Chapter 14: Pictorial Modernism

Chapter 14 focused on the aspects of poster design in the early twentieth century.  These posters were influenced by many things, including war and post modern art.  Collage was first created during this time by the Beggarstaffs.  It's interesting because it wasn't popular when first designed, but it is a huge thing today.  A German style, Plakastil, emerged  in the twentieth century.  This style can be described as reductive and flat in color.  Lucian Bernhard was an influential man in this period, even though he didn't really know it.  He had submitted an art piece that was very simple and plain.  This moved graphic communications into a simpler form, not so noisy and cluttered.  This in turn led to a whole new style of posters and advertisements, where it was mainly the name of the product and a simple image depicting it.  Posters were also very important during WWI and WWII.  Radios and other forms of communication weren't quite advanced yet, so posters were the only way that the government could recruit soldiers and advertise for donations.  They were used as a significant source of recruitment and propaganda.  The Central Army had different styles compared to the Allies.  The Central Army focused on destruction of the Allies, where the Allies focused on the struggles of war and sticking with family.  This chapter also briefly mentioned art deco and how it correlates with art nouveau.  

It's hilarious that Lucian Bernhard was kicked out of his house/ran away after his parents yelled at him for painting everything inside of his house.  He painted walls, ceilings and even furniture in three days after being inspired by an interior design exhibition.  I think it's funny how different society is today.  Most kids leave or get kicked out for drug addictions, abuse or gangs.  Parents today might be upset if their kids got a little paint happy, but I doubt most would send them to fend for themselves at the age of fifteen.  

Since many people and artists wanted to adapt new styles, why did an American uproar occur with the first exposure to modern art?

After class, 3-9

Today in class Alexis gave her presentation on the Influence of Modern Art.  She went into detail about cubism, which was inspired by Pablo Picasso.  Cubism focused on geometric patterns in an abstract composition.  Futurism was inspired through revolt, courage and aggressiveness.  Harmony wasn't an option because these artists wanted speed and noise into their work.  Typography changed during futurism because it was no longer used in the horizontal, straight lines, but in unexpected locations where it was often in the shape/outline of a picture.  It was now being used as a shape.  Dadaism was led by Duchamp, and it was more of a rebellion instead of an art movement.  This was because of the destructive state of the world.  Surrealism was a new of thinking, a new way of feeling.  The artists usually focused on dreams and fantasy in a very realistic way.  Expressionism focused on the poor and social issues that were affecting the world at the time.

I was surprised to hear that Art Nouveau was the first art period that was internationally known.  I never really thought about it or took it into consideration because it seemed like whenever a new style of design began, it spread everywhere.  The more you know..

In class it was mentioned that Frank Pick was chosen to remove the clutter from cities and design a new sign/advertisements for the underground tunnel.  He wasn't an artist, and I want to know what he did, or how he was chosen to recreate these signs if he (possibly) didn't have any experience.

Chapter 13: The Influence of Modern Art

Chapter 13 covers several modern movements, including cubism, futurism, Dadaism, surrealism and expressionism.  Pablo Picasso was the first, and most influential man of cubism.  This new style of art demonstrates the new approach to handling space and and expressing human emotions.  All of the figures are generally abstracted into various geometric planes, including squares, rectangles and triangles.  This abstracted the image greatly, but after viewing the image, the image becomes recognizable.  The real subject of cubism is the use of shapes, colors, lines and textures versus the realistic subjects of previous art periods.  

Futurism followed cubism, and was first launched when the Italian poet Marinetti published his newspaper.  His newspaper consisted of images that were designed by simply using typography.  He called for a typographic revolution and wanted to place text in unexpected locations, and not in a straight horizontal line.  Another way to describe futurism is through noise and speed.  Marinetti wanted to step outside the boundaries created by Gutenbergs's printing press and express a dynamic, nonlinear composition.  Simply put, he created a mood based off the position of the text.  This was a great transition for graphic designers.

Dadaism was influenced by the 'carnage' of WWI.  These artists were designing as protests against the war and were concerned with shock, protest and nonsense.  They intended to mock a society gone wrong through their art, to inspire rebellion.  A famous artist during this time was French painter Marcel Duchamp, who created simple objects as an art form.  A good example is a urinal.  He is also known for his recreation of a manlier Mona Lisa in response to the public losing the humanistic spirit of the Renaissance.  

