Modernity and the Revolt in Ideas

Toward the beginning of the twentieth century, intellectuals and artists so completely rejected long-standing beliefs and traditional artistic forms that they ushered in a new era. In science, the theories of Albert Einstein and other researchers established new truths in physics. Artists and musicians produced shocking works but, like Freud, they were influenced by advances in science and the progress of empire. Their blending of the scientific and the irrational, and of Western and non-Western styles, helped launch the revolution in ideas and creative expression called modernism. (See “Contrasting Views: Debating the Revolt in Art, Ideas, and Lifestyles.”)