The poster that I found had the most emotional impact on me was this poster:
http://www.allposters.com/-sp/Bravery-Posters_i372196_.htm
It is a poster of a soldier on the ground pointing his gun outwards, towards the viewer. The picture is lifelike and realistic, this is what the soldier must do--and seeing that is emotional enough. But on top of that, the gun is aimed at the viewer, which gives the feeling of being under fire, or at the wrong side of the gun. It makes me very uncomfortable to look at the poster because I feel like I am about to be shot down.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Sketches
This redesign of the Heinz ketchup bottle label is influenced by the Victorian era. I wanted to use typography that was more decorative and thick to make the “Heinz tomato ketchup” words stand out on the label, especially “Heinz.” I also put the word “tomato” on a curved angle, as that is representative of many Victorian era products as well. I carried the thicker, decorative type through to “America’s favorite” but on a smaller scale so that the phrase would not compete with brand name. Finally, I added a lot of embellishment through straight and scalloped lines around the border, as well as scrolls and curves in the white spaces to make sure I filled all of the larger areas of white, as Victorians did not like to leave any white space.
This second redesign of the Heinz ketchup bottle label is influenced by the Arts and Crafts movement. For typography, I was inspired by the woodtype typeface “Neuland” by Rudolf Koch, which was a slightly imperfect carved block letterface with very thick, even, angular strokes. I used smaller, contrasting types for less important words in the label to balance the thick, larger and more important words. Arts & Crafts design used very organic line-made elements, as well as celebrated nature, so I tried to do the same through using a tomato and vines to make linear elements that moved throughout the whole label, making it very busy, just like arts and crafts design. Also, the placement of the type was generally put near the top or bottom, so that is what I did with most of the type on the label; I wanted the Heinz pickle to stand out, though, so I put that more towards the center as one of the main elements as it is a brand identity for the company.
Friday, March 27, 2009
Readings 2/27
The American posters that were designed during WWII had many of the same elements that we have seen during these years when modern art influenced design. The posters are rather simplified and straightforward, with pistorial representations and limited color range (black, red, white, yellow, blue) to get direct points across. The war posters are especially dramatic as they hit on social, political and ethical nerves.
American Kitsch, on a completely different note, is the opposite of the simple designs that we have been seeing lately. Kitsch is often described as tacky, trashy, nostalgic or just plain junk. Some people can appreciate kitsch because they can find humor in how terrible looking a piece of art/collectible/carving/etc is. While I think this is funny to a point, I only think it'd be funny if someone else actually thought it was good art and one could laugh at how bad it really is. But who really knows what's good and bad?
In relation to WWII posters, I especially noticed Ben Shahn's poster about Nazi cruelty, which features a stiff man with a bag over his head and text saying that all the men of a Czech village have been killed. Even the brick wall in the background is striking as it brings about the imagery of the concentration camps and brick ovens to mind. It is an eerie and striking poster.
What are some other examples of kitsch? For some reason, I keep recalling to mind old garage sales I went to and all the old ugly figurines that I'd find at them and wonder who'd ever buy them.
American Kitsch, on a completely different note, is the opposite of the simple designs that we have been seeing lately. Kitsch is often described as tacky, trashy, nostalgic or just plain junk. Some people can appreciate kitsch because they can find humor in how terrible looking a piece of art/collectible/carving/etc is. While I think this is funny to a point, I only think it'd be funny if someone else actually thought it was good art and one could laugh at how bad it really is. But who really knows what's good and bad?
In relation to WWII posters, I especially noticed Ben Shahn's poster about Nazi cruelty, which features a stiff man with a bag over his head and text saying that all the men of a Czech village have been killed. Even the brick wall in the background is striking as it brings about the imagery of the concentration camps and brick ovens to mind. It is an eerie and striking poster.
What are some other examples of kitsch? For some reason, I keep recalling to mind old garage sales I went to and all the old ugly figurines that I'd find at them and wonder who'd ever buy them.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Postcubist Pictorial Modernism
The reading for tomorrow’s class is about the postcubist pictorial modernist movement that occurred approximately around the 1920s-1930s. This movement, known as art deco, created graphic design that was geometrical and influenced by cubism, Bauhaus, the Vienna Secession, De Stijl and suprematism. One key graphic designer who used art deco was Edward McKnight Kauffer, who moved to Europe after seeing the Armory Show in Chicago in 1913 and decided that Americans were not yet attuned enough to the modern art movement. He applied modern art to design, particularly poster design, creating 141 posters for the London Underground. Other influential designers were A.M. Cassandre, who was a master of integrating words and imagery into one total design, and Jean Carlu, Paul Collin, Austin Cooper, and Joseph Binder.