Next up is surrealism, where artists wanted to depict everything realistically, but in a dream-like fashion.  This was inspired by the scientific work of Freud, and people began to fantasize about  dreams, possessing faith in man and spirit.  It is more of a way of thinking versus a style of design.

This in turn led to Expressionism, where personal responses and emotions were depicted.  Color, drawing and proportions were often exaggerated or distorted, line and color were often pronounced.  Much of the work is based off of the poor because the social crisis that was occurring before WWI.  People felt sorry for the poor and wanted to depict their troubles in their art.

I was surprised to hear that Picasso used various elements from ancient Iberian and African tribal art.  I never would have expected that since I have seen a few popular pieces of his work.  I was also intrigued by Berlin artist John Heartfield and his revolts against the Nazi's.  It's quite brave of him to create and distribute propaganda against them, even when he knew he was being hunted.  Crazy man, but for all the right reasons. 

Where was futuristic artist Fortunado Depero from?  I could probably guess based of his name, but I want to know for sure.  I'm just curious because he is created with bringing futurism to America,... but I don't know where is from!

Frank Lloyd Wright

Throughout Chapter 12, The Genesis of Twentieth Century Design, Frank Lloyd Wright was mentioned for his architectural contributions to the Art Nouveau period.  I found the above image from www.flyawaycafe.com.  This amazing building was constructed in the 1930's as his former home in Scottsdale, Arizona.  Today it has become the international headquarters for the Frank Llyod Wright Foundation, which is museum that hosts public tours.  Some of the notable features within Talisesin West include:  a film theater, a performing arts theater, a drafting studio, gardens, terraces, outdoor pools and workshops for students and staff.  I am surprised it contains so much because the building doesn't appear to be very large.

I was attracted to this building because it goes along perfectly with its environment.  I could see the desert-like mountain in the distance and immediately made the connections with the pyramid-like stair structure.  The burnt orange and other various organic colors fit perfectly within the Arizonan atmosphere.  I also think that the organic building materials helped set the tone for this building because it coordinates with its location.  One of my favorite things about Talisesin West is the pool in the front yard.  It seems to be used mainly for decoration instead of actually for fitness.  It's small and a very awkward size to swim in.  I could see people lounging in it, but that's it.  I like the idea that you enter his property and you have to ask yourself, or Frank Lloyd Wright, if his pool is used for swimming.  Awkward conversation.

Chapter 12: The Genesis of Twentieth Century Design

With the twentieth century came great things, one of them being the category of typeface design known as modern style.  Artists and designers began to experiment with new styles and expressions for all aspects of design.  In Austria and Germany, abstract drawing took hold and replaced the organic drawing of Art Nouveau.  A very influential man during this time period was Frank Lloyd Wright.  Later in his practices, he moved toward 'the reality of the building' within the inside areas that people lived.  He saw space as the essence of design and was influenced by Japanese architecture and design.  At an art school in Scotland, four architectural students began working together, eventually receiving the name "The Four".  A romantic connection was made which evolved in two beautiful marriages.... lame.  Their work can be classified as symbolic, simple lines, flat panes, bold and sometimes flowing curves with rectangular structures.  Back in Vienna, paintings began to turn into a French-inspired floral style and this city eventually became the center of creative innovation in the final blossoming of art nouveau.  A magazine was published there, Sacred Spring, that was described more as a design laboratory than a magazine.  This design laboratory consisted of clever use of white space, sleek stock, color, bold line drawings and hand lettering.  This book really influenced and pushed the Vienna Secession.  I'm going to list one more man who played a huge role in the twentieth century; the German artist Peter Behrens.  He 'sought typographic reform, was an advocate of sans-serif typography, and used a grid system to structure space in his design layouts (233)'.  He is also very popular for being the first artist to design industrial objects such as street lamps, teapots, fans and electric motors.  His love of sans-serifs led him to design four weights, three expanded and three condensed versions,... not to mention his several typeface designs.  

When I read through Megg's book, I often get mad because some of the design concepts and objects for design seem so obvious but are often designed very late in history.  To me it just makes sense,... when something new is created (light bulb) isn't the next step to immediately design an attractive lamp?  The same goes with teakettles.  How long have we been using teakettles?  And it took this long to make them pretty.  Maybe it's too obvious for me because everything is stylized and designed today, but it makes me wonder if I am completely oblivious to something that should be designed/redesigned....and it's staring me right in the face.  Like the redesign of medicine bottles, it seems so obvious now, but I don't think I would have thought of it if she didn't.  It kinda pisses me off sometimes.  

