Why did many Modernist artists reject Victorian optimism and convention?

Modernist artists rejected Victorian optimism and convention primarily due to the profound societal shifts brought about by industrialization, urbanization, and rapid social change. These developments, alongside new insights from science and psychology, fostered a sense of alienation that rendered Victorian moral and cultural frameworks feel increasingly obsolete.3124

The movement was further galvanized by the unprecedented devastation of World War I, which shattered faith in the foundations of Western society. In the wake of such carnage, many artists viewed Victorian optimism as incompatible with the reality of a fragmented, spiritually empty world. Consequently, Modernists sought an "authentic" response to their era, breaking with inherited traditions—such as conventional perspective in painting or rigid stylistic norms in architecture—to experiment with new forms of expression that prioritized essential qualities like line, color, and structure. This shift represented a deliberate move toward abstraction and conceptual innovation, reflecting a desire to define art anew for a rapidly evolving century.3152674