Ancient Art

Ancient art is categorised by the period between the rise of organised civilisations and fall of the roman empire. This period of time stretches from as far back as3500 BC when the Egyptians dominated Northern Africa, up until the fall of the Roman empire during the middle of the first millennia, Rome being sacked by the Vandals.

We refer to the time before as prehistoric art. The time after would have plunged the Western world into the dark ages of Medieval art. It is important to record this period of cultural evolution because some of the artwork produced was either just plain incredible or so superior in quality, it took thousands of years to surpass or improve upon. For example Egyptian Faience, which is a form of pottery, is superior in quality and technique to much Renaissance earthenware.

The egyptian style is highly valuable and the glyphs of it’s language are known around the world due to their curious, mysteriousness and unique style as seen in the cup above. Notice how it is a warm, green shade of blue. One thing I discovered along my research, especially into the history of colour, is that blue was never used or very rarely. This is because blue does not exist in nature, except for in extremely rare, or hard to procure elements and minerals. Lapis Lazuli – an azure, sky blue – is vastly more expensive than gold and is now only mined in a few remote locations in Afghanistan. In all of Homer’s epic poetry, blue is not mentioned once. In fact, the sea is describes in one part as being ‘the dark, wine sea’.

Painting during this period would not have been done on canvas or panel but rather on objects of value and function. Immensely difficult architectural efforts resulted in huge monuments and temples in the Greek civilisation. On a smaller scale, fine art would have been carried out by poor artisan craftsmen such as potters who held low social status.

The beautifully detailed vase below reminds me of some contemporary illustration with its two-dimensional, high contrast, two-tone depiction’s of battle scenes and mythology. Saul Bass’ work is not too dissimilar.

To add to the diversity of styles developed across the world in so many cultures, here is a mosaic floor design from the Byzantine Empire that ruled across the middle east 2000 years ago.

Personal Study

Inspired by what I’ve scene from wall inscriptions of the Egyptians and artwork on Greek vases, I painted this raw, energetic depiction of a horse. It is flat and simple, naive in form but complex in rhythm and motion.

Video – The Typography of Modernism

Entry…

Post-Impressionism

The Style of Post-Impressionism involves using a lot of oil colour. Using the impasto painting technique very rapidly, wet in wet, the colours were bright and many impressionist omitted black from their palettes. Paul Signac insisted the purest, brightest colours should be used without mixture. He achieve tonal mixes optically, using the pointillist technique to begin with, painting alongside George Seurat, then in the Divisionist style later, during the early 20^th century. Chateau du Papes du Avignon is his best work, in my opinion.

Paul Signac, Chateau du Papes du Avignon

Paul Gauguin for a while was a good friend of Vincent Van Gogh’s. They fell out with one another, whilst Gauguin visits Van Gogh in Arles. After Van Gogh was driven to insanity and then suicide, Gauguin went on to create brilliant, naive-like painting, which were a precursor to Fauvism and Expressionism.

Gauguin’s paintings from Tahiti are a perfect example of the gradual shift from objective representation of the figure towards abstraction and more emotional expressions.

Paul Gauguin – Le Sorcier d’Hiva Oa (1902)

Paul Cezanne is another perfect example of an induvidual artist, developing his own unique style in response to the liberation from strict Neo-Classical rules, to freedom of expression.

Cezanne’s painting style was slow. It took him months, sometimes years, to complete portraits and famous landscapes of the picturesque Mount Victory, near his home in Aix, south France. His work was to inspire Cubism and artists trying to find their own style, such as Duchamp, who for a while painting like Cezanne before moving on to Cubism.

Paul Cezanne – The Card Players (1890-1892)

Post-Modernism

If Modernism brings order and structure to typography, then Post-modernism concerns itself with its destruction and chaos. Post-Modernism will use everything within the designers graphical power to unhinge the level balance of Modernism, distorting and tearing apart the subject. It drives the subject to the point of absurdity and invites you to fall within its rabbit hole of chaotic discombobulation  and wonder through a maze of illogical juxtapositions. Just look at this:

Make sense? Probably not. That’s the engaging point, though. The fact that we are throw from the typical normality of readable text, may cause us to because curious, grabbing our attention to investigate this madness further. It is a technique that Post-Modernism has developed and is now widely uses in advertising. When we see an advert that is thoroughly confusing, crazy or shocking, Post-Modernism helped to bring awareness to this so much so that our culture is now familiar enough to be comfortable with it.

