Essay

Choosing a particular period from the 1800’s to the present, in what ways has art and design responded to the changing social and cultural forces of that period?

This is an analysis looking looking at the ways in which American Art Deco design of the 1920’s to the late 1930’s responded to the social and economical effects of the Great Depression, and how it changed prior to this.

The term ‘Art Deco’ is generally used to describe the majority of art and design production throughout the 1920’s and 30’s.  To begin with, it was a social reaction to the great poverty of the First World War, promoting a lifestyle of opulence and luxury so that spirits would stay high.  The public were constantly buying- and with prosperity.  America had become the richest nation on Earth.  The term Art Deco connotes romanticism and decadence, traits usually rejected by the modernist movement.  Ironically, it seems that after The Great Depression whilst Art Deco still existed, its general ideas and design shifted in a somewhat more modernist direction.

The image to the left is a Sheet music cover for Sigmund Romberg’s ‘The Desert Song’.  The design has been obtained from the book ‘New York Art Deco’, however unfortunately the designer is unknown.  I do not think the piece entirely conforms to the general definition of Art Deco design.  The piece consists mainly of curved lines, closer to the naturalistic style of ‘Art Nouveau’ than the later more modernist Art Deco style.  The use of curved lines also reinforces the strong Art Deco approach to the design.  The is because the mood before The Great Depression was much more glamorous.  Like a dream, the curved lines connote optimism and reflect the state of the economy at that time.  There is a strong use of sans serif front, along with bold direction within the frame- both of which are main features of Art Deco design.  It is clear that this design has incorporated ideas of Art Deco, however, other aspects of design have also been introduced.  For example, it is a heavily illustrated piece, unusual for an Art Deco design.  The illustrated image is not quite perfectly filled, and the use of different weight of line means that together a rough finish is formed, these two aspects go exactly against Art Deco design, which uses clean edges and full, bold colour.  There is a heavy North African influence in this piece, which makes sense given its’ content.  The prevailing colour yellow signifies sand and ‘the desert’.  It is clear that the typeface sued has this North African influence because of its harsh contrast between heaviness and sharp points, giving it an almost Arabian look inspired by the shape of a ‘saif’ (Arabian sword).  Form does not follow function within this piece.  The typefaces used are more decorative, reflecting the general theme within this book, rather than using a wholly readable font- an aspect of modernism that this design has not adopted, following a more ‘pure’ form of Art Deco.  In October 1929 The Stock Market Crash took place, which subsequently led to The Great Depression.  The Great Depression was not just confined to the U.S, it had global, catastrophic effects.  This led to many Europeans moving to America, bringing their own influences with them.  These influences were already heavily rooted with modernist design.  For example the Bauhaus had essentially been and gone.  The spread of fascism from Hitler also forced people to leave for somewhere more accepting- America.  So, new designers with new ideas, coupled with the current economic sate (post The Great Depression) would logically mean a shift in existing movements- Art Deco.

This book over was designed by John Vassos for ‘Ultimo’ in 1930 by Alastair Duncan, in ‘American Art Deco’.  The cover, in relation to the sheet music cover is a totally different style, yet still regarded as Art Deco design.  The colours used are bold and strong, and in contrast, the piece is made up of entirely straight edges, giving it the modernist aesthetic.  It is hard to tell from all the copies of this design whether the colours are supposed to look rough.  Given the general look of the piece and relating back to the rules of Art Deco, it makes sense that it is supposed to be block and filled-in so that it looks bold and sleek.  The use of colour grid signifies once again that feeling of opulence and positivity the Art Deco design of the 1920’s once revolved around; however, the harsh edges used give a more serious finish to the design, one that portrays the severe effects a year after The Great Depression began.  A much more structured, geometric rule is followed in this design; it is not as free as the sheet music cover design.  This reflects the way people within the American society felt trapped, as if there was nothing they could do to change what was happening.  Yet there was also a positive side to this.  The regimented nature of the design meant that there could be more focus on direction; for example, this design uses different weights of line.  However, because these shapes are much more disciplined it creates a look of movement, reflecting societies mindset of modernity at that time, injecting a positive aspect to the current, dark times.  The Great Depression brought more forward thinking because of the disastrous state of the present.  Focusing of the modernist idea of ‘truth’, the American people knew what shape their country was in, yet still wanted to focus on what they thought was to be a positive future. 

