The Bauhaus

The Bauhaus 1919-1933

The Bauhaus was the ultimate school of art back in that period of time it opened on the 12^th of April 1919; in fact its aim was to be the ultimate building for visual arts. Walter Gropius wanted to bring a unity of art and technology; he wanted students to use visual design to solve problems. The Bauhaus years were visionary its main inspiration was brought by the expressionism movement, characterized by the imaginary desire to create a new society, the ability for artists and craftsmen to construct for the future. Gropious was very interested in architectures symbolic potential.

Stained glass, wood and metal workshops were taught by an artists and a craftsman. When Paul Klee and Wassily Kandinsky joined in 1920 and 1922, advanced ideas about form, colour and space were put into the design vocabulary. Paul Klee added modern visual art with the work of non-western cultures and children in order to create drawings and paintings that are charged with visual communication. While Wassily Kandinsky used the autonomy and spiritual values of colour and form which had led to the courageous emancipation of his paintings from the elements.

In the heart of the Bauhaus education was the preliminary course. Established by Johannes Itten, his goals were to make sure each students creative abilities, to develop an understanding of the physical nature of material and to teach the fundamental principles of design underlying all visual art.

Itten put emphasizes on visual contrasts and the analysis of old master paintings. He sought to develop perceptual awareness, intellectual abilities and emotional experiences. Itten had left the Bauhaus in 1923 because of a disagreement about the conduct of this course.

The Bauhaus later started evolving from a medievalism, expressionism and handicraft towards to rationalism and designing for machinery.  Furniture design and typography were especially influenced by De Stijl.

At early spring of 1919 a teacher in the Bauhaus Lyonel Feininger learned about De stijl and had introduced it to the Bauhaus. The Bauhaus and De stijl had very similar aims, in 1920 Van Doesburg established contacts with the Bauhaus, and moved to Weimar.  Doesburg desired a teaching position but Gropious believed that Van Doesburg was very assertive in, he was very strict in geometry and in an impersonal style.

Reference:

Meggs P. B. and Purvis A. W. 1998. 5th Edition. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons , Inc.

Bauhaus Dessau

,The Bauhaus Building by Walter Gropius [online] available at: http://www.bauhaus-dessau.de/bauhaus-building.html  [accessed: 23/11/2013] 

Constructivism

Constructivism

The movement started in Russia in 1919, Constructivism had rejected the idea of art for art’s sake and instead it promoted social ideas and practices.  The movement was considered to be very dark, because art was used to express people’s emotions. It had manipulated Russian citizens into forcing them to accept social ideas.   Russian constructivism artists expressed revolution, social order in order to create the new movement constructivism, a constructivist art piece had bold lettering, bold colours and simple shapes structures, the shapes were often lines, circles, triangles or squares.

It was the modern art movement that started in Russia in the 20^th century. The art movement itself was influenced by Cubism, suprematism and futurism, but it was a new approach replacing composition with construction.  Constructivists proposed to replace art’s traditional concern with a focus on construction; the objects created were not to express beauty, but to carry a fundamental analysis of materials forms of art, things that might lead to design of functional objects. The form of a constructivist artwork was dictated by the materials used for example: wood, glass, metal and plenty more other materials. The seed of constructivism was to express the experience of modern life.

Vladimir Tatlin is considered the father of Constructivism, a contemporary of the suprematists Kazimir Malevich. Tatlin was highly influenced by Picasso. Tatlin was a painter and architect, alongside Malevich, which were the two most important figures in the Russian Avant-garde in the 1920s. his most famoust design is the monument of the third international, known as the Tatlin’s tower which began in the 1919s.

Reference:

Sybille Fuchs and Marianne Arens , 19 June 2012 , Tatlin’s “new art for a new world”, available at http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2012/06/tat1-j19.html, [accessed 17^th November 2013]

Rob King, May 2^nd 2013, Constructivism Art Movement Animation by Rob King, avaible at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQalaHn0vMc, [accessed 17^th November 2013]

Theartstory , Constructivism, available at http://www.theartstory.org/movement-constructivism.htm , [accessed 17^th November 2013]

Piet Mondrian and Theo Van Doesburg

Piet Mondrian was one of the founders of De stijl, he helped by extending the principles of abstract art and simplification. Piet Mondrian used to paint, sculpture, architect, graphic and industrial design. Mondrian also wrote essay on abstract art of which were published in the periodical magazine De Stijl.  World War II had forced Mondrian to move to New York IN October 1940, were he continued to publish texts on neo-plasticism.

Theo Van Doesburg

Was also one of the leading artist of De Stijl. Both Mondrian and Doesburg had similar styles when it came to almost anything the performance by the two artists which were enough to ruin their friendship.

