Aubrey Beardsley, Illustration for Oscar Wilde's Salomé, 1894
dear class, there is plenty to talk about: Art Nouveau, Aestheticism, Pre-Raphaelites, Arts and Craft, Gesamtkunstwerk, then the artists: Toorop, Wilde, Beardsley, Mucha, Livemont, Cheret, Gaudí, van de Velde, Charles Mackinstosh and Margaret McDonald, Morris, Thomas Nast, (even my arts & craft manifesto). remember, no echo chamber, research a bit, be original.
go ahead.
17 comments:
During class we discussed the quality of early medicinal advertising from the nineteenth century, which I found to be funny. Early medicinal advertising consisted of these so-called cure-alls that were not as effective as they claimed to be. Their packaging looked beautifully organic, almost magical in quality. I found the bottle labels and illustrations to look like potions, which was cool. Again, these “medicines” looked and claimed to cure all types of ailments. But I find that to be the essence of advertising: to promote and push an idea, even if that idea never comes to fruition. Unfortunately, sometimes advertising can be misleading and these early forms of advertising are emblematic of that. In fact, some of these medicines even contained surprising ingredients, not specified on their labels! For instance, alcohol or opium were sometimes added to formulas.
Melody Macias
The information on art nouveau interested me this week in class. I think presentation is just as important as actual art pieces, and museums and art galleries put a lot of thought into it for a reason. Thus, I can see quite a bit of appeal for art nouveau and having an immersive experience with the artwork. I'm originally from Pittsburgh, and the examples in class reminded me a lot of the nationality rooms in the University of Pittsburgh's Cathedral of Learning. Each room is designed to completely embody the culture of a place. From the ceiling, to the seating, to any artwork on the walls, everything is meant to look as authentic as possible. Each room is entirely different, and moving between them feels like moving buildings and even countries. I think this is a great example of art nouveau.
Andrew Dubinett
The architecture built and essentially made popular by Antoni Gaudí really caught my eye because of the surrealist-like form it gives off. Gaudí’s architecture is truly a work of art that looks like it comes straight out of an imaginative world and is made to look like it is consistently moving. The beautifully designed organic forms that are incorporated within his work were influenced by his observations of a Spanish town named Riudoms where he spent time at his summer home. After doing some research about this place, it is obvious that the architecture there shaped and influenced his unique style of construction. Gaudí’s 3-dimensional architectural style pushed the boundaries of this type of art and laid the groundwork for future architectural practices that still remain in use today.
Maggie Nusim
I was very interested in the discussion surrounding Eugene Grasset’s work, specifically his exhibition poster included in the blog post. I was immediately stricken by the close Japanese influence, in the style, color palette, Japanese folklore themes, etc. and decided to do some further research into Japanese influence on art nouveau. Communications between Japan and the western world skyrocketed after Japan exited their period of isolationism in 1853, by which Japan had developed a distinct artistic style and world class skill in wood cutting. Ukiyo-e, a Tokugawa art movement, became a large influence on art nouveau. Ukiyo-e literally means floating world, and refers to the natural world both in nature, and in humanity. This is reflected through art pieces picturing the distinct characters of the Edo period, and as an exploration of nature through the human body and sexuality. This is reflected heavily in art nouveau, which features the use of organic lines that seem to mimic the human body and evoke a sensual, almost intimate feeling. The abstraction and simplification of elements of the natural world to evoke passionate emotion served not only as an artistic, but also a cultural blueprint.
Sophie Amador
I really resonate with the Art Nouveau period we talked about last class. After class, I did some more research on the origin of the form. The style originated as a result of the industrial revolution and the fear of art being lost to mass production. The artist wanted to bring nature and whimsical themes back to craft, and they did it in such a beautiful way. The architecture is captivating and appears unreal, like something you would see in a children's book. We are living through the technological revolution, and I have noticed that a lot of modern art has lost the fantasy and play of past movements. It is precisely what artists of the Art Nouveau period were afraid of, and it concerns me because art is supposed to move you and let your imagination run wild.
