Visual Language & Mass-Consumption:  The Global Marketplace 1950-1990 13 January 2015

We were lectured about the growth of youth culture this morning and the birth of the teenager.  Young people were working and had incomes of their own.  They made their own decisions on how to spend it.  Copying film stars fashion and wanting places to meet such as Soda Bars with Juke Boxes saw the birth of what was termed Youth Culture which in turn spread from America to Europe.

The task for this afternoons lecture on The Atomic Age & Cold War is to show how it affected art and design from the Russian, American and British perspective.
 

The space race between America and Russia led to a film by Stanley Kubrick called, 2001: A Space Odyssey which was nominated for an Oscar.

 

http://www.theguardian.com/arts/gallery/2008/apr/21/artnews.design
A still of a film clip from the film 2001: A Space Odyssey 1968

The Kitchen Debate Moscow - Nixon and Khrushchev 1959

 http://www.theguardian.com/arts/gallery/2008/apr/21/artnews.design

At the American Exhibition in Moscow both men appeared together and had differing views of the exhibit. Khrushchev stating that the ordinary American family would not be able to afford what was on display and Nixon stating that they could.  Then Khrushchev stating that Russian kitchens would last longer.  The debate went on.....

A Russian Propaganda Poster 

http://www.nowuget.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/cold-war.gif

  

 

    

 Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament March 1961 

1961http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/april/18/newsid_2909000/2909881.stm

 

Photography started to be used in portraying the news of the day along with film images for television news.  The campaign for nuclear disarmament known as CND had a logo created by Gerald Holtom who used the semaphore letters of N(uclear) & D(isarmament) to make the memorable logo which represents their cause.  Aldermaston had an atomic weapons establishment which made nuclear warheads and the protesters wanted it closing down.

 The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament Logo

https://wordpressingonthankyouverymuch.files.wordpress.com/2008/07/cnd.jpg

 

 

 

 The logo of the Atomic Weapons Establishment

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/9f/Atomic_Weapons_Establishment_(logo).jpg

 

 

 

 

 

Material Culture and Decadence: Art Deco The Great War 1914-1918 9 December 2014

We looked at how the optimism of the Art Nouveau period was crushed by the start of the First World War and how the mechanics of the technology, used in the war, filtered down into everyday life when the war ended. 

  

The Art Deco movement was more of a visual experience than a movement.  It expressed the start of optimism again after the war ended.  Wealthy people began to travel and advertising was used by companies to entice custom.  Graphic design became important at this time as in the posters of the time.

 

 

Art Deco Poster

1920's Art Deco French stove

Visual Language and Eroticism: Art Nouveau 2 December 2014

Today we learned about the Art Nouveau (New Art) period in Europe as they were looking for change at the beginning of the new century.  It was a shift back to nationalism away from globalisation and had different names in different parts of Europe.  Jugendstil in Germany, Sezessionstil in Austria, Modernisme Stile Liberty in Italy.  The Art Nouveau was less pronounced in Britain.

Painters changed the way they depicted the nude woman Olympia by Edouard Manet is looking directly out of the image, this was a departure, as women were not usually painted having  any eye contact at all with the viewer.

Olympia by Edouard Manet 1863

Manet,_Edouard_-_Olympia,_1863.jpg

Danae Olympia recreated by Jan Banning

http://i.huffpost.com/gen/685666/thumbs/o-OLYMPIA-570.jpg?2

Visual Language & Reform: Socialist and Democratic Modernism: Germany and Sweden 1919-1950 6 January 2015

The upheaval of two world wars changed the social structure of society.  People wanted to work in the growing industries and not as estate workers.  Mass production needed labour and movements began as homes were needed.  The Bauhaus School of art began and modern sleek total look in both architecture and design.  This influence moved to Scandiavia who also embraced the modern minialist look and style. 

Visual Culture - The Symbolic Arts of Imperial China 30.9.2014

Chinese culture and meanings in the decoration on its artistic products.  The Emperor was all powerful and successive Emperors employed artists to produce art works for them.  The Qianlong dynasty was a particularly good period as the Emperor had very high standards and therefore the works were very fine.  The symbolic images were known to all the populace.  Guo Pei's fashion show reminded me of how Vivienne Westwood's fashions because she takes 17th and 18th century fashions and reinterprets them in high fashion for todays market and Guo Pei has done the same with past Chinese history in my opinion.

