Giovanni Pintori, Olivetti, 1952
dear class, we have Dada (and its various graphic techniques), Surrealism (poster, interior, furniture, installation), the phenomenon of BAUHAUS, Neoplasticism, Magritte, German Propaganda, Varo, roaring 20s in America, the inimitable Vargas, Alvin Lustig, Cipe Pineles, wow.
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During our last class we discussed a wide variety of fascinating topics however according to the professor we missed a few. One of few was the topic of Alexander Brodovitch who I decided to research myself. As someone who is in the art direction field, I am incredibly glad that I was introduced to him. Not only was I fascinated to learn about Brodovitch’s ability to achieve great success as art director of one of the most famous magazines, Harpers Bazaar, for a shockingly long time but I could relate to the way in which he directed art. As I learned while researching, he often outsourced or commissioned fellow artists, typically lesser-known ones to be a part of his work. I have always been a big believer that a true art director is someone that is not only able to create their own design but also able to find those more capable of expressing his or her vision. As art director of Harpers Bazaar for close to a quarter of a century Brodovitch was the strongest connection between the European school of design and American high fashion during the 1950s. Brodovitch’s portfolio of work is so incredibly diverse that it is hard to even picture where his inspiration on high fashion ends, if at all… His work feels as though it could be released in 2021 without a single turn of the head.
-Charles Reid
This class was loaded with amazing and important content, while I was doing my research, I ended up learning fascinating things about the exploits of these two geniuses named Adriano Olivetti and Giovanni Pintori. Giovani and Adriano were able to carry out a massive evolution in industries, culture, modernity, and health. Starting with Adriano's case, the Olivetti factory was simply an artisan factory made up of no more than 20 employees in a small town in Italy initially formed by his father, Camilo Olivetti. This city was made up mostly of farmers and small merchants, but thanks to Adriano, this would change for the better While Adriano was part of the business, he took advantage and devoted himself to studying hard to travel and learning about typewriters and how companies work. When he returned to Italy, he completely changed the Italian factories, first hiring the best architects of the 50s and remodeling all the factories to make them a comfortable place, with lots of light and space, to create well-being within it where the employees are productive. Also during work classes were given to increase the cultural and intellectual level of the employees, generating an increase in their production of 500%. But why did it increase so much? This is when the monster Giovanni Pintori comes in, a boy from a poor family who learns the labor of a carpenter and then dedicates himself to studying advertising graphics, soon joining Olivetti. In 1936 he began to work with Olivetti making a great effort where he began making designs of showcases, for the stores that had to be changed every 15 days, to be responsible for the advertising of Olivetti in 1940 thanks to multiple techniques (the main one being the pictorial photo) that he developed with the help of many of his friends. Pintori was so crucial that the important thing was not only the typewriters but their advertising and design, so much so that he ended up winning multiple awards and recognitions, becoming one of the leaders of the Olivetti.
-Roman Moscato
“By juxtaposing nature versus machine, and feelings versus logic, the artist built a multidimensional world where she could fully express the multiple aspects of herself, interweaving the woman artist, the mystic, scientist, and spiritual being all into one.” Remedios Faros caught my attention because all of her works have a mood, an atmosphere of their own - as the quote says it is truly her world. But I had never before looked at her work with the eyes of graphic design, until last class. She is truly a unique artist in her way to communicate so much to the viewer just through images. Her scenes are far from real but her messages are her honest reality. Another factor that was brought to my attention when I read this quote is the emphasis on juxtapositions that lays in her work. A tool I didn’t really think about before when seeing her art, but that definitely serves as a great vehicle for communication and portray messages like it happens in graphic design.
She was also unique for being a female artist part of this movement, something far from common. Women like Varos is what later on Jenny on The Job represents in a certain way. Women being part of society, a voice, and participation that is needed (even though Jenny was directed towards the war workforce). Jenny motivated a target audience, a type of graphic design more similar to what we see nowadays, woman as the character of the campaign. Varos was the symbol, voice, and creator of her own graphic design.
