CHUMS 3331 The Shock of the New: Industrialization, Imperialism, Art
At the turn of the twentieth century the societies of Europe and its colonies were transformed by rapid industrialization, imperial expansion, and xenophobic nationalism. This was an era of political upheaval, revolutionary technology, colonial violence, and psychological anxiety. These shocking new changes gave rise to many movements which sought to use art to reshape society, politics, and everyday life. These artists were searching for a more holistic and authentic connection to nature, themselves, and others in the face of unsettling changes. Through history, literature, visual art, and other cultural artifacts we will examine how artists and intellectuals interrogated and reimagined their relationship with western civilization, technology, and the natural world at the end of the 1800s and beginning of the 1900s.
Prerequisite
CLITR 1100