Rene Magritte, L'empire des Lumières, 1954
Dear class, plenty to address: Futurism (in graphic design), Surrealism (manifesto), surrealist techniques, Remedios Varo, Leonora Carrington, Magritte, Surrealism in furniture and interior design, Paul Klee's style, Joseph Binder's technological style, German WWII propaganda, Malevich's geometric design, Die Neue Typographie, Constructivist posters, Rodchenko's photo designs, the Vargas' pinup girl, the genius of A. M. Cassandre, Kula Robbins' Jenny on the job, Container Corp. of America, Alexey Brodovich, Lester Beal... wow.
No echo chamber.
15 comments:
Futurism is a topic that I have always been particularly interested in. The more specific description of futurism in graphic design was born out of the art movement in Italy around 1909. Futurism is the projection of speed and motion in art. Some of the major characteristics in futurist graphic design work are dynamic movement, bold typography, vivid colors, and contrast. Visual works of art that make you feel chaotic, electric, energetic, or aggressive fall under the futurism graphic design realm. One of my favorite pieces from this era is Fortunato Deperos's “Campari Soda” poster, which cleverly combines many of these elements. His use of simplified forms like stylized bottles, glasses, and type, while remaining bold, colorful, and full of energy. Another piece of his that I more recently discovered is the “Bolted Book”, which is an entire book composed like a work of Futuristic art, taking the ideas of Futurism and turning them into an entire object.
One of the most interesting figures from last week’s class was A.M. Cassandre, a pioneer of graphic design whose work still feels modern even in today’s context. What caught my eye was Cassandre’s simplified elegance seen in his magazine covers and posters which feel timeless in their design. It fascinates me how this artist was able to combine bold geometries with streamlined simplicity, seen primarily in his posters for the Nord Express. In Cassandre’s famous Dubonnet advertisement, he is using flat and 2D shapes, yet the image still feels full of movement and character. There are also hints of Cubist influences within Cassandre’s pieces, such as his covers for Harper Bazaar. The fragmented and angular features representing abstract human forms suggest he was blending fine art movements with commercial appeal. This artist’s ability to combine artistic innovation with mass communication feels incredibly relevant to today’s marketing industry; a sector where graphic design and readability are key drivers for product success.
Norman Rockwell is an artist whose work is extremely familiar, mostly due to it being the artwork of choice for my pediatrician’s office. I remember sitting as a kid waiting for the doctor to come in and admiring the idealized yet human figures swinging on swings, playing games, etc. While that may be a silly anecdote, Rockwell had a talent of capturing “Americana” in a real and raw sense. His people felt real, you could imagine yourself in their place. Now, his works serve as a time capsule. He did not shy away from uncomfortable subjects like segregation and war, and in most of his work the human is the focal point. I find it so fascinating that such picture-perfect nuclear family imagery can still feel real, like that family did exist at some point and Rockwell was just taking a snapshot.
For 25 years as art director of Harper’s Bazaar, Alexey Brodovitch was a crucial figure who transformed American graphic design and photography. By cropping images, using white space boldly, and limiting spreads to just two striking visuals per page, he revolutionized magazine layouts. His late 1940s Mockup Spread is a perfect example of how he allowed the image or illustration to guide the placement and shape of the text, sometimes letting it fan across the page or follow the flow of a figure. In the 1956 Audrey Hepburn cover, he blended surrealism and elegance, creating a dreamlike quality through blurry forms, torn edges, and symbolic shapes like lips or hands. I also want to highlight the work of Ladislav Sutnar, a designer known for his timeless, modernist layouts. Sutnar’s structured grids, clean sans serif typography, and use of geometric shapes brought clarity and order to design, guiding the viewer’s eye with purpose. Together, Brodovitch’s expressive freedom and Sutnar’s logical precision redefined the future of magazine and editorial design.
Surrealism in art is incredibly unique. It's a departure from more conventional or traditional methods of art that focuses explicitly on warping or distorting the art itself, blurring the boundary between realism and fiction. The art is heavily influenced by Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalysis and dream theory. Surrealist artists take his concepts and attempt to recreate a dream-like atmosphere in the real world, juxtaposing real imagery with heavy uses of symbolism and dream-like visuals. Surrealism redefined the boundaries of artistic expression by destroying them. Instead of fantasy or realism, a weird, dream-like in-between was found in surrealism, and it is one of the most unique art forms because of it.
Kazimir Malevich coined Suprematism, a movement that marked a shift from traditional representational art. Instead, Malevich produced art that stripped subjects to their most basic forms. “Black Circle,” “Black Square and Red Square,” and “Airplane Flying,” are all supposed to represent the true feelings of forms beyond their material purpose. His perspective through this movement was not just a stylistic reinterpretation, but an introspective effort. It’s Malevich’s mark to lead art toward non-objection and metaphysical value. “Black Circle” is reminiscent of a void, which can be interpreted as reflecting to viewers their internal, close mindedness when it comes to Malevich’s basic designs. It’s interesting how audiences that viewed his work remark that “Everything which we loved is lost.” The loss through Suprematism is the common aesthetic of art, and forces people to face their discomfort with ambiguity. Rather than his art providing “nothing”, Malevich’s mindset believes in it providing the possibility of everything, in its simplest form.
