Asher.p4.t9 Modern Era Synthesis Question

If one were to observe Rembrandt (born and died around the 1600’s) painstakingly detailed art style and compare it to Picasso’s (born in 1881 and died 1973) abstract, sometimes confusing form, one would see that there is a clear distinction between their styles, suggesting that there is a clear distinction in the eras in which they lived. Rembrandt’s style is consistent; its form follows an attention to detail and close adherence to realism that can be found in most of his art. Picasso, on the other hand, switches styles before and during the era as seen in the difference between his Boy with a Pipe, Guernica, and his newfound interest in sculpting. It reflects the social instability of the Modern era, which spans an antebellum period to a post-war period, in which the changing attitudes of the people fostered a change in art style and in themes, reflecting bigger social dynamics at work. Also, during this era, a lot of Picasso’s abstract work tended to focus on the war, depicting surreal scenes of violence and massacre as in Guernica and Massacre in Korea. The theme of these works show social unrest stemming from all the political instability of the Modern Era; consecutive wars and a long period of depression have left the people longing for peace and stability. His choice in abstract art is so because he chooses to let his audience decipher the symbols in his art, suggesting that people are beginning to appreciate the more ambiguous parts of the humanities and deciding for themselves what the symbols mean.