Absurd art movements have sprung up from the influence Post-Modernism has had on the entire world. The British YBA formed it’s group during the late 1980’s at Goldsmith’s college for art. These artist’s include now Famous names like Damien Hurst, Tracy Emin and Marc Quinn.

Tracy Emin – Drawing

The Power of Post-Modernism lies in its emotive expression to pull at our humanity. The raw emotion of this drawing is felt, even in the writing. One aspect of Post-Modernism that has greatly improved the quality of typographical design is the incorporation of texture and emotive qualities, just like those in this drawing.

Thus, in the other end of the crazy scale, we move from emotive writings to graphic design work like this poster by David Carson. He has used several methods of distorting, manipulating and expressing his message. That message is one of bold confidence, experimentation, light-hearted fun. Where Modernism can be quite rigid and serious, Post-Modernism serves to relieve that rigour and create an engaging, active and energetic style of design.  To sum up Post-Modernism in one word: Vitality.

Wolfgang Weingart – Typography Poster

Modernism

Modernism today, ironically, is beginning to feel a little bit outdated. ‘Modernism is ultimately underpinned by a desire to reject conservative values of previous generations, and instead foster a self conscious urge to innovate and push forwards’. But now the era of Modernism may well itself have become a movement of conservative values. It is something that once brought a fresh idea to the face of high-culture and now pales in significance to contemporary artistic endeavours.

The philosophy and practice of Modernism first took centre stage back in the 50’s when the post-war advertising companies logos and adverts were becoming too monotonous and standardise. It was time for something fresh, something new. So along came Modernism, the hip new kid on the block, ready to steal the limelight from those classic vintage slogans we now associate with wartime art.

The change would have began with radical design movement Bauhaus. Artists such as Paul Renner, who created the typeface Futura, would have encouraged and developed the popularity of sans serif typefaces.

Heveltica is the archetypal typeface to turn to when we are in need of some Moderist typography. The hallmark sans serif was a god send to those companies during the 1950’s looking to rebrand and update there old war time logos.

It resulted in every shop adopting this style and it became the standard typeface for the high street sign design.

Essay

An Essay by Paul Jones
BTEC Graphic Design, Unit 05: Contextual Influences.

Compare and Contrast two 20th Century Design movements with reference to influential designers, key techniques and features of the movement.

Introduction

The pressure imposed upon the 20th century from two world wars, economic depressions and radical social upheaval would have incurred a great deal stress and turmoil on modern societies.  It is said that in times of great adversity great men, through their own personal struggle, reveal themselves to the world. With this in mind, I want to look at two art movements from the last century that have arisen naturally as opposition to the establishment, during such times. That is to say, I will look at anarchy. Not from a political point of view but from a creative outlook and how revolution and rebellion shaped our modern culture and contributed to the creative resources we delve into for inspiration.

Constructivism

The Great War brought with it great destruction and whilst the rest of the world was busy fighting each other, Russia embarked on a civil war of their own. Political upheaval and economic unrest had kick-started the Russian Revolution in 1917. To many critics in the 1920’s modern art was anarchy, anarchy was communism, and the mutilation of natural appearances – like the mutilation of the existing social structure – was anarchistic and communistic (Scharf, 1994, P.160). Communistic ideals, expressed by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, were soon enforced by the Bolsheviks – led by Lenin and Trotsky. These leaders in communism understood the power of art, and much of what we now associate with Russian Constructivism peaked during this time. It was Constructivism that was called to arms to support the revolution.

Through posters and propaganda, Constructivist artists used their talents to spread their ideas of art and the ideals of their politics. This movement was pioneered by a group of Russian artists who were familiar with the Suprematism of Kazimir Malevich (who coined the word Constructivism) and the Futurists in Italy. Exhibitions were held as early as 1915 by artist such as Vladimir Tatlin and Alexander Rodchenko. They sought to develop the aforementioned work, including angular, geometric elements and suggestions of industrialization and machinery. Tatlin believed that art could, and should, have an impact on society (Dempsey, 2002, P.106). Famous propaganda posters by El Lissitsky deliver their starkly legible message with simple but powerful graphic symbols (Dempsey, 2002, P.108). You can imagine the silhouetted brutes and workers bearing huge iron hammers with swooping shapes and angular, blocky typography.