I found it interesting that Cassandre went back to the Roman alphabet and tried to recreate it anew with the Peignot alphabet. Using all capitals as smaller forms for the lower-case letters was definitely different than people were used to reading as normal body text, it is not a comfortable way to read now that we are so used to reading lower-case letters. I think that is why Cassandre’s attempt to revive the Roman alphabet was unsuccessful, though it can be appreciated.
When did modern art/art deco finally come to America and influence the graphic designers here?
I found it interesting that Cassandre went back to the Roman alphabet and tried to recreate it anew with the Peignot alphabet. Using all capitals as smaller forms for the lower-case letters was definitely different than people were used to reading as normal body text, it is not a comfortable way to read now that we are so used to reading lower-case letters. I think that is why Cassandre’s attempt to revive the Roman alphabet was unsuccessful, though it can be appreciated.
When did modern art/art deco finally come to America and influence the graphic designers here?
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Chapter 15 Summary
Chapter 15: A New Language of Form
This chapter discusses how the Russian suprematism and communism influenced graphic design through the use of a “cubo-futurism” style that experimented with typography and design, as well as “suprematism.” This painting style of basic forms and pure color was founded by Kasimir Malevich, providing a new, nonobjective geometric abstraction to graphic design. Art was seen by constructivists as a social/political role, a duty for artists to fulfill. El Lissitzky was a large influence on constructivism; he created the PROUNS painting style of 3D illusions, which showed the “interchange between painting and architecture.” He also was an innovator of montage and photomontage. Rodchenko, Klutsis and Lebedev were three other influences on the constructivism movement. The De Stijl movement was launched in the Netherlands in 1917 by Theo van Doesburg. It was an abstract geometric style that its forerunners wanted to become a prototype for a new social order. Mondrian’s paintings were an influence on Doesburg and his movement, which saw abstraction as the way to an ultimate reality. It sought an expression of mathematical structure of the universe and universal harmony of nature.
What I found interesting about these two movements is again the use of primary colors and bold, flat shapes that has seemed to pervade the artistic influences of the movements before and perhaps after this movement. I wonder why they are so limiting in the use of the primary colors though. It is because printing cannot print many complex colors yet?
This chapter discusses how the Russian suprematism and communism influenced graphic design through the use of a “cubo-futurism” style that experimented with typography and design, as well as “suprematism.” This painting style of basic forms and pure color was founded by Kasimir Malevich, providing a new, nonobjective geometric abstraction to graphic design. Art was seen by constructivists as a social/political role, a duty for artists to fulfill. El Lissitzky was a large influence on constructivism; he created the PROUNS painting style of 3D illusions, which showed the “interchange between painting and architecture.” He also was an innovator of montage and photomontage. Rodchenko, Klutsis and Lebedev were three other influences on the constructivism movement. The De Stijl movement was launched in the Netherlands in 1917 by Theo van Doesburg. It was an abstract geometric style that its forerunners wanted to become a prototype for a new social order. Mondrian’s paintings were an influence on Doesburg and his movement, which saw abstraction as the way to an ultimate reality. It sought an expression of mathematical structure of the universe and universal harmony of nature.
What I found interesting about these two movements is again the use of primary colors and bold, flat shapes that has seemed to pervade the artistic influences of the movements before and perhaps after this movement. I wonder why they are so limiting in the use of the primary colors though. It is because printing cannot print many complex colors yet?
After Class 3/11
Victoria presented chapter 14, pictorial modernism, which was a movement during the late 18th century into the early 19th century. It was largely influenced by cultural influences like WWI, as well as other art movements like cubism and futurism. Pictorial modernism featured typographic interplay and layering, yet moved towards simplicity with bold primary colors and flat imagery. Lucian Bernhart was the “father” or pictorial modernism, introducing the German Plakatstil style that was born from a poster he submitted for a contest. The style eventually influenced similar styles in North America and Europe.
I think one of the most interesting things today was seeing the difference between the German patriotic posters during WWI and WWII as compared to the American war posters at the same time. Compared to each other, the German posters seemed a little ruthless and severe, while the American posters seemed quite naïve and childish.
The question I still have is did pictorial modernism stick mostly to posters, or was it used evenly over all areas of graphic design?
