Núria Salas Mata
After reading Shumon Basar’s text about Endcore, we discussed in class how much our generation thinks and talks about the end of the world. It is a common theme in popular culture today, particularly in films, TV shows and books. We often imagine different ways in which the world could end, mainly through the lens of science fiction. We think about zombies, vampires, big explosions, dangerous diseases, climate disasters or alien invasions, for example.
When we shared our ideas and listened to others, we realised that these fears and imaginings are nothing new. People in the past also thought about the end of the world in different ways. For this reason, we reflected on how these apocalyptic ideas have been depicted throughout art history. Many artists have depicted destruction, chaos and the collapse of civilisation in their work, reflecting the fears and beliefs of their era.
For this reason, Mar suggested an activity in which we had to select a random topic and find artistic references from various historical periods, which we would then present visually. I decided to work on the theme of technology. Although it is a very broad topic, I wanted to challenge myself by trying to summarise it using only a few images.
Using pen and ink on paper, Leonardo combined art and mathematics to map the human body in perfect geometric proportions. It’s a striking example of how early technology, measurement, observation, and engineering, intertwined with creativity.
Fun fact: Leonardo based it on the ancient Roman architect Vitruvio, showing that ideas about symmetry and design travel across centuries.
Is a colossal oil painting that acts like a time machine into the Industrial Revolution. It depicts ordinary people, workers, and artists in a single scene, showing how machines and factories reshaped society.
Fun fact: At over 6 meters wide, Courbet called it a “real allegory,” blending reality and symbolism in a way that mirrors technological transformation.
Captures motion itself. Using repeated shapes and blurred forms, Boccioni makes a simple walk look like an explosion of energy. This Futurist masterpiece channels the excitement of early automobiles, electric trains, and the fast pace of industrial modernity.
Fun fact: The dog’s legs appear multiple times like a slow-motion film, almost predicting cinematic techniques decades later.
He turned supermarket shelves into icons. Using silkscreen printing, Warhol reproduced ordinary soup cans as art, celebrating industrial production and consumer culture.
Fun fact: Warhol chose the cans because he ate the same soup nearly every day—turning personal habit into cultural commentary, showing the intersection of routine, technology, and art.
Is a glowing, moving map of the United States. Using 300+ TVs and neon lights, Paik transformed electronic signals into a dazzling artwork, visualizing how technology connects people across distances.
Fun fact: Each state’s TV screens show video clips, creating a constantly changing portrait of American culture—a true fusion of art and media technology.
Is a mind-bending example of AI creativity. The installation uses machine learning to analyze thousands of artworks and generate new, moving visual patterns in real time. It’s not just art—it’s a collaboration between human and machine, showing the future of digital creation.
Fun fact: The artwork evolves continuously, so no two viewers see exactly the same version, making the AI both artist and curator.
Having viewed six works of art, what theme do you think has been chosen?
Núria Salas Mata
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