Unit 5: Crisis and Change
Lesson D: Postwar Anxiety, Creativity, and Change
Activity 4: The Impact of World War I on Music, Literature, and Art
The horrors of war had a deep impact on the arts. After World War I, many writers and poets put their feelings about the war into words. These writers often reflected disappointment about the war and disillusionment with the world. Authors like Ernest Hemingway, Virginia Woolf, and F. Scott Fitzgerald expressed the anxiety that society felt about post-war changes to traditional values.
Many writers, artists, and musicians settled in Paris, France, and became part of what the author Gertrude Stein termed a "Lost Generation." Authors of this generation drifted through the decade of the 1920s, trying to find meaning in life. Poetry and novels of the era reflect the despair that many survivors of the war felt.
The war profoundly affected the visual arts, too. Some paintings directly reflected the trauma experienced by soldiers on the battlefield. Many artists rebelled against Realism and showed the inner worlds of their minds. They used distorted forms and bold colors to express their emotions.
Presentation Activity - Jazz Age and Visual Art
Mini Lesson
When you are ready, select the play button below the image to learn about Jazz Age and Visual Art.
Directions: Read each description and then drag the correct term next to it. Use the buttons provided to check the latest move or, when you are done, check the whole question.