Chapter 11: Art Nouveau

Chapter 11 dealt with the transition to the Art Nouveau period.  In  England, this period focused primarily on the graphic arts and illustration rather than posters, product design and architecture.  Aubrey Beardsley was a very famous man through his cult-like, exotic and demonic pictures.  He created an illustration that was awfully close to a design by William Morris in the 1890's.  Morris proceeded to sue him simply because he felt copied didn't like the mood behind Beardsley's further depiction.  Rickett was also a famous face in the Art Nouveau period, focusing primarily on the entire book as a whole.  Each page was taken into consideration as how it would affect the total book, same as the binding, the end sheets, the title page etc, etc.  

Jules Cheret was another influential man by breaking new ground in poster design.  He made flat panels and flat designs move across the page.  The symbolic aspect of Art Nouveau can really be seen in his work.  

And yet another man to point out is Mucha, who symbolized women in a very different way compared to the past.  He recreated a poster for a famous actress in a very short amount of time because she didn't like the first poster created by a previous artist.  Everyone was flabbergasted at his work- the use of Byzantine style mosaics was incredibly detailed.  Since he didn't have much time to complete his work, it wasn't finished and was left with a colorless bottom.  One thing to point out about Mucha's work is that he portrayed women unrealistically, with  no specific age, nationality, or deriving from a specific historical period.  

I think it's pretty bad ass that Ethel Reed stepped up and became the first Graphic Designer in America.  I know the women's rights movement began in the 1950's, but this is a huge step for women because they are working!  It's not just factory or industrial work either, but creating something new and exciting in a time of change.

In Megg's book, it states that Morris 'was so angry when he saw Beardsley's Morte d'Arthur that he considered legal action' (200), but it never states whether or not he sued him.  Did he pursue legal action or was it just a threat out of anger?  I'm curious because I couldn't imagine the law had much content based on copyright issues.

More work from Matthew Brady

During the past few days in class, we had discussed the legendary Matthew Brady.  He is ultimately responsible for photographing the Civil War and bringing the harshness of war to a reality.  Because of him, people realized that war is not a beautiful thing and certainly shouldn't be glorified.  The soldiers should be honored for their bravery and courage, but the idea of war in itself shouldn't be.  

I got the photograph above from a historical Civil War website and it was photographed by Matthew Brady.  One thing that irked me a bit during class was the discussion about him 'cheating' by moving dead bodies to get a better composition/photograph.  I honestly don't think that it matters because the subject he covered desperatelyneeded to be brought to the attention of the people.  Like I mentioned before, war isn't a thing of beauty and people didn't know the brutality of it since there was no media coverage like today.  If he had to cheat and move a few bodies to knock some sense into people, then I would be happy to be called a cheater if I were Matthew Brady.  He got the necessary point across.  Mission accomplished.

To get back onto topic, this photograph shows a dead soldier surrounded by fighting instruments and destroyed walls.  Considering this photograph was taken in the late 1800's shortly after the invention of the camera, I feel the quality of this black and white photograph is fantastic.  The clarity is excellent, and the shadows really give it an eerie feeling.  The angles (naturally or done by Brady,...who knows) of the log and broken items also create a feeling of uneasiness because nothing is facing the exact same direction.  The center of attention is of course the dead soldier, and since we are looking right into his face, it creates a huge amount of tension.  When I come to think of it, it's very rare that we see photographs in the newspaper or on TV where the dead person's face is exposed.  It's too emotional because many people will recognize the person, and not everybody would like to see their dead loved ones displayed for the world to see.  There is more respect in todays world,... in these terms anyways.  

When I was looking at Brady's collection of war photographs, I chose this one because it's often more effective to just show one dead body versus a hundred of them lined up.  The direct angle focusing on the face makes this photograph effective.  My eyes continue to look at his face because human eyes naturally search for things they can recognize.  A picture consisting of fifty mutilated bodies can also be effective in many ways, but this particular image gives a face to the deceased, it's more personable and concentrates on the individual.  This immediately makes the audience first think about the loved ones of this dead soldier, and in turn, forces them to think about their own family.  It hits home for all viewers and I can appreciate that.