During his short time in America the designer Fortunato Depero states in ‘American modernist Graphic Design 1920 to 1960’, that for him, New York was ‘the exhalting discovery of the reality of a modern metropolis…pestering, tumultuous, conflictual, glittering and spectacular, but also also stressful, tragic, as a plunge into a conditioning and crushing machine’.  For some time after the Stock Market Crash things were confusing, the economy was affecting people on a global scale; times were hard, yet people still wanted to stay positive.  Designers found much inspiration from New York living, as it was here where everything was happening.  There was an embrace for art and culture; the economy was in a bad way; people were homeless, unemployed; and there had been also been a lot of European influences throughout this time, which made for an interesting mix of ideals and styles.  For example, the Austrian- born graphic designer Joseph Binder emigrated to America in 1934.  Here he entered many poster competitions and won, one of these entries was the poster to the left for the ‘New York World’s Fair’.  Roger Remington states in ‘American Modernism’ that ‘it is largely effective because of its’ directness and simplicity’.  For a wide audience to understand and appreciate something it has to work, and quickly.  Stripping away the decorative aspect of Art Deco and just being left with a stylistic look allows more room for communication. 

According to Remington, Binders’ work focuses on the ‘reduction of geometric forms and colour contrasts’.  These are the aspects that optimise visual communication, a stripped down approach to design.  The lines of light used create direction within the frame, the majority of which coming from New York City, highlighting that it is prosperous- hinting slightly at their prosperity, whist still focusing on the world as a whole.  The use of light and direction is a trait commonly used within Art Deco design, however, it is usually put across in a more curved way.  The mass of navy within the frame pushes the small amount of yellow and white forward for the viewer to see clearly what the poster is about.  A simple sans serif font is used, which aids its’ readability.  This poster is clear and concise, the main attributes to a modernist deign.  The Worlds’ Fair in itself was about celebrating modernism, forward looking and positivity.  Much like after the War, people needed something to keep spirits high, and this was the opportune moment.

So, it seems that society responded to The Great Depression by evolving Art Deco design into something (arguably) more meaningful.  Focusing more on the delivery of a message than decorating it in a less structured way.  Yet the design still set to influence people into thinking of the future and the possibilities it held rather than the present, which has always had modernist ideals within its’ designs.  Visually, Art Deco design prior to The Great Depression was more about outlandish designs, with curved lines and being lightheartedly positive, whereas Art Deco design post The Depression was more about simplicity, encompassing speed and streamlines finishes.  Idealistically the design changed coming from a different angle.

Bibliography:

Books;

-       David Garrard Lowe., (2004) Art Deco New York.  Watson-Gutpill Publications Inc, U.S

^{-               Alastair Duncan,. (1999) American Art Deco.  Thames and Hudson; New edition.}

^{-               R.Roger Remington., (2003) American Modernism Graphic Design 1920 to 1960.  Laurence King Publishing.}

^{-               Lawrence Cahoone., (1995) From Modernism to Postmodernism.  Wiley- Blackwell.}

Websites;

-       ‘The roaring 20’s, Social issues’.  http:/www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1564.html

-       ‘Modernism. An introduction to American Art Deco’ http://www.artsmania.org/wiki/The_Great_Depression

-       Wikipedia.com.  ‘The Great Depression’  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Depression

-       ‘Advertising Arts: America becomes modern(istic)’.  2004.  Stevel Heller.  Httpy://www.typotheque.com/articles/advertising_arts_america_becomes_modernistic.

-       ‘Graphic Design as Communication’ Malcolm Barnard.  Google Books.  ‘Modernism and Graphic Design’.  http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=TPZNAAB1xqUC&printsec=frontcover&dq=malcolm+barnard&hl=en&ei=xRg-TceeBsiDOqfu96ML&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=book-thumbnail&resnum=2&ved=0CYQ6wAQv=onepage&g&f=false

Deconstuction task,

In approximately 500 words, summarise the text highlighting the key points it makes about typography, and the role of typography in creation of meaning. Use these key points to write a brief critical analysis of one deconstructionist work of Graphic Design focusing on the aims of Deconstruction in Graphic Design.