I think one of the most interesting things today was seeing the difference between the German patriotic posters during WWI and WWII as compared to the American war posters at the same time. Compared to each other, the German posters seemed a little ruthless and severe, while the American posters seemed quite naïve and childish.
The question I still have is did pictorial modernism stick mostly to posters, or was it used evenly over all areas of graphic design?
Chapter 14 Summary
Chapter 14: Pictorial Modernism
Pictorial modernism was a movement that occurred in the late 18th century-early 19th century. The movement was influenced by cubism, constructivism and futurism, as well as many other cultural influences. Pictorial modernists focused on using a main pictorial reference, particularly on posters, to communicate an effective and bold message to viewers. These posters also used small amounts of to-the-point text, bold and flat imagery, and bold primary colors like red, blue and yellow. Pryde and Nicholson influenced the style with poster collages in the later 1800s, using flat planes of cut-out colors and imagery. In Germany, the Plakatstil “poster style” movement was greatly influenced by young Bernhart, who brought the simplification of pictorial modernism into full force. These poster styles made a large influence during WWI, using stark colors, imagery and text to convey political propaganda to the public to get people to sign up for the war or contribute money and efforts to help.
I really liked and could appreciate the simplicity of the pictorial modernist posters. Things designed today tend to be so complex and say a lot, that these posters are refreshing to look at. I like that even when they are so simplistic, they still effectively communicate—perhaps even better than the more complex posters do.
I am confused about the real beginning artist of pictorial modernism. If Pryde and Nicholson began poster collages with the same characteristics as typical pictorial modernism, aren’t they technically the forerunners of the style?
Pictorial modernism was a movement that occurred in the late 18th century-early 19th century. The movement was influenced by cubism, constructivism and futurism, as well as many other cultural influences. Pictorial modernists focused on using a main pictorial reference, particularly on posters, to communicate an effective and bold message to viewers. These posters also used small amounts of to-the-point text, bold and flat imagery, and bold primary colors like red, blue and yellow. Pryde and Nicholson influenced the style with poster collages in the later 1800s, using flat planes of cut-out colors and imagery. In Germany, the Plakatstil “poster style” movement was greatly influenced by young Bernhart, who brought the simplification of pictorial modernism into full force. These poster styles made a large influence during WWI, using stark colors, imagery and text to convey political propaganda to the public to get people to sign up for the war or contribute money and efforts to help.
I really liked and could appreciate the simplicity of the pictorial modernist posters. Things designed today tend to be so complex and say a lot, that these posters are refreshing to look at. I like that even when they are so simplistic, they still effectively communicate—perhaps even better than the more complex posters do.
I am confused about the real beginning artist of pictorial modernism. If Pryde and Nicholson began poster collages with the same characteristics as typical pictorial modernism, aren’t they technically the forerunners of the style?
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
3/9 After Class
Today in class we talked about Ch. 13, The Influence of Modern Art. Alexis's presentation covered the social, political and communication influences on the 20th century people. Cubism, started by Pablo Picasso, used geometric planes and cubes, spheres and cylinders and had influences of African tribal art. Futurism was concerned with noise, speed and motion, and used new ways of art and expression. Dadaism was a form of imagery and poetry combined through the use of imaginative typography; Duchamp was one of the most prominent artists. Surrealism was founded by Andre Breton and depicted a world of dreamy and imaginative imagery. Dali was one of the most popular surrealism artists, lending deep perspectives to her works of art. Finally, Expressionism was a movement that depicted subjective emotions and personal responses to subjects and events.
I think the most useful thing today was Alexis’s packets which contained various works of art that we identified as belonging to a movement that we went over in class. It was a useful exercise in applying what we learned, because even though you see the pictures in the book it helps more to kind of be “quizzed” on them. I may do this from now on for every chapter!
The question I have is, are cubism works of art not always super geometrical? The self-portrait that Picasso did of himself is angular and the lines are heavy, but it didn’t seem very cube-y to me, so it confused me.
I think the most useful thing today was Alexis’s packets which contained various works of art that we identified as belonging to a movement that we went over in class. It was a useful exercise in applying what we learned, because even though you see the pictures in the book it helps more to kind of be “quizzed” on them. I may do this from now on for every chapter!
