The Industrial Revolution

The Industrial Revolution is from the 18^th to the 19^th century. It is a time in which mainly agricultural, rural citizens in Europe and America became industrial and urban. The difference before the Industrial Revolution was that people used hand tools and basic machines for trade. When this time began, there was a huge change in employment, mass-production, living standards and working classes. Either way, the Industrial Revolution effected everyone. It also upgraded the systems of transportation, communication and banking.

Englishman James Hargreaves designed the spinning jenny in 1764. Jenny was the word used instead of “engine” back in that time. After Hargreaves death, the spinning jenny was upgraded by British inventor Samuel Compton. Another machine was designed, the power loom, made in the 1780s by English inventor Edmund Cartwright.

The quality of living during the Industrial Revolution had improved for the middle and upper classes but the poor still had to work very hard to live. Since the machineries had taking jobs from the craftsmen, there were young people, younger than 15 years old that needed few working skills and that could be replaceable.

Citizens from rural areas, where overcrowding the cities because of how many people come looking for jobs. They started to have pollution, unhygienic living conditions.

The Industry grow very fast and out of Britain. From Britain it banquet to other European countries like, Belgium, France and Germany, and then even to the United States. It was settled throughout the western part of Europe and America’s northeastern region by the mid-19^th century. The U.S had then become the world’s leading industrial nation by the early 20^th century.

Britain is still known to be the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution. 

 Because of the Industrial Revolution, Artists began to change there point of view. They used tools and paints that were cheaper because of the mass-production.Other artists reconsidered their outlook on reality as they watched swelling difficulties for resources and the settlement of less developed countries. They used their paintings to show and influence the society around them.

Vincent Van Gogh
The Potato Eaters (1885)

The above painting is a different style from how we know Van Gogh's work today. Van Gogh used to paint like this before he started to paint vibrant and colourful paintings. After some time, he began to paint post-impressionism. I wouldn't say that the people are very realistic. I kind of compare them to animals mixed with humanity rather than just humans. The gas light in the middle of the room is giving light to all corners of the painting but thinking about perspective, I'm not quite sure it is used properly. I do find painting interesting because of the sense of family it gives and also because of the bond there seems to be.

Harvard Referencing System:  History.com Articles, Video, Pictures and Facts. 2014.Industrial Revolution — History.com Articles, Video, Pictures and Facts. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.history.com/topics/industrial-revolution. [Accessed 05 March 2014]

Harvard Refencing System: History, Trade and Art.2014. Art and Artistic Reactions to the Industrial Revolution. [ONLINE] Available at: http://historytradeart.blogspot.com/2010/05/art-and-artistic-reactions-to.html. [Accessed 06 March 2014]