sketches to First state textile factory in Moscow⁸. Tatlin and Rodchenko established clothing designs, which were used in social functions.

Popova and Stepanova redesigned the clothes within the framework of the existing industry. In 1925 French and Russian design were combined together⁹. In the same year, exhibition of decorative and industrial arts was organized to combine art and commercial enterprise in decorative design.

There exist a relationship between an ideal fashion of cloth developed in 1920s and glamour which stress the modern woman and sexuality. This is a complex relationship as both are masked to profound economic and cultural changes. Kandinky was a great artist from Russia¹⁰.

He studied law and economics in the University of Moscow in Russia. He was brought up within a cultural heritage, which was partly European and partly Asian. The artist had an unusual interest in color as he contemplated Moscow architecture and its collections of icons.

He had lasting interest on nonrealistic styles of Russian folk paintings. By 19th century, he was a competent professional artist, in touch with new technology for art and design. He was influenced by impressionism and decorative effects of art Nouveau¹¹. He displayed his work with vanguard groups and non academic shows which had spread all over Europe. He was the founder of nonfigurative paintings.

He was an active member of avant-grade movement in Germany. He assisted in the establishment of new artists association in Germany. Later on he informally organized a rival group together with German painter Franz Marc. He became a professor of fine arts at the Moscow academy.

In 1919 Kandinky established the institute of artistic culture. He was appointed as the director of Moscow museum for pictorial culture. This enabled him to help in establishing 22 museums across the Soviet Union¹². He started the Russian academy of artistic sciences. He developed the general direction of geometric abstraction with a taste for detailed crowded pictorial space.

He analyzed the effects of abstract elements of drawing by interpreting a horizontal line. He developed visual languages, which turned into a collection of signs that looked like decipherable messages¹³. He influenced the developed of art in 20th century and his works are exhibited in other painters work. Paul Klee is another artist who made a major contribution to art and design.

He had a multifaceted artistic personality, which ranged from sensibility to theoretical lucidity¹⁴. He was a member of various avant grade movements. He became devoted to painting when he visited Italy and saw the work of Leonardo da Vinci. He was based in Munich where he made contacts with other artists about children’s drawings and non European cultures¹⁵.

He discovered the power rhythm and dynamism of contrasting colors. After the First World War, he combined figurative language with geometric forms in pictographic writing. He adopted abstracted style of cubists which is seen in a number of his drawings. He also developed the use of letters and other signs in his work¹⁶.

Reference List

Aynsley, Jeremy. Graphic design in Germany:1890-1945. California: Univesity of california Press, 2002.

Clegg, Elizabeth. Art,design and architecture in Central Europe. Yale: Yale University Press, 2006.

Crouch, Christopher. Modernism in art and design. London: St.Martin’s Press, 2007.

Drucker, Johanna. Graphic design history:a critical guide. Chicago: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2010.

Eskilson, Stephen. Graphic design:a new history. Yale: Yale Univesity Press, 2007.

Heller, Steven. Design literacy:understanding graphic design. Chicago: Chicago University Press, 2004.

Heller, Steven. Graphic design history. Chicago: Skyhorse, 2005.

Heller, Steven. Graphic style. Chicago: Harry Abrams, 2007.

Hollis, Richard. Avant-garde graphics 1918-1934. Michigan: Hayward Gallery, 2007.

Hollis, Richard. Graphic design:a concise history. New York: Thames & Hudson, 2001.

Hollis, Richard. Swiss graphic design. Yale: Yale University Press, 2006.

Mazur, Ellen. The origin of graphic design. Yale: Yale University Press, 2007.

Meggs, Phillip. A history of graphic design. Michigan: Van Nostrand, 2002.

Weill, Alain. Graphic design:a history. Chicago: Harry Abrams, 2004.

Weill, Alain. Graphics. New York: Thames , 2004.

Footnotes

¹ Elizabeth, Clegg. Art,design and architecture in Central Europe. Yale: Yale University Press, 2006.

² Richard, Hollis. Swiss graphic design. Yale: Yale University Press, 2006.

³ Steven, Heller. Graphic design history. Chicago: Skyhorse, 2005.

⁴ Johanna, Drucker. Graphic design history:a critical guide. Chicago: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2010.

⁵ Phillip, Meggs. A history of graphic design. Michigan: Van Nostrand, 2002.

⁶ Alain, Weill. Graphics. New York: Thames , 2004

⁷ IBID

⁸ Christopher, Crouch. Modernism in art and design. London: St.Martin’s Press, 2007.

⁹ Jeremy, Aynsley. Graphic design in Germany:1890-1945. California: Univesity of

california Press, 2002.

¹⁰ Richard, Hollis. Avant-garde graphics 1918-1934. Michigan: Hayward Gallery, 2007.

¹¹ Steven, Heller. Design literacy:understanding graphic design. Chicago: Chicago

University Press, 2004.

¹² Stephen, Eskilson. Graphic design:a new history. Yale: Yale Univesity Press, 2007.

¹³ Steven, Heller. Graphic style. Chicago: Harry Abrams, 2007.

¹⁴ Richard, Hollis. Graphic design:a concise history. New York: Thames & Hudson, 2001.

¹⁵ Alain, Weill. Graphic design:a history. Chicago: Harry Abrams, 2004

¹⁶ Ellen, Mazur. The origin of graphic design. Yale: Yale University Press, 2007.