After Class-Genesis of the 20th century

After listening to the presentation on the beginning of the 20th century, I was able to comprehend the type of style that acts as a backbone for the movement and every design to come out of the genesis of the 20th century. This period in art is recognized by its unique combination of geometric organization and flowing organic lines. 

One of the main influences of the time was Frank Lloyd Wright. He was an architect/ graphic designer that brought the idea of organic organized form, where negative space was truly utilized in every composition. When Wright would design a building he would design both exterior and interior so that both would flow together. He often looked at parts of a whole and how they all work together to make a finished product. Next came "the Four" from Glasgow school of art. These four Scottish students were influenced Lloyds ideas and they continued to push the style. Their work would often involve strong vertical lines that were combined with delicate organic lines that flowed off. Not everyone was fond of this new style, in fact the Vienna secession was due to the fact that art students from the Kunstlerhaus resigned because of how disgusted they were with these new abstracted ideas. From this secession came Ver Sacrum, which was a magazine that incorporated all new forms of art. It was a forum for new techniques and styles to be shared internationally amongst designers.

After Class-Art Nouveau

Art Nouveau is considered the first international movement of design. It began in France and means new art, and that is exactly why this movement began, because the French believed it was about time for art to transform. This movement involves the collision of many different types of styles, it is a very imaginative type of design as well as very organic. This decorative styling and the push to transform art led to art being made a part of everyday life rather than art being seclusive. Overall this movement is what created the push away from victorian design into modern design. New materials were being used during this period like lithograph print making, which is done by using stone a grease to etch an image that becomes a template for a print that can be reused. Toulouse-Lautrec was a french designer that made posters using the Lithograph print making process. He was inspired by both the asian woodblock prints and impressionism. Outside of france the movement began to grow but each country would create their own version of what Art Nouveau is, yet they all contain some common aspects of design. For example English style art nouveau involved powerful black shapes and abstracted pen lines that utilized negative space. In Belgium and the Netherlands, Henry Van de Velde strayed from painting and began to design furniture and buildings which helped make this period of art truly seen in everyday life. Art nouveau brought back this idea of an artistic license that allowed artists to expand on their creativity, giving birth to new ideas.

Before Class-Chapter 12

Chapter 12 is all about the genesis of the twentieth century. At the turn of the century artist and writers alike began to go against traditional ideas in search of new techniques and new design ideas. Much like art nouveau, the genesis of the 20th century goes against classical motifs and pushes the boundaries of design. One of the more influential artists of the time was Frank Lloyd Wright and his new take on architecture. He pushed away from the organic, curvilinear style of Art Nouveau and  focused his attention on rectilinear design patterns with an emphasis on spatial organization. This type of style influenced a group of people known as "the four" that came out of the Glasgow school of art. These Scottish artist were named Charles Rennie Mackintosh, J. Herbert McNair, and two sisters Magaret and Frances Macdonald. These four designers continued to use geometric shapes in a unique combination with floral patterns that organized the compositions in a unique manner were negative space became one of the main focuses of the design process. The same type of geometric organization and flowing organic designs that "the four" embraced influences most of the designers in the early 20th century. For example an art director by the name of  Talwin Morris made contact with "the four" taking the style of their work and pushing it further into the world of mass communication, thus making the style even more prevalently seen during the time period. 

Most of the artist after this time continued to play around with the unity of geometric organization, and organic lines until a German designer named Peter Behrens played a unique however large role in creating a type of style for the 20th century. Behrens was also known as "the first industrial designer" due to his designs for street lamps and teapots. One of his main objectives as an artist was to reform typography with a huge emphasis on using sans-serif as a way to accomplish clean organization of his layouts. Behrens is known as being the first person to use sans-serif type in a book as running text. This led to sans-serifs being used throughout most of the 20th century. The type allowed for designers to achieve great contrast by using only one type family by changing the weight of the type itself. During this time Behrens becomes involved with other German designers and is involved with this group called Deustche Werkbund, which means German Association of Craftsmen. This association brought the ideas of technology and art together. By doing so the design world which just recently moved away from mechanical design to handcrafted products, reverted to machines once again. However unlike the industrial revolution the artists that used machines in the 20th century, artists like Behrens, combined the quality of handmade crafts with the precision of mechanical devices.

The most interesting aspect of this time period is that it took until the 20th century to utilize the sans-serif type.

I am curious as to what machines were being used to create some of the prints made by Behren and his fellow German designers?

