Cubism

Cubism

Cubism began a different artistic tradition seeing things from different angles; Pablo Picasso applied elements of ancient Iberian and African art to human figures. Figures were abstracted into geometric planes and the human figure completely dispatched. The illusions of perspective give away an unclear shifting of two-dimensional planes.  Figures were seen from more than one view point. Picasso and his colleague Georges Braque had developed cubism as an art movement that replaced the interpretation of appearances and endless possibilities of form. They analysed the planes of subject matter from several points of view, they used these perceptions to construct a painting composed of rhythmic geometric planes characters. They used shapes, colours, textures and values in spatial relationship.

Picasso and Braque also introduced paper collage into their work in 1912. The texture of collage element signifies objects. Picasso glued oilcloth printed with a pattern of a chair cane into one of his paintings.

Cubism has a strong relationship with the process of human vision; our eyes scan a subject whilst our minds combine fragments into something whole. Often letter forms and words from newspaper were used to incorporate as visual form and for meaning.

Cubists invented forms that were signs rather that representations of the subject matter. Among the artist who groupedaround Picasso and Braque and joined the movements, Fernand Leger had moved cubism away from the initial characteristics of its founders. Leger moved closer to visual experience in paintings; perceptions of the colours, shapes, posters and architecture of the urban environment. His almost pictographic simplifications of the human figure and objects were a major inspiration to the modernist pictorial graphics. Legers flat planes of colour, urban motifs and hard edge precision of his machine forms aided in defining the modern design sensibility after the First World War.

Cubism had changed the course of painting and graphic design, its visual inventions became a motivational for experiments that pushed art and design towards geometric abstraction and a new approach towards pictorial space.   

Reference:

ThatStudent 2012, Cubism [Online] available at: http://havingalookathistoryofgraphicdesign.blogspot.com/2012/11/cubism_7.html, [accessed 29^th of November]

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

International Typographic style and Ernst Keller

International typographic style

The international typographic style started in the 1950s from Switzerland and Germany, the main objective was clarity.  It was a major force for over two decades and still influences work of today. The visual characters of the style include an agreement of design achieved by asymmetrical elements on a mathematically constructed grid; photography and the verbal information in a clear and factual manner.

Initiators of this movement thought that sans-serif typography had expressed the spirit of a more progressive age, and that grids are the most legible and harmonious means to structure information.

The designers of this movement defined their roles not as artists but as an objective to convey and communicate important information.

The basis of typographic style could be found in the curriculum advanced at the School of Design in Basel. The development of this curriculum has fundamental geometric exercises which involves the cube and the line. This begun in the nineteenth century and was influenced by De Stijl and The Bauhaus.  

Ernst Keller

Known as the father of Swiss Graphic design, in 1918 he joined the Zurich Kunstgewerbeschulde and taught advertising layout and in order to create a professional course in design and typography. He taught designs of lettering, trademarks and posters. Ernst did not support a specific style; Keller argued that the solution to a design problem should emerge from its content. He had interest in symbolic imagery, simplified geometric forms, expressive edges, lettering and vibrant contrasting colour.

Reference:

History of Graphic Design, Ernst Keller [Online], Available at: http://www.historygraphicdesign.com/index.php/the-age-of-information/the-international-typographic-style/714-ernst-keller [accessed 28th of November 2013]

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

Isotype Movement

Isotype movement

The original name was the Viena Method; the movement was named Isotype after Neurath had moved to Holland. Isotype contribution to visual communication is the set of conventions to formalize the use of pictorial language of connection images to create an organized structure.

The movement was developed to create a world language without words; it began in the 1920s and continued till the 1940s, it still influences designers today. The Isotype is a concept that involves the use of elementary pictographs as a means to translate information. The individual who created this movement was a sociologist in Vienna Otto Neurath, who as a child was amazed by visual means. Neurath felt that there should be change to social and economics, World War I requested clear communication to help public understanding of important social issues. (I.e. Pictographs to present complex data)

Neurath’s charts were completely functional and had shown decorative qualities. Neurath had a connection with the new typography movement. Tshichold helped him and his collaborators; the new Renner’s new Futura typeface was approved for the Isotype design immediately after it became available.

Gerd Arntz constructivist inspired prints had included archetypal geometric figures,  Ants used to cut the pictographs on linoleum blocks, after which they printed on a letterpress and then pasted and finished the artwork.

An important figure in Neurath’s many assistants was Rudolf Modley who went to America during the 1930s and created Pictorial Statistics, Inc. This company became a Pictographic corporation. Modley believed a symbol should follow the principles of good design, to be effective in any sizes, have different and particular characteristics to differentiate from other symbols or images.