The question I have is, are cubism works of art not always super geometrical? The self-portrait that Picasso did of himself is angular and the lines are heavy, but it didn’t seem very cube-y to me, so it confused me.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Chapter 13 Summary
Chapter 13, "The Influence of Modern Art" covers Cubism, Futurism, the Dada movement, Surrealism and Expressionism.
Cubism is an approach to painting and design as an exploration of space and a way of expressing human emotions. Picasso was the first innovator of this style with his series of paintings that featured Iberian and African tribal art in relation to the human body, boldly chiseled geometric planes of African sculpture, masks and fabric. Cubism uses figures in abstracted geometric planes, breaks classic norms of the human figure, and a shifting of perspectives on 2D planes. This style pushed design into more geometric abstraction and created new attitudes about pictorial space.
Futurism is a style that is fueled by enthusiasm for war, the machine age, speed and modern life. It spawned new painterly typography, "parole in liberta," that emphasized the noise and speed of the words it was portraying through contrasts in color, size, shape, weight, typefaces, etc.
Dada was a reaction to the WWI carnage, so it was anti-art, anti-tradition and strongly negative and destructive and anarchistic. It focused on chance placement and absurd titles, showing art and life as processes of random choice combined with willful choice. Dadaists aimed to mock and defame a society gone insane. It contributed to the concept of letterforms as concrete visual shapes, not just phonetic symbols.
Surrealism, "super reality," was a way of thinking, knowing, feeling and living that had poetic faith in the human spirit; it searched for the "more real than the real world behind the real."
Expressionism depicted subjective emotions and personal responses to subjects and events, not an objective reality. Color, proportion and lines were exaggerated and distorted; colors were intense and often contrasted. It saw art as an ideal form, a beacon for change in social reform and human condition.
I was inspired by the abstract textures and forms that most of these movements used, although many times I just stare at a piece of art and can't see the correlation between the subject and what it is trying to convey. I think that was the point these artists were trying to make sometimes...?
How exactly did surrealism influence the graphic design world? To me, it seems more of an influence on philosophical thinking and writing more than an influence on painting, etc.
Cubism is an approach to painting and design as an exploration of space and a way of expressing human emotions. Picasso was the first innovator of this style with his series of paintings that featured Iberian and African tribal art in relation to the human body, boldly chiseled geometric planes of African sculpture, masks and fabric. Cubism uses figures in abstracted geometric planes, breaks classic norms of the human figure, and a shifting of perspectives on 2D planes. This style pushed design into more geometric abstraction and created new attitudes about pictorial space.
Futurism is a style that is fueled by enthusiasm for war, the machine age, speed and modern life. It spawned new painterly typography, "parole in liberta," that emphasized the noise and speed of the words it was portraying through contrasts in color, size, shape, weight, typefaces, etc.
Dada was a reaction to the WWI carnage, so it was anti-art, anti-tradition and strongly negative and destructive and anarchistic. It focused on chance placement and absurd titles, showing art and life as processes of random choice combined with willful choice. Dadaists aimed to mock and defame a society gone insane. It contributed to the concept of letterforms as concrete visual shapes, not just phonetic symbols.
Surrealism, "super reality," was a way of thinking, knowing, feeling and living that had poetic faith in the human spirit; it searched for the "more real than the real world behind the real."
Expressionism depicted subjective emotions and personal responses to subjects and events, not an objective reality. Color, proportion and lines were exaggerated and distorted; colors were intense and often contrasted. It saw art as an ideal form, a beacon for change in social reform and human condition.
I was inspired by the abstract textures and forms that most of these movements used, although many times I just stare at a piece of art and can't see the correlation between the subject and what it is trying to convey. I think that was the point these artists were trying to make sometimes...?
How exactly did surrealism influence the graphic design world? To me, it seems more of an influence on philosophical thinking and writing more than an influence on painting, etc.
Weekly Image 3/8
I chose to feature Gustav Klimt's painting, "The Tree of Life," which was painted in 1909. You can find many pictures of it and other beautiful paintings of Klimt through a Google search, which is what I did.
