ANM102 | HISTORY OF GRAPHIC AND WEB DESIGN CHAPTER 13 The Influence of Modern Art THE INFLUENCE OF MODERN ART • The first two decades of the 20th century were time of social, cultural and political upheaval. World War I was fought between 1914 and 1918 bringing about tremendous change in the traditions and institutions of Western civilization. • The visual arts and design exploded with creative revolutions that questioned long-held values, as well as greatly altering the role of art and design in society. Ideas about color, form, space, subject all focused around social protest and deeply personal emotional states. • Cubism, Dada and surrealism, De Stijl, constructivism and expressionism all directly influenced the language and look of visual communication in graphic design. William Pickering, title page for the Book of Common Prayer, 1844. CHAPTER 13: THE INFLUENCE OF MODERN ART 2 CUBISM Analytical cubism • developed by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, it involves an analysis of the planes of its subject matter, often from several points of view, and using these perceptions to construct a painting composed of rhythmic geometric planes • Analytical cubism’s compelling fascination grows from the unresolved tension of the sensual and intellectual appeal of the pictorial structure in conflict with the challenge of interpreting the subject matter. Synthetic cubism • Drawing on past observations, the cubists invented forms that were signs, rather than representations, of their subject matter • The essence of an object and its basic characteristics, rather than its outward appearance, were depicted William Pickering, title page for the Book of Common Prayer, 1844. CHAPTER 13: THE INFLUENCE OF MODERN ART 3 CUBISM CUBISM • Geometric planes in African sculpture, masks and fabrics greatly influenced the Cubist artists. William Pickering, title page for the Book of Common Prayer, 1844. CHAPTER 13: THE INFLUENCE OF MODERN ART 4 CUBISM Pablo Picasso • most notable of the Cubist artists • figures abstracted into geometric planes and classical norms for the human face are distorted • perspective become ambiguous with several viewpoints seen simultaneously William Pickering, title page for the Book of Common Prayer, 1844. CHAPTER 13: THE INFLUENCE OF MODERN ART 5 CUBISM Georges Braque • a close associate of Picasso, Braque contributed much to the Cubist movment. • introduced paper collage into the artists’ work, creating texture and adding text that enhanced the visual form and reinforced the meaning or message of the artwork. William Pickering, title page for the Book of Common Prayer, 1844. CHAPTER 13: THE INFLUENCE OF MODERN ART 6 CUBISM Fernand Léger • took the geometric design aesthetic of the cubists a step farther by abstracting forms even more and assembling compositions of brightly colored geometric planes William Pickering, title page for the Book of Common Prayer, 1844. CHAPTER 13: THE INFLUENCE OF MODERN ART 7 FUTURISM Futurism • a revolutionary movement in which all the arts were to test their ideas and forms against the new realities of scientific and industrial society • Its manifesto voiced enthusiasm for war, the machine age, speed, and modern life. Manifesto • a public declaration of principles, policies, or intentions, such as that made by the Futurists. William Pickering, title page for the Book of Common Prayer, 1844. CHAPTER 13: THE INFLUENCE OF MODERN ART 8 FUTURISM Filippo Mannetti • Futurism launched by the Italian poet, Filippo Mannetti • produced explosive typography that defied correct syntax and grammar • harmony was rejected as a design quality and the two dominant conditions of 20th century life, noise and speed were expressed in futurist poetry William Pickering, title page for the Book of Common Prayer, 1844. CHAPTER 13: THE INFLUENCE OF MODERN ART 9 FUTURISM Carlo Carrà • “Parole in libertà” (free word composition), 1914 • futurist poets believed that the use of different sizes, weights, and styles of type allowed them to weld painting and poetry, because the intrinsic beauty of letterforms, manipulated creatively, transformed the printed page into a work of visual art William Pickering, title page for the Book of Common Prayer, 1844. CHAPTER 13: THE INFLUENCE OF MODERN ART 10 FUTURISM Fernand Léger • La Fin du Monde…, 1919 • whirlwind tour of the re-creation of the earth after the fall of man is illustrated by a pinwheel of lettering spelling “accelerated slow motion cinema.” William Pickering, title page for the Book of Common Prayer, 1844. CHAPTER 13: THE INFLUENCE OF MODERN ART 11 FUTURISM Fortunato Depero • New Futurist Theater Company poster, 1924 • futurist artist who applied the movement’s philosophy to graphic design • designed New Futurist Theater Company poster, 1924 • flat planes of vibrant color, diagonal composition, and angular repetitive forms produce kinetic energy. • Depero’s style was a major influence to the constructivist William Pickering, title page for the movement Book of Common Prayer, 1844. CHAPTER 13: THE INFLUENCE OF