- Designers use typography to 'help' readers avoid actually reading through the content.  They create shortcuts that are not only socially accepted but are programmed into us from birth- we know nothing else unless we seek it out. 

- In the past, all type was written.  This created a written form of 'chinese whispers', where, through every process the text had to undertake i.e.proof reading, aspects of the original writers voice were lost.  In relation to present time, texts can be easily downloaded from the internet and are therefore easy to manipulate, for example, plaigerism- most of the time the original message is changed to communicate something else, and that is why it can be spotted- because it sounds incorrect.

- Articles and books have a specific 'regime', a set of rules that they follow so that readers instantly know where to look.  The page numbering element is a good thing- it means that if readers only need a specific page in a set up guide they can go straight to it- the text is giving orders, so in this sense it must be as quick and simple as possible, rather than a long novel you can get into.

- When the visual aspect of type is changed, so does the readers ways of interpretation.  This means that the designers of this text have ultimate power over how it is taken, however, they also have the power to give the power back to the reader to take away their own thoughts from this text.  In this sense the designer has a moral obligation to control people not to regurgatate a linear view.

- In present, especially the current generation, people have been brought up with the internet.  The internet has bred a generation of impatient and lazy readers that never really get the full impact of the text because they only visually see the impact of the bold type.   

Both the images above are posters created and designed by Ed Fella.  They are both deconstruction within graphic design.  They are known as this through their forceful communication.  Both these posters use simple, one colour backgrounds against the text, this highlights the text itself and makes is easier to see what the words say, however, it doesn't make it easier to read the text as a whole.  The difference in weighting, stroke, typeface all come together, adding to the whole idea that the harder the text is to read, the more the reader will retain the information because of the difficulty in translating it into context.

Postmodernism

Within postmodernism there are no 'truly original ideas'.  The idea of postmodernism was to fight against the elistist view of modernism by combining popular culture with high culture- this meant that multiple styles and theories were linked together.  Unlike modernism, where people had a definite set of rules to design by, postmodernism held too much choice- often direction is lacking, however, a positive aspect of postmodernist design is that a collaboration of two styles can take place, highlighting something people hadn't before noticed.

Postmodernist design re-uses images/ imagery to create irony in a paradoxical sense.

Modernism removes humanity, personality and originality.  the main themes of modernism are characterised by experimental, purity, innovative, original, individual, serious.  Whereas the main themes of postmodernism are characterised by: exhaustion, pluralism, pessism, irony, dissillusionment, and the idea of absolute knowledge.
The two are not opposites, they are interrelated.  Postmodernism merely plays off the 'negative' aspects of modernism.

The film 'Blade Runner' is a prime example of postmodernism- a confusing array of styles and more deeply, ideals.  The film splices new genres, which in turn creates new ones.

Postmodernism is not all about negativity.  It is one of the few movements/ ideals that has such a lack of rules which recognises and celebrates the fact that everyone is different and so design should try to do this.  One thing that comes from this however, is an overwhelming amount of choice, and almost confusion not only with designs, but also within people's mental states.  Too much choice can confuse people as to who they are.

New media and visual culture

Old media:

Hesker Lever is known as the original pioneer of advertising- now the company is known as 'Unilever'.

The main aspect of the lecture focused on the story of the brand 'Sunlight soap', and how it grew.

Deconstruction

Deconstruction/

Deconstructivism/

Deconstructionism.

'Deconstruction is an approach to texts which analyses their systems of representation - the systems which frame their communication' (Jacques Derrida I)

Deconstruction complicates to make a point, to physically force a viewer to do what the designer wants them to do.  For example, in writing deconstruction can be seen as overcomplicating a piece of text- changing the kerning; pointsize; leading and even the specific paragraph layout- this not only challenges the 'known' and 'accepted' rules of design (much like postmodernism) but also forces the viewer to actually read the text.  The fact that on a usual article the title is always a larger pointsize than the rest of the type so that the reader knows what the text is about  forces a linear reading from the reader.  They are more likely to skim the page for areas that they recognise rather than reading the whole article and making a judgment on what the writer was trying to communicate.  These rules we have created have helped yet also hindered us.  We expect things to be obvious out of apathy- it is the norm.  However, much more can be retained and understood if we, as readers and viewers have to really look for what is being written.
The designer creates an unspoken voice/ a tone for the visual text.  It is this tone that informs the way the viewer 'reads' the text. 
Derrida deconstructs the concept that speech has more value than writing.  The traditional idea that speech was the primary method of communication because of its aspects - traditional; powerful; original is taken on with Derridas work.  Writing is seen as a secondary form of speech, that copies it, weakening the original message being communicated.


