The End of Modern Times

Chalupecký's article argues that the modern era has concluded, using the 1929 stock market crash as a historical marker. He contends that modern art and thought have also stagnated, with significant modernist works of art and literature now existing as historical curiosities. Chalupecký criticizes modern art for its isolation from society, its incomprehensibility and "aristocratism," and he calls for a new realism that integrates theory and practice. The essay draws parallels between the crisis in modern art and political struggles in the Soviet Union, and advocates for an art that is relevant to ordinary life; he envisions a future where art engages actively with its time and society, contributing to the creation of a new culture. Chalupecký also explores the influence of existentialism and political ideologies on art, discussing the impact of fascism and socialism. He argues that the future of Czechoslovak culture lies in socialism, but he also tries to suggest that socialism, far from being deterministic and teleological, embraces ideas of contingency, chance and the unanticipated.