Introduction
It is certain that art is always a reflection of the time period in which it was manifested or expressed. The relevance may correlate with the social, economic, political, or cultural aspects of the said period. From the standpoint of modern times, it is evident that one of the most significant global changes was the fast progression of technology and the influence of media. Technology has shaped how people work, live, interact, and receive information, and media has become more available, hence, more crucial. Thus, modern art and technology went hand in hand, which is most evident in the new approach to visual art during the postwar era as well as the transmission of new media forms. As a result, the newly acquired ways of distribution have affected social and geopolitical relationships. They have resulted in new perspectives on different nations, the concept of colonization, and the notion of individuality and traditionalism.
Art and New Technologies
As mentioned prior, art has been affected by the growing influence of technological advancements between the mid-19th century and the 1970s. The effect was not only evident through the change in the visual imagery but also in the way in which the time was expressed and the technique in which art was performed. An example that exemplifies both art and day-to-day life is clothing and fashion in general. Fashion is yet another art form that allowed for the expression of both the social overview of the modern period as well as the technological advancements that facilitated new textile techniques and methods of creation of clothing pieces. Thus, the postwar era has seen a significant shift in terms of the methods, fabrics, and weaving methods due to the newly available technology, as illustrated by Anni Albers in the essay Constructing Textiles (1946). While the traditional patterns have remained the same, the craftsmen were able to finish a piece faster and became more flexible when it came to the fibers and the techniques used for the clothing items. This is a representation of the modern era in art as one that is manifested through experimentation. Thus, modern art is about a new and fresh way of expression that distanced itself from traditionalism, which, in part, was affected by technology and media.
Visual Art
Visual art is, perhaps, the branch that was most influenced by technology due to the multiple new opportunities that occurred once new ways of expressing reality and abstract emotions have appeared. Artists were able to share their throughs, feelings, and aspects of the modern era through visual techniques that had not been widely available before. While the ways in which the images were captured have changed, it is also essential to mention that distribution and transmission have also altered. As a result, certain art forms were available in multiple places all over the world, facilitating a slight shift in geopolitical and social relationships.
An example is a photography depicting different people and places that westerners have either limited knowledge about or false ideas about the said aspects. Thus, Seydou Keïta’s images depicting the people of Mali have become a global sensation and allowed people from different countries to learn more about the other yet similar people of the former West African colony of France (Diawara 1998). The photographer has managed to depict the changes in the traditional ways of life yet capture the old ways that have remained unchanged despite the colonization. Moreover, the western world has seen the people of Mali as unique and beautiful, which has also facilitated a new interpretation of countries generally associated solely with traditionalism and a lack of change. The example depicts a change in geopolitical relationships since a country that has previously been associated with colonization, poverty, and remoteness from the western world was seen from a new perspective. Thus, art facilitated a change in the portrayal of real people and places, as well as the capture of the modern influence on every area of the world.
A similar influence has been achieved with cinematography, more specifically, an ideological change in the art form. Thus, while cinematography around the world regressed to a more ideological weapon with a certain agenda or either illustrating the victorious glory of a party or the evil of the enemy, the film industry became a more liberty-related art form. Liberation, as expressed in the essay “Towards a Third Cinema: Notes and Experiences for the Development of a Cinema of Liberation in the Third World,” written by Fernando Solanas and Octavio Getino, has facilitated authentic movies (1970). The film industry has shifted towards a more unique and national industry. Thus, Argentinian, French, Bolivian, and other filmmakers were digressing from Hollywood approaches to something that was more authentic for their public. This has also been successful in terms of shaping views of different countries from an art perspective due to film distribution. Audiences from all over the world were able to see a unique product and understand the film industry by seeing a film intended to illustrate a world viewed with the eyes of a person from a different social, ethnic, and economic background.
Conclusion
It is certain that modern art has changed during the postwar era due to the fast development of technology and media, as exemplified both in visual forms and other branches such as fashion and general art distribution. As a result, it became more globally available and has contributed to a more appropriate geopolitical alliance due to the ability of information sharing and acknowledgment of differences between various countries and nationalities. Art, including photography and film, became a form of liberation and freedom of expression. As technology and media became more crucial, more people were able to engage in creating, contemplating, or familiarising themselves with art.
References
Albers, Anni. 1946. “Constructing Textiles.” Design 47 (8): 21–26. doi:10.1080/00119253.1946.10742495.
Diawara, Manthia. 1998. “Keïta, Seydou.” Artforum International, 1–13.
Solanas, Fernando, and Octavio Getino. 1970. “Towards a Third Cinema: Notes and Experiences for the Development of a Cinema of Liberation in the Third World.” Black Camera 13 (1): 379–401. doi:10.2979/blackcamera.13.1.0378.