Before Class- Art Nouveau

Art Nouveau is a period in design that brought a new light to graphic design as a whole. Its popularity was profound throughout the late 19th century. The period was mainly created due to the mass trade that was occurring between Europe and Asian cultures such as Japan. This trade between Europe and Japan led to a European fascination with oriental art, and , more specifically an interest in a traditional Japanese art form called ukiyo-e. Japonisme is a term that is used to describe this sudden infatuation with oriental art in the Western culture.

This influence led to the creation of the Art Nouveau period that started in France. The term art nouveau came from the name of a art gallery in Paris calle Salon de I'Art Nouveau. The style of art nouveau is highly decorative and incredibly bold in color and imagery. This is considered a transitional period in art that aided in starting the modern movement. The designs of this period puched away from old ideas but still utilized techniques from the past, not only in graphic design but in all factions of art including architecture and fashion. Art Nouveau, stemming from an oriental influence, borrowed this fascination with nature. Because of this almost all forms of art nouveau contain a very organic and natural feel.

In Paris there was two graphic artists that helped push the transition from Victorian design. There names were Jules Cheret and Eugene Grasset. One of the main reasons why this art form flourished in Paris is because the french government lifted the restrictions on what could be printed, so no longer were there any rules or guidelines to prevent an artists creativity. Cheret broke away from using typographic letter presses and began to use lithographic printmaking method. This method gave the finished product stunning coloration, but it was Cheret's compositions that really pushed away from Victorian design. He got rid of the intricate details used by Victorian artist and simplified his work while enlarging the scale of his images.

After Class- Arts & Crafts Movement

Today in class we listened to a presentation on the arts and crafts movement of the late 19th century to the early 20th century. The presentation was a good overview of the chapter but also included some facts about the movement that were not mentioned in the book. For example we went over Robert Owen, and his role as a philosopher for the movement. Owen promoted the connection between morality and the environment, and was always searching for ways to better the lifestyle of the people that worked in the factory all day. Because of people like Owen and there desire to better society, the middle class began to grow as the living conditions became healthier.

Along with the social reform during this period, art and design also went through changes. William Morris is explained as the leader of the design renaissance for the arts and crafts movement. Him along with other designers, architects, printers brought back this sense of artistry and attention to hand-made details. These people took art away from just the painted and sculpted form and gave notice to all aspects of design as being considered art. For example Morris and his friend Phillip Webb designed Morris' house called the Red House. It was considered more of a poem then a home and gave architecture this new identity.

Morris influenced one of the more important art groups that was formed during the arts and crafts movement. They were called the Century Guild and they were responsible for spreading ideas that were common to Morris'. Arthur H. Mackmurdo is considered the founder of the guild and one of the guild more influential pieces was called the Hobby Horse. The hobby horse was the first magazine of its time that was devoted to the arts, and the arts only. It was because of this magazine that the public in Europe began to view print making and other aspects of design as art forms.

Before Class-Arts & Crafts Movement

The arts in craft movement truly began in the late 19th century with what was described as a book-design renaissance. Despite the efforts of book designers and publishers early on in the century, the art faded from the publics eye until its rebirth. This arts and crafts movement was meant to re-amp the art world and clean up after what the industrial revolution did to the society and the art world. Many figures were involved with the rise of the arts and crafts movement in England, but William Morris was considered to be the leader of the movement. Morris' main gaol was to push for individual creativity and expression. The quoted philosopher of this movement, John Ruskin, states that the movement was meant to bring society and the arts together after the two aspects of life became separated due to the industrial revolution. He also brought fourth even more important improvements for society, like bettering the education system, improving housing conditions, and even the idea of retirement benefits. Much like the first renaissance this movement did more than just revive the art world, the Arts and Crafts movement was involved with improving society as a whole. William Morris influenced the creation of a group of designers called the Century Guild. The guild was created by Arthur H. Mackmurdo, an old architect who was inspired by Morris' ideas. The guild was set up "to render all branches of art the sphere, no longer of the tradesman, but of the artist." In other words they sought out to bring back the artistry that seemed to disappear during the industrial revolution. One interesting work created by Mackmurdo and the members of the guild was called the Hobby Horse , that was meant to declare the philosophy and goals of the Century Guild. The reason why this piece is so important because it brings up this concept of print making being seen as an art instead of a trade. This whole period is all about art and the artist. No longer is the art world contained by the industrial revolutions mass production, artist and designers return to taking great care with there work focusing on the quality of finished products rather than quantity.

My one question about this period in art, is what is an easy way to know if a piece of work is from the Arts and Crafts movement?