POST #10 - LECTURE - INDUSTRIAL- REVOLUTION

The Industrial Revolution, which began in the 1760s and lasted into the mid-19th century, was a time of major change that shifted society from farming and handmade goods to industries and machines. Starting in Britain and spreading worldwide, it transformed how people worked and lived. Inventions like the steam engine and power loom made production faster and cities grew as people moved to work in factories.  This period also changed media arts by introducing new technologies for sharing art and ideas. 

An important part of the Industrial Revolution was the invention of photography in the 1830s was groundbreaking. The daguerreotype process, one of the first photographic methods, allowed people to capture real-life scenes for the first time. Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre invented the daguerreotype process in France. This profoundly changed how stories were told.  Paving a new way of photography and film in general. 

One key invention was lithography in 1796, a printing method that made it easy and cheap to reproduce images. This allowed for mass production of posters, ads, and art, making creative works more accessible and paving the way for modern media.

The printing press made written works, illustrations, and even serialized storytelling accessible to wider audiences. 

Finally, the era’s industrial materials like steel and glass inspired innovations in architecture and design, influencing everything from the shapes of cities to the visuals of modern art. The Industrial Revolution wasn’t just about machines; it sparked a creative revolution that reshaped the media arts forever.

In the 19th century, innovations like the collapsible metal paint tube, invented by John G. Rand in 1841, made it easier for artists to transport pre-mixed paints, making outdoor painting much more accessible and easier. This was during the same time of movements like Impressionism. Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement focused on capturing everyday scenes, light, and color with quick, loose brushstrokes.

 Artists painted outdoors, emphasizing the feeling of a scene over precise details. The Industrial Revolution influenced Impressionism by making travel easier with trains and inspiring artists to capture urban growth and modern landscapes. It reflected the fast-paced changes of the era while celebrating the beauty of ordinary moments.

At the same time, steam-powered printing revolutionized publishing, giving rise to affordable newspapers like "The Sun" in the 1830s and making novels, like Charles Dickens' "Oliver Twist", widely accessible. These advancements blended practicality and creativity, transforming how art and stories were created and shared once again. 

These advancements influenced how information was shared and creativity was expressed. For example, art and design moved toward mass-produced items like posters and advertisements. This era also inspired artists to reflect on industrialization’s impact with its challenges within their work. In a way, media arts as we know them wouldn’t exist without the technological leaps of the Industrial Revolution.