Clarke Weddington
The portion of class that I was intrigued by revolved around the video showing Ford Madox Brown’s work. The Pre-Raphaelite style and the atmosphere created in the painting were fascinating. The aggressive realism within the image is the first thing I noticed. The social panorama tied to the realistic nature makes you feel like you are actively looking at these people. The social classes in the painting are depicted in different sections. There are aristocrats on the top, orphans towards the bottom, and the middle/lower class spread throughout. The most interesting portion of this painting revolves around the dogs present. There is a middle class, lower class, and bourgeois dog within the image. The thief towards the left of the painting can be tied to the pro-catholic views at the time, by the way it says “robber” and “dangerous” next to the thief. The text directly correlates with this character. The attention to detail and overall message in this painting blew me away.
John Dudzik
Something I found interesting about last class was photography. There was a famous American photographer named Edward Steichen that really caught my eye. He has this photo that was called Pond that was taken in 1904 which truly demonstrates pictorialism. This piece sold for 2.9 million dollars and that just shows how good the photo really was. The image truly captured a great richness in tone as well as a sort of geometric background. After I did some research, I found out that he tried to recreate the piece again, to try and get the same effect with other photos. But this type of art is extremely unique, so each photo ended up being slightly different and not having the exact same characteristics of the Pond photo.
Megan Alexander
Last class something that really caught my eye were the works of Margaret Macdonald, her sister Fracnes, Charles Rennie Mackintosh and Herbert MacNair. They were the most recognizable artists of the Art Nouveau movement. Maragaret in specific caught my eye because after doing some research I found out that she does not sketch before she begins creating her art works. This is an amazing skill seeing as you can make so many mistakes along the way without a guideline to follow. She truly trusted and relied on her imagination. One of my favorite works has to be the Opera of the Seas. Its amazing to see such an elaborate work of art and know that this all came from her imagination and not reliance on something that was already there.
Gianna de Landaburu
An aspect of the last lecture that stood out for me was when Randolph Caldecott was mentioned. When I researched about him and why he was a very important figure in art and storytelling history, I received different facts about him and his artwork. I found out that he was inspired by the architecture and landscape from his childhood and implemented features of these into his illustrations. Seeing the different areas from the area he lived in Chester, England, I can see the influence he took from the different buildings and landscapes seen in this setting. It is interesting that he created children’s books with inspiration from his own childhood which in turn adds to his prowess as an artist. I also found out that he was one of the first illustrators that switched over to colored printing instead of printing with black and white, which also added to the vibrancy of his illustrations and helped to inspire other artists. Another interesting aspect of Caldecott is that there is an award named after him called the Randolph Caldecott Medal which is awarded to the prior year’s most unique American picture book for kids. All of these facts made me realize how important this figure was in art and storytelling history.
Melanie Bergunker
During class, I really enjoyed learning about the “arts and crafts manifesto” and especially some of the rules that apply even though this is a graphic design class. A lot of the rules seem to suggest the very opposite of what UM’s graphic design class teaches, at least with their introduction to electronic art class. Some of the tips of this manifesto include avoiding photoshop, don’t explain your design, and bringing craft back into art. Yet in ART109 we are given outlines to trace directly, made to explain every design choice we make, and leverage photoshop, illustration, and InDesign in ways that feel like “cheating” compared to drawing and design. It feels like modern tools have almost taken the physical aspect of art that comes with bookbinding, illuminating text, violin making, or more because of the ease of the tools that exist. But does it make the art we make less valid? Is my art ‘less’ art because I’m making it just to explain it, and all on my laptop without even a mouse to help? It seems the art we talk about with the history of graphic design goes beyond the medium and the final piece and into exploring the intention and effort behind the art, which could be considered missing when leveraging newer mediums. Is the movement away from “traditional” art a transition away from GOOD art?
Julie Erhardt
Thomas Nast and his extensive use of animals as political figures may have transformed the political space, but it also connects to the regression to childhood thoughts we have discussed during class. As adults, we consume media because it’s “good for us” or because it’s recommended by people considered smarter for us, but rarely do we get to consume simple media like illustrations that still manage to convey adult themes and ideas. While we may watch televisions shows, cartoons, or movies that contain nostalgic elements, it is still something distinctly adult with an adult rating, limiting children from receiving that media. Conversely, while Nast’s cartoons communicate decidedly intense and political messages, they do so in a way even a child can understand that still manages to be enjoyable for the viewer. “Uncle Sam’s Thanksgiving Dinner” uses intricate details and shading, but represents its message of equality in a manner that would be digestible for those of any age. Similarly, it does not take much deep thought to understand the insult behind comparing Republicans to elephants or Democrats to donkeys. There’s a simple joy in Nast’s illustrations and how accessible they are to viewers of any age that make them iconic, and undoubtedly why they’re considered “the finest and most effective political cartooning ever done in the United States."