What I find interesting about this piece is the mix of geometric and sharp, straight lines against the background of the tree, which is made of multiple geometric swirls of all different sizes. This shows the influence of the Glasgow style of the era: geometric, somewhat of an ethereal sense overall, as well as bold simple lines and flat planes of color in some of the geometric shapes. While it looks like there is a lot going on, the white background behind all the swirls creates a lighter, textured pattern that doesn't interfere with the very detailed human figures or ground from which they arise. The contrast in styles between the geometric ground and figures and the more organic tree also points to the symbolic imagery that was beginning to show in art and design at the beginning of 20th century design.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
After class 3/4
In class on Wednesay we had a presentation on the Genesis of the Twentieth Century. It covered Frank Lloyd Wright's impact on design, including his use of geometric shapes and white space, as well as organic architecture and "total design." The Glasgow School was also an important influence with "The Four" and their transcendental, symbolic style. The Vienna Secession in Austria was led by Klimt in 1897 and followed by many young artists who wanted to steer away from traditional design; the "Ver Sacrum" magazine Klimt put out was an example of their extreme experimentation with typography, format and imagery.
I really liked learning about Peter Behrens as the first corporate identity designer for AEG. It wasn't that long ago, really, that he put together the identity system for AEG, and as a forerunner of this kind of branding design, he really knew what he was doing right off the bat, even though design wasn't even his main profession.
Was the Ver Sacrum magazine contributed to by just young followers of the Secession, or was it a variety of designers at the time?
I really liked learning about Peter Behrens as the first corporate identity designer for AEG. It wasn't that long ago, really, that he put together the identity system for AEG, and as a forerunner of this kind of branding design, he really knew what he was doing right off the bat, even though design wasn't even his main profession.
Was the Ver Sacrum magazine contributed to by just young followers of the Secession, or was it a variety of designers at the time?
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Chapter 12
Chapter 12 “The Genesis of 20th Century Design” covers the span of Frank Lloyd Wright and the Glasgow School, the Vienna Secession, Peter Behrens, and the London Underground.
Frank Lloyd Wright was an American architect who took a rectilinear approach to design; he thought organic architecture should work in harmony with its environment and with its purpose. His rectangular design was mirrored in the Glasgow School, where “The Four” had a lyrical, symbolic, stylized form that was both geometric and curvilinear. The transcendental style influenced many, including Jessie Marion King, who did many stylized and contradictory medieval fantasy illustrations.
The Vienna Secession in Austria began on April 3rd, 1897 when young members of the Viennese Creative Arts Assoc. resigned, led by painter Gustav Klimt. The countermovement to art nouveau loved clean, simple sans serif lettering, experimented with format and typography, and was fascinated with geometry. Peter Behrens was a German artist, architect and designer who was also concerned with typography; he was an early advocate of sans serif type, and he chose to use typography to express the spirit of the new era. In fact, he printed the first book in sans serif type in 1900. He was the first industrial designer, and used a grid system to structure the space in his design layouts. Behrens was the main designer for all facets of AEG, making their logo and a specific typeface for them, among many other things. The London Underground built in the 1890s found the help of Frank Pick, who handled the publicity of the station; he designed the simple Underground signs that are still used today.
I really loved “The Four” and their stylized drawings, as well as their inspired follower, Jessie Marion King. The style is much different than drawings that I do myself, and it makes me want to try different forms of stylized drawing to push myself to embrace more interesting and stronger styles such as theirs.
I love Frank Lloyd Wright and his architecture; however, I think I missed what his main contribution of print graphic design was? Or was it just his rectilinear approach that was so vastly different compared to the organic art nouveau movement that made him so popular?
Frank Lloyd Wright was an American architect who took a rectilinear approach to design; he thought organic architecture should work in harmony with its environment and with its purpose. His rectangular design was mirrored in the Glasgow School, where “The Four” had a lyrical, symbolic, stylized form that was both geometric and curvilinear. The transcendental style influenced many, including Jessie Marion King, who did many stylized and contradictory medieval fantasy illustrations.
The Vienna Secession in Austria began on April 3rd, 1897 when young members of the Viennese Creative Arts Assoc. resigned, led by painter Gustav Klimt. The countermovement to art nouveau loved clean, simple sans serif lettering, experimented with format and typography, and was fascinated with geometry. Peter Behrens was a German artist, architect and designer who was also concerned with typography; he was an early advocate of sans serif type, and he chose to use typography to express the spirit of the new era. In fact, he printed the first book in sans serif type in 1900. He was the first industrial designer, and used a grid system to structure the space in his design layouts. Behrens was the main designer for all facets of AEG, making their logo and a specific typeface for them, among many other things. The London Underground built in the 1890s found the help of Frank Pick, who handled the publicity of the station; he designed the simple Underground signs that are still used today.
I really loved “The Four” and their stylized drawings, as well as their inspired follower, Jessie Marion King. The style is much different than drawings that I do myself, and it makes me want to try different forms of stylized drawing to push myself to embrace more interesting and stronger styles such as theirs.
