How does the level of complexity in a design affect the viewer’s emotional experience and how have these designs been influenced by the past?
A controversial argument in design is whether the viewer’s emotional reaction to a piece of artwork defines its success, rather than its aesthetic qualities. Throughout the history of design, people have responded differently with their own personal opinions to various artistic movements, styles, and pieces in particular. Depending on the individual, the perceived meaning of a single design can differ extensively to another’s and offer multiple interpretations to suggest the actual meaning of a piece. Robert Morris suggests ‘simplicity of shape does not necessarily equate with simplicity of experience’. Acknowledging Morris’s idea, throughout this essay I will look at two differentiating styles of artwork, simple, and complex design. I will aim to comment on which style I feel is able to convey the greatest emotional response and will look at specifically at the stylistic differences between the complexities the cubist movement and how it differs from the simplistic aesthetics of minimalism. I will look at the cubist style of George Braque and the minimalism of Robert Morris -‐ assessing the emotional experience taken from each of the styles and their influence on more recent artists, such as David Hockney and Michal Krasnopolski. From the middle of the 19th century up until the First World War, the world was undergoing a profound technological revolution; new inventions such as locomotives and photography were changing the way artists perceived the world. Artist’s responded to the technologically advancing world through experimentation with new styles of art such as impressionism and fauvism -‐ styles that deviated from traditional forms of artwork. From these experimental styles, the cubist movement became arguably the most radical turning point in the history of art, confusing many traditionalist artists at the time, as the complete distortion of reality was a concept yet to be explored. Georges Braque – ‘Man With a Guitar’, and Pablo Picasso – ‘Ambroise Vollard’
The inception of the Cubist movement in 1908 was pioneered by the collaboration of Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, artist’s who had taken influence from the geometric representations of objects by Paul Cezanne, as well as concepts derived from the expressiveness of African art. Cubists challenged the natural and realistic depictions of real people, places or objects, and produced compositions where shapes and forms would become abstracted and would ‘give us a view of the world which did not conform to the vision we had learned’1. The artist’s ethos was to depict objects emotionally, rather than naturally as they appear. In their first mature form of cubism, ‘Analytical Cubism’ (1908-‐1912), this was achieved by analysing the structure of an object, which proposed a visual style that offered a complete distortion of reality. Analytical cubism is often characterised by its abstraction and intricate complexity that has been of significant influence to many modern day painters, architects, and graphic designers. In this style, objects would be ‘analysed’ and broken down into basic geometric forms where three-‐dimensional objects are represented as two-‐ dimensional abstractions. The Cubists were determined to examine the way we visualised objects. Typical paintings would depict a subject fragmented into many intricate shapes not only from a single viewpoint, but at various angles simultaneously. This utilisation of perspective demonstrated a new way of expressing human emotions, as well as shifting between two and three-‐dimensions. Georges Braque – ‘The Portuguese’ 1911 1 Herschel B. Chipp, 1968
One of the founders of Cubism, Georges Braque, was a French painter who explored the styles of impressionism, fauvism, collage and even stage design throughout his artistic career. His oil on canvas 'The Portuguese' is arguably one of his most iconic and influential pieces due to the way it exemplified the intricacy and abstraction of analytical cubism. I wanted to focus on Braque particularly as I felt the complexity within his designs demonstrated how a detailed piece of artwork is able to contain many ideas and images within a single image. The deviation from a realistic style with cubism has allowed Braque to explore many aspects not possible with traditionalist painting. Depicting a Portuguese man playing a guitar seen in a bar in Marseille (a personal experience several years prior to painting), the abstraction of the piece allows the figure to be seen from many differentiating and alternating perspectives. Braque's 'analysis' of the experience has seen the figure fragmented into many geometric forms; some appearing to fuse with one another and others almost appearing transparent. It is possible the fragmentation in this particular piece reflects the distortion of his memory, as the experience may have lost its clarity after several years. Helen Gardner, author of Gardner's Art Through the Ages, suggests the artist 'carried out his analysis so far that the viewer must work diligently to discover clues to the subject'. Looking at the intricate geometry of the shapes, recognising a solid human characteristic such as a nose or shoulder is almost immediately cancelled out by a different way of identifying the figure. The shift in imagery created from this induces a sense of depth and a change in perspective, where the viewer is able to explore the man and guitar in an almost three-‐dimensional way. Another way the artist utilises the complexity of a piece is through the composition of the design. Braque draws the attention of the viewer into the centre of the piece with a more concentrated and intricate arrangement of geometric shapes-‐compared to the sparse arrangement around the edges of the composition. By drawing the focus of the viewer into the centre of the design, they are able to concentrate on identifying the abstracted forms more intimately. Additionally, he utilises a brown monochromatic and subdued colour scheme in order to prevent the viewer's attention from being distracted from the form of the design-‐the most important aspect of cubism. Different levels of shading applied to each geometric shape assist in promoting the three-‐dimensional perspective and appear as if shadows have been cast on the figure and guitar. Braque's 'The Portuguese' signifies the analytical cubism movement and highlights the effect complexity and design can have onto the viewer-‐allowing different perspectives and spatial representations to be identified in a single two-‐dimensional image. Influencing many artists subsequent to the cubist movement, an artist I believe has taken great influence from Braque through the complexity and utilisation of shifting perspectives is that of David Hockney. Born in Bradford 1937, David Hockney is considered one of Britain's most influential artist's of the 20th century. Interested in the perception of how we depict space and time, Hockney's most iconic designs, his detailed photocollage's (known as 'joiner's' by the artist), became a way for the viewer to effectively read space.
