New Visual Language Research Document 1

research document 1 an exploration of modernism and postmodernism

what is modernism? cubism dada de stijl bauhaus swiss design what is post-modernism? abstract expressionism pop art ray gun magazine lee woodgate overview

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what is

Modernism is a movement that existed during the late 19th and early 20th centuries across Western society.

Before modernism artists were used primarily to create commissioned pieces for people of wealth or places like the church, to depict stories that were often religious to convey a message to the viewer.

The modernist movements broke the conventions of the times and the artists decided to create works based upon what interested them.

From this point artists began to experiment with the symbolism of their pieces and the thoughts behind each painting or sculpture.

The difference between modernist art and that of before the time is the use of an “avant-garde� approach to the use of the new methods that had been developed by the artists, the vibrant use of colour or by the variety of nonconventional materials that began to be used.

Modernism began with movements such as Cubism, Dada, De Stijl and was developed in the field of design by groups such as Bauhaus and Swiss Design, who developed a very simplistic and unique style, through their innovative furniture design and the creation of an easily identifiable graphic style.

cubism

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Cubism is the art movement that was developed by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque in the early 1900s. It is a movement that changed the way artists created their works at that time in Europe.

Cubism has been considered as one of the most influential movements in art, due to its impact and how it developed into other movements such as Futurism and Constructivism in other countries.

Personally, I find Cubism to be an interesting movement due to the stark contrast to its style in comparison to anythiing that has gone before it. I like the Cubist style because it is so radically different, and pieces such as Liubov’ Popova’s Two Figures (19131914) demonstrate a unique use of shape and colour that is striking and innovative for its time.

One of the influences to Cubism was the late works of Paul Cezanne, due to his representation of form. In Cubist works the objects are presented in a different context after being analysed, broken up and then put back together with a completely different view point.

As a designer I like the abstract quality of Cubism that is combined with the simple shapes that are used to create such pieces as Violin and Candlestick (1910) by Braque, who used understaded earthy tones to create a piece that drew me to cubism.

Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler Pablo Picasso 1910

Violin and Candlestick Georges Braque 1910

Two Figures Liubov Popova 1913-1914

Dryad Picasso 1908

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Small Dada Evening Theo Van Doesburg & Kurt Schwitters 1922

Cut with the Dada Kitchen Knife through the Last Weimar Beer-Belly Cultural Epoch in Germany Hannah Höch 1919

UndBild Kurt Schwitters 1919

Fountain Marcel Duchamp 1917

dada Dada was a movement that began in the early 20th century, although the artists within the movement classed it as a “non-movement”. It began in Europe during World War I when the artists would take any opportunity to show their opinions about the war and how it had a negative affect. The artitsts would create pieces to shock the viewer, convey a strong message and provoke an emotional response.

The Expressionist movement was the main influence that Dada artists took to create their pieces, as was Cubism to a lesser extent. The pieces that were created were mostly made from assemblage, collage and photomontage techniques, and this

made each technique increasingly popular due to the movements influence on other artists.

I chose to look at the work of Dada through my research because I like the work of Kurt Schwitters, such as UndBlld (1919), due to the way he assembles his collage in an almost modernised version of Cubism using found objects. Another piece that I find interesting from the Dada movement is Small Dada Evening (1922), again by Schwitters and Theo Van Doesburg, because of the use of bold typography and colour, which as a designer I feel I can take reference and inspiration from for my future work.

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de stijl De Stijl was a style that created painted pieces, but were also known to create furniture to match, such as Red and Blue Chair (1917) by Gerrit Rietveld.

The style of work created during the Many artists from other movements movement revolved around the primary such as Kurt Schwitters and Theo colours (red, blue and yellow) and Van Doesburg (Dada artists) were shades of white and black. a part of the De Stijl movement as Counter-Composition V by Van the two movements evolved at a Doesburg (1924) is inspirational to me similar time. Piet Mondrian was one as a designer because of the simplistic of the most famous artists from the approach and use of strong colours. movement, as his simplistic pieces I like Van Doesburg work because he are well known to be the signature makes simple lines interesting and the bold approach is striking.

De Stijl style.

Dutch for “The Style�, De Stijl was an artistic movement founded in the Netherlands, particularly Amsterdam, and refers to the work created from around 1917 to 1931.

