Art and social order in a changing Europe, 1776-1914

Joignant Emma

History Final

Corpus: "Art and social order in a changing Europe, 1776-1914"

“In a decaying society, art, if it is truthful, must also reflect decay. And unless it wants to break faith whit its social function, art must show the world as changeable. And help to change it”. Rightfully, Ernst Fischer, a Bohemian writer born at the very end of the nineteenth century, stated art was undeniably necessary to conduce the evolution of the social order.

The European Nineteenth Century, well-known for being revolutionary, underwent crucial changes and evolutions, building the path towards our modern world. All along the century, social order was profoundly disturbed. Social order can either be understood as Emile Durkheim theorized it: moral norms and values maintaining cohesion. Or it can be understood through the Marxist theory as being founded on wealth and political power. During the long nineteenth century, social order underwent its first main shift since the Middle Ages that had set in stone for centuries the tripartite division of the society between the nobility, the clergy and the peasants. This well-established social order then facing ideological, technological and scientifical transformations became archaic and was bound to succumb to the revolutionary century in place but controversies rose as to how to replace it.

Art in the nineteenth century occupied a very important place. In conveying emotions, Art is an aesthetic way to reflect society, denounce its organization or on the contrary praise it. In shaping nineteenth century Europe, Art was used controversially. While some criticized the social order in place and urged for change, others maintained a veil of ignorance on some unfair social organizations established by succeeding governments.

The long revolutionary nineteenth century first found inspirations in the 1776 declaration of independence of all thirteen British colonies, which led to the creation of the States of America. Echoing up to Europe, it aspired the peoples to revolutionize the social order they complied with until then. 1914, marking both the end of this century and the beginning of the first World War, put on pause the idea that further modification of the social order was possible.

This six-document corpus is a brief exposition of the way Art interacted with the changing social order during the nineteenth century.

The first document is a photography of a British jug from the 1830s-1840s. It is an anti-slavery ceramic portraying a slave getting rid of his chains while proclaiming he is equal to whites. In the 19th century and as Britain’s economy was striving, it began to produce ceramics which were at the time luxurious goods. Simultaneously, Britain used them as a tool to reaffirm its opposition to slavery which had begun with the prohibition of the slave trade in 1807 and which was followed by the British ban of slavery in 1834.

The second document is a piece of musique from the famous Polish pianist and composer Frederic Chopin. The Piano Sonata No. 2, also known as a “Funeral March” is one of Chopin’s greatest work. It is probable that he wrote the march as a response to the 1830 Polish uprisings. If he was then in exile, he nevertheless feared for his family as the Russian response was very brutal.

The third document is a print of the Crystal Palace in Hyde Park, London, in 1851 at the time of the Grand International Exhibition, the first of its kind. By the mid-19th century, Britain had fully entered the process of the Industrial Revolution. This exhibition promoted Britain’s achievements and great empire. The exhibition attracted a large-scale public and resulted in incredible profits that allowed the Commissionaires to finance the development of an educational and cultural center in London.

The fourth document is an excerpt from the science-fiction Around the World in Eighty Days of the French novelist and poet Jules Verne. Written in 1873, the book is a concrete representation of Orientalism, the study of Eastern Europe’s expansionist will. Also, the book assesses the expanding journey possibilities that technological innovations allowed.  

The fifth document is an oil-on-canvas painting titled Religious Procession in Kursk Governorate was painted by the Russian Ilya Repin in the early 1880s. The painting of the ceremony complies with the depiction of the vast and unequal social spectrum in the Russian post-reform society.

Finally, the sixth and ultimate document is an excerpt from the essay Art and Labour of William Morris, a British poet and political activist. Written in 1884, the essay weights the consequences of technological improvements on social classes. Believer of the Marxist theory, William Morris here provides a critical essay on the on-going social order which exploits the working-class for the benefit of the “noble”.

This corpus questions the interactions between Art and social order during a time of great evolutions in Europe. Therefore, it will be questioned to what extent has Art in the nineteenth century not only reflected the disturbances of the social order established but has also been prominent in leading those changes.

After studying Art as a visionary witness of the steps leading to changes in the social order (I), this essay will underline Art also depicted and fueled new visions of social order (II), before eventually assessing the influence of Art in the founding of a new spiritual dimension to the social order (III).

In this first part, the essay aims at suggesting that Art in the 19th century was a visionary witness of the steps leading up to changes in the social order. In order to do so, the essay will support that Art was used to testify on the unbearable conditions of some and further than reflect society, displayed warning signs suggesting the to be revolutions of the traditional social order were inevitable.  

From slavery to the Industrial Age, Art attested the unbearable conditions endured by a specific social stratum.

To begin, the jug is undoubtfully an engaged piece of art against slavery. This British ceramic allowed Britain to expose the success of its empire, assess its dominance as well as testify of the powerfulness of this society that did not caution the atrocities of the institution of slavery which poisoned the young United States from 1788 to the Civil War beginning in 1861. The illustration on the jug is one of an enchained black slave, reduced to a status of inhuman as the inscription “Am not I a man and a brother” suggests. On the back of the jug, The Negro poem begins with “Fleeey locks and black complexion”. This statement is proof of the mistreatment of slaves at the time. Compelled to work for hours, fed very little and often beaten by their masters only to assure slaves had no incentive to rebel, the institution of slavery was horrific. Art was used in order to spread awareness on this issue and eventually rise against it.

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