David Hockney – ‘Mother 1, Yorkshire Moors’ 1985 His joiner 'Mother 1, Yorkshire Moors' highlights the direct influence the artist has taken from cubism. Using his own mother as the subject of the joiner, Hockney has experimented with multiple fractured viewpoints in his photography, utilising different perspectives to envisage a three-‐dimensional image on a two-‐dimensional surface. Although we can see influence has been taken from cubism, Hockney's piece has not been abstracted, as it depicts an accurate representation of his mother's face only in a fragmented composition. As a personal reflection, I find the piece to conceive a melancholic tone, where the many intricate photographs and centre-‐focused perspective that encompasses her face, perhaps represent the entire span of the ageing woman's life -‐ all in a single composition. The realistic, seemingly unaltered appearance of each photo aids in conveying the a realistic interpretation of viewpoints, as in each single photograph, Hockney's mother appears exactly as she would in reality. Overall, the intricacy created from the many individual photographs assist in creating a larger, more poignant image. In this piece particularly, Hockney depicts the way complexity in design is able to express an emotional response from the viewer, utilising a personal subject, his mother, as the fragmented subject of the design. Acknowledging the way both Braque and Hockney’s designs allow for emotional reactions to be perceived from their detailed designs, I will look to assess the opposite end of the spectrum -‐ analysing simplistic styles of design. Differentiating extensively from the both the complexities of cubism and the intricacy of David Hockey’s joiners, the minimalist movement contrasts both visually and in its intentions as artwork.
As a reaction against the self-‐expressive and personal characteristics of the post-‐war Abstract Expressionist movement, the 1960’s saw the emergence of the Minimalist movement – a new form of abstract art that attempted to strip back the ‘unnecessary’ aesthetics of expressive artwork so that it could expose the viewer to the reality of the subject. Where art is usually understood as a representation of an object or experience, the minimalists wanted to remove any personal connections to the artist-‐this was in order to engage the viewer in having a greater, more direct reaction to the object itself. Donald Judd – ‘Specific Objects’, and Kenneth Noland – ‘Bridge’ Formulated in New York, the founders of the movement aimed to expose the raw elements of a design, reducing the number of colours, shapes and texture to create a simplistic, neutral and impersonal design without the distraction of visual metaphors or symbolism. Arguably sharing a similar trait to cubism, minimalism is often recognised by its geometric forms, however unlike cubism minimalists followed the ideology that ‘less is more’, contrary to the detail and complexity of analytical cubism. It’s simple form often allowed for the design’s raw materials to be exposed, deliberately dampening the design’s expressional connection from the artist, and placing more emphasis on its form.
Robert Morris – ‘Untitled’ 1965/71 Considered one of the most potent individuals innovating and contributing to the theories behind Minimalism, born in 1931 Robert Morris is an American painter, sculpture and art writer who began his artist career in the 50’s, initially influenced by the Abstract Expressionism movement – a style Minimalism would develop to conflict with later in the 60’s. Morris’ piece ‘Untitled’ is a clear depiction of the Minimalist style, highlighting a reduction of colour, texture and shape to depict a design both neutral and impersonal that is simple in its form. Unlike both Braque and Hockney who utilise a shifting perspective within their complex designs to create a three-‐dimensional impression, Morris’s demonstration of how a sculpture can be used for design allows the viewer to physically explore the third dimension in his artwork. Consisting of four large cubes, Morris has used the raw reflective material of his sculpture to effectively engage with the viewer. By utilising the highly reflective surface of mirrored glass, Morris has been able to use the design’s four essentially simple cubes to create an intriguing, captivating interaction with the environment they are placed in and for the person viewing. Where the prominence of the bold cubic shapes would appear assertive if constructed from another material, the mirrored glass material creates somewhat of a paradox and instead allows for the shapes to appear absorbed into its surroundings, reflecting the environment so that they can merge and appear to become an extension of it. Simon Wilson, author of Tate Gallery: An Illustrated Companion, suggests the reflective cubes ‘undermines its physical reality… while fully retaining their simple identity’; this exemplifies the way Robert Morris’ ‘Untitled’ presents how simplicity in designs can be capable of perceiving as much onto the viewer as designs with an intricate complexity. Influential to many areas of modern and contemporary design, an artist I feel reciprocates Robert’s Morris minimalism and style is Michal Krasnopolski.
