Final answer:
Artists during the industrial age embraced realism, focusing on urban life and its challenges. The Ashcan School of Art and photographers like Jacob Riis documented the conditions of the working class. Technological advances influenced artistic techniques, fostering movements like Impressionism and American Realism.
Step-by-step explanation:
During the advent of the industrial age and the rise of cities, writers, photographers, and visual artists began to embrace more realistic subjects in their work by primarily capturing urban life and its challenges. This shift represented a response to the sweeping social changes brought about by industrial growth, urbanization, and technological innovation. Artists sought to depict life as it truly was, often highlighting the conditions of the working class and the struggles of urban dwellers. Notably, the Ashcan School of Art exemplified this trend with artists like George Bellows and John Sloan focusing on scenes from daily city life.
The rise of realism corresponded with a turn away from the romanticized and idealistic portrayals of subjects to a more honest and sometimes gritty depiction of contemporary life. Photography also became an influential medium for capturing the raw reality of urban living, as seen in the works of social reformers like Jacob Riis. These creative expressions reflected the exhausting yet vibrant life of increasingly cosmopolitan and immigrant-filled cities.
Furthermore, technological advances influenced artistic methods and materials, enabling artists to work en plein air and enhancing printing techniques. Subsequent movements like Impressionism, Post-Impressionism, and early American Realism reflected the cultural shift and pioneered new ways of visual storytelling by infusing their works with common themes of democracy, expansion, and the American spirit.