History & culture's effect on the modern world

04.03.2024 - 07:58 / traveldailynews.com / Salvador Dalí / Stavros Andriopoulos / Art

Whether it’s through storytelling, technology advances, architecture, or artwork, we can see a reflection of human creativity and imagination, connecting us to our past while shaping our present and future experiences.

Have you ever wondered how the modern world came to be? It is a question that often crosses our minds, edging us to explore the interplay between history, culture, and the present. Indeed, history and culture are the foundational pillars of our world, but let’s delve deeper into this topic to examine the different aspects of the modern world and the pivotal roles that played in the development of them.

The building blocks of civilization
Beginning with the grand structures we admire or the buildings we live in, architecture emerges as the bedrock of civilization, showcasing human creativity while telling a story of how we got to where we are today. When we look at modern-day designs, such as skyscrapers, they may seem homogenous and appear all too uniform. Despite this, cultural and historical influences persist. Take, for instance, the Burj Khalifa, although it is a modern skyscraper, it draws inspiration from Islamic architectural elements like the geometric patterns found in traditional Islamic architecture. Similarly, Barcelona’s Sagrada Família, although built in the late 19th century (and still ongoing today), takes elements from religious symbolism, and blends modern and gothic architectural styles. These examples showcase how architecture not only reflects our past but also shapes our present and future.

Modern art reflecting the soul of humanity
Shifting our focus to modern art, we can find a reflection of history and culture in various ways. If we take a glance at Picasso’s Guernica, a cubist artwork masterpiece which was painted in response to the bombing of the town Guernica during the Spanish Civil War; Beyond its aesthetic value, the painting serves as an anti-war statement woven with Spanish history and culture. Continuing on the note of history and culture, Salvador Dali’s “The Persistence of Memory” offers another example. It was influenced by Sigmund Freud’s theory and the melting clocks symbolize the fluidity of time and the subconscious mind. These are just a few notable examples, illustrating how art serves as a powerful medium for expressing and exploring history and culture.

Technology’s ancient tools to digital revolution
Technology, a term that dominates our modern world, is deeply intertwined with historical and cultural influences, from the ancient tools used by ancestors to the digital revolution today. Consider the device you are holding in your hand right now and take a look at the design – it’s likely simple, almost minimalistic. This is because smartphone