SofÍa Izquierdo

My artifact is a reproduction of the Vogue magazine cover of June 7th, 1930, illustrated by the American Harriet Meserole. The museum label is supposed to be the back part of a magazine, and it also includes an illustration by Meserole, this one was on the cover of the magazine of May 15, 1927. The elements in the photo intend to locate the magazines in a context of beauty, fashion, and feminity. At the same time, I wanted it to have a look of elegance, and simplicity.

I chose the topic of the Vogue magazine because it amazes me to think about the tremendous reputation and impact it has gained through the decades. I also like the fashion world, so it was an opportunity to get more knowledge of a topic that interests me. In the past, I had looked at some of the old Vogue magazine covers, and my favourites were those which had been illustrated by Harriet Meserole. I adore her style, the way she conveys sophistication, and the balanced colour palette. This was between the twenties and thirties, so it fits perfectly with the date restrictions provided on the brief. Because of this, I immediately decided I wanted to recreate some of her designs. I searched for her illustrations and chose two I liked and thought that worked well together.

It took me around six hours to complete this project and I would give myself a 8/10 because I think it looks good overall, I like the cohesion and simplicity it has. But on the other hand, it is not something too impressive from my point of view, and I do not like how the letters of the “VOGUE MAGAZINE” title look. I also wanted to include way more information about it, but I realized it would be too much text, and it would not look so good and would be hard to read.

References images:

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Research references:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vogue_(magazine)#1892%E2%80%931905:_Early_years

https://www.vogue.com/article/vogue-covers-models-facts-history

https://www.quora.com/How-influential-is-Vogue-in-the-fashion-industry

Images that transport you to a new universe, the “pictures of the floating world”.

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Ukiyo-e? What is that?

Ukiyo-e was an artistic manifestation that emerged during the Edo period (former name of the current Tokyo) and remained between the XVII and the XIX centuries. It consisted of a technique of wood engraving, also known as “woodcut”. In the mid-seventeenth century, the illustrator, printer and xylographer Moronobu Hishikawa helped popularize this style. Although he cannot be called the founder of Ukiyo-e, what is known is that he played a crucial role in the history of this style.

Ukiyo-e prints tended to depict black and white scenes of city life, but these became so popular, that then, themes started to diversify. Because of this, the prints started to include topics about social criticism and introduced polychrome. Some of the styles of Ukiyo-e that stand out the most are the Yakusha-e, portraits of kabuki actors (the Japanese theater), the Bijin-ga (prints of beautiful women), and the Shun-ga (erotic representations that were persecuted by the government censorship).

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My thoughts about it

Personally, what first attracted me was the pastel colour palette; when I look at these pieces, the colours calm me down. In my opinion, they have perfect harmony, and although sometimes the themes are not very “peaceful”, they still give me a feeling of serenity and tranquility. As I mentioned in the title, is like these prints take you to a new world, a place with a dreamy atmosphere. I find Ukiyo-e images beautiful, I like to look at them and see every detail done to perfection.

Apart from the fact that I like the aesthetic look of these prints, another thing that interests me about them is the elaboration process. Creating one of these designs was not a simple task: first, they had to paste a piece of paper on a wooden plate, using a small knife they embossed the contours, then they continued by hollowing out the surface around the contours of the drawing with a gouge and a hammer, and then the main plate (called omohan), which represents the whole drawing, was ready.
Afterward, the pigments with the colors were spread on the plate and the paper was placed on the plate according to the notches that have already been made on the wood. Finally, the paper was rubbed with a buffer so that the colors penetrate the paper. The woodcut had to be stamped color by color, plate by plate. The engraver had to use as many plates as pigments. Finally, the image is done! It always amazes me when I read about the way people in the past elaborated such stunning pieces completely by hand, I admire all the time, patience, and hard work this must have taken. The precision that they achieved after this arduous process, surprises and amazes me.

