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Arts and Crafts Movement
The Arts and Crafts movement was an international movement in the decorative and fine arts that flourished in Europe and North America between 1880 and 1910, emerging in Japan in the 1920s. It stood for traditional craftsmanship using simple forms, and often used medieval, romantic or folk styles of decoration. It advocated economic and social reform and was essentially anti-industrial. It had a strong influence on the arts in Europe until it was displaced by Modernism in the 1930s, and its infl -
Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau was an artistic movement which peaked in popularity between 1890 and 1905 which was practiced in the fields of art, architecture and applied art. It is a French term meaning "new art" and is characterized by organic and plant motifs as well as other highly stylized forms. The organic forms often took the form of sudden violent curves which were often referenced by the term whiplash. Its short success was a reaction against the late 19th century academic art and was replaced by the de -
Development of the Poster
The Poster was one of the earliest forms of advertisement and began to develop as a medium for visual communication in the early 19th century. They influenced the development of typography because they were meant to be read from a distance and required larger type to be produced, usually from wood rather than metal. The poster quickly spread around the world and became a staple of the graphic design trade. Many artists as well, such as Henry Toulouse-Latrec and Henry van de Velde, created poster -
Futurism
Futurism was not only an art movement but also a social movement that developed in Italy in the early 20th century. Futurists were well versed and practiced in nearly every field of art including painting, ceramics, sculpture, graphic design, interior design, theater, film, literature, music and architecture. It was a movement that particularly despised not just certain aspects of classical antiquity, but everything that was not totally new. -
Dada
Dada was a cultural movement that was concentrated on anti-war politics which then made its way to the art world through art theory, art manifestoes, literature, poetry and eventually graphic design and the visual arts. The movement, although Dadaists would not have been happy calling it a movement, originated in Switzerland and spread across Europe and into the United States, which was a safe haven for many writers during World War I. -
Suprematism
Suprematism found its base in the application of the fundamental geometric forms., particularly the square and the circle. It originated in 1915 in Russia and was established by Kazimir Malevich. The movement also expressed an interest in concepts that related to non-euclidean geometry, which imagined forms moving through space. A non-objective style of art its simplification of form and use of geometry influenced, among many other things, the development of Constructivism and the Bauhaus. -
ALEKSANDER RODCHENKO
In 1921 he declared "The End of Painting" when he exhibited three solid monochromatic canvases, one each, in hues of red, yellow and blue. He deemed that he had reduced painting to its logical conclusion and that there was no reason to continue exploring the medium. This opened the doors for the beginning of a new Utopian way of life, and way of approaching art. Rodchenko's work influenced so many of the designers of the early 20th century that it is impossible to catalog the vast reaches of the -
Henry Van de Velde
A major player in the foundation and promotion of the Art Nouveau movement in Belgium, Henry Clemens van de Velde was a painter, architecture and interior designer. He came across the work of Van Gogh at the yearly exhibition of "Les XX", a Brussels based group of artists, and his work shows an influence of the Dutch painter. However, in 1892 he abandoned painting in favor of furniture and interior design. He also made significant development in the field of architecture designing several buildi -
El Lissitzky
He moved around in the 1920s and spent time in both Germany as a cultural representative of Russia and, after he was diagnosed with pulmonary tuberculosis, Switzerland in a Swiss sanatorium. But this never stopped him from working as he continued to produce propaganda posters, books, buildings and exhibitions for the Soviet Union. in 1932 Stalin demanded that artists conform to much stricter guidelines or be blacklisted, Lissitzky managed to retain his position as head of exhibitions. In 1941 hi -
Varvara Stepanova
Wife and colleague in both life and art, Varvara Stepanova(1894-1958) was the wife of Aleksander Rodchenko. A comrade and friend, she was also a painter, photographer and designer. She was influential as member of the group of artists that worked in the Russian avant-garde movement and, later in her career, she would refer to herself as a constructivist. Her work shows a direct influence of the Cubists and the Futurist art movements and she spent her career dedicated to trying to use her work to -
Constructivism
A movement with origins in Russia, Constructivism was primarily an art and architectural movement. It rejected the idea of art for arts' sake and the traditional bourgeois class of society to which previous art had been catered. Instead it favored art as a practise directed towards social change or that would serve a social purpose. Developing after World War I, the movement sought to push people to rebuild society in a Utopian model rather than the one that had led to the war. -
KURT SCHWITTERS