Similar styles adapted by the same artists. Van Doesburg was involved in Neo-plasticism, constructivism suprematism, Dadaism and elementarsim, most of the modernist styles. Van Doesburg highest influence would lay in the area of architecture and design, alongside with Gerrit Rietveld and JJ Oud.  It was Doesburg who took the flat, geometric painting from De Stijl and started shaping three-dimensional architecture. 

Similar design to Mondrain’s paitnings, but Van was deemed to be a follower because of the age difference, because Mondrain was eight years older than Van Doesburg.

Some Modern day influences of De Stijl:

Reference: 

Simon Mawer, Saturday 23 2010, Theo van Doesburg: Forgotten artist of the avant garde available at: http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2010/jan/23/theo-van-doesburg-avant-garde-tate [accessed at 17/11/2013]

Collection Online, 2013. Piet Mondrian available at: http://www.guggenheim.org/new-york/collections/collection-online/artists/bios/1340 [accessed at 17/11/2013] 

De stijl

De Stijl

De stijl originally started as a project by Dutch artists and designers. De stijl is translated to ‘the style’, De stijl inspired other modern movements, modern trends of the early 20^th century for example: abstract works, cubism, industrial revolution and the birth of abstract art.

De Stijl was created by the Dutch impressionist artists Piet Modrian and Theo Van Doesburg, Van Doesburg decided the formation of De Stijl after being highly influenced by the works of Wassily Kandinsky who worked in an abstract fashion. Van Doesburg determined that abstract was the movement of the future. Piet Mondrian worked in highly geometric work. Geometry was a symbol of efficiency and the path of the future.

Artists, designers, writers, typographers, architects started taking interest in this movement. De stijl was about forming ideas by different inidvidduals. A magazine was published bearing the De Stijl name this was distributed throughout Holland, each issue had different contributors. Some of the main contributes: Gerrit Rietveld (Furniture designer) Piet Mondrian (Painter) and Theo Van Doesburg (Painter, writer poet and architect)

De stijl was mainly built of numerous small projects, which surrounded furniture, art and architecture, typography and sculpture. The most famous works came from Mondrian and his composition, the use of Primary colours, shades of black and white and orthogonal lines. Most De Stijl artist was influenced by Mondrian’s works. The Orthographic black and white lines were used constantly throught various projects in the movement. Gerrit Rietvelds most famous piece of furniture was the reb and blue chair; it was influenced by Mondrian’s paintings. He followed the theme of bringing Mondrain’s paitnings to life on furniture.

The magazine spread across Europe, in 1922 the constructivist merged with De Stijl. De Stijls strong orthogonal lines inspired the façade of the Bauhaus. The Bauhaus associates with modernism, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, and Walter Gropius became known as the fathers of modernism, the impact of the De Stijl did not stop, De Stijl’s a big impact on the world Of Modernism.

De stijl popularity grew and more people contributed to the magazine. Van Doesburg started suggesting and tried to introduce diagonal lines and secondary colours into De Stijl. Piet Mondrian was one of the first members to leave as a result of conflict. People started losing interest and eventually it died out.

Reference:

Micheal McFarlane, my summary of de stijl,12th May 2010, http://crossdrilled.blogspot.com, retrieved 10/11/2013, http://crossdrilled.blogspot.com/2010/05/if-u-are-most-boring-person-read-this.html

Charlotte Jirousek , De Stijl http://char.txa.cornell.edu/art/decart/destijl/decstijl.htm

  , 1995, retrieved 10/11/2013  http://char.txa.cornell.edu/art/decart/destijl/decstijl.htm, 

Peter Behrens

Peter Behrens

Peter Behrens was a 19^th century architect and designer, he was the founder of modern industrial design and industrial architecture. Peter Behrens is one of the founding members of Munich secession. He was the founder of Vereinigten Wekstatten. His earliest works are ornament drawings, for example: a delicate sketch of butterflies alighting on lily pads framed by rushes, influenced by Japanese art. 

Behrens’s woodcuts are based by illustration in the middle, which are surrounded by a border, in one of his works “The Kiss” the hair of the two women are combing each other to transform into a frame. 

In his later works, he starts using simple geometrical shapes with basic lines and shapes. Behrens started working on advertising posters; he also started working on designs of daily electrical products. Behrens’s was the first European citizen to create the first complex corporate identity.  Behrens designed a typeface for the AEG’s. Behrens designed a roman-style letterform inspired by Roman inscriptions. It was not available in type.Peter Behrens’s also produced handmade utilitarian objects; he created porcelain tableware which pattern on the plates. 

Peter brethren’s art: Book design, typography, painting, graphic design, ceramic works like tiles, pitches, vases, furniture and plenty of other everyday crafted objects.

