Month: November 2019

One of the most important painters of the 20th century (and one of my favourite artists of all time), David Hockney (1937-present) has made his name painting swimming pools and creating photo collages.

Born in England, he attended the Royal College of Art in London. Here, he featured in an exhibition that promoted British Pop art, where he was associated with the movement, although his earlier works had expressionist elements.

He moved to Los Angeles in 1964 where he painted swimming pools, palm trees, and sunshine using bright colours, which showed the beautiful weather in California. Hockney also painted portraits of the people he cherished in pairs.

Although he had always been fascinated with photography it was only until the 80’s where he began working in that medium.

In 2018, Hockney’s painting, Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures) had been sold for $90 million, which was the most expensive work by a living artist sold at auction until 2019. 

Sources:

www.biography.com/artist/david-hockney

www.artsy.net/artist/david-hockney

www.architecturaldigest.com/story/david-hockney-studio-visit

American artist Rou Lichenstein was one of the founders of American Pop Art. His most famous works, which were cartoon-style paintings, are synonymous with the movement. 

Lichenstein worked in several modern art styles early on in his career, including Abstract Expressionism. He began to include cartoon characters such as Mickey Mouse into his abstract paintings. 

During the ’60s, he began to move away from his abstract style and started to experiment with other techniques. He challenged the idea that commercial art and cartoons were not “true” art, going against the Abstract Expressionist movement which was popular during this time. 

The process for his cartoon works began with Lichenstein taking a single frame from a comic strip, then reproducing the frame on canvas and paint, working with bold black lines and Ben-Day dots. 

Although his paintings are famously known, he has also created thousands of murals, prints, ceramics and sculptures as well.

Personally, I find Lichenstein’s works enjoyable to look at. His bold use of colours and line are incredibly impactful. However, I am not sure how to feel knowing that his paintings literally came from the work of other people without credit. Lichenstein stated that his work is different because of the way he created it, as he chose the colours and painted the dots on by himself, but it does not dismiss the fact that the line drawings are not original.

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I also really like his sculptures, especially those of his brushstroke series. They give the effect of something that is flat and 2-D while in reality, they are not. They remind me of these backpacks that were really popular a few years ago because they gave the viewer the illusion that they were completely flat and not a functional backpack while in reality they were. I will never get tired of that concept- it’s so clever.

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Sources: 

www.wikiart.org/en/roy-lichtenstein

www.theartstory.org/artist/lichtenstein-roy/life-and-legacy/

hwww.mymodernmet.com/roy-lichtenstein/

[I am not doing a blog post for this survey as I am creating a ZINE for TYPOGRAPHY]

I am planning on covering German typographers and their contributions to modern typography

Drinking a Questionable Glass of Bootleg Beer Had Never Been More Delicious…

The year is 1920. It’s been a busy week so you decide to kick back and relax at your favourite bar. You ask for some rum. The bartender pours you a glass of milk instead. You look at it in shock. Your bartender looks at you apologetically. WHERE IS YOUR LIQUOR ??

The manufacturing and distribution of alcohol was banned all across the United States in the 1920s under the 18th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Although America had been nowhere near the top countries of alcohol consumption, certain groups within the country felt that their own home was rampant with drunks that were ruining society. 

The national prohibition of alcohol or the ‘noble experiment’ did not come into effect overnight, nor was it a decision made on a whim. There had already been a movement for the ban of alcohol that dates back to the early 19th century. Alcohol had been seen as the cause for corruption, criminality, family problems, and poverty. The women’s suffrage movement and the church supported prohibition. Women and various religious groups believed that by taking alcohol away, there would be no abuse at home and the overall faith in religion would increase. Immigrants were seen as dirty drinkers and were associated with the poor. By getting rid of liquor, it was believed that it would bring America white and better again. 

People had expected to see sales in goods increase, a rise in rent prices with the closing of saloons and just a general growth in the economy. Unexpectedly, restaurants failed due to the loss of profit in alcohol sales, theatres did poorly and the government lost billions in tax revenue without liquor taxes. Business and companies were not the only ones that suffered from the Prohibition. Thousands lost their jobs as truckers, brewers, waiters and other jobs were not needed now that there was no need for breweries and beer exports. Regular people had to resort to dangerous and shady means to obtain alcohol, which were through gangs that dominated the underground bootleg beer production. Prohibition led to the rise of organized crime as gangs took advantage of the people’s desperation to get alcohol in their hands. They made a gross amount of money from smuggling and selling bootleg alcohol.

After 13 years, the Prohibition was lifted following many complaints and consequences. Businesses and the unemployed had suffered greatly with the Great Depression and morale was extremely low. America had not seen an improvement in health and hygiene like they had predicted, while crime and corruption rates had not gone down at all. The Prohibition was a gigantic flop and did more harm than good.