I love Frank Lloyd Wright and his architecture; however, I think I missed what his main contribution of print graphic design was? Or was it just his rectilinear approach that was so vastly different compared to the organic art nouveau movement that made him so popular?
Alexis's question
Alexis asked: The book mentioned that a man named Baron Victor Horta may have started the movement of Art Nouveau. Did he? What happened to Ethel Reed?
Baron Victor Horta was not necessarily a big influence on art nouveau graphic design, but he was a Belgian architect who was said to be "undoubtedly the key European Art Nouveau architect." Hotel Tassel in Brussels in the early 1890s is sometimes said to be the first introduction of the style to architecture from the decorative arts.
As for Ethel Reed, she remains a mystery to many people. Doing some research, it seems there are several assertions. First, that she may have lost her sight, which would obviously end her art career. Second, one person says they found a 1901 census from Britain in which she had a four-year-old son and no husband, which would have left her even more hard-pressed for money to support herself, and who knows what may have happened then. Lastly, many people accept that she was engaged, then traveled abroad to study--and then simply disappeared after that.
Sources:
http://lists.pglaf.org/pipermail/project-wombat/2007-May/006570.html
Wikipedia
Baron Victor Horta was not necessarily a big influence on art nouveau graphic design, but he was a Belgian architect who was said to be "undoubtedly the key European Art Nouveau architect." Hotel Tassel in Brussels in the early 1890s is sometimes said to be the first introduction of the style to architecture from the decorative arts.
As for Ethel Reed, she remains a mystery to many people. Doing some research, it seems there are several assertions. First, that she may have lost her sight, which would obviously end her art career. Second, one person says they found a 1901 census from Britain in which she had a four-year-old son and no husband, which would have left her even more hard-pressed for money to support herself, and who knows what may have happened then. Lastly, many people accept that she was engaged, then traveled abroad to study--and then simply disappeared after that.
Sources:
http://lists.pglaf.org/pipermail/project-wombat/2007-May/006570.html
Wikipedia
Monday, March 2, 2009
Chapter 11: Art Nouveau
Chapter 11: Art Nouveau
This very long chapter talked about the art nouveau movement that took place in the last decade of the 19th century. It began with the Asian influence on Europe and North America, particularly the Asians’ approach to space, color, drawing conventions and subject matter. Ukiyo-e blended realistic narratives with decorative arts; wood prints during this movement were very popular (in the 1600s). From 1890 until about 1910, Japonsime hit Westerners hard as they scrambled for all things Japanese, jump-starting the art nouveau movement. Art nouveau affected all the design arts; organic plantlike lines were the visual characteristic of the time. The movement unified decoration, structure and intended function, and eventually became the first phase of the modern movement.
What I was most inspired by in this chapter were Aubrey Beardsley’s works in English art nouveau, which was more concerned with graphic design and illustration. His illustrations for Morte d’Arthur had dominant black forms (“black spots”) and incredible texture and use of space. I always think that I cannot draw, but his illustrations are inspiring to me because when I do draw, I like to make very linear and line-based drawings with interesting textures to them, so I found his work fun to look at.
The question I have is, why did the art nouveau movement last such a short amount of time when other design influences seem to have lasted so much longer up until this point?
This very long chapter talked about the art nouveau movement that took place in the last decade of the 19th century. It began with the Asian influence on Europe and North America, particularly the Asians’ approach to space, color, drawing conventions and subject matter. Ukiyo-e blended realistic narratives with decorative arts; wood prints during this movement were very popular (in the 1600s). From 1890 until about 1910, Japonsime hit Westerners hard as they scrambled for all things Japanese, jump-starting the art nouveau movement. Art nouveau affected all the design arts; organic plantlike lines were the visual characteristic of the time. The movement unified decoration, structure and intended function, and eventually became the first phase of the modern movement.
What I was most inspired by in this chapter were Aubrey Beardsley’s works in English art nouveau, which was more concerned with graphic design and illustration. His illustrations for Morte d’Arthur had dominant black forms (“black spots”) and incredible texture and use of space. I always think that I cannot draw, but his illustrations are inspiring to me because when I do draw, I like to make very linear and line-based drawings with interesting textures to them, so I found his work fun to look at.
The question I have is, why did the art nouveau movement last such a short amount of time when other design influences seem to have lasted so much longer up until this point?
