Introduction
Reading the history of art and design made me think of past artists and what was happening around them to influence their work or give them ideas about what to put on a canvas or design. When reading, I enjoyed a backstory to all the events surrounding that specific time period. It also gave the reader additional information about the type and style of the designs and what was done with those designs. I found that most topics were fascinating and intriguing to read about. There were a couple that really jumped out at me and caught my attention.
Dada (1916-1923)
The Dada movement happened during World War 1, and the art is based around the opposite of the normal style of art. This was intriguing to me! How could you do the opposite of art? Well, apparently, Marcel Duchamp became a well-known artist through the Dada movement and continued to push to reevaluate what is and what is not art. A good reminder to me that came up in this reading section was that art could be anything. When I finished up the section, I wanted to know more about Marcel Duchamp as he came up in some of the other sections I was interested in. I found that there is much more to know about him and what kinds of art he make through this website.
Surrealism (1924-1955)
This movement came at the decline of the Dada and was designed to cause a shock and surprise to the viewers of the artwork or design. The first part of the reading that caught my eye was, of course, the picture. It was scary and kind of horror-like. Which upon further reading, let me know that that was the intent. When I finished the reading and looked at some of the examples of surrealism through artwork, I couldn’t help but feel like all of them looked abstract. It looks like the artist goes with what he or she feels and thinks instead of taking the time to detail the work. To better put it, they go with their gut and what they think looks good. The article mentions rayographs. They are created using shapes and shadows that shimmer with a three-dimensional appearance. These designs look very shape-oriented and definitely odd-looking. Although most surrealism looks out there and different from traditional art, there are some very cool-looking pieces.
Constructivism (1919-1934)
Throughout this reading, I was astonished to read that this type of art history was founded around communism. Although it was based around communism, I thought that the building that would have been made out of glass and steel would have been an amazing piece of architecture if it could have dwarfed the Effiel Tower. Toward the end of the reading, the article mentions the Stenberg brothers and their work together. They invented the film poster genre, which combines abstraction with visual narrative. The poster and film most famous are the Man with a Movie Camera. At the beginning of this film, you instantly notice a silent film and the odd-looking text. I’m not certain, but the text is probably constructivist, which was very interesting to read.
Art Nouveau (1890-1910)
This art history stood out to me because of how beautiful and elegant the pictures and art looked. The reading states that the art is based around natural forms like birds and flowers, and vines. Those forms would turn into shapes and patterns. The picture of the Tassel House project looks absolutely beautiful. The use of space and pattern makes the art feel and look like it flows through and up the staircase. Art Nouveau is supposed to bring organic flow to both exterior and interior, and I feel like this piece of art accomplishes that. Looking at some of the examples on the side of the reading, the General Electric trademark also has that flowing and rhythm. I had no idea that that trademark had a “g” and an “e” as the letters together.
Summary
All of these pieces of art history were very interesting to read and learn about. Most of the history is intriguing, more some than others but educational non the less. When learning about the past of art and design, it is crazy to think how different it is today. There are so many different styles and techniques used by artists every day. Learning how some of those techniques and styles came about because of the events that happened in the past. This post helped me learn about more artists and their roles in shaping the movements they were a part of.