Peter Behrens’s was also known as the first industrial designer.  Behren’s design practice centered on mostly architecture, his work during the opening decades of the century were about advanced thinking of design, he planted seeds for the future developments.

Philip.B.Meggs, Alston W.Purvis Megg's History of Graphic design 5th Edition,1998, New Jersey.

Petr Končal , Peter Behrens , http://designhistoryresearch.wordpress.com ,Retrieved 10/11/2013,  http://designhistoryresearch.wordpress.com/category/peter-behrens/. 

The arts and crafts movement:

The arts and crafts movement developed in England during the 19^th century. (The arts and crafts movements was also known as Mission style)

The movement was inspired by social reform. There are plenty of  designers in this movement: Walter Crane, John Ruskin, and William Morris.

Medieval ages could have be one of the most influential times that inspired this movement, for example the medieval guilds, aesthetic ideas from Medieval European, and Islamic sources, and Japanese ideas were incorporated early in the Arts and crafts movement.

The main forms of the Arts and Crafts movements were rectilinear and angular, with stylized decorative motifs.  

Art Nouveau 

The arts and crafts style came to be known as Aesthetic style, which shared the same characteristic of Art Nouveau. Art Nouveau originated in Belguim and France, the movement advocated nature as the true source of all great design. Art Nouveau designers object to borrowing ideas from the past, from different cultures, Japanese approach was very influential. The characteristics of the style included the use of: Sinuous curved line, together with asymmetrical arrangement of forms and patterns, and flowing curves. Other used forms included peacock feathers, butterflies and insects. Art Nouveau designers included Victor Horta, Hector Guimard and Henry van de Velde.

Distinctive graphic design style developed: Typography styles, distinctive manner of the female figure, print of Aubrey Beardley and Alphonse Mucha are typical of this style.

William Morris:

 William Morris 19^th century was an influential designer of the arts and crafts movement. In the 1870 made a commitment to increasingly political activities. William Morris patterns have been popular since the end of the 19^th century, Morris’s patterns never lost their appeal, he had changed the director of English art, architecture and design. William Morris painted with styles that consisted bright and colourful pictures, he used to make wallpaper, he also used dark colours for wallpaper. William Morri’s commissioned Philip Webb to design Morris’s famous Red house. The house was decorated in medieval fashion, building all the furnishing, designing stained glass windows, painting murals, weaving tapestries, and designing textiles.

Reference links:

David Cody, 1987, Morris's socialism, victorianweb.org, retreived 03/11/2013,http://www.victorianweb.org/victorian/authors/morris/wmsocialm.html

Anon, William Morris, historygraphicdesign.com, retreived 03/11/2013 http://www.historygraphicdesign.com/index.php/the-industrial-revolution/the-arts-and-crafts-movement/248-william-morris

 Charlotte Jirousek, 1995, The Arts and Crafts Movement, http://char.txa.cornell.edu,  retreived 03/11/2013 http://char.txa.cornell.edu/art/decart/artcraft/artcraft.htm

Graphic Design summary and Jules Cheret

Introduction:

The term Graphic design started in 1922, Graphic design is anything that could communicate with the viewer, and it was widely used after world war two. Graphic design is everywhere, advertisements, billboards, magazines, logo’s brand names and plenty more.

Jules Cheret:

Early 19^th century, Jules Cheret, had developed a technique with 34 coloured printing, the posters could re-produced up to 8ft,  Jules Cheret a was a French painter and lithographer, he became a master of poster art. He is called the father of the modern poster.

1859 and 1866, he was trained in lithography in London. Returning to France, he was influenced by works of Jean-Honore Fragonard and other Rococo artists for example: Antoine Watteau. He created vivid poster ads for music halls, theatres like Eldorado, the Olympia, The follies and more.

After he was in such a huge demand providing advertisements for many things, perfumes, soaps, and other products. He became a major advertising force.

His posters display modest free-spirited women, they are joyous, elegant and lively.  His designs were innovative; he worked directly on stone, using spirited brush lines, crosshatch, soft water colour washes, and areas of flat colour to create a dynamic image. During 1870’s and 80’s his style evolved a simpler, more dynamic approach in which compositions were dominated by large central figures, hand lettered tittles, and simple backgrounds, and large areas of glowing colour and gestural textures.

Jules Cheret influenced other artists and designs, on the present day.

'Ball at the Moulin Rouge, Place Blanche', 1889

Jules Cheret job cigarette poster

Reference:

Anon, Jules Chéret, britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/109383/Jules-Cheret, visited 02/11/2013, http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/109383/Jules-Cheret

Anon, Jules Cheret Biography, jules-cheret.org/, created in 2002, visited 02/11/2013, http://www.jules-cheret.org/