Modernity: Social History, Art And Design

The changing of time was reflected in social facts. Modern Art and Modern Design, generally emerged around 20tb century, still followed this rule. Since Modern Art and Design being seen as a changing social fact, the social history in which Modern Art and Design were born could be a very possible perspective under which they were going to be reviewed.Western history began with Ancient Greece. It went through the Ancient Greece, Rome and Middle Age before standing in the path toward modern age. The westerners have eventually seen the harvest from history, as Rationalism and Christianity were highlighted among them. However, only the dramatical social change before 20th century had built an essential background for the beginning of Modern Art and Design.Western world had been totally modernised at the beginning of 1900s. If we tried to retrace the root of this social development, the economical change occured even before the Renaissance would be focused firstly. With the thriving of business and continuously arising of new city, Capitalism grow up rapidly since then. The overseas exploratior since 15th century and the industrial revolution in 18th century, as an important catalyst, drived the Capitalised western world go forward. A remarkable economist, Adam Smith, expatiated the potential power of new economy in his theory. The movement of Enlightement, generally centralised in France but its influence overspreaded in Europe, spoke out the new values by its spokesmen, known as Montesquieu, Voltaire and Rousseau, etc. Changing led to a influential political revolution and new political system was built gradually. Then, a visible western modern society erected in front of us.The coming of Modern Art and Design followed this change closely and different historical factors gived a different impact on them. We saw easily the Freud's affect to Surrealism, however, Muthesius' proposition revealed the trend of mass production. But both Modern Art and Design still played the key roles whose responsibility just to deal with the relation between human and the world surrounded them. The only different was, Modern art took care more of our spiritual life, while Modem Design have to face the real world any time. At all events, a particular Zeitgeist has been embedded on them, it is a Zeitgeist which cannot be copied easily.The hypothesis of this thesis was brought out as the logical relation between social history and Modern Art or Design. At first the development of western world in recent centuries was concerned. Then, it is possible for us to analyse how Modern Art and Design responsed actively to social change, and to give a reasonable explanation for their coming.