The Cranbook Academy of Art was a deconstructivist school that played with the rules of Graphic Design, they bent the existing rules to create innovate design.
The Cranbook Academy Journal makes you aware of the structure being deconstructed- it takes the accepted forms of journals and slowly changes them, the reader/viewer can relate and begin to understand this way of working.
Barry Deck's 'Template Gothic' is a typeface which deconstructs itself- some letters are slanted and are uneven.  Thus the geometry is destroyed through a 'wobbly' final resolution.

David Carson is a typical example of recent deconstruction.  His work is against the accepted form of communication, it doesn't encourage, it forces the viewer to actually try and read the words on the page, the viewer can draw their own conclusions on what exactly the words are communicating.

  


Deconstruction architecture challenges what society accepts as the norm within form.  
Bernard Tschumi's Le Parc de la Villette Paris doesn't conform to the normal park layout- including a path to follow, this design is considerably confusing, it is like a maze, forcing the visitor to make decisions, but also forcing the viewer to wake up and see, much like deconstruction within type forces the viewer to read what they are seeing.  Deconstruction within architecture is anti authority in this sense.

Defining the 'Avant-Garde'

Originally a French term, meaning in English, vanguard or advance guard (the part of an army that goes forward ahead of the rest). Applied to art, means that which is in the forefront, is innovatory, which introduces and explores new forms and in some cases new subject matter. In this sense the term first appeared in France in the first half of the nineteenth century and is usually credited to the influential thinker Henri de Saint-Simon, one of the forerunners of socialism. He believed in the social power of the arts and saw artists, alongside scientists and industrialists, as the leaders of a new society. In 1825 he wrote: 'We artists will serve you as an avant-garde¿ the power of the arts is most immediate: when we want to spread new ideas we inscribe them on marble or canvas¿ What a magnificent destiny for the arts is that of exercising a positive power over society, a true priestly function and of marching in the van [i.e. vanguard] of all the intellectual faculties!' Avant-garde art can be said to begin in the 1850s with the Realism of Gustave Courbet, who was strongly influenced by early socialist ideas. This was followed by the successive movements of modern art, and the term avant-garde is more or less synonymous with modern. Some avant-grade movements such as Cubismform, others such as Futurism, De Stijl or Surrealism have had strong social programmes. The notion of the avant-garde enshrines the idea that art should be judged primarily on the quality and originality of the artists vision and ideas.  for example have focused mainly on innovations of form, others such as Futurism, De Stijl or Surrealism have had strong social programmes. The notion of the avant-garde enshrines the idea that art should be judged primarily on the quality and originality of the artists vision and ideas.  

 Source: 

http://www.tate.org.uk/collections/glossary/definition.jsp?entryId=38

Avant-Garde is simply defined and described as something that "now", it is "cutting edge".  The term comes from 'Van guard', a military term that was used when elite forces lead the way through the opposition ranks for everyone else to follow.  The vanguard is the leading part of an advancing military formation. It has a number of functions, including seeking out the enemy and securing ground in advance of the main force.  Obtained from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanguard_(military_formation).

Avant-Garde is a concept associated with art.  It is deeply modernist, with ideas of 'taking things forward'- being progressive.  The concept of avant-garde in relation to graphic design splits into two groups, elitist and conformist.  The elitist view is an experimental one, where only graphic designers will understand and appreciate other designers work.  This is through using their existing knowledge to communicate an idea that only a select few will understand.  The conformist designer sacrifices personal style for ultimate transparency- it is seen as unoriginal because it uses existing styles and rules that are already recognised within society because of what they signify and because of the connotations they hold.  It is generally used to communicate to the masses.