This kind of anarchy was a unifying one, born out of economic struggle; an aggressive response to the oppressive autocratic authority of the Tzar. The methods in which the Constructivists supported overthrowing the monarchy would have been through printed magazines, pamphlets and posters. Naum Gabo wrote his Realist Manifesto much in the way of the Communist Manifesto, to spread the artistic theories belonging to Constructivism. The printing methods of this time were offset lithographic printing. Oil painting was still being used for murals and on canvas. The power and might that industry had introduced, produced also a new world of illustrated colour that influenced and informed the masses.

Urban Art

For most of Human creative history, graffiti has been used to littler the walls of caves, of Egyptian streets, of Parisian apartment buildings. As a recognized art form, though, it has only recently taken off. The beginning of modern Urban Art is credited with the tagging and street art, originating in the New York ghettos of the 1960’s. Artists with tags like Tracy 168, Julio 204 and Taki 183 developed the Brooklyn style of graffiti alongside the hip hop cultural movement.

This new form of creativity came from within the ghetto, from the community, out of poverty and proposed a message to the world: we are here. This environment fueled an artistic battle against the power brokers in society, and a breakaway from poverty and the ghetto (Ganz, 2004, p.3). The way Pablo Picasso puts it is: If they took away my paints I’d use pastels. If they took away my pastels I’d use crayons. If they took away my crayons I’d use pencils. If they stripped me naked and threw me in prison I’d spit on my finger and paint on the walls (iwise.com, 2015). This statement is easily reflected by poorer communities around the world. When they turn to express themselves, they turn to graffiti and the need to be recognised, to be heard. The ease and accessibility to spray paints during the 1960’s paved the way for the writing on the wall.

The evolution of modern Urban Art leads back into the political realm, just like Constructivism had done. The infamous Banksy says ‘The people who run our cities don’t understand graffiti because they think nothing has the right to exist unless it makes a profit’ (Banksy, 2005, p.01). Although this can be argued, for the most part it is probably true. The response by society to remove graffiti labeled as vandalism is simply a means to keep clean their material assets. It is also thought graffiti brings a negative attitude of abandonment and neglect.

A contemporary example of the power of a simple, symbolic message can be seen in the poster of Barack Obama by artist Sheppard Fairey. This is a prime example of how urban art has grown to encompass a wider influence and audience. Governments are using it and parts of what began as an anarchic, rebellious movement have now become commercialized. 2011 saw Nelson St, Bristol home to a graffiti festival ‘See No Evil’, funded by the local government, argued to be merely a cultural tourist attraction.

Conclusion

It is hereby my point to express how two supposedly different styles of art with two different political agendas can be so similar in the human endeavour to rebel against the power and the state. To overcome oppression with silent protest and vibrant, colourful expression brought into the street. Both these art movements have come to represent what they are today, because of the anarchy they embodied. It is this resistance of art against such oppressive forces that offers hope to so many in dire straits, giving those in the gutter a purpose for living, a reason to fight.

References

Aaron Scharf (1994). Concepts of Modern Art. 3rd ed. London: Thames & Hudson. 160.

Amy Dempsey (2002). Styles, Schools and Movements: The Essential Encyclopaedic Guide to Modern Art. London: Thames & Hudson. 106.

Amy Dempsey (2002). Styles, Schools and Movements: The Essential Encyclopaedic Guide to Modern Art. London: Thames & Hudson. 108.

Nicholas Ganz (2004). Graffiti World. London: Thames & Hudson. 03.

Available from: < http://www.iwise.com/TxIwS> (21st January 2015).

Banksy, (2005). Wall and Piece. London: Century, Random House Group. 01.

Bauhaus

The Bauhaus movement is a famous school of art and craft, which operated from Germany and went on to influence art and architecture in a revolutionary way. In previous decades, manufactured goods and social attitudes towards the commercialization of society took an oppressive toll on the spirit of western culture. The artists behind the Bauhaus set out with the core principle to release western culture from that drab and dull monotony of mass production.

 

The aim of Bauhaus was to connect industry with creativity, injecting modern manufacturing with a flowering of aesthetically well-thought design concepts. These would primarily involve embracing geometry – shapes and angles – and bright, intense colour.

Johannes Itten – Depths, 1915

The school operated in Germany first from Weimar – 1919-1925, then Dessau 1925-1932, then Berlin for a further year before the Nazi party shut it down and declared it as degenerate art. It was set up Walter Gropius and quickly attracted many influential artists.

Walter Gropius – The Gropius House in Lincoln, MA, 1938

Amongst other artists that taught at the Bauhaus school, Lyonel Feininger shows us how simple geometric forms can be composed in a way that is beautiful and comprehensibly abstract.

