Trends in Art, Music and Literature from1870 to present

“In this world of change,

nothing which comes stays,

and nothing which goes is lost.”

- Anne Sophie Swetchine

All in all, there are many works of arts such as art, music and literature as there are likewise many artists worldwide. Some are successful with their endeavor and some were a complete failure. Some were popular and world-renowned while others were not. Some were professionals while others amateur. It takes complete effort to become an artist and it takes arts appreciation and talent to become one.

The development of arts may it be art, music, or literature has had a more or less interesting history considering that it has continuously understood to be goes hand in hand with the development of mankind. Mysterious art forms which can entertain and teach us are continuously flow with the hands of time. Even those who believed that they are of the lowliest in the status quo will be able to comprehend and enjoy the presentations that are offered to them. Its evolution is likened to peeling of an onion’s layers which, in order to rightfully understand the importance of each part, must be taken away. Arts such as visual art, music, and literature are a manifestation of the history of people, culture, and other aspect of human life. As the world develops, there are trends that emerge as outstanding features of arts – may it be in art, music, or literature.

The trends in arts reflect the society. To recognize the distinct relationship between art and the way societies are structured, it is the artists who articulate the necessary myths that embody our experience of life and provide parameters for ethics and values (Bogart, 2001). Each of us is an artist as well as producer in one and we must take concern to the one that does not overwhelm the other. Artists are individuals who are willing to articulate in the face of instability and transformation (Bogart, 2001). Basically, the successful artist finds new shapes for our present ambiguities and uncertainties. Through arts, people are able to portray the incidences, feelings, thoughts, and other aspects of humanity.

In these contemporary times, the new mythologies of arts always include ideas, cultures and people who are formerly excluded from the previous mythologies. National and international cultures as well as artistic communities are currently undergoing gigantic shifts in traditions of arts (Bogart, 2001). In line, technological and corporate revolutions have already changed the way people communicate, interact, live; make art; and articulate values and ethics (Wilson and Goldfarb, 2001). The myths of the last century are now insufficient to encompass these new experiences. People are living in the space between traditions. It is a very creative moment, overflowing with possibilities of new social structures, alternate paradigms and for the inclusion of disparate cultural influences. And so to succeed in this fast-changing world, it requires action, speed, decisiveness and hard work. So, the history of arts in connection to humanity is the history of inclusion (Bogart, 2001).

The development of language is another trend in art, music, and literature. The various arts in the history expose the evolution of language as well as the adaptation or incorporation of such languages to countries worldwide. Other trends in arts include the importance of emotion and realism. While many people are very much inclined in recognizing the human side, arts served as an avenue to express what lies beyond the imagination, mind, and heart of an individual. Traditions, on the other hand, bind us from the past. They are in the forms of a custom or practice taught by one generation to another. Many traditions are invented for several varied reasons. Some people consider it as part of their culture and some utilize it to highlight or enhance the importance of a certain institution, practice or belief. Traditions are often presumed to be old age, unchangeable, and deeply significant but with the emergence of cultural evolution and development, it is now less “natural” in nature. Today, everything changes – people, places, and circumstances go along with the radical transformation of the world. Through such trends in art, music, and literature, people are able to keep some of the most treasured elements of the past.

As the world and its people constantly evolve, modernism came into existence. The emergence of this trend of thought affirms the power of people to make, improve and reshape their environment, with the aid of scientific knowledge, technology and practical experimentation (Weston, 2001, p. 5). To Grifin (1994, p. 3), it means different things and covers different periods in diverse subject areas. The modernization process brought about by globalization and international cooperation speeds up the development of human race. More often than not, modernism is viewed as something directed for the improvement of human life.

The development of the various technologies that affect human communication paved way to the conception of innovative and avant-garde presentations that caters to the taste of contemporary population (Schultz 2000). The emergence of new media and the role of media in general (Rothman 1992) is another important trend in art, music, and literature. People are now more knowledgeable, adventurous, and liberal in dealing with the information presented by the various forms of media in their immediate environment. With this, selection of what to assimilate, see, or hear is out of control. Political and economic ideologies as well as practices of cultures were shared through the leveling down of borders and the interaction of people. The popularization of the television and computers has given rise to a more intense experience for a lot of people via news broadcasts, movies and television shows. Communication was also made easy by the internationalization of telephone and mobile phone connections.

Meanwhile, globalization is currently the catchphrase for the perils and promises facing humanity in the 21st century (Giddens, 1999; Gilpin, 2000; Held and McGrew, 2000; Nye and Donahue, 2000; De Soyza, 2003). It is a social change specifically an increase in connections among societies and their elements due to, among others, the explosive evolution of transport and communication technologies. Globalization is another trend in arts. Truly, the outbreak of information technology – its potentialities and advantages affected much of the ways of living at this present century. In terms of trends in art, music, and literature, it changed the traditional medium of print into sophisticated and electronically processed transfer of information. The trends in art, music, and literature are relative to the history of human life. It is very much imperative to recognized the fact that the content of art, music, and literature are reflections of human life.

All in all, the identified trends are important because they comprise the overall stature, form, appearance, or sound, of art, music, and literature. Without such, art, music, and literature are not what we perceive, listen, or read and appreciate today. They are completely different. The identification of these trends leads us to the recognition of human history, how people artistically interpret their daily experiences, thoughts, and other elements of their humanness.

References

Bogart, A. (2001). A Director Prepares: Seven Essays on Art and Theatre. London: Routledge, pp.2-5.

De Soysa, I. (2003). Foreign Direct Investment, Democracy, and Development: Assessing Contours, Correlates, and Concomitants of Globalization. New York: Routledge.

Giddens, A. (1999). Runaway World: How Globalization Is Reshaping our Lives. London: Profile Books.

Gilpin, R. (2000). The Challenge of Global Capitalism: The World Economy in the

21st Century. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

Griffin, G. Ed. (1994). Difference in View: Women and Modernism. London: Taylor & Francis.

Held, D. and McGrew, A. Eds. (2000). The Global Transformations Literature: An

Introduction to the Globalization Debate. Cambridge: Polity Press.

Nye, J.S. and Donahue, J.D. Eds. (2000). Governance in a Globalizing World. Cambridge, MA, and Washington, DC: Visions of Governance for the 21st Century and Brookings Institute Press.

Rothman, S. (1992). the Mass Media in Liberal Democratic Societies. New York: Paragon House.

Schultz, D. (2000). It's Show Time!: Media, Politics, and Popular Culture. New York: Peter Lang.

Weston, R. (2001). Modernism. London: Phaidon Press.

Wilson, E. and Goldfarb, A. (2001). Theater: The Lively Art (4^th ed.), New York: McGraw-Hill.