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Composition with Yellow, Black, Blue, and Grey Piet Mondrian 1923

Red and Blue Chair Gerrit Rietveld 1917

Counter-Composition V Theo Van Doesburg 1924

Composition with Yellow, Blue and Red Piet Mondrian 1937-1942

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Club Chair Marcel Breuer 1925-26

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The spatial effect of colours and forms Eugen Batz 1929

Circles in Circle Wassily Kandinsky 1923

bauhaus The Bauhaus school is known for a “less is more” approach to art which was applied to the creation of furniture.

The artists were taught to dematerialise conventions in terms of how furniture was designed and create something more simple that was easy to mass The Bauhaus school brought in many produce. artists from other movements, such My favourite piece to come from as Theo Van Doesburg (De Stijl), Bauhaus is Circles in Circle (1923, by and had been joined by well known Wassily Kandinsky, as I relate to the use artists such as Wassily Kandinsky of colours and lines as a designer, and I find the piece quirky and different. and Paul Klee.

Staatliches Bauhaus was an art school in Germany, translated Bauhaus means “house of construction” due to the fact the school was created with the idea to merge the different aspects of art to create a “total” work in which each element would be brought together.

Bauhaus ran a variety of workshops to combine fine art and design education such as textiles, metalworking, cabinetmaking and typography.

I will take inspiration from Bauhaus in that I feel the “less is more” approach is a good way to go in some of my designs for my magazine.

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Akzidenz-Grotesk G端nter Gerhard Lange 1896

Z端rich Town Hall Poster Josef M端ller-Brockmann 1955

swiss design International Typographic Style, or more simply known as Swiss Design is a graphic style that was developed in Switzerland in the 1950s. The style is very clear, the designs use a gridded layout and are very clear, clean and simple. Swiss Design focusses on the typography of each piece and features photography, rather than illustrations that would have been used previously.

The Internation Typographic Style was known for its use of Sans Serif fonts such as Akzidenz-Grotesk and the use of typography for a purpose other than just the body copy of a poster or piece of art, thus the name of the style.

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Swiss Design is one of my favourite styles because it has a very modern feel to each piece. The use of typography in the work is very clean and simplistic, which is why I favor work from this style over movements such as Cubism and Dada, because I feel this style is more graphic and to my aesthetic.

The Zurich Town Hall Poster (1966) by Josef M端ller-Brockmann is a classic example of Swiss Design due to its use of only two block colours and clean shapes and typography. I would like to keep this style in mind when I create my magazine because I feel it is a good design approach to have.

Einspuren - Spur Halten Hans Hartmann 1963

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Post-modernism covers the works of many different movements and styles that have developed after, or in some cases at the end, of what is considered to be the Modernist period.

There are many artists that could be classed as either modernist or post-modern, such as Pop Art or Minimalism, and this is because they started as modernist movements but developed into what is considered to be post-modern. It is also difficult to define post-modernism due to works that are considered to be modernist being made during the time of what is considered post-modern. Dada is considered modernist however it is what many believe to be the link between the two, as it is said to anticipate post-modernity.

Personally I find the style of Pop Art and Abstract Expressionism to be very inspiring. Pop Art is interesting to me because I think the art is very bold and striking, and I like the use of bright colours within the pieces. Roy Lichtenstien is possibly my favourite artist and I have great admiration for all of the works he has created.

On the other hand I like the work of Jackson Pollock and the Abstract Expressionist movement because it is so different and unpredictable, and the use of this method is a sure way of making each piece unique.

I hope to be inspired by some of the styles of post-modernism that I will look at throughout my research, and I hope to maybe reference some of Lichtensteins work in the future.

what is pos

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Lucifer Jackson Pollock 1947

The Sun Room, Sonja Sekula 1948

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White Light Jackson Pollock 1954

The Gate Hans Hoffman 1959-1960

abstract expression During the late 1940s Jackson Pollock redefined the way in which artists created their work, in a similar way to how Picasso had reinvented painting and sculpture half a century earlier. Pollock had realised that how he created his artwork was just as important as how the piece turned out in the end and therefore liberated many artists and allowed them to think about stepping away from what was conventional at the time.

Abstract Expressionism expanded the possibilities that artists thought they had at that time, and allowed artists such as Hans Hoffman, Franz Kline and Philip Guston to diversify the scope of what could be created at the time. Artists

like Pollock would use unconventional methods that had never been explored before, such as working on the floor, working from each side rather than one way up and dripping, staining and throwing different inks and paints onto the canvas in order to create something completely unique.

Pollocks Lucifer (1947) is one of my favourite pieces of Abstract Expressionism due to the use of the dull background colours that have been built upon with bright reds, oranges and greens. I would like to take this as inspiration for when I create my magazine, and possibly use the contrasting colours like Pollock did in this example.

