Moodboard storytelling.
It is no coincidence that there was an explosion of French art that correlated with the reopening of Japanese trade boarders. The East and the West may have been in tension in some ways, and they both had people that were fascinated by the new forms of Culture that was now on offer. The French called this obsession Japonisme and it had a guiding hand in shaping Art Nouveau as we now see it. I wanted to showcase this connection of how it effected printmaking and illustration as well as Design, Culture and Fashion.
Attempting to tell this story through pictures is a challenging exercise. To be deprived of the tools of language to describe intricate creative connections is very effective in lighting up different parts of the brain. The screenshot below shows my favourite part of the board and shows a wide variety of mediums that makes this period so iconic.
I feel that there are cohesive elements throughout the moodboard and this section touches on various aspects of what I was communicating. There is fashion, architecture, printmaking, and how artists viewed and represented their subjects as reflections of this period in history. It has long been one of my favourite periods of Art and I would not be upset if I were transported back to witness it.
The moodboard portrays a progressive narrative beginning with the inspiration of Japanese art and culture and the novelty of it to the Western community. From there it connects into how the creative expressions began to be displayed in more prominent ways throughout the Art Nouveau movement. This all culminates with the master poster illustrator Alphonse Mucha. With an extensive body of work that has a block printed quality reminiscent of Japanese Woodblocks.
I feel my board communicates these connections well and would sit at 7 of 10. I spent about 5 hours in total on the assignment. This visual storytelling can be challenging and I know that it is a practised skill. Practise makes progress.