Marcel Duchamp would be one of the first examples of Avant Garde design with his 1919 'L.H.O.O.Q' re-work of the famous Mona Lisa painting.  This was 'new' at the time, it was a bold move which was taken well, and also, not-so-well.  To be 'avant-garde' you don't have to be successful in gaining approval from a wide audience.

 

 

Even something such as a change in colour or brushstroke which would now seem minor became avant garde, for example 'The Fauvists', who were a group of self taught artists, bent the existing rules of art by changing these things to challenge themselves and their viewers.

  

Within the educational system you are taught to copy artists styles and approaches.  Is this perhaps subconsciously breeding unoriginality and linear thoughts?  Or is it that you first need to know everything you can on a subject before you can really begin to bend its rules and create something new?  If this is the case then surely nothing is avant garde because you have seen it all and cannot help a level of unconscious 'inspiration'?  -many questions.

There is a level of hierarchy within art and design.  Fine art is still more highly regarded than other creative practices because it has existed for so long, so has had time to be accepted by society.  However, the fact that most fine art is commissioned or created to be sold means that it is just as commercial as graphic design, which does not imply that fine art loses value, merely that one shouldn't be valued over the other- times have changed.

Avant Gardism

My own understanding of 'Avant Grarde',
Avant-Garde is a concept associated with art.  It is deeply modernist, with ideas of 'taking things forward'- being progressive.  The concept of avant-garde in relation to graphic design splits into two groups, elitist and conformist.  The elitist view is an experimental one, where only graphic designers will understand and appreciate other designers work.  This is through using their existing knowledge to communicate an idea that only a select few will understand.  The conformist designer sacrifices personal style for ultimate transparency- it is seen as unoriginal because it uses existing styles and rules that are already recognised within society because of what they signify and because of the connotations they hold.  It is generally used to communicate to the masses.
An example of elisist avant gardism within graphic design would be:

So essentially all graphic designers know that as a rule it is not okay to use comic sans as it 'encompasses all that it wrong with Photoshop and people thinking they are designers'- there are too many examples of bad design using this typeface, and not only because of the typeface but general principles of good design, i.e.layout, colour etc.  This is elitist avant gardism because only people with a specific contextual knowledge of type within design will understand not to use this typeface- on almost everyone else...it is lost.

An example of conformist avant gardism within graphic design would be:

Taken from 'Adbusters', this design has taken an existing popular advertising campaign by 'Absolut Vodka', playing on the term 'absolut' of the product and creating a witty slogan around the word.  This specific design uses exactly the same rules as the original campaign, however it takes a more negative pun highlighting what this product can do to the consumer.  At the same time as advertising the product, the design also puts it in a bad light- this is what avant gardism is all about, making fun of existing rules society understands by encompassing perhaps the same imagery, phrases, typeface etc so that society understands what they are communicating- a conformist approach to avant gardism within graphic design as the masses understand it.

News In Briefs

Rosie, 19, From Surrey

Location: The sun, page 3

The article is about the above woman 'Rosie'.  She is 19 years old and comes from Surrey as stated.  As much as the intellectuals among us would like to think, the main focus of this article is not about a lost tribe in Peru.  No, given existing semiotics the focus is on the half naked female taking over the frame.
The fact that the reaction to the comment in the top right corner is a humerous one signifies that this text is not supposed to be taken seriously.  The reaction is humerous because of the context it is in.  The fact that in our current society a topless page three model is seen as stupid forces this reaction, along with the fact that the majority of people (at risk of sounding presumptious) who buy this type of tabloid and look at the page three models are men who don't care about what women have to say.
The myth communicated in this article is that women are sex symbols/objects to look at and not listen to, this is obvious given that the text is minute compared to the size of her breasts- reflecting the harsh fact that her opinion is unimportant.  The whole article serves the purpose to entertain, both in a sexual and humerous sense, and is deeply offensive to women on every level. 

Modernist Graphic Design images

1.

Aleksandr Rodchenko.  Design for an advertisement for the Massel' prom (Moscow Agricultural Industry) cafeteria  1923.

2.

Rodchenko.  Maquette for the poster for the film 'Battleship Potemkin' by Sergei Eisenstein.

3.