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Drowning Girl Roy Lichtenstein 1963

Turquoise Marilyn Andy Warhol 1982

What Is It That Makes Today’s Homes So Different, So Appealing?

Richard Hamilton 1956

pop art

My favourite artist has been Roy Lichtenstein since I first saw his work.

I really enjoy the simplicity of the lines and shapes in his pieces and the way in which he portrays his characters.

Ohhh...Alright.... (1964) is my favourite piece by Lichtenstein due to the use Pop Art is considered to be one of the of the deep red and the bright yellow very early stages of post-modern art. that contrast so well with the hard It is sometimes seen as an expansion lines that create the image. of Abstract Expressionism. The use of In my magazine I hope to take some bold colour, thick outlines and patterns reference from the Pop Art style, as such as Ben-Day dots, favourited I feel that, like Pollocks work, the by artists such as Roy Lichtenstein, use of bold colours contrasting with were a classic trademark of what is black make for an effective piece of considered to be Pop Art. work that catches the eye.

Pop Art is a movement that emerged in the 1950s in Britain, before developing into American culture a few years later. Pop Art challenged the traditions that were presented by Fine Art by including advertising messages and topics of popular culture.

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Ohhh...Alright...

Roy Lichtenstein 1964

Issue 54 Ray Gun Magazine 1998

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Issue 14 Ray Gun Magazine 1994

Issue 49 Ray Gun Magazine 1997

ray gun

The Radiohead cover from Issue 64 (1998) is one of the covers that I find the most interesting as it uses an understated image, bold tyography and a great blend of the different shades of blue, white and black. I also find the way in which the RA of Radiohead has also been used as the RA for Ray Gun as it is witty and I feel Carsons aesthetic was thought to it’s a creative way to make you think be the main influence of a “grunge about what it is you are reading. typography” era. His use of abstracting I feel that as a graphic designer the each image of the artist on the covers best influence that I can take from of the magazine was unique from the way that Ray Gun magazine is issue to issue, and each one is like a presented is the use of typography to piece of art in itself. Even after he left create something that isn’t just used the magazine the style he had become as body copy. I’d like to experiment known for was still used through all the further with this as I feel it would following issues. improve my skills as a designer.

Ray Gun was a magazine that began in 1992 when it was founded by designer and art director David Carson. The magazine explored what could be created through typographic design, which then developed into a chaotic style that was not always as easy to read, however was unique in design and appearance.

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lee woodgate

I have chosen to research Lee Woodgate as he is one of the artists that has inspired me since I decided to become a graphic designer at college in 2011. He has been one of the artists that I have often come back to because I love the style of his work and the way Although Woodgate is not a movement in which he uses colours and negative or a specific style, I feel that he is a good space in his illustratiions. post-modern designer and is the most The illustration that Woodgate did in recent artist that I have chosen to look 2011 for the Sunday Times is one of at. His work contains vibrant colours my favourite pieces because of the and contrasts and the way his work simples use of the primary colours is presented reminds me of works of and the layering of the images. I also artists like Kurt Schwitters and Robert like the way he has used silhouettes Raushenberg, that used collage in a in white to create negative space similar way. I feel that Woodgate is a within his work, I hope to keep using present day version of some of the artists Woodgate as an influence in my I have aleady covered in my research. work in the future.

Lee Woodgate is an illustrator from the south coast of England. His work consists mostly of Ediitorial and Advertising illustrations. He has worked for over 14 years for companies such as British Airways, Lufthansa, BritishGas and Harper Collins.

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DM News New York Lee Woodgate 2011

Sunday Times Article Lee Woodgate 2011

DPS Magazine Lee Woodgate 2012

Man V Nature Lee Woodgate 2012

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After looking at a variety of different movements, artists and pieces of work from both what is considered modernist and post-modernist I feel that the next step in moving towards creating my own magazine is to take inspiration from these artists and use them to create some ideas that could be pursued into my final magazine.

The modernist Swiss Style has been one of my favourite design styles to research, as I had never really gone into detail with it before and found that the simplistic style really appeals to me as a graphic designer and I hope that this document itself shows a bit of what I have learned from the Swiss Style designers.

I have really enjoyed creating this document, as I have really learned about what modernism and postmodernism really is and I have also learned a lot about the different artists and styles within each movement.

I have also found that designers such as Lee Woodgate and artists such as Roy Lichtenstein have become a great influence and I will definitely be using their style of bold lines and contrasting colours in my future work.

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Helen Bowers