References

Ukiyo-e. (2021, October 02). Wikipedia. from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukiyo-e

El Arte del Grabado Japonés Ukiyo-e. (2018, September 13). Uniandes. from https://facartes.uniandes.edu.co/evento/el-arte-del-grabado-japones-ukiyo-e/

El Grabado Japonés. (2020, December 07). Totenart. from https://totenart.com/noticias/ukiyo-e/

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Joaquin Sorolla, better known as the “master of light”, was born in Valencia, Spain in 1863. From an early age, he showed his passion for art. His high school’s director noticed his talent and suggested he enter the School of Craftsmen of Valencia. At the age of thirteen, Sorolla did so, and two years after that, he goes to the Escuela Superior de Bellas Artes de Valencia. When he finished his studies, the painter Ignazio Pinazo introduced him to Impressionism. At that moment, he gained interest in the treatment of light in painting. Because of this, when we look at his artwork, we can tell the light is playing a main role.

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One of his most famous works is Otra Margarita. Like many of his first paintings, it portrays a scene as a way to criticize or protest against many situations of the social reality of Spain during that time. For this piece, Sorolla was inspired by a real situation he witnessed, in which a woman with two policemen who were taking her to prison for having murdered her baby.

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As the Impressionists used to do, Sorolla also adopted the habit of painting outside a studio. Thus, he used to go to the Valencian beaches to paint, and that is how he achieved many of his most well-known pieces. These were the first Sorolla’s pieces I ever saw, and since then he became one of my favourite artists. Although I also think his other kind of paintings are very well achieved, there is something about the way he paints the sea that amuses me; it gives me the feeling that it is in real movement. Besides, I really admire the way he manages to also capture a specific hour of the day with the way he paints the light. An example of this could be “Sad Inheritance”.

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References

Sánchez, M. (2020, September 30). Joaquín Sorolla: biografía, obras y exposiciones. Alejandra de Argos. https://www.alejandradeargos.com/index.php/es/completas/32-artistas/41818-joaquin-sorolla-biografia-obras-y-exposiciones

Gavalda, J. (2019, August 10). Joaquín Sorolla, el pintor de la luz del mediterráneo. Historia National Geographic. https://historia.nationalgeographic.com.es/a/joaquin-sorolla-pintor-luz-mediterraneo_14569/2#slide-1

Wikipedia (2021, October 11). Joaquín Sorolla. https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joaqu%C3%ADn_Sorolla

I wanted my zine to have a coherent design with the topic chosen. Since my topic was The New Typography Movement, some of the elements I used were geometrical shapes, asymmetrical layouts, dynamism, capital letters, and a reduced colour palette. All of those are characteristics of the design pieces of this movement.

I had never designed a zine; indeed, I think I hadn’t even seen one before. I like the fact that after this project, I now know how to create a zine, which is probably something that I’ll use in the future. This is because I personally found it fun to play with the general design and make individual pages that connect and because I think it is a useful tool for communicating information in an entertaining way.

It took me around nine hours to complete this project, but to be honest, I do not love the overall result of the project, and I would give myself a 6/10. One of my mistakes was the size I chose, I noticed too late the size was too small to fit all the information I had, so I had to take a big part of that away. Also, most of the paragraphs do not look organized. I think I also used too much time researching. Another mistake is the fact that I didn’t read the brief carefully enough, and at first, I did all the research and sketches for the wrong topic, so I had to restart. If I hadn’t wasted all that time, I could have spent it on making a better brief (I am not counting the time spent in that first attempt in the 9 hours). Something I do like is the layout design, and I like to see the way it is all connected.

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Research references:

https://www.unostiposduros.com/los-principios-de-la-nueva-tipografia-por-jan-tschichold/

https://www.unostiposduros.com/grandes-maestros-de-la-tipografia-jan-tschichold/

https://ericcraps.wordpress.com/2019/01/15/new-typography/

https://graffica.info/la-nueva-tipografia-laszlo-moholy-nagy-1923/

https://www.moma.org/calendar/exhibitions/1013

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_Tschichold#Typefaces

https://antoinesammut.blogspot.com/2014/01/new-typography-movement.html

https://ericcraps.wordpress.com/2019/01/15/new-typography/

Majestic, bright, and ornate: letters that look like they have come from heaven

During the Middle Ages, the Illuminated Manuscripts became popular among Western European high society. These were made entirely by hand, and included religious content, such as psalms and prayers. The pages of these manuscripts were adorned with illustrations and the so-called “Initials”.

