Not-yet-edited notes on....

20th Century Art, Music, Literature

Intro.

          I've said that one of the best ways to understand a society is
     to look at the art, music, literature it produces. Baroque style
     of 17th century/Rococco an Neo-Classical Art of 18th,
     Romantic and Realistic styles of 19th century certainly
     reflection of those ages. 20th century artistic styles likewise
     tell you a lot about our particular century. Problem is--
     dozens of styles. Nevertheless, regardless of style--three major
     trends much of 20th century art has in common.

Trends:

Less and less accessible to average person
Glorify art itself
Undercut traditional standards and values

Music:

As an example, consider the development of atonal music in 20th century.

          Before the 20th century, serious music, even the music of the
     greatest composers, was pretty easy for the average person to
     understand and enjoy. Reason: followed common and easily
     understood patterns. (I, IV, V, V7, I). 20th century, however, many
     of the most important composers began to move away from
     these patterns toward what is called atonal music. Music
     without tones? No--but music without a home key. There is a
     pattern: 12 tones. But the pattern is not at all easy to
     recognize. One must have exceptionally good ear, special
     training. Obviously less accessible--how many listen to music
     of Arnold Shoenberg? Also clear tendency to glorify art
     itself: what were asked to admire here is the creativity of the
     composer. Also clear, tendency to undercut traditional
     standards and values--traditional idea: music should have
     pretty melodies, beautiful harmonies. Not so with atonal
     music.

Other forms of 20th century music even more extreme, e.g. aleatoric music. Aleatoric music is music produced by chance, random collections of sounds.

    Stravinsky:
        Rite of Spring ("raw sound freed from melody and harmony")
    Cage:
         random, computer generated music: clearly violating
        traditional idea that music should follow pattern.
         Challenge to virtually all traditional ideas of what music
         should be. One of Cage's compositions (4:37) the composer sits
         down at the piano--and does nothing for 4:37!!!

Very similar things happening in the other arts.

Painting and sculpture

Cubism (Picasso/Duchamp)
Abstract Expressionism
          No recognizable objects. Instead, all interested in is
     color, line, composition, the artists feelings. Not
     accessible to average person. (Kruschev: look like little
     boy had done his business on canvas and spread it
     around when his mother wasn't watching.)
Dada
          Even greater challenge to traditional standards, Dada.
     Deliberate attempt to eliminate all previous artistic
     standards (portrait of Renoir, Cezanne: stuffed monkey!)
     Mustache and beard on the Mona Lisa. "A great work of
     destruction to be done." Great tool of destruction:
     humor. (More Duchamp)
Pop Art
          Another typical 20th century style: Pop Art. Here, hard to
     tell exactly what's going on, attitude toward popular
     culture. Embraced? Or made fun of?

Surrealism
In some ways, best example of trends I talk about. Surrealism a style, not just of painting, but of music and
literature as well.

          1. Challenge to traditional standards clear. What
          the rest of us regard as reality isn't truly reality--
          subconcious must be reflected. Result is what most
          of us would consider a distortion of reality--but
          surrealists regard as true reality. Automatism,
          accident rather than logical control. Also,
          emphasis on things rest of us would find
          disturbing in the extreme--and saying these things
          are good! Elevation of imagination to extreme
          importance. "Only the marvelous is beautiful."

          In all these arts, there is a deliberate attempt to shock the
     aesthetic sense, to produce something that will challenge
     existing standards. In fact, in much modern art, the only
     value in a piece is its shock value--and the more shocking, the
     more likely the art world is to regard a work as important.
     Maplethorpe: pictures of homosexual men. Serrano: Piss---.
     Exhibit that requires walking on American flags. This kind of
     thing rare or non-existent in earlier art--which tended to
     reinforce religion, patriotism, traditional standards. Only in
     20th century would such things be regarded as art.

Literature:

          20th century literature, too, reflects the trends I mention
     above. Seen in virtually every genre--poetry, plays, short
     stories, novels--

Poetry:

Earlier ages, poetry most accessible of literary genres. Very
popular! Natural attraction of rhyme, meter--memorable. 20th
century, however, poetry no longer nearly as accessible.

T.S Eliot