Modern Art Movements and the Russian Revolution
Modernist Architecture
Modernist architecture, also known as Modernism, was an artistic style developed in reaction to industrial architecture, which Modernists found unattractive (1870-1914).
Characteristics:
- Architects designed all elements of their buildings, including furniture.
- Modernism was unified by natural forms, with curved lines and motifs such as leaves and flowers.
- Modernism spread all over Europe.
In Spain, the most important Modernist architect was Gaudí. Examples include Casa Batlló, Casa Milà, and the Sagrada Família.
Impressionism and Post-Impressionism
Impressionism (1870-1900) was a style of painting often considered the beginning of modern art because the artists rejected classical models (such as perspective). It was created by Monet with his work “Impression, Sunrise”.
Characteristics:
- Artists tried to create an impression in the minds of people who saw their work.
- They were interested in light.
- They usually worked outside to take advantage of natural light.
- Paint was applied in thick layers.
- Topics included scenes of everyday life (people dancing or walking) and landscapes.
Artists: Manet, Renoir, Degas, and in Spain, Sorolla.
Post-Impressionism Artists: Van Gogh (“Starry Night”), Gauguin (“Tahitian Women”), Cézanne (“Cubism”).
Art and the Avant-Garde
Between 1905 and 1945, European artists were influenced by the avant-garde movement. It included a variety of artistic styles, such as Cubism, Expressionism, and Dadaism.
Cubism
Characteristics of Cubism:
- First appeared in France, especially as a style of painting.
- Did not require the faithful representation of reality.
- Emphasized ideas and concepts.
Important Cubist painters: Picasso and Braque.
Techniques:
- Cubists were represented by collections of shapes and objects, rather than realistic depictions.
- Figures were represented with simple geometric shapes, such as cubes, cylinders, or spheres.
- Paintings had defined areas of color called facets and included new techniques, such as collage.
- The first open works of sculpture were created, and this was the first time that holes and open spaces were considered to have artistic value.
Expressionism
Characteristics:
- First emerged in Germany.
- It was a cultural movement that included art, literature, theater, and cinema.
- Expressionists emphasized the depiction of emotions, such as disappointment or suffering during the war.
Example: “The Scream” by Munch.
Techniques:
- Characterized by the use of simple but dramatic techniques, powerful colors, and bold, dynamic images.
- Emotions were often expressed through deformed faces, hands, and other body parts.
Dadaism
Characteristics:
- Dadaism was a European artistic movement that included both painting and photography.
- It was inspired by people’s experiences of the First World War.
- Dadaists wanted to provoke people by rebelling against established models of artistic expression.
Techniques: Some Dadaist sculptors, such as Duchamp, used miscellaneous objects to create their art.
The Revolutions of February and October 1917
The Russian Revolution began in February 1917, when protests involving peasants, workers, and soldiers forced Nicholas II to abdicate. At first, the Mensheviks formed a provisional government. The provisional government declared Russia a republic and made political parties legal. However, Lenin’s Bolsheviks opposed the Mensheviks and established an alternative government based on the Soviets.
In October 1917, there was another revolution. The Bolsheviks seized control of the government, and Lenin became the new leader of Russia. One of his first actions was to sign the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk with the German Empire in March 1918. This allowed Russia to withdraw from an unpopular war, but in return, the Bolsheviks agreed to give large amounts of land and resources to Germany.
After taking power, the Bolsheviks began persecuting their opponents. In July 1918, they killed the Tsar and his family. In response to these events, a civil war broke out between the White Russians, who were counter-revolutionaries, and the Bolshevik forces, known as the Red Army. The Red Army eventually won the civil war.
In 1922, Lenin established the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, commonly known as the USSR or Soviet Union. He also approved a new constitution based on Communist principles. In the USSR, Karl Marx’s idea of the dictatorship of the proletariat was put into practice through a system in which workers’ interests were represented by one political party, the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU). The party also controlled the Soviets, which directed all state institutions.