The Beautiful Age in Art, Literature, and Music

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Art

In the painting Impression Sunrise (1872-1873), Claude Monet managed to convey the unity of the sea surface with the sky and the rising sun with extraordinary accuracy (Monet). The glare of the rays on the surface of the water appears to the audience as if alive. Claude Monet expressed all this with a stunning combination of shades. It is worth noting that this picture reflects various details of industrialization. Thus, the principles of realism developed by the artist became a combination of the principles of science and musicality (Monet). The reflection of reality in such an approach allows viewers to feel peace, which was difficult to capture in a rapidly developing environment.

The painting does not abound in many colors, and the play of light is depicted in rather dark tones, perfectly conveying the vastness of the sea and the infinity of the sky reflected in the sea. The bright disk of the sun, reflecting in the water like a path, attracts attention. Thus, it should be noted that this picture is associated with a positive image of the Beautiful Age. On the other hand, the appearance of impressionism may be due to the desire to reflect the era in its negative aspect. This is due to new forms that seek to hide reality rather than express it in detail.

Literature

The main motives of Chekhovs dramaturgy can be considered the motif of time, expressing the course of life, although the characters almost always live not in their own time: either in the sense of the past or in anticipation of the future. Anton Chekhov portrayed the Russian aristocracy approaching the end of its existence at the turn of the century in decline and disappointment (Chekhov). It is worth noting that this aspect is also reflected in The Lady With the Dog. The idea of the story is to show how the fear of public condemnation can constrain human feelings and become an obstacle on the way to happiness (Chekhov 13).

Moral reflection thus acts as a natural human reaction to the introduction to the life of the natural world, which has an indisputable priority and sets an objective scale for self-assessment. In his work, Chekhov summed up the past and discovered the anti-humanity of the old system of society and the futility of searching for a way out within it. This helped advance political thought in building a new system.

Music

The negative aspect of this era is emphasized in music through the transition to various new techniques. One of them is Atonality and Serialism, which were developed by composer Arnold Schoenberg. A similar approach is observed in his work Der Mondfleck (Schoenberg). Extremely sharpened expressive means create the impression of a continuous increase in tension. The speech freedom of melodic utterance is emphasized by deliberately uneven rhythmics and constant tempo changes. The revolution carried out by Schoenberg in the field of musical writing had a significant impact on the evolution of modern music.

The transition to such art forms is conditioned by the desire to express internal confrontation and uncertainty about the era. However, on the other hand, new forms of expression become the impetus of art, which emphasizes the industrial spirit of the Beautiful Age. Thus, Chekhovs works seek to put humanity in the first place by elevating it above progress.

Works Cited

Chekhov, Anton.  The Lady with the Dog. HUM203-OL08B.Fa2022: Chapter 18  Literature, Thomas University. Class Handout.

Chekhov, Anton. The Lady With the Dog. HUM203-OL08B.Fa2022, Thomas University. Class Handout.

Monet, Claude.  Impression Sunrise. HUM203-OL08B.Fa2022: Chapter 18  Art, Thomas University. Class Handout.

Schoenberg, Arnold. Der Mondfleck. HUM203-OL08B.Fa2022: Chapter 18  Music, Thomas University. Class Handout.

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