Post-World War II graphic design also involves the research towards the development of World Wide visual-language, the expanded and broad use of pictographs in signage and in information.  

Reference:

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

Anon, The Isotype movement [online] available at: :http://www.csun.edu/~pjd77408/DrD/Art461/LecturesAll/Lectures/lecture08/Isotype.htm

Accessed [26^th of November 2013]

Austin Kleon, Otto Neurath, Gerd Arntz and the Isotype movement [online], available at: http://tumblr.austinkleon.com/post/26244830  Accessed [26^th November 2013]

Jan Tschichold and Typography

Jan Tschichold

Tschichold developed early interest in calligraphy, he studied at the Leipzig academy, he attended the first Bauhaus exhibition and was deeply impressed, and he assimilated the new design concepts of the Bauhaus and the Russian constructivist into his works. He designed a twenty-four page insert by the name of “Elementare typographie” which explained asymmetrical typography to designers. It was printed in red and black and featured in avant-garde.  A lot of German printing at this point still used medieval texture and symmetrical layouts.

His book, “Die neue Typographie” advocated new ideas, he wanted to create asymmetrical typogrpggrahy to express the spirit, life and visual sensibility of the day. His objective was to create a working design with linear means. He declared that typographic work is to be the delivery of a message in the shortest and most efficient manner. Tschichold’s brochure for the book illustrates this radical new typography, which had rejected decoration in favour of rational designs which were to communication function.

Tschichold favoured headlines flush to the left margin, with uneven line lengths.  He believed of energetic asymmetrical design of contrasting elements expressed the new of the machine. Types should be elementary in form without adornment i.e. sans-serif, type should range (light, medium, bold, extra-bold and italic) and with different proportions i.e. (condensed, normal, expanded,) this was declared to be the modern type. Designs were based on the underlining of horizontal and vertical structure. Spatial intervals were important design elements, with the white space given a new role to be a structural component. Bars, boxes and rules were often used to structure balance.  Tschichold showed how the modern-art movement could account for graphic design by combining his practical understanding of typography and its traditions with the new experiments. The main character of the new typography was clarity, not elegance; its objective was to create form from the functions of text.  

Tschichold’s approach set a standard for the new approach to books, job printing, advertising and posters.

Reference: 

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

 Historygraphicdesign The Bauhaus and the New Typography, Jan Tschichold [online] available at: http://www.historygraphicdesign.com/index.php/the-modernist-era/the-bauhaus-and-the-new-typography/277-jan-tschichold [accessed 25th Novembmer 2013] 

Laszlo Moholy-Nagy

Laszlo Moholy-Nagy

Moholy-nagy was a Hungarian constructivist, he studied law before turning to art, and he explored various types of media, photography, film, painting, sculpture and graphic design. He had taken over Itten’s role as head of the preliminary course. Moholy-Nagy marked influence on the evolution of the Bauhaus instruction and philosophy. He eventually became Gropious’s prime minister at the Bauhaus as the director pushed for a new wholeness of art and technology.

Moholy-Nagy contributed an important statement about typography; he described it as “a tool of communication. It must be communication in its most intense form. The emphasis must be on absolute clarity… Legibility – communication must never be forced into a preconceived framework, for instance a square. He supported the idea “an uninhibited use of all linear directions. We use all typefaces, type sizes, geometric forms, colours, etc. we want to create a new language of typography whose electricity, variability and freshness of typography composition are exclusively dictated by the inner law of expression and optical effect.

Moholy-Nagy’s passion for typography and photography inspired a Bauhaus interest in visual communication which had led to important experiments. He saw graphic design, in particular the poster, as evolving toward the typo photo. He called this “the new visual literature” he saw photography influencing poster design, which demands instantaneous communication by techniques of enlargement, distortion, double exposures, montage etc…  

Moholy 1926 “Pneumatik” poster this is create with tinted covering and photo collage.  He wrote that photography’s objective presentation of facts could free the viewer from depending on another person interpretation.  

Moholy-Nagy used the camera as a tool for design; compositional ideas to unexpected organization, primarily through the use of light to design the space. (this sometimes included shadows) The normal viewpoint was replaced by worm’s eye, bird’s eye, extreme close-up and angled viewpoints. Moholy-Nagy’s started experimenting with photomontage which he called photo plastics, Moholy-Nagy believed the photogram, represented the essence of photography. The objects he used to create photograms were chosen for their light-modulating properties. Photo plastics could be emotional, insightful, complex and unexpected juxtapositions.

Reference:

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

Art Directory, Lazlo Moholy-Nagy, [online] Availble at: http://www.moholy-nagy.eu/ [accessed 24 November 2013]

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/