MODERN ART 12 DADA Dada • Reacting against the carnage of World War I, the Dada movement claimed to be anti-art and had a strong negative and destructive element • Dada writers and artists were concerned with shock, protest, and nonsense • Chance placement and absurd titles characterized their graphic work. William Pickering, title page for the Book of Common Prayer, 1844. CHAPTER 13: THE INFLUENCE OF MODERN ART 13 DADA DADA • claimed to be anti- art and had a strong negative and destructive element • artists were concerned with shock, protest, and oddly, basic nonsense • rejected all tradition seeking complete freedom of expression. William Pickering, title page for the Book of Common Prayer, 1844. CHAPTER 13: THE INFLUENCE OF MODERN ART 14 DADA Hugo Ball • poet who wrote Karawane, a Dada poem in 1917 • sound and sight poems such as this expressed the Dadaist desire to replace man’s logical nonsense with an illogical nonsense— creating sound poetry, nonsense poetry, and chance poetry. ‣ ‘What is Dada’? … Nothing? Everything?’— Hugo Ball ‣ http://www.augustana.ualberta.ca/ William Pickering, title page for the files/group/612/14%20- Book of Common Prayer, 1844. DADA222.htm CHAPTER 13: THE INFLUENCE OF MODERN ART 15 DADA John Heartfield • German designer adopted this English name as a protest against German militarism • founding member of the German Dadaist movement • used harsh photomontages to create posters with the Nazi party as his target • he fled to London after discovering he was on a secret list of Nazi enemies William Pickering, title page for the Book of Common Prayer, 1844. CHAPTER 13: THE INFLUENCE OF MODERN ART 16 DADA John Heartfield • covers for AIZ, a German news magazine, from 1921-1933 William Pickering, title page for the Book of Common Prayer, 1844. CHAPTER 13: THE INFLUENCE OF MODERN ART 17 DADA Man Ray • American artist who is most noted for his avant-garde photography • Rayographs camera-less prints, on which he frequently made his exposures with moving beams of light and combined experimental techniques such as solarization with the basic technique of placing objects on the photographic paper. ‣ "When I saw I was under attack from all sides, I knew I was on the right track." — Man Ray ‣ http://photossu.blogspot.com/ William Pickering, title page for the -Man Ray Book of Common Prayer, 1844. CHAPTER 13: THE INFLUENCE OF MODERN ART 18 DADA Man Ray • The Gift, 1919 • contradiction presented by the "smoothing" function of an iron and the denial of that function represented by the nails. Cognitive dissonance was always a favorite Dadaist and Surrealist theme William Pickering, title page for the Book of Common Prayer, 1844. CHAPTER 13: THE INFLUENCE OF MODERN ART 19 DADA Man Ray • was an admirer of the Ingres' paintings and made a series of photographs, inspired by his languorous nudes • As a visual joke/pun he painted on the f-holes of a stringed instrument and named this, "Le Violon d'Ingres" William Pickering, title page for the Book of Common Prayer, 1844. CHAPTER 13: THE INFLUENCE OF MODERN ART 20 SURREALISM Surrealism • Arising in Paris in 1924, searching for the “more real than real world behind the real”— the world of intuition, dreams, and the unconscious realm explored by Sigmund Freud • Poet André Breton, founder of surrealism, imbued the word with all the magic of dreams, the spirit of rebellion, and the mysteries of the subconscious in his 1924 Manifesto du Surrealisme: “Surrealism, noun, masc., pure psychic automatism by which it is intended to express, either verbally or in writing, the true function of thought. • Thought dictated in the absence of all control exerted by reason, all aesthetic or moral preoccupations.” William Pickering, title page for the Book of Common Prayer, 1844. CHAPTER 13: THE INFLUENCE OF MODERN ART 21 SURREALISM Salvadore Dali • Spanish painter who is most associated with the surrealist movement. • Influenced by the Renaissance masters, he was a skilled draftsman and painter. • This painting, The Persistence of Memory is Dali’s interpretation of Einstein’s theory that time is relative. William Pickering, title page for the Book of Common Prayer, 1844. CHAPTER 13: THE INFLUENCE OF MODERN ART 22 SURREALISM Salvadore Dali • the style uses visual images of the subconscious or dreams without any attempt at literal comprehension. • Soft Construction With Boiled Beans by Salvador Dali depicts the devastation of war and how it can be both self-fulfilling as well as destructive. William Pickering, title page for the Book of Common Prayer, 1844. CHAPTER 13: THE INFLUENCE OF MODERN ART 23 SURREALISM Giorgio de Chirico • Italian artist who painted stark and empty landscapes of the Italian Renaissance palaces • depicted vacant buildings, dramatic, harsh shadows, deep perspective and a feeling of melancholy or sadness William Pickering, title page for the Book of Common Prayer, 1844. CHAPTER 13: THE INFLUENCE OF MODERN ART 24 SURREALISM Max Ernst • German artist who had a major impact on the use of photography and illustration in his art.