Month: December 2020

David Hockney is a British Pop Art Artist whose work is derived from two main influences: photography and, of course, Pop Art. He mostly lived in London, but frequently visited the United States, where he eventually settles in Los Angeles. He frequently creates portraits and his work often depicts quiet scenes, like “A Bigger Splash” shown above. Similar to Warhol’s play with Campbell soup, which was a staple in everyday pantries, Hockney played with the concept of swimming pools. In California, where the weather is hot, everyone had swimming pools. He also painted this with acrylics, which he thought was more suitable in catching the light, whereas oils were, in his opinion, impractical due to its fast-drying nature.

In my opinion, the simplicity of this painting is striking. The simple positioning of the diving board at an angle gives this otherwise relatively flat painting a sense of perspective and depth. The modern, dull reflection of buildings is an interesting contrast with the bright, bold, California summer daylight. The chair also has a film set look to it, which gives it a more “Californian feel.” I also like how, compositionally, the painting is divided into prominent layers, which makes it stand out.

“My Parents” demonstrates yet again Hockney’s brilliant colour palette. It shows the personalities of his parents, as his mother’s patient and pleasant expression looks straight at the viewer. The father seems to be preoccupied and distracted. Compositionally, I can see a resemblance between this and “A Bigger Splash”, as the focal point seems to be on the bottom right of the rule of thirds. It is at this area that he also chooses to use subtle perspective, whereas everything else is flat. I love how clean the painting is and also the use of blue to show wrinkles on his father’s suit. This shows the effects of light well.

https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/hockney-a-bigger-splash-t03254

https://www.britannica.com/biography/David-Hockney

https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/hockney-my-parents-t03255

What is Art Deco?

Art Deco first began in France. It then became an international favourite, as you can see above. It all started in Paris 1925, at the Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes. It was here that designers showcased work that soon became one of my favourite art movements in history. With the glistening surfaces, geometric shapes, sharp edges, and ornamental feel, Art Deco certainly leaves viewers in awe.

Hopping on Board with 1920s Culture

This art movement’s goal is to reflect a more modern style. Therefore, jewellery, furniture, architecture and fashion all became revolved around simple, clean shapes, made from more luxurious materials, symmetrical designs, and often reflected simple machine-made products (unlike the natural themes associated with Art Nouveau). Yet, this movement was still heavily influenced by the Art Nouveau and Bauhaus movements, as well as cubism.

This movement therefore most prominently showcased culture in Paris at the time, where all art forms were being experimented in the Art Deco style. This was a reflection of everyday life becoming more quick paced. People did not want industrialization and technology to dominate their lifestyles, so they turned to Art Deco designs to do so. This movement thrived in an age where people valued prosperity, feeling good about life, and where people looked onwards towards the future. That is why Art Deco is also known to be quite modern. As well, this movement reflected function over form, which is an important concept at the time.

A.M Cassandre: An Art Deco Master

A.M Cassandre was the legend of the Art Deco period so to speak, especially in poster designs. He designed posters for advertising, which often reflected cubist and surrealist characteristics. Notably, his posters were created to thrive in busy environments. For example, the simplicity of his work was easily interpreted and visually impactful even as people were driving by. As mentioned earlier, life was indeed getting busier, so this was a perfect solution to advertising. His work focused on the thoughts and feelings of his viewers and audiences. Therefore, his work didn’t really reflect his own artistic thinking, which means his poster designs became very commercial based.

I can also see elements of Bauhaus typography included in his work. In his Grand Sport Poster, most notably in the words “La Casquette” I can see how geometric shapes was a big inspiration for him. This is similar to Bauhaus typography, where type was sans serif, reflected geometric shapes, and was very modern. The layout of this poster is also very effective and widely used in modern day layouts too. For example, most posters I see nowadays have a title to capture attention at the top, with subtitles and smaller information underneath it to create visual hierarchy. Following this is usually some kind of image to convey a particular message.

Overall, Art Deco was a big step towards Modernism and reflected the busy life in Paris at the time. Therefore, designers like A.M Cassandre adapted, creating simple and effective poster designs.

Sources

https://www.architecturaldigest.com/gallery/worlds-most-beautiful-art-deco-buildings

http://www.phmc.state.pa.us/portal/communities/architecture/styles/art-deco.html

https://www.britannica.com/art/Art-Deco

https://www.thecultureconcept.com/art-deco-a-revolution-of-design-style-for-the-modern-age

https://retrographik.com/a-m-cassandre-art-deco-poster-artist/

For this historical typography infographic, I played with the concept of alphabet soup to make it more engaging for the viewers, who are relatively young design students interested in typography. I think my infographic is easy to follow, flows well from top to bottom, and is organized by dates. I also think my use of colour helps convey my main focus, which happens to be the Bauhaus movement, the Bauhaus school, and Bauhaus typography. The can at the bottom really ties my concept together, especially with the alphabet soup illustration and the forms/shapes often associated with the Bauhaus movement.

My research is well integrated and is detailed. I have researched the characteristics of the type classifications and demonstrated a sample letter of a font belonging to the classifications. I also made it so that these letters spell out the title of my infographic “Type Soup.”

I chose to use watercolour and gouache because I think they can create an effective contrast. I used gouache for the soup can because I wanted it to be the focal point with the bright primary Bauhaus colours. Watercolour was used in the background, as it is subtle and won’t clash with the solid colours of gouache.

Overall, I think I deserve a 12/13 because I explored different ideas (as shown in my sketchbook pages) and chose one that I think would best suit the project brief. I also think it is engaging due to the connection made to alphabet soup. It also contrasts well and has visual hierarchy. However, I realize that the information could be more legible. I realize that information is an important element of infographics and, in mine, you kind of have to take a closer look or squint to see the information.

Sources:

http://www.designishistory.com/1450/type-classification/

https://study.com/academy/lesson/bauhaus-movement-art-typography.html

https://www.freepik.com/blog/history-garamond-typeface/

https://medium.com/@jevans67/typeface-history-bodoni-f2ef2d285cfe

http://www.meaningfultype.com/rockwell.html

http://typedia.com/explore/typeface/whitney/

https://www.digitalartsonline.co.uk/features/typography/heres-everything-you-should-know-about-futura-on-its-90th-anniversary/