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Weekly Image
(You can click on the image to see a larger view.)I found this image online at http://www.gtj.org.uk/storage/components/batch_6022/GTJ22938_2.jpg
It is from the Castle and Regimental Museum in Monmouth, a town in southeast Wales. The image is a circus poster from the Victorian era. What caught my eye on this piece is the liberal use of various typefaces, as we studied in class, and also the addition of the large picture in the upper half of the poster.
The picture gives weight to the piece, immediately drawing your eye. From here, your eye moves upwards to the nearby red “Astley’s” large headline, which makes you read the upper half of the poster. “Presteign,” “3 Elephants!” and “St. George and the dragon” are also all in large red letters. This gives hierarchy to the piece: Presteign is important because that is the location the circus will be; 3 elephants were probably a big deal in that day, so they would want to point out that; and obviously a “dragon” must be a centerpiece of the circus. All other titles/sub-headings are also in larger texts than the main body text.
The size of the different text areas gives away the hierarchy of the piece. Also, using the fat font/wooden typefaces, we can see that this surely is a mark of the Victorian era. I like the poster—it obviously is jam-packed with information, and seems hectic, but I think it is a good translation of the circus atmosphere—packed and hectic as well. It would be fun to see a modern-day circus adopt this type of poster for themselves.
It is from the Castle and Regimental Museum in Monmouth, a town in southeast Wales. The image is a circus poster from the Victorian era. What caught my eye on this piece is the liberal use of various typefaces, as we studied in class, and also the addition of the large picture in the upper half of the poster.
The picture gives weight to the piece, immediately drawing your eye. From here, your eye moves upwards to the nearby red “Astley’s” large headline, which makes you read the upper half of the poster. “Presteign,” “3 Elephants!” and “St. George and the dragon” are also all in large red letters. This gives hierarchy to the piece: Presteign is important because that is the location the circus will be; 3 elephants were probably a big deal in that day, so they would want to point out that; and obviously a “dragon” must be a centerpiece of the circus. All other titles/sub-headings are also in larger texts than the main body text.
The size of the different text areas gives away the hierarchy of the piece. Also, using the fat font/wooden typefaces, we can see that this surely is a mark of the Victorian era. I like the poster—it obviously is jam-packed with information, and seems hectic, but I think it is a good translation of the circus atmosphere—packed and hectic as well. It would be fun to see a modern-day circus adopt this type of poster for themselves.
After Class 2/27
Today in class we talked about the Victorian Era.
Amanda presented her knowledge on the era, which was mainly during the span of Queen Alexandrina Victoria’s rule until her death, 1837-1901. The Queen was crowned at the age of 18, and her rule showed the markings of her naïve and romantic thoughts. The values of the time period were sentiment, beauty, nostalgia and romance. Art and graphic design showed these values through the use of young ladies, puppies, children, flowers and such imagery; design pieces were filled in every small spot with flourishes or small floral design. Typefaces were embellished and filigreed, resulting in poor legibility. More fat faces were used, and these were mixed and matched in all sizes on posters. The graphic design movement of Mondrain and Cole in the late 19th century helped to separate graphic design from fine art. Cultures also became mixed, with the influence of Spain, Israel and Chine impacting the art, architecture, and design of the time.
I was really inspired by the typography of the Victorian posters; though the posters are overwhelming at times, I like that there is so much to look at and examine. I think they could even be effective today as they are so unlike the design practices we use now that they would certainly be eye-catching.
Amanda presented her knowledge on the era, which was mainly during the span of Queen Alexandrina Victoria’s rule until her death, 1837-1901. The Queen was crowned at the age of 18, and her rule showed the markings of her naïve and romantic thoughts. The values of the time period were sentiment, beauty, nostalgia and romance. Art and graphic design showed these values through the use of young ladies, puppies, children, flowers and such imagery; design pieces were filled in every small spot with flourishes or small floral design. Typefaces were embellished and filigreed, resulting in poor legibility. More fat faces were used, and these were mixed and matched in all sizes on posters. The graphic design movement of Mondrain and Cole in the late 19th century helped to separate graphic design from fine art. Cultures also became mixed, with the influence of Spain, Israel and Chine impacting the art, architecture, and design of the time.
I was really inspired by the typography of the Victorian posters; though the posters are overwhelming at times, I like that there is so much to look at and examine. I think they could even be effective today as they are so unlike the design practices we use now that they would certainly be eye-catching.
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