Kurt Schwitters is most commonly associated with the Dada movement, but also was an integral participant in the Constructivist and Surrealist movements. He worked in many mediums including painting, poetry, installation art, sculpture, graphic design and typography. His influence in the art world and the popularity of his collage style of artwork were far reaching both in Europe and the US. After World War I society in Germany began to become somewhat more stable and Schwitters became less activ -
HOWARD BEHRENS
Many years ago, I learned that the only way I can really achieve what I feel in my paintings is to create them using a palette knife instead of a brush. I love the boldness of the knife, and the control I have of color. Using the knife, I find that I can capture not only the softness of clouds, but also the boldness of mountains, the vibrancy of flowers, and the strength of water. I move the knife furiously as I apply deep, rich color in many layers to achieve dimension and mood -
JOSEF ALBERS
Albers was a student of the Bauhaus in Dessau, Germany and was a practicing artist in the fields of design, typography, photographer, painter, printmaker and poet. His most influential work was created in the field of abstract painting and it showed an influence of both the Bauhaus and the Constructivists with its simplified geometric shapes. However, he also proved to be very influential to many other graphic designers and artists as a teacher at the Black Mountain College in North Carolina fro -
ARMIN HOFMANN
By the age of 27 Armin Hofmann had already completed an apprenticeship in lithography and had begun teaching typography at the Basel School of Design. His colleagues and students were integral in adding to work and theories that surrounded the Swiss International Style, which stressed a belief in an absolute and universal style of graphic design. The style of design they created had a goal of communication above all else, practiced new techniques of photo-typesetting, photo-montage and experimen -
ALVIN LUSTIG
A student of Frank Lloyd Wright, among others, Alvin Lustig had a very successful career in graphic design and art direction. Revolutionizing the approach to book cover design in the 1940s, Lustig would attempt to get a sense of the writers direction from reading the book and then translate it into his own graphic style (The previous trend was to summarize the book with one image). The combination of technology and creativity in his designs was reminiscent of the Bauhaus, as did his intellectual -
ROBERT BROWNJOHN
His career in London proved as successful as his early career in the US with his most notable contributions coming in the film industry. He also worked within several other industries, creating moving graphics for Pirelli and Midland bank and created the cover for the Rolling Stones album Let It Bleed. -
OTL AICHER
Aicher spent time fighting in the second world war for the German army, against his own beliefs. The experience affected him greatly and his first contributions as a designer were in an effort to revitalize the public after the devastation of the war. By 1947 Aicher had opened the doors at his own studio, Büro Aicher, and had begun accepting work from a ariety of clients. Together with designer Max Bill he established the Hochschule für Gestaltung in Ulm, Germany and spent many years there as a -
PAUL RAND
His early career was spent working for Apparel Arts and Esquire magazines and then joining the Weintraub agency. He was so successful that after a few years he demanded twice the pay for half the time, and got it. His relentless passion for corporate identity helped shape the American business landscape in the 1960s. The height of corporate identity design owed much to the unwavering pursuit of Paul Rand to make advertising more than just billboards. He worked in the field until the day that he -
YUSAKU KAMEKURA
Born in the Niigata prefecture in Japan and a student of the Institute of New Architecture and Industrial Arts, Yusaku Kamekura was more than acquainted with the Bauhaus principles and sense of design. Starting his design career at the publishing company Nippon Kaupapu, Kamekura has more than half a decade of experience in the design world. Combining the influences of the Bauhaus with insight to his traditional heritage, his work is recognized for its colorfully minimalist approach. -
SHIGEO FUKUDA
One of his most famous works is entitled Victory 1945 and it won him a grand prize at the Warsaw Poster Contest in 1975, a competition whose proceeds helped fun the Peace Fund Movement. Much of his work was designed to make a social impact rather than a commercial one and he was a strong advocate for pacifism and environmentalism. Not only a designer he also practiced sculpture, one example of which was a large sculpture of silverware that resembled a helmet but cast an intricate shadow of a mot -
THE MACINTOSH COMPUTER
The invention of the personal computer shook the entire world, forcing people to evaluate the way that they communicated with others and providing a new platform for design and advertising to distribute its messages. Flipping the design community on its had both as a tool of production and personal expression the computer has been both an asset and hindrance to the world of graphic design ever since. While the computer has allowed for infinitely new developments of design techniques and mediums -
Tadanori Yokoo
Traversing the world between art and design, Tadanori Yokoo's work has a very personal nature and often reflects his own interests. He began working as a designer during the late 1960's and his work often resembles a collage style that was quite the opposite of the modernist movement. Interested in mysticism, psychedelia and the Indian culture his work is often associated with the 1960s pop culture. He has repeated several motifs throughout his work including the rising sun and waterfalls. In 19