El Lissitzky.  'From Victory Over the Sun'.  Lithograph on paper. 1923.

4.

Varvara Stepanova.  Poster for the play 'Through the Red and White Glasses'.  Staged by the Academy of Social Education.

5.

Enrico Prampolini.  'Broom'.  1922.

All these five images are of modernist design, and are from that period in time.

The first image is modernist in design because of the shapes used within the frame, along with its clean lines.

The second image because of the perspective used and the shapes used.  

The third because it just uses type layout and numbers- which was the total opposite to designs before its time- this was something new.

The fourth image because of its constructive approach, alongside a heavy emphasis on the role of the woman at that time.

the fifth image, I feel is of a modernist design because of, once again, its constructivist approach.  The type within the frame is also very 'anti design' because of the confusion when reading it. 

The Document

Documentary photography.


The main idea behind documentary photography is to objectively record history as it happens.  But is what we are seeing actually what happened?
From this lecture I have found that unfortunately the majority of this type of photography can't really get away from some form of staging that affects the meaning people gain from it.  I think the quote below sums it up pretty well.
"Still there is something predatory in the act of taking a picture. To photograph people is to violate them, by seeing them as they see themselves, by having knowledge of them as they can never be; it turns people into objects that can be symbolically possessed. Just as the camera is a sublimation of the gun, to photograph someone is a subliminated murder- a soft murder, appropraite to a sad, frightened time."- Susan Sontag, 1979:15.
Something as simple as the camera angle can change the whole mood of a photograph and the way it is received by the viewer, and the photographer can either subconsciously or consciously decide this mood.  Either way, I think it is almost impossible to escape some form of bias when taking an image; and that is why in my opinion documentary photography is not wholly truthful and cannot by fully trusted. 


James Nachtwey is a current example of a documentary photographer.  Nachtwey records events, acting as a 'witness' to them, his idea is that by recording what is happening it highlights these terrible things, hopefully stopping them from happening again.  He states that they "should not be forgotten and must not be repeated", and taking images of these instances is a permanent way to record what has happened.  In his images he places himself right in the conflict, producing photographs that show the true animalistic nature of the subject matter.  By removing himself from the photographs it feels more to the viewer that they are right there, standing in front of this scene- hopefully forcing some form of emotion from them.  For example, the image below, 'Ground Zero', has a very dramatic feel, one that I think has been heightened through photographic techniques- rather than just a plain image of the subject matter.  The camera angle is slightly diagonal, adding to the already fractured landscape.  Also, there is focus on the broken, sharp metal in the foreground which means the viewer will see this first, thus they will have already been influenced on what tone they are going to receive the image in.  This is what Nachtwey wants- he wants viewers to take this is a negative way and force them to react. 

New York 2001, Ground Zero.

William Edward Kilburn.  Another example of an image where the photographer excludes themselves from the image would be this:

'The Great Charitist meeting at The Common'

This image is less about creating an emotion like Nachtwey and more about a true neutral perspective coming from an image-  it is more about fact.  Nevertheless, visual narration in any form is essentially impossible to cut out of an image, however neutral the photographer thinks they are being.  Specifically in this image, the elevated camera positioning gives the image a feel of power through the immense crowds of people, creating a form of tone that has existing connotations for the reader to accept as historical fact.

"How much should documentary photography be concerned with aesthetic, does this focus make it unreal?"

I think that the fact this question comes up shows that it takes away from the authenticity of the nature of a photograph.  When something is emphasised to make a point it takes away from the original idea of revealing truth because it's made to look worse than it is, essentially creating a lie.

Jacob Riis (1888) 'Bandits Roost'

A good example of the above statement would be this image.  The environment is real, yet the scene is not, the people are staged, they have been told where to stand and how to look.  The staged element emphasises the intimidating feel within the image- which is not truth.  In essence the image is more powerful because of this so the message is more obvious.  I think perhaps photographers underestimate the viewers' intelligence.

This image is truth, capturing a real moment in time with real emotions.  This style of photography is all about the decisive moment- the most truthful and powerful form of photography.

Even though the image is so real and raw that no exaggeration has to be incorporated, it poses the question: 'should the photographer interviene at these moments when they could be stopping these things from happening?'.