Initials were letters that could be found at the beginning of a sentence, paragraph, or chapter. The letters at the beginning of a chapter were the most elaborate and meticulously detailed of all, while those at the beginning of a sentence were the simplest. However, what is common among all of them is that they are always capital letters.
Initials became of vital importance; it was inconceivable the elaboration of an illustrated manuscript without the inclusion of them. They became so relevant, that kings and great religious leaders of the time implemented them in official documents. This was because they considered that initials gave these documents greater transcendence and beauty.

For the society of the time, the brightness alluded to divinity. As initials used to accompany religious texts, they wanted to achieve a connection with the idea of ​​God. Because of these, we can notice there is a golden-shine effect on these letters. To obtain this effect, a thin gold foil was used. This was positioned on the letter, then sanded and polished, to finally stick it with a wet brush.

From the first time I saw one of these letters, I was completely amazed. I think about all the time and dedication it would take to make them, and it just seems incredible to me. I think the level of detail that they reached in each of the letters is admirable. In particular, I am interested in historical letters, a type of initials that instead of containing a random decorative design, seeks to represent some of the scenes that are being narrated in the text. In my opinion, this is a smart way to not only make the text aesthetic but also to illustrate it at the same time.

I’ve been so interested in initials, that months ago I wanted to try to make one. I took an existing letter “B” as a reference, and I designed one that shows the four steps necessary for the elaboration of the letters. The first is sketching, then drawing, adding the golden effect, and finally adding color.

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Initials began to fall into disuse after the invention of the Gutenberg printing press in the mid-15th century, as this caused a detriment in the production of manuscripts. However, it was not immediate. The illuminated letters continued to be used, and when there was a printed text, blank spaces were left so that initials could later be drawn there. Gradually, they began to be less used until they disappeared. The most recent illuminated manuscript with initials dates from the 17th century.

References:

Mark, J. J. (2018, March 06). Illuminated Manuscripts. World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.worldhistory.org/Illuminated_Manuscripts/

Historiated Initial. (2021, April 13). Wikipedia. from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historiated_initiaI

Initial. (2021, September 14). Wikipedia. from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Initial

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References

Wethey, H. E. (2021, April 3). El Greco. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/El-Greco

Sobrón, I. (2018, February 9). Explica las características de la pintura de El Greco a través de sus obras más representativas. Slideshare. https://es.slideshare.net/ignaciosobron/explica-las-caractersticasde-la-pintura-de-elgreco-a-travsde-sus-obras-ms-representativas

Lasso, S (2019, November 01). El Greco: Pintor del siglo XVI. About español. https://www.aboutespanol.com/el-greco-3954367

For my moodboard, I decided to talk about religion and spirituality, and how these have a huge impact on everything. I chose this theme because I find it fascinating how the spirituality of different cultures profoundly determines their identity, their customs, their way of acting, and in general in their entire lifestyle.

I liked the fact that with this project I got deeper into three very different cultures: Jewish, Hindu, and Ancient Egypt. Despite knowing a little about all of them, it was thanks to this research that I learned data that I did not know, for example why Jews wear the kippah, or what cultural meaning the colors have for Hindus.

To be honest, this job took me a long time. First, it was not so easy to find all the connections between the events and the topics. On the other hand, when talking about so many topics, this implied a long investigation of each thing separately. And finally, having never used InVision, at first I didn’t understand how it worked

In total, it took me about 7 hours to finish the mood board. I would give myself a rating of 8/10, as I consider that Iachieved the objective of the assignment, however, I would have liked to include more eye-catching titles, and to have made the moodboard look better aesthetically.

This is my favorite fragment of the moodboard, because the theme of the book of the dead is the one that interests me the most, and the one that attracts me the most aesthetically.

Moodboard link: https://facilitation.invisionapp.com/boards/H68033204G79B8A

With the use of knots, this Inca invention shows us that images are not the only thing that communicates.

The Inca Empire was the largest and most powerful empire during pre-Columbian America. They partly inhabited the territories current territories of Ecuador, Bolivia, Colombia, and Argentina, but they were mainly settled in Peru in the Cuzco region. Among its main characteristics are a strengthened army, the possession of gold, their sophisticated textile techniques, the cultivation of potatoes and corn, the raising of alpacas, and the creation of a particular communication system based on ropes and knots, which they called “quipu”.