Sources:

www.thejournal.ie/prohibition-america-alcohol-twenties-910365-May2013/

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1470475/

www.pbs.org/kenburns/prohibition/unintended-consequences/

www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/mar/30/prohibition-google-autocomplete

www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/prohibition

Max Ernst (1897-1976) was a German-born artist who was known for pioneering the Dada and Surrealism movements. Although he was never formally trained, he created countless paintings, sculptures, prints, and collages depicting the surreal and unnatural. 

As a young adult, he studied philosophy, which was where he became interested in the art of the mentally ill as they were full of unbounded creativity and emotion. 

After serving in WWI, Ernst was traumatized by the things he saw during his time in the trenches, and he used art as an outlet for his trauma. He became critical of western culture and the modern world, which was a common theme in his works. 

He created two techniques: frottage and grattage, which contributed to the Surrealist movement.

Ernst’s work is incredibly complex and requires one to look at it more than once.  It clearly reflects the mind of someone who is disillusioned and critical of societal norms. I like how the subjects in his paintings stand out against softer backgrounds.

Sources: 

www.britannica.com/biography/Max-Ernst

www.museothyssen.org/en/collection/artists/ernst-max/solitary-and-conjugal-trees

If You Thought Putting on a Sweater in the Morning Was Hard, You Should See These Guys….

Fashion, like art and literary trends, have been constantly changing with every year and decade that goes by. Although fashion trends have changed greatly for men throughout time- from heavy robes to fitted suits, very little changes can be seen across the decades that are close to one another, therefore there will be a greater focus on women’s’ dress in the early 20th century as they are continuously changing. 

The Belle Epoch was a period when European countries had the greatest influence upon outside countries and were politically strong. During this time morale was high, and there was economic stability, which led to an advancement in art, music and fashion, especially in France. This led to Paris being the center of fashion, where rich women would come to buy their clothes, which were decked out in feathers, lace and pearls.   

Following the Victorian era, where women sported bulky garments and restrictive frames, came the Edwardian era which introduced a more natural and fitted shape in clothing. 

What follows is a list of some garments that were popular and widely worn by women:

Corsets- Having a slim figure was desirable as it would mean that one was refined and dignified. In order to achieve that ideal lithe form, women would wear corsets that would constrict the upper body. In the early 20th century,  Dr. Inès Gaches-Sarraute recognized the dangers of wearing a corset. She designed a new corset that would improve the health of women and prevent many female-related health problems. This new corset encouraged a healthier posture by removing pressure from the waist and diaphragm.  However, this resulted in pushing the chest forward and pushing the hips back, forming an S-shaped figure. 

Hobble Skirt- Amongst the many skirt forms worn by women during this period, the hobble skirt was very popular. Being in especially great demand between 1910 to 1913, the hobble skirt was a close-fitting skirt that brought the knees together and cinched in at the ankles. It was extremely difficult to walk in, and women would have to take tiny steps to get around.  The wiggle skirt, made famous by Marilyn Monroe in the ’50s, was based off the hobble skirt. 

Feathered hat- Feathered hats were the most important staple accessory in a woman’s wardrobe. The popularity of these hats reached its peak during the early 20th century. Women’s hats were brimming with bird feathers, wings, and even taxidermied bodies. Large plumes and flowers dominated the hats. During this time, there was no consideration for the number of birds being killed for hats as everyone believed birds were an inexhaustible resource, which led to a huge decline in the bird population. 

Sources:

fashionhistory.fitnyc.edu/1900-1909/

glamourdaze.com/history-of-womens-fashion/1900-to-1919

www.britannica.com/topic/dress-clothing/The-early-20th-century

Franz Marc was a German expressionist painter and printmaker. Although his life ended early, he was a key figure in the German expressionist trend and would be a source of inspiration for the evolving movement.

His painting career began when he travelled to Paris, where he studied the different Parisian painting trends, allowing him to try his hand at different styles including the naturalistic academic style.

During this time he was interested in the animal form, so he mastered painting them realistically. Inspired by French impressionist paintings and artists like Van Gogh and Picasso, his style began to take on a more impressionistic form.

Marc founded the Der Blaue Reiter (The Blue Rider) which was a group of German Expressionist artists. When he was drafted into the army, Marc utilized his painting skills to paint on tarps to hide artillery from fighter planes. He painted pointillist designs in the style of “Manet to Kandinsky”. Unfortunately, he did not survive the war. At the age of 36, he was struck down by a shell and was killed instantly.

I chose Franz Marc because I randomly put his name into Google from the list of artists and immediately recognized his art even though I have never heard of his name before. His abstract animal paintings are truly unique and unforgettable. His subjects are dynamic and always seem to be moving within the painting due to the bright and loud colours and blocky shapes. The animals in his works are either sharp and block-like or round and balloon-like. 

Sources:

www.britannica.com/biography/Franz-Marc

www.franzmarc.org/

www.wikiart.org/en/franz-marc