-luke shea
But does it make the art we make less valid? Is my art ‘less’ art because I’m making it just to explain it, and all on my laptop without even a mouse to help? It seems the art we talk about with the history of graphic design goes beyond the medium and the final piece and into exploring the intention and effort behind the art, which could be considered missing when leveraging newer mediums. Is the movement away from “traditional” art a transition away from GOOD art?
julie: what really matters to me is that you're asking the questions
go on, don't mind me.
Last class, I enjoyed learning about Thomas Nast, his political cartoons and about Arts and Craft Manifesto along with the graphic design debate of what is considered good art. Thomas Nast conveyed varying opinions about American Politics and designed his cartoons in such a way to elicit certain responses from the American population. He was able to use his genius in a way influence the world around him and leave his mark on it. I find that concept can be found in the world we live in today in social media and fake news. Both of these ideas have designs that leave negative marks on the world and leave us to question if social media (as it is currently set up) has good art/media designs if it leave such negative mark on the youths of today.
This week’s class and further look into Antoni Gaudí’s work and architectural designs are something that really caught my attention. I wanted to be an architect at a very young age specifically because of the impact a building’s design can have on peoples’ lives. In a similar school of thought, I believe Gaudí believed the same as he built the La Sagrada Familia. This incomplete and incredible piece of art has been under construction since 1882, even after Gaudí’s death, plans to build continued and look to be finished in the next 4 years (2026).
The architecture of the building caught my eye so easily and upon further research found out the influence of nature was heavily embedded as Gaudí believed structures should be built to resemble nature itself. Several aspects of the church resembling the motion of nature and its control over Gaudí’s vision to build the church.
Adeeb Ahmed
I really enjoyed the art noveau style. It’s accessibility, application, and internationalism make it very appealing. It was created in the 1890’s as a style to break out of the norm and create a style of art that had no ties to previous history, which is why it became so popular and widely used. Drawing inspiration from Japanese art works and organic lines, the asymmetry that is associated with art noveau is what makes it feel so much more organic and graceful to us. It is more so a decoration than a stand alone art, but integrated with architecture or a painting, it brings a grounding value to it while it was breaking away from the traditional set of ways of doing art in the 1890’s.
Mallory Harrington-Fei
I wanted to write about the typewriter for my week's comment. When I was younger I was fascinated by the typewriter because it was this large imposing metal box with lots of moving parts. I also think I was fascinated by it because it made a mark. We had one in my house that was in working condition, and my mom always cautioned me to be careful with the typewriter because it was a delicate instrument. I always enjoyed the thought of calling typewriters and computers instruments because it infers that what humans create on these machines are art. Marks have been a huge talking point for our class this semester because a mark is design. A typewriter is essentially a method for writers and artists to make their mark on a much smaller scale and at home or at work. The typewriter was also the start of the path towards a computer because people always want an easier and faster way to complete their work. To complete the mark they choose to make upon the world.
Marley Rubin
The Jules Chéret posters reminded me a lot of Leonetto Cappiello’s posters. You may know Cappiello by his spaghetti advertisement poster, “Pȃtes Baroni”, where a clown is shown holding a large plate of spaghetti and twirling the pasta around a fork, or his poster depicting a devil uncorking a bottle of Apéritif “Maurin Quina”. The posters are sometimes seen in Italian restaurants and the poses of his subjects looked like something Jules Chéret would produce. Cappiello’s posters would come after Jules Chéret’s works, and with them both being European lithographic artists from I wondered if there was some connection between them. However, Cappiello’s works have a much darker feeling and made me believe that while he may be gaining some inspiration from Jules Chéret this does not feel quite like art nouveau. And it was not, Cappiello emerged from the functionalist style of posters. In this style the artist seeks to bring attention to a character or certain object by using dark monotone backgrounds with little to no background objects, and a bold character in an attention seeking form. I find it very interesting that Cappiello would put these darker characters such as devils and clowns in these poses that are reminiscent of the “Belle Epoque” characteristic poses of Jules Chéret’s free-spirited female characters, which may be why his posters were so evocative because of this juxtaposition.
Will Neugebauer
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