Héctor Marroquín
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Herbert Bayer, Self Portrait. 1932.Gelatin silver print.
v e r painting + graphic design+ typography
s a t sculpture + photography + architecture
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bayer herbert
Herbert Bayer’s combined contributions to the fields of photography, typography, graphic design, sculpture, architecture and practical application of design theory position Bayer as the quintessential modern Renaissance man. Bayer’s Lonesome Big City Dweller photomontage created a fictional narrative that radically departed from the photographic standard of documentation (fig 1). The integration of type and image by Bayer in the 1928 Bauhaus magazine cover exposed the possibilities on the horizon for typography (fig 2). Bayer’s graphic design work for the cover of the 1940 Harper’s Bazaar magazine displays the power a composition can have when repetition of form and economy of color work together (fig 3).
Communication design in the 21st century is an expanding discipline that reaches beyond the printed page and currently extends into a construct free of tangible artifact. Designers entering the job market are asked to have knowledge of interactive applications, user experience, design thinking, experience design, and user interface. Therefor, in order to gain a competitive edge, designers today should take note of Herbert Bayer’s ability to transcend boundaries within disciplines and explore areas outside their comfort zone. The visual language explored by Herbert Bayer is still being defined. Contemporary and future designers should feel a sense of responsibility to follow in the steps of Bayer and contribute to the lexicon by exploring fields outside of the traditional areas that encompass design today.
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Figure 1. Herbert Bayer, Lonesome Big City Dweller. 1932. Gelatin silver print.
Figure 2. Herbert Bayer, Bauhaus Magazine Cover Design . 1928.
Figure 3. Herbert Bayer, Harper's Bazaar Magazine Cover Design . 1940. 06
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My body of work is centered on exploration. The investigation of materials coupled with form, line and color are the major driving force behind my approach. Inquiry as to how these elements of design interact with each other delivers insight into the self-motivated research. Masters of the Bauhaus have shaped and influenced my understanding of design throughout my career. Josef Alber’s Interaction of Color has steered me in a direction of exploring color when material acts as the variable (fig 4). Wassily Kandinsky’s exploration of linear elements in Point and Line to Plane aid in my research of curvilinear form (fig 5). I am particularly drawn to Herbert Bayer’s attempt of unifying the visual language. There are some parallels between Bayer’s multidisciplinary approach to design which are reflected in my methodology. My work as a sculptor, painter, photographer, graphic designer and future educator questions some of the fundamental principles of design. Do linear forms need to be positioned vertically in order to demonstrate stability? Can a curvilinear form be just as strong at guiding the human eye through a composition as a diagonal line? Is harmony through repetition lost when when pattern is broken (fig 6)? Questions such as these fuel my attempts to solve problems visually.
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Figure 4. Hector Marroquin, Action-Centric Paradigm . 2014 Self-initiated book to explore fundamental principles such as form, line, space and color through an action-centric model of design.
Figure 5. Hector Marroquin, Pressure in Command. 2016. Photograph.
Figure 6. Hector Marroquin, Slightly Removed. 2014. Archival Inkjet on Canvas
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