Culture of the 20th century as a counteraction to spirituality and materiality

Compared with previous eras, the culture of the 20th century had an extraordinary flourishing. The scale and depth of new discoveries in practically all spheres of art (science, literature, painting, etc.) were staggering. However, with the advent of a large number of scientific developments, society has become increasingly material. And the masters of enlightenment, in turn, were deeply disappointed by the fact that humanity replaced its spiritual values with material ones, ceasing to understand the surrounding world and themselves.
The development of science led to the fact that knowledge became widely disseminated through public lectures and periodicals. The appearance of natural science turned the understanding of most of the philosophical theories, because of which the followers of Marxism and materialism became less and less. Thus, the culture of the 20th century radically changed its values in the field of spirituality.

Some creative individuals began to consider in their works the experiences and feelings of one individual, calling for a walk away from sad reality into dreams and mysticism. This trend in art was called decadence. There was another new trend - modernism, which opposed the classical aesthetic experience of mankind, reflecting the subjective perception of the author. His goal was the desire to experiment, innovate with the help of modern technical capabilities. Nevertheless, some authors went beyond this and warned readers about the dangers of the technogenic world. Modernism was a complex movement and had several directions (futurism, symbolism, etc.), they all denied realistic art. But it can not be said that the culture of the 20th century completely ceased to follow the traditions. Part of the creativity remained faithful to realism, which truthfully and deeply expounded the complex history of the country. Other currents also confronted modernism, defending the old principles. Continued their work and great masters of words, such as Chekhov, Tolstoy, Gorky. These and other cultural figures of the 20th century made a significant contribution to classical literature.

Modernism manifested itself in the fine arts. Due to this, another notion appeared - "avant-gardism". It characterizes different directions and schools that oppose traditional norms and rules (about beauty, color, plot), presenting modern and original works. The driving force for them was innovation and renewal.

The musical culture of the 20th century also underwent some changes, while retaining, however, some continuity with classical music. The increased interest in spirituality was revealed by the composers (Rimsky-Korsakov, Rachmaninov, Skryabin) in the lyricism of their works. The rapprochement with the cultures of other countries gradually formed completely new directions.

In general, the culture of Russia in the early 20th century was a complex philosophical quest that was reflected in numerous currents, each of which advanced its own world view and its goals.