Lyonel Feininger – Gaberndorf II, 1924

Wassily Kandinsky is someone who certainly combined geometry and colour. In this musical, abstract work, Kandinsky has approached the canvas with the intention of communicating a spiritual message. He creates a language of beautiful spatial rhythms and harmonic movements that weave their way through the colours and shapes of his creation.

Kandinsky – On Points, 1922

Much in the same way, Kandinsky’s fellow painter Paul Klee expresses his art in a spiritual, elementary way. ‘Red Balloon’ is a good example of this.

Paul Klee – Red Balloon, 1922

 Personal Study

Having discovered so much about the geometric aspects of Bauhaus deisng principles, I wanted to create my own piece of artwork that reflected these qualities. This pen and ink drawing explores the mathematical and structured approach to design that Bauhuas artists would have embraced. They sort to bring beauty to hard and cold industrial processes. Here I have brought unity and harmony to sharp triangular shapes in the same manner.

Pop Art

After World War II and the Great Depression had finally come to an end, societies across the world enjoyed the freedoms and luxuries of capitalism. Thus, Pop Art emerged from the ‘Baby Boomer’ generation and along with it an era of indulgence and activism within the a creative Hippy subculture.

All the artworks displayed below display several things in common that bind them. Vitality. Every picture express bold, vivid colour at full brightness. They celebrated not only colour but also their own culture. Robert Indiana’s reference to love certainly reflects the attitude of the art scene during these times.

 

Robert Indiana – Love, 1958

Someone else who was in love with this era of advertising and capitalism was Andy Warhol who embraced such things as famed and used them to create powerful symbols in art and culture.

Andy Warhol – Soup Cans, 1962

Roy Liechtenstein was great at portraying the stylised cartoons of the post-war decades, making huge painting of comic strips and immortalising them.

 

Roy Liechtenstein

Pop art is often fun and humorous and Keith Haring’s work is just that. Here we see a party scene of human like figures painted different colours, dancing around. Surely, this reflects and symbolises the attitudes and ideals of the 1960’s.

 

Keith Haring

Abstract Expressionism

Abstract Expressionism had a huge presence in America, particularly in New York, where the art scene there was growing to size that would rank it alongside other great art cities such as London and Paris.

The most famous and also the most Notorious artist from this movement was Jackson Pollock, who sadly was an alcoholic leading up to his suicide. His method of painting was intuitive and they often resemble fractal patterns and thus harmonise rather well despite the apparent randomness.

Jackson Pollack – No. 08, 1949

What the Abstract Impressionists tried to achieve was pure and fluent abstraction. Arshile Gorky’s interpretation can be compared to Pollocks but has greater range of hues and tones. For this reason, his painting resemble plieces of music playing out a sound of colour in the harmony of its forms.

Arshile Gorky – Waterfall, 1943

In a different style, Newman here echoes what Pollock and Gorky were doing but by simplifying it down to only the juxtaposition of two colours.

Barnett Newman – Canto X, 1964

If you have every stood in an empty room with just a Mark Rothko painting, you will know how intimidatingly imposing they can be. It is amazing how just two rectangles can create such awe and effect.

Mark Rothko – No. 61 (Blue and Rust), 1953

Personal Study

The idenity of abstract-expressionism is non-objective and formless. This leaves only room for a dance of colour and intuitive, free patterns. This oil painting is my interpretation of that extreme abstraction.

Expressionism

Expressionism is hard to define but when we refer to a piece of artwork as expressionism, we say it embodies characteristics that move us and convey emotion, either through the subject matter, or the colour. Egon Schiele’s work tends to portray people in a disfigured but representational style that feels melancholic and confused. This could reflect his personal life as art is often a reflection of the artists state of mind.

Egon Schiele – Reclining Nude, 1917

This iconic work was inspired by a walk Munch took as he turned a corner and saw the view of a fjord beyond and the sunset turning the clouds blood red. He felt particularly ill that day and mixed with a chill wind, he went on to paint The Scream.

Edvard Munch – The Scream, 1893

Franz Marc has always appealed to the expressionism style as his use of colour is so emotive and in the motion of the forms too. He is linked to Fauvism and there are elements of futurism in dynamism of his compositions.

Franz Marc – Fate of the Animals, 1913

Wassily Kandinsky – Streets in Murnau, 1908

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner – Nollendorfplatz, 1912

Personal Study

I have experimented with a photograph I took of the Clifton Suspension Bridge. It has been digitally manipulated to mimic the vibrant, bright colours of expressionism.