https://www.wikiart.org/en/remedios-varo
THE COMMENT ABOVE WAS BY Julia Martins
Through class, I was delighted to be introduced to Cipe Pineles, a trailblazer for women! I was drawn to her by her authentic and, as was described, her “groovy” style and the way she integrated women into her work constantly. She really worked for the women. She gave young girls something to look up to, and they were able to see themselves being represented in a positive light. She started with Glamour and then moved on to put her mark on Seventeen magazines, which is the magazine I grew up on. As a young girl I remember begging my mom for the newest additions in the store, and knowing Pineles was a trailblazer for the publication was exciting. Inspired by both her as a person and her work, I read more about her and learned that not only was she the first autonomous woman art director for a mass-market publication, she was also the first woman to be asked to join the all-male New York Art Directors Club and later their Hall of Fame. Excuse my language, but that is badass! She started her career at the age of 23, which is my age, which was apparently a difficult task because of trying to enter the work force with overwhelming sexism. This was back in the early twentieth century, and that continues to be a problem today. As a woman, I often feel undervalued and uncomfortable in the work space that are often run by men, and you have to work extra hard to prove yourself and not fall victim to stereotype threat. It is women like Cipe Pineles that allow me the opportunity to work in this space. We have to thank Dr. M.F. Agha, the art director of Condé Nast Publciations, for allowing her her independence to create her own projects, which allowed her to be discovered and develop her work to later become the art director at Glamour. (Info pulled from Wikipedia)
Meghan Morrison
When American's discuss propaganda from WWII, we heavily focus on the axis power's forms of propaganda and conveniently label America's propaganda as a "war poster." The definition of propaganda "information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote or publicize a particular political cause or point of view." There are many differences between the uses of propaganda between America and Germany. America primarily utilized propaganda to gain support from its citizens by garnering support for war bonds and efforts at home while also dehumanizing the Nazis. The purpose of Nazi propaganda was to idealize the figures and push its ideology, for example, powerful, inspirational quotes from Hitler and negative references to the Jewish population. The use of propaganda in America created a strong feeling of nationalism that had long-lasting effects that persisted after the war. American propaganda tended to get straight to the point with little catchphrases and slogans so that the public could easily understand the intended message. The posters often had large, stark images with big, bold lettering to catch a passers-by's attention. They were meant to evoke a sense of fear, thus triggering the idea of immediacy and action. Some may look at these posters and wonder how they were so convincing. However, today a group can spread propaganda much easier with the advancements in technology and social media like Facebook.
source: Inside America’s Shocking WWII Propaganda Machine: National Geographic
-Sam Zeigler
At the time Neoplasticism was emerging, people referred to painting and sculpture as the “plastic arts” to distinguish them from written art forms, such as music and literature. The term plastic didn’t refer to the material, though, instead referring to plasticity, or the adaptability of something to turn into something else. The term Neoplasticism, created by Piet Mondrian, was a rejection of the plasticity of the past. It was a word intended to mean, “New Art.” The essence of Neoplasticism was found in its idealism: a pure representation of the human mind. The clearly defined principle of the style demanded that its paintings could only be abstract. Harmony could only be found in simplifying and abstracting what was the aesthetic experience. While it might seem like Neoplasticism placed a burden of extreme limitations on artists, those limitations in fact allowed for a large range of expression. Rather than exploring details of the material world, the style was devised to explore inner dimensions of the human experience.
Ellie Massaro
The honesty and complexity of Norman Rockwell’s art has shaped the nation by depicting everyday American life. What really draws me to his work is the fact that they each have a story unfolding in one single image. While most of the painting presented in last class has this warm tone from his five-decade career at The Saturday Evening Post, I want to focus on one of his most telling works. Out of his 4,000 paintings he has produced I believe The Problem We All Live With tells the story of true American life. This painting strips away from his signature “white normative” All American style and draws in on a real historical movement in the U.S.
The Problem We All Live, gives the realities of being black during the civil rights movement. The painting portrays Ruby Bridges, a little black girl reassembling the face of innocence in a time of hate, being accompanied by deputy U.S. Marshals on her way to her all-white elementary school in November of 1960. This was during the New Orleans school desegregation crisis, and because of this a six-year-old girl had threats on violence toward her. Behind her you can see racial slurs, the letters “KKK” carved into the wall behind her as well as tomatoes being thrown by white protestors. This painting rocked the nation. His reputation of depicting American life was torn, he has now given an inside look of the realities on black Americans during this time, similarly how the video of George Floyd being murdered opened the eyes of people all over the world of the police brutality happening to black people. Rockwell was praised but also ridiculed for his work, many called him a “traitor of the white race”, yet in 2011 Barak Obama had the painting installed outside the Oval Office giving honor to his legacy.
-Max Speziani
The design saturated world we live in should thank the German art school Bauhaus. If you think about how most of our furniture is purchased online and manufactured, but are still visually appealing and thoughtfully designed. Bauhaus sought to combine everyday function with art and I believe this new thought process greatly impacted the next generation. Now it is common for art students (design students) to work at big companies designing fabric prints for textiles, functional furniture, etc. I also found it interesting that the UN named Tel Aviv a world cultural heritage site because of its 4,000 buildings built by German Jewish architects. You can see the impact of Bauhaus even as you walk the many floors of Ikea. Ikea has a minimalist aesthetic similar to Bauhaus.
Emma Pitcairn
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