Mine ^
I appreciate the Container Corporation of America and their use of graphic design in their marketing. We have seen graphic design used for posters like Tropon Food Concentrate and others which advertised businesses, but I think that CCA encapsulates all of what graphic design is used for marketing and pr that we see today. I think what really sets them apart is that they used the designs as part of the poster rather than a stylistic piece of art which bears a business’s logo. For example, the poster done by Mathew Lebowitz which shows checkers and relates the game to their process. CCA also uses countless different styles of art which is relevant now where you see companies marketing with whatever the trends are. As for the atlas that they commissioned by Herbert Bayer, I think this represents a big movement in accessible information. I’m not sure if I ever saw a copy of his atlas, but I know that I’ve read similar style books and encyclopedias as a kid which clearly are influenced from Bayer’s atlas.
Bauhaus as an institution pushed the boundaries of art through allowing a diverse group of artists to create a collective creative environment. However, in doing these most of the artwork if not all done by a professor or possibly student within Bauhaus seemed to be automatically accepted and inspired others to follow similar concepts. Bauhaus was very influential and seemed to be the source, at the time, for what was new and popular in the creative world. For example, Paul Klee focused on transcendentalism, a primitive or some would say childish approach to artworks. He was also inspired by music, as he had synesthesia. Most of his work consisted of almost scribble like, basic shapes. Although his work was and still is highly influential, I do not think it would have gained the same amount of attention if he was not a professor at Bauhaus. Bauhaus gave artists a platform to do something different and have an easier time being accepted by the world for the diverse art created.
Futurism in graphic design grabbed my eye last class and mainly impressed me with its direct expression of the industry at the time. After some further research into the topic, Depero's advertising pieces really intrigued me. The shapes, condensed text, and bold contrast make the piece feel alive rather than just a static piece of art. These designs broke away from the traditional centered and balanced layouts of advertisements at the time and these pieces used the whole page for more of dynamic feel. This work acted as a start for the futurist movement, and these pieces are a nice reminder that a lot of energy can come from simple shapes and objects such as directional lines and grid like patterns.
Something from last class that interested me was learning about surrealism and the Surrealist Manifesto. The Surrealist Manifesto is fascinating and unique in the context of art and graphic design because it breaks away from rationality and embraces the depth and chaotic nature of the unconscious mind. Unlike previous art movements that aimed to depict reality or abstract ideas in a structured way, like the cubism or futurism movements, surrealism invites artists and designers to explore dreams, traumas, and hidden desires, essentially designing from the inside out. The idea of designing the unconscious pushes boundaries creatively, allowing for more symbolic, and emotionally charged imagery. Surrealism also challenges the designer to think poetically, to embrace ambiguity, and to question the reliability of reality itself. In a way, it gives permission to break rules, experiment fearlessly, and tell stories that can feel strange, beautiful, and sometimes even haunting, much like a dream.
^Bennett Russell
I really enjoy the work of Magritte, he is one of my all time favorite painters. I love how his painting all have a dream like feel to them. Blending classic painting techniques with very interesting subject matter. One thing that I enjoy from Magritte is his approach the the subjects face. Either covering with an object in The Son of Man or Sheherazade where he uses objects to create the face. I also find the use of fire very interesting in his paintings, sometimes with soft candles in Meditation or sometimes using fire to make objects standout like the tuba in The False Mirror. I think my overall favorite pieces by Magritte are The Lovers 1 and 2, I think they are very interesting pieces that speak on romance and relationships.
the genius of A. M. Cassandre. His poster designs, such as the iconic "Normandie" ship poster ad, united imposing geometry with Art Deco elegance to generate an electrifying visual vocabulary of the modern. Cassandre effectively married typography and image into a consistent partnership, frequently blending the two into sustained compositions. His work revolutionized the medium of advertising to position it not just as informative but also visually potent and memorable. Cassandre's influence on graphic design is unquestionable, raising a standard of elegance and simplicity in visual communication.
Joseph Binder’s designs really caught my attention. He uses bold colors and simple shapes that give his posters a sleek, modern look. I think it’s awesome that he worked with big names like American Railroads, American Airlines, A&P Iced Coffee, Fortune, and Graphis—and that he was even chosen as the art director for the U.S. Navy. I looked at his work on the website you provided, and every piece stood out with its vibrant energy. In my Introduction to Electronic Media class, we're currently creating mock advertisements, and I've been enjoying the process. Discovering Binder's work has provided me with a lot of inspiration.
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