Before Class 03/22/10

I think there are some really exciting people and ideas in the modern art movement. The first notable person who had a huge impact was Pablo Picasso. Although I'm not sure if I completely understand cubism, it is interesting to me. He and Paul Cezanne changed the way we understand the eye and how it works. Instead of seeing a human form, Pablo forced the viewer to see a human form in all geometric shapes and angles. They thought a paitner "should treat nature in terms of the cylinder and the sphere and the cone." It is like analyzing what your eye does when it looks at an object. The way your pupil, iris, rods and cones flip and absorb color, shape, and form and then send a message to your brain. Cubism branched off into synthetic cubism. "The essence of an object and it's basic characteristic, rather than it's outward appearance were depicted." This means that a painter was trying to relate the soul, spirit, and feeling of an object. What cannot be seen was just as important as what was visually obvious. Fernard Leger's take on cubism had a big affect of graphic design. His flat colored and urban pictures were characteristic of design post World War 1.
Futurism is another interesting movement because it all started with a poem. Futurists were inspired by Filippo Marinetti. They were concerned with freedom and spontaneity, " Leaps and burst of style running through the page." Things were not always planned out, instead their energy just appeared. The futurists used bright bold words on pages to relate energy, noise, and speed. All of this was influenced by the advancements in technology in the 20th century. This movement had a great impact of graphic design, as I can see in the present time all the designs and songs that are illustrated with typeface design and movement. Finally, the Dada movement was the rebellious movement that reacted against war. They were concerned with the "shock factor" They wanted people to not be complacent, but passionate thinking and questioning individuals. Marcel Duchamp was a French painter who championed this movement. Although much of his work was controversial he got people to think about WHY they were angered by what he did.
Surrealism was another interesting movement that was heavily influenced by Freud's belief in the importance of dreams and exploring the unconscious. This movement explored the mystery of the mind and the things that are unknown. Salvador Dali championed this movement as his paintings were nothing recognizable except we can all relate to the strangeness of dreams. Surrealists were searching for the "real world" beyond the "real world". The "real world" that exists inside our head, outside of the real world we live in.
I am somewhat confused as to understanding how cubists used the rods and cons in their eyes to paint something. Did they study the science of vision first?