After Class 03/31/10

Today Mark gave a good presentation about the Art Deco movement. The movement has many of nicknames it is known by including: Style Changel, Style Poinet, Skyscraper Style, Vertical Style, NY style, Art Moderne, and Jazz Style. It was influenced by both the Arts & Crafts movement as well as Art Nouveau. In the designs you can see images of Egyptian, Aztec, Assyrian, and Oriental design motifts. When looking at a building, design, or poster you can tell it is Art Deco if it meets these four requirements.
1. Has Geometric & Linear forms.
2. Employs the "less is more" belief.
3. There is a distortion of reality.
4. Is current- Is "representational of the time period."
And finally the typography of the time period used type as imagery, and not just letters. "Broadway" is most representational of using sans-serif typeface. Art Deco style spread to French, Germany, Switzerland, England.

Before Class 03/31/10

It wasn't until 1966 that Art Deco became a recognized movement, despite the fact it took place over forty years before. In 1925 there was a French art exposition at e Musee des Arts Decoratifs. However, the U.S. Secretary of Commerce banned any Americans from atteding the event. Instead, he sent experts in the field of design and architecture to sort of act as spies. He wanted them to learn about the new styles at the expositon and try to integrate them with American architecture.
Art deco style was interesting in the fact that it was simplistic, geometric, but also maintained connections to nature and botany. Another interestig aspect is how it combined styles of European, American, and South American designs. It was like a melting pot. "Additional inspiration came from American Indian models and Pre-Columbian structures." It was a mix of old with new. The past, present, and future were all taken to heart. The world economy was weak due to World Wars, but that didn't mean they couldn't create beautiful things. They just weren't as elaborate Victorian or Rococo designs. America was becoming more of a diverse society as immigrats from all over flooded the country. "American Art Deco conveyed both beauty and strength in a time when economic depression left much of the country unemployed and embittered. During the 1930s many public buildings were decorated in the Art Deco style, exuding nationalism through massive structures with great coloring, inspiring murals and strong sculpture reminiscent of Roman republicanism."
I like how art deco still maintained itself as a new creative art form despite depressing wars, economic troubles and uncertainties.
I would be curious to know WHY Herbert Hoover didn't allow Amercans to go to the exposition. Was art deco solely found in America?

I really liked this stained glass picture above. It's awesome.

After Class 03/29/10

Today Joslyn gave her presentation about Bauhaus. It began as a merger of the Veimar Arts & Crafts school and the Weimar Art Academy. After WW1, Walter Gropius took it over and wanted to "unify the artist & craftsmen." He wanted to teach the students to be inspired by Expressionism, De Stijl, and Constructivism. It's methods of teaching altered as well, in 1925, they decided to scratch the master, journeyman, philosopher method. Instead they focused on just the professor and student relationship. Gropius wanted students to find their own style rather than be taught HOW they should paint, create, and express. Unfortunately, Nazi Germany took over, and found the Bauhaus school not worthy of staying open, and all teachers and professors had to flee to America or other countries. Eventually a Bauhaus school was opened in Chicago, and later changed it's name to the Institute of Design.
Some other great designers of the Bauhaus movement were Eric Gill, the creator of Gill Sans, Perpetua, and Golden Cockeral Type. Paul Renner created Futura and Stanley Morisson created Times New Roman for the Times of London. Which later became the most widely used Typeface of the 20th Century.
This time period was about a lot of experimentation in typography. A lot of typographic designs were about assymetrical styles that expressed " spirit, life, and visual sensibility." Despite Nazi Germany's strict rules, Bauhaus stayed devoted to creating new typography and designs.
I would be curious to know if the Institute of Design and technology stays connected to it's Bauhaus roots? Do all art schools have a certain "style" or "technique" of design they follow and teach the students? Or is that a thing of the past?

