alexey brodovitch
B
alexey brodovitch
He was not happy, sympathetic, tender, or supportive But instead a hardened, drunk, chain smoker
and the art world is better for it
18
98 the journey begins
Born in 1898 Russian aristocratic family Early 1900s Russia filled with frenzy of war Brodovitch joined army Fought against Austro-Hungarians and the Bolsheviks Faced agonizing defeat Forced to seek refuge in Paris
1920
In paris, had to work for first time Didn’t want to “work” so followed his passion Started painting houses Set painting for the Ballet Russe First success was winning poster contest Contest for Bal Banal (artist ball in Paris) Beat Picasso
19
25 1930
Began designing posters for various companies Dabbled in fabric and interior design Art director for two Parisian department stores Won awards for display design
Moved to United States Asked to start advertising department at Philadelphia Museum of Art
Began teaching European design to students United States’ first introduction to European design
“Aston He didn’t think of himself as a teacher
“I’m a can opene
nish me� The worst offense a student could make was to bore Brodovitch. If he thought the work was interesting, that was the highest compliment.
er�
19
Recruited to be art director for Harper’s Bazaar (fashion magazine) Held position for 25 years Completely revolutionized magazine design
34
Harper’s Bazaar became more successful than rival Vogue
Created double page layouts Introduced white space/negatice space Became hallmark of his design style Extreme use of it started racist jokes
Able to combine “the maturity and sophistication of European sensibility with the dynamism of America�
Designs influenced from life in two different cultures First to incorporate European modernism in designs
Set standard for all art directors
More involved than just making layouts Helped comission the art work
Featured some of the best artists Irving Penn Cartier Bresson Cassandre
Discovered young new talent Salvador Dali Herbert Bayer
Used photography as backbone for design
Began using iconic Didot typeface
Designs were experimental and unconventional Obssessed with change Hated repetition Each issue needed to be unique
Style Basics
All elements interact and work together Creates visual story, movement, and energy Elegant type adds to elegant use of white space which adds to elegance of clothing Would cut up photos and tape to page layouts
His style and layouts remain models for today’s magazines
19
50
Designed for Portfolio magazine Used die-cuts, transparent pages, multi-page foldouts and more Too expensive to publish Failed after three issues
1
945
Photography book titled “Ballet�
Images from the Ballet Russe Used motion blur- controversial technique at the time Became an important contribution to the medium First time he was considered a serious photographer
19 Unhappy with personal life Series of house fires destroyed his home, paintings, and archives
71
Smoking and drinking caught up to him Died April 1971 in France due to declining health
But his designs will live on forever
Sources
aiga.org designhistory.com adcglobal.org neboagency.com
Created by Ally Frame