Modern Art and Ideas, Unit 4: 1914–1928

Setting the Scene

Scientific Discovery: Airplanes to Einstein

By the turn of the twentieth century, inventions such as the motion picture, the automobile, electricity, the telephone, and the airplane had already had a profound impact on how artists perceived and represented the world.

  • Ask your students to reflect on the experience of looking out of the window of a moving car, train, bus, or airplane. Ask them to describe what the world looks like from the vantage point of these different types of transportation.
  • Organize your students into small groups of two or more, and ask them to consider an everyday technological invention such as the radio, television, microwave, computer, CD player, digital camera, or iPod. Ask them to reflect on the object’s function and how it affects their life.
 
Go to Lesson 1: New Visions of the World →

Grove Art Online: Suggested Reading

Below is a selected article which provides more information on the specific topics discussed in this lesson.