Before Class 03/29/10

The 1900's were a dark time for a lot of the world. There were two world wars, and numerous violent overthrows of governments. Russia was not immune to any of this. They country was impacted by the first World War and then the Russian Revolution. However, during these dark times, there was a "brief flowering of creative art in Russia." A combination of cubism and futurism emerged called "cubo-futurism." Russian books were created that were agaisnt "czarist Russia." Kasimir Malevich was an influential artist who developed a painting style called "suprematism." Malevich wanted to abandone the geometric style of cubism and instead paint "expression of feeling, seeking no practical values, no ideas, no promised land." He believed what was most important was how the viewer experienced the painting, it's color and form. Artists who agreed with Malevich used this style to go agaisnt the Russian government and further the revolution. They wanted to abandon all the art of conservatives. However, not all artists agreed that art should be involved with society and politics. Malevich himself and Kandinsky thought that "art must remain an essentially spiritual activity apart from the utilitarian needs of society." They wanted to keep art and politics seperate so as neither of them to pollute or influence the other. Vladimir Tatlin believed the opposite, and he used art to further the communist values of Russia.
The most famous Russian of this period was Lissitzky. This visionary artist changed graphic design forever. Because he was Jewish, he was turned down by the Petrograd Academy of Arts, so he instead went to Germany for his schooling. Encouraged by the headmaster of his school, he invented a painting style called PROUNS. It was an acronym for "Projects for the Establishment of a new Art" This type of art was concerned with created 3D images and illusions in painting. Lissitzky was hopeful that the Russian revolution and communism would "provide for society's needs, and the artist..would forge a unity between art and technology by constructing a new world of objects to provide mankind with a richer society and environment." He designed for Wendingen magazine that was a catalyst for artists and designers to share their work and ideas. He created most of his designs on graph paper demonstrating the "modular structure and mathematical order." His designs also affect book design, as he tried to arrange the words and page designs act as a "violin accompanies a piano." Lissitzky developed rules and organization for how books were to be arranged in columns and rows.
De Stijl was a movement that began in the Netherlands. It was concerned with working with abstract geometric style. Philopsher M.H.J. Shoenmaker beleived that horizontal and vertical lines represented opposite forces in our world, and the primary colors; yellow, blue, and red should be only used. The artists of this movement were very concerned with equilibrium and harmony and purity. Mondrians most famous piece (Composition with Red, Yellow, and Blue 1922) is said to create "assymetrical balance, with tension between elements, achieved absolute harmony."

After Class 03/24/10

Kai gave her presentaion about the Pictorial Modernism movement. It took place between 1900-1945, when the two World Wars took place. There were three styles of posters that flourished during this period. Beggarstaff was a style that fashioned together pieces of cut paper and glued it to a board. Flat panels of color were used, and sensitive cut edges made it appear scissors drew the work. James Pryde was a famous designer who employed this method. The second style of design was called Plakastil. This design really tried to simplify things to their most essential details rather than crowd it up wit unnecessary complex designs. Lucian Bernhard won a design contest for "Priester" matches. His design emplified minimalist form. Plakastil was all about taking images with complex or deeper meanings, and reducing them to a very simple and obvious message. Sachplakate was the third style. It was similar the German Plakastil, but had more "hyper-realistic" characteristics. Colors and forms were enhanced.
The posters of this era were often concerned with the "war-time effort." In American the posters stressed the need for family. They were much softer looking, more idyllic pictures of children and American life. However, in Germany they were the opposite. Strong iron-clad fists were depicted, and dark images of metal clad helmets.
Ludqig Holwein created some interesting posters for Germany as Hitler's personal graphic designer. He worked for Jugend magazine. He was inspired by Beggarstaff originally.
Art Deco emerged also during this period, it was an extension of Art Nouveau.
The Englishman Edward Kauffer. He created 141 posters for London Underground.
Other designers were Paul Colin who designed close to 2,000 posters, and 800 set designs. The most notable poster that emerged from this period was the American war poster of Uncle Sam. It was designed by James Montgomery Flagg who drew himself into the picture as Uncle Sam. It's bright, bold, and simple. It gets the message across easily and effectively.
I would be more interested in knowing if other coutnries had recruiting posters like England and America. Also, does the Daily Herald still do awesome desingns on their covers like Kauffer had made?

After Class 03/22/10

Today Jenn gave her presentation about the Modern Arts movement. Just how the society and environment effect what cave men, egyptians, and people of the renaissance wrote and draw about the same can be said about the 20th century environment. Big huge cities were popping up, radio was spreading, world wars were beginning, and for the first time ever humans could fly- in airplains. These factors changed the way we think about the world, our neighbor, and our place in the world. Cubists wanted the viewer and artist to change the way they thought about an object. It "challenged pictorial art" and the typical style in which human figures had been painted for hundreds of years. Paintings were created by putting together different fragments of what they eye sees- color, shape, form.
Futurism was interesting in that it rebelled against the machine age, modern life, and war. "Emotionally charged" poetry led the revolt. Originality in poetry and design was held at a higher esteem. Filippo Marinetti changed the way we think about tyographic wording.
The DADA movement was "anti-art." They rebelled against all tradition forms and ideas of what is considered Art. Often there pieces angered people, but that was the point. They were mocking what people considered the "Greatest art" like The Mona Lisa.Although they may seem like a bunch of punks, the people who were apart of the DADA movement stirred emotions in people. It made they question WHY they were getting so angry a piece like the Mona Lisa was getting defaced.However, with no organization or leader the movement died off in 1922.
The Surrealists came next in 1924. This had a huge impact on photography. The way a photo was developed altered, and lighter pictures were made. Frottage, which is a technique of rubbing over something to create an image became popular.
In Expressionsim color and proportion were bent out of shape. Paul Klee and Kandinsky were two artists that belonged to this movement. Die Blaue Reiter was the school they belonged too that showed "deep human emotion through color, line, and form"
I would be curious to know if Chanel was influenced by Futurism. There's a quote by Coco Chanel (?) that says, "In order to irreplaceable one must always be different"
I think it would be interesting to explore how all the movements we studied influenced fashion.

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?