Impact of the Industrial Revolution on art Essay

The Enlightenment Era brought around many new concepts and ideas that made the Industrial Revolution possible. The Industrial Revolution took place during the 18th and 19th century in America and Europe. It was a time in history where manufacturing changed from being done by hand to being done by machines. Apart from there being a new wave of technology, a lot changed in regards to art during this period of time. Romanticism, Realism and Impressionism were three movements that resulted from the Industrial Revolution that impacted art and artists.
Before the Industrial Revolution painters would have to make art from memory or imagination, which was sufficient before industrialization but not anymore with the increase of technology. When the Industrial Revolution came around it changed the way art was being done and made it easy for everyone to create it. However, because of this, artists started to become irrelevant and not needed. A scene/memory an artist could have painted for a family, could now be done faster, because of the new technology. This made some artists hate the idea of the Industrialism, they had to find different jobs because their artistry was being cheaply recreated by the everyday person.
Artists who practiced romanticism, believed in painting pictures that showcased emotion, and scenes of nature. They believed that feelings were more important than reasoning. They thought industrialism was unnatural and took away the beauty in nature, because machines were overtaking everything. Romantics believed that this growth in technology created oppression because the working class was forced to work long hours in unsanitary conditions.
Realism was the opposite of Romanticism, because of the Enlightenment, people started to think more, express themselves and introduce many new ideas. Realist artists painted the authenticity and everyday life of the people who lived during this time. It showed everyday instances, injustices, and the actual problems of the working class during the Industrial Revolution. Realists used their art to show the world for what it was instead of hiding behind an unreal representation of it that romantics used. They used their art to show their distaste in the way this new industry treated its workers. Realist artists hoped that by showing the actual problems of the workers it would lead to improving their conditions and inspire social reform.
Impressionism, that grew from Realism, portrayed real moments but instead of having as much detail, it showed an impression of the moment. Impressionist artists loved to paint nature directly and pictures that depicted natural lighting. Industrialization helped them do this because machines manufactured paint in tubes, so artists could paint outside instead of from memory indoors.
There were little positive aspects of the Industrial Revolution in regards to art and artists, and many negative aspects. Artists now had the ability to work outdoors and could paint from anywhere they liked. However, new technology made artists irrelevant and romantics thought industrialization was unnatural. Realists responded to the changes of industrialism by showing their distaste of the working conditions in their art.