Max Guther: Vantage Point Museum Booklet

Max Guther: Vantage Point

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German artist with a background in communication design (b. 1992), Max Guther creates a collaged world where the focus is on architectural details, interiors, and how the human body interacts with the environment around it. The artist creates these digital collages by transforming photographic material, textures, and self-constructed objects in Photoshop, Illustrator, and 3D programs. Using these constructions, he examines how these subjects interact to portray everyday situations and activities. These environments also hint at societal issues which Guther brilliantly comments on with his artwork.

Max Guther earned his degree at Mainz University of Applied Sciences in Germany, where he was inspired by the Bauhaus architects and designers such as Walter Gropius and Herbert Bayer among others. The Bauhaus movement combined crafts, engineering, and the fine arts. Most notably, the movement ushered functionality and affordability for the common man through mass-produced artworks. Geometric paintings were the headline of the movement, as well as architectural features such as The Wassily Chair.

Inspired by the movement, Guther strives to visualize current developments and social currents to comment on the range of today’s changes and mega trends through his illustrations.

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THE ISSUE OF CREATIVE WORKFLOW PHOTOSHOP, ILLUSTRATOR

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Guther’s approach offers a top-down perspective similar to video games of the past. Guther’s technique refreshes an old style with clean lines, a bright color palette, and an all-seeing perspective. His work is not only aesthetically pleasing, but also provides a relatable way to look at social commentary today. He demonstrates the state of imagery today in graphic design and illustration, as many designers and illustrators have moved towards social media as way to promote their work. Across these platforms, there is a new trend with vivid pops of colors and cleans lines. His work recalls a pang of nostalgia for those that played The Sims game for hours on end. Isometric projection is a method of realistically depicting three-dimensional objects.These isometric perspectives are frequently used to create technical and engineering drawings. This technique allows Guther to emulate a sense of the unreal. Although his work can be seen as a homage to the past, there is a futuristic aspect because of the textures used and sharp interiors.

The artist follows trends to “serve as a template for various illustrations that enable a visual introduction and an overview into the global social change processes. The resulting works will not only give an insight into current social developments, but at the same time provide an impression of the variety of tops we deal with as illustrators and designers in our professional life.”

These trends focus on themes that are relatable and even highlight the absurdity of daily life. His process begins with a concept. From there, sketches are developed to create a rough idea, focusing on the division and composition.

Guther takes his own photos and edits after to fit each 4

aspect within the collage. After the individual elements are arranged, the final coloring is edited. The vivid pops of color can be seen in each of his works, a stereotype of his style.

Answering different stressors of adult life, Guther discusses the issue of creative workfow in a different series. Returning to childhood, various activities such as gymnastics, building sand castles, and diving. Bright colors are at the forefront of each illustration, a reminder of the vibrancy of youth. Each activity reminds the viewer that child’s play can help with the onset of a creative new idea.

Throughout his work, common global changes are brought to light. Gentrification, a common societal issue around the world, is shown step-by-step in this series. He shows the resistance through the warning, “we are all staying,” tagged on the block. The area previously alive with family businesses becomes abandoned. Slowly, luxurious stores and apartments pop up along with vintage cars. Urban renewal has displaced another neighborhood, replacing it with lavish amenities.

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Some of Guther’s work can be seen accompanying articles in magazines and newspapers. He was commissioned to illustrate his take on the theory of toxic masculinity for the magazine der Freitag. The article included an interview with author Jack Urwin who describes the concept as, “things that men do to exaggerate behaviors and actions that are socially perceived as manly. This form of masculinity is an overcompensation as a result of uncertainty. And is responsible for many negative aspects of society such as violence or rape culture. It is accepted as normal and natural.” To illustrate and further define this concept, the artist shows a halfdressed man in snakeskin pants and leather boots. The character reads while enjoying dark liquor and a cigarette while seated in a chair on an animal print rug. Social commentary is playfully intertwined in each illustration. Throughout his works, these cheerful colors can be seen which mimic those of early video games. Although these add a lighthearted tone, the artist maintains serious themes at the core of each artwork.

Max Guther’s work is relevant in today’s society. His narration of these themes makes the conversation accessible.

For example, his artwork about irony in self-expression focuses on social media. Each are perfected snapshots with a glimpse into the person’s life. Yet these are highlighted moments that took ten minutes to create and edit. These moments are paired with a humorous, clever caption take away from the fact each are idealistic. While everyone is glued to their phones nowadays, these images capture the idea in that brief moment, everything is right.

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“I think isometry is a very interesting perspective because you can look down on what is happening from above and thus create an all-seeing observation position. Of course, I’ve also played computer games based on isometric perspective, but my fascination for this point of view is mainly derived from the isometric representations of Bauhaus architects and designers such as Walter Gropius and Herbert Bayer.”Max guther

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DER FREITAG PHOTOSHOP, ILLUSTRATOR

Although Guther is using a nostalgic perspective to illustrate these themes, he does so in a way that creates a relevant conversation. The artist hopes to visualize these developments to create framework for global social change by illustrating current issues that impact the everyday viewer.

While he reconstructs the core components of daily life in an abstract and emotionless fashion, his work subtly highlights some of its best absurdities.

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THE GOODLIFE PHOTOSHOP, ILLUSTRATOR

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Max Guther is a 25-year-old illustrator from Germany. Working with a mix of Photoshop and 3D, he creates collaged worlds where the focus is on architectural details, interiors, and how the human body interacts with the environment around it to convey everyday situations and activities. Influenced by the aesthetic of old computer games and isometric representations of Bauhaus architects and designers such as Walter Gropius and Herbert Bayer he uses the isometric perspective to create an all-seeing observation position. He earned his BA at Hoschule Mainz in communication design then shortly after did his first group exhibition at Zollamt and Ninasagt Galerie. Currently he is freelance designer in Germany and does work for various newspapers and magazines.

MAX GUTHER

This booklet was published on the occasion of the exhibition Chicago Works: Amanda Williams, presented from January 18 to May 31, 2018, in the Dr. Paul and Dorie Sternberg Family Gallery and the Ed and Jackie Rabin Gallery on the museum’s third floor.

Katrina Siltavuor is the curator for Design Museum Finland.

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JAN MAY

Generous support for Chicago Works: Amanda Williams is provided by the iitalla and A-lehdet. Design Museum Finland is a nonprofit, tax-exempt organiza- tion accredited by the International Council of Museums. The museum is governed by the Taideteollisuusmeuseonsaatio (Foundation for the Museum of Arts and Crafts).

Programming is partially supported by

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Hackman Pro Design Foundation.

The DMF is a proud National Speciality Museum. Š 2017 by the Design Museum Finland. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means including photocopy, recording, or any other information storage-andretrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publisher.

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