Personally, this last fact caught my attention, since I had never seen anything like it. By not having a written language, but merely oral, the quipu was the method used by them to record information. This was a very practical system for the Incas because it was portable. Moreover, it was also versatile, since with it they kept official and trade records, as well as being used to tell stories. The quipu consisted of a horizontal rope or a wooden bar to which ropes of different colors were tied, and these ropes had knots on them. Every detail about these ropes and knots, such as their colors, position, quantity, size, and type, had a specific meaning. For example, green indicated conquest, red represented a warrior, blue identified water, yellow was for gold, black was for time, and so on.

With the arrival and conquest of the Spaniards, the use of the quipus was abolished and many were destroyed because it was considered that they were “a thing of the devil”. Today there are less than a thousand quipus that have been found and have survived through the centuries. These are in museums all around the world, and some belong to private collections.

It is usual that when studying the subject of communication systems of ancient civilizations we see many that, although they are interesting, are usually similar in the sense that they generally include the representation of an image or idea through drawings. For instance, the Egyptian hieroglyphs. However, the Inca proposal is a drastically different one. This made me thing think about how amazing it is that there are so many ways to solve a problem, but we are so used to the same thing that we let ourselves be guided by the flow without allowing ourselves to consider other alternatives. That was the reflection to which learning about the quipu led me, and I think that nurturing ourselves of different perspectives, cultures, and sources of information, nourishes us as designers and gives us tools to create more authentic pieces, to let ourselves “think outside the box”.

References:

Cartwright, M. (2014, May 08). Quipu [Quipu]. (E. S. Grill, Translator). World History Encyclopedia. from https://www.worldhistory.org/trans/es/1-12797/quipu/  Uriarte, M. (2020, November 02). Incas. Caracteristicas.co. from https://www.caracteristicas.co/incas/#ixzz78GMBnUdZ Quipu. (2021, August 30). Wikipedia. from https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quipu#Localización_actual_de_los_quipus_sobrevivientes

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Innovation, attention to detail, intense colors, and use of perspective are some of the characteristics that I find when observing the work of Jean Fouquet, a French painter, and miniaturist who lived from 1420 to 1481. The originality in his work is in part due to the various influences that the artist had, as he drew on different sources: from Flemish artists such as Jan Van Eyck to Renaissance masters such as Fra Angelico.

Much information about his life is unknown, however, we do know that he was commissioned a portrait of Pope Eugene IV, which indicates that Fouquet was a renowned artist, since this honor was not awarded to any foreign painter. In addition to this, he also portrayed the King of France, Charles VII, and two relatives of Pope Eugene IV. He was likewise recognized for the illustrations he made in the illuminated manuscripts, and the miniatures he made in the Book of Hours stand out.

Among his best-known works is the Melun Diptych, which I consider is an incredible piece since it achieved an ideal harmony between all the elements, a fascinating composition, precision in the figures, as well as a striking and balanced color palette.

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References

E.H., Gombrich. (1995). The Story of Art  (16th edition). Phaidon.

Ruiza, M., Fernández, T. & Tamaro, E. (2004). Biografia de Jean Fouquet. https://www.biografiasyvidas.com/biografia/f/fouquet.htm

Wikipedia. (2021). Jean Fouquet. https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Fouquet

Collins, N. (2018). Jean Fouquet: pintor francés, conocido por el díptico de Melun. https://es.gallerix.ru/pedia/old-masters–jean-fouquet/

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Shigeo Fukuda No More. Retrieved from https://www.moma.org/collection/works/7170

“No More”, which is the name of this piece, was created in 1968 by the designer Shigeo Fukuda.
Even though there is not a literal illustration of a skull here, that is the first image we identify. This is due to the proximity of the dark elements, which have the shape of falling bombs. The way these tiny elements are organized creates the illusion of a big skull, and in fact, is it easier to see the skull than to see what these small elements are. It is also relevant to mention that the falling bombs are identical elements, and because of this, this design shows how the concepts of proximity and similarity work simultaneously to communicate the message effectively. We would probably still see the skull face even if the bombs were from different colors or even shapes, but the fact that they all have this similarity makes it even more obvious.