Michal Krasnopolski – ‘Less is More’ series of posters
Born in 1980, Michal Krasnopolski is a Polish art director and graphic designer based in Warsaw, Poland. With a Master’s degree from the Academy of Fine Arts in Lodz, Krasnopolski has worked commercially in predominantly the fields of advertising, packaging, and poster design. Morris’s series of posters ‘less is more’ directly quotes and refers to the minimalist ideology in its title, illustrating how the movement of the 60s has influenced the modern artist. Whereas innovative minimalists such as Robert Morris employ a sculptural format to convey the ‘less is more’ idea, Krasnopolski utilises the technological advances of modern-‐day, using the computer to produce his designs whilst still retaining the simple geometric forms identifiable with minimalism. One way Krasnopolski depicts his designs in a minimalist style is by physically restricting his designs -‐ confining them to a simple grid layout (as seen right). The circle and two diagonals inscribe inside a square creates a simplistic geometric foundation for each of his designs. Michal Krasnopolski’s ‘less is more’ series of posters depicts a range of posters for well-‐known and arguably ‘classic’ films, which follows the minimalist ethos by how the content of a film is essentially stripped down into up to three colours and a single, simple geometric formation. Using either a recognisable object, movement, or visual metaphor from a film, Krasnopolski refers to his designs as a ‘poster series for movie enthusiasts’, and relies on the viewer’s knowledge to recognise and interpret the specific colours of and minimal shape into a meaningful image depending on the film. The dorsal fin of ‘Jaws’, the ‘One Ring’ from the ‘Lord of The Rings’ and an emulation of ‘Superman’ flying exemplify the way simple minimalist forms of Krasnopolski are able to utilise the perception and knowledge of the viewer to invoke a greater meaning to the design.
In conclusion, by looking at the stylistic differences between both the cubist and minimalist movements, it is clear both have had a significant influence on modern-‐ day design. Acknowledging how artists of the past have been of influence to more recent artists, it can be agreed that the innovative style of Georges Braque’s cubism has proved influential to David Hockney through the similar intricacy of design and use of shifting perspectives. In turn, elements of Robert Morris’s minimalist influence can be similarly identified in Michal Krasnopolski’s designs by the simplistic geometry and ‘less is more’ ethos, where aesthetic forms are stripped back to their bare minimum. By assessing the intricacy of Braque and Hockney’s work compared to the simplicity of Morris and Krasnopolski’s, it is clear both styles are capable of fulfilling an effective emotional response onto the viewer. The minimalist simplicity places emphasis on the form of the design, and strips back anything considered ‘unnecessary’ or emotional which allows the viewer to engage with the subject of the piece rather than what it may metaphorically represent-‐this can be seen in both Morris’ ‘Untitled’ and Krasnopolski’s ‘Less is More’ series. By employing a higher level of complexity and expression within their designs, Braque and Hockney are able to create a manipulation of reality whilst retaining the realistic form of the subject, offering the viewer many possibly interpretations within the design that may be uncovered by studying the piece. Overall, whilst the minimalist style is able to direct your focus to the exposed meaning of a piece of artwork, using simplistic elements to construct a detailed meaning, I personally feel through the ability for artists to interweave their ideas and emotions within the intricacy of design for the viewer to interpret, allows for a greater emotional perception in the piece of artwork. Bibliography: Helen Gardner, Gardner's Art Through the Ages, Volume II: The Western Perspective Simon Wilson, Tate Gallery: An Illustrated Companion Stephen Eskilson, Graphic Design: A New History, Second Edition http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jRan3u4ndc Video -‐ Cubism: Revealing the Truth through Abstraction http://www.pablopicasso.org/cubism.jsp http://havingalookathistoryofgraphicdesign.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/cubism_7.html http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/arts/artwork/cubism2.htm http://www.theartstory.org/movement-‐minimalism.htm http://www2.tate.org.uk/archivejourneys/reisehtml/mov_minimalism.htm