I.               The New Physics

A.     Newtonian Physics

1.     From the time of Isaac Newton to the early twentieth century, physical scientists believed that unchanging natural laws governed the universe.

2.     This mechanistic view of nature supported an optimistic belief in progress toward what one researcher called “a boundless future.”

B.     Albert Einstein (1879-1955)

1.     Theories

a.     Einstein proposed his special theory of relativity in 1905. He challenged traditional conceptions of time, space, and motion.

b.     His famous equation E=mc2 (energy = mass x the square of the speed of light) declared that mass and energy are interchangeable. This laid the foundation for the development of nuclear power.

2.     Implications

a.     Instead of living in a rational world with few uncertainties, humans lived in a new universe with few uncertainties. Everything was “relative” or dependent on the observer’s frame of reference.

b.     It is important to note that Einstein’s theories did not immediately affect the average person’s outlook on life. However, intellectuals and popular writers realized that by pulling the rug out from under perceived reality, the new physics contributed to the uncertainties of the postwar (WWI) world.

II.             Modern Art

A.     Modernity

1.     New inventions such as the camera and the cinema posed a challenge to how artists traditionally portrayed people and places.

2.     Artists responded with a variety of “modern” styles that marked a break with long-standing artistic traditions.

B.     Impressionism

1.     Key Characteristics

a.     Captured a moment in time, a slice of life

b.     Interested in the fleeting effects of light on color

c.      Depicted leisure activities of the Parisian bourgeoisie

2.     Key Artists and Works

a.     Claude Monet, Impression Sunrise, Gare St.-Lazare

b.     Pierre-Aususte Renoir, Le Bal au Moulin de la Galette, Luncheon of the Boating Party

C.     Cubism

1.     Key Characteristics

a.     Presented multiple views of the same object

b.     Fragmented forms into flat, jagged shapes

c.      Portrayed flat, two-dimensional space without traditional linear perspective.

2.     Key Artists and Works

a.     Pablo Picasso, Les Demoiselles d’Avignon, Guerrica

b.     Georges Braque, Violin and Candelstick

D.    Making Comparisons: Raphael and Picasso

1.     Raphael’s School of Athens

a.     Demonstrates the humanist interest in Greek and Roman philosophy

b.     Utilizes the Renaissance artistic techniques of idealized human portraits and linear perspective

c.      Exhibits harmony, proportion, and balance

d.     Painted for Pope Julius II, illustrating the importance of church patronage

2.     Picasso’s Les Demoiselles d’Avignon

a.     Demonstrates the modernist interest in the ugly underside of real life by depicting five prostitutes inside a brothel

b.     Utilizes the Cubist artistic techniques of flat forms, fragmented space, and multiple views of the same person

c.      Exhibits a lack of harmony and proportion

d.     Painted for a limited group of artists, dealers, and critics.