   

                                          Guo Pei shoes

fig 1 http:https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje53OkaCpWsp8VCvn7ihiIpuCCgAkZA4JnCOKA915At4ixxTqjO7cmfQ8dPGy4yc9hkLd5oEzJrYhh2vBkms_Po_K2EYCa_lMvH40srBoLqIS4kDWUwozGjWk129HMzrockmaK823uNTo7/s700/Guo+Pei+3.jpg 

                                              

                                          Guo Pei fashions 

 fig: 2 http:https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje53OkaCpWsp8VCvn7ihiIpuCCgAkZA4JnCOKA915At4ixxTqjO7cmfQ8dPGy4yc9hkLd5oEzJrYhh2vBkms_Po_K2EYCa_lMvH40srBoLqIS4kDWUwozGjWk129HMzrockmaK823uNTo7/s700/Guo+Pei+3.jpg                                           

                            Vivienne Westwood Sack Shoes

                      fig 3 http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/img-thing?.out=jpg&size=l&tid=36360123

                               Vivienne Westwood  fashion

              Silk evening dress by Vivienne Westwood, from her 'Anglophilia'  collection, A/W 2003

             fig 4: http://www.vam.ac.uk/__data/assets/image/0006/182454/2006AE7069_westwood_pompadour_dress.jpg

In the Victorian era, for example, we did have symbolic language which has largely been lost.  Jewellery had meanings - forget me knots in a piece, meant - remember me forever, for example.  Suffragette jewellery was made up of three colours - white, green and purple, and this was a way of showing support for the movement without being overtly political and this symbolism was also known to the populace of the time in Britain.

In the afternoon we looked at how art from the Ancient World still has influence on todays art works and I liked the examples he showed us.



                                   Suffragette Jewellery             

                          fig 5: http://www.theportobellomarket.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/725843.jpg

                                                 

Our task: to find more examples of the ancient world before 1000ad and compare contemporary art to ancient art.

Ancient African Cultural History as a black culture has been denied for many years as politically is was not believed that black people could create amazing works of art and architecture.   Great Zimbabwe was ruled over by Kings possibly the Ancient Bantu tribe and trade was in Ivory, Gold and Cattle.  A vast stone wall protecting housing for the King was built and Zimbabwe means Great House of Stone.  The remain of this place still exist in South Africa. 

Source: You tube video - Lost Kingdom of Africa Great Zimbabwe http://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/384x216/p01gmw3h.jpg

 

 A carving from an ancient                 "Happy Memories" by

 site of Great Zimbabwe                      sculptor Gedion Nyanhongo

 fig 6: veniceclayartists.com                                                             fig 7:  http://www.stone-ideas.com/wordpress/wp- 

                                                                                               content/uploads/2013/08/kGedion-      

                                                                                                          Nyanhongo7.jpg                                                             
                                                                                      

                     

                                                                                            

The Stone Temple of Mnajdra Malta (Figure 3)is believed to be the oldest known temple of the western world approximately 3000bc. 

 

The Stone Temple of Mnajdra Malta

 fig: 8  http://www.missgien.net/pix/mnajdra4.jpg and Unfolding History author: Henri Stierlin

I  discovered a work by Zaha Hadid Artichitect which I think shows some comparison. 

   Al Wakrah Stadium

    fig 9: http://blogs.artinfo.com/objectlessons/files/2013/11/zaha-vaga.jpg

Visual Language and Emotion: The Eighteenth Century Fantasy 1715 - 1760  4 November 2014

After Baroque came the Rococo style which emerged from France this spread to other European courts.  The opening of trade links with China and India had some influence and the period became less academic and more interested in nature and fantasy.  This gave artists more freedom to express their creativity as the wealthy wanted items made especially for them which expressed nature love and beauty, especially in Britain as the 'middling ranks' became more influential and wealthy.  The Rocaille was used as a unifying theme which decorated an overall theme to a room.  It was a stylised motif which symbolised water flowing over rocks and used in furniture, wall decoration etc. Chinoiserie also expressed emotions and fanciful imaginings and was in response to the influences of trading with China.  Both styles were soon to be replaced.

We looked at art from the 1920 to 1935 in Europe and Russia this afternoon.  This was a period influenced by the First World War    which took in the Dada Movement and Surrealism - pointless art.  Rene Magritte was born in Belgium and became a surrealist painter.  He may have been influenced at the time by the new idea of psychoanalysis muted by Sigmund Freud. 

The Conqueror 1926 by Rene Magritte

fig: 1 http://paintings-art-picture.com/paintings/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/18/Rene-Magritte-Paintings-the-conqueror-1926.jpg

The Lovers 1928 by Rene Magritte

fig 2 http://www.lewisu.edu/experts/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Magritte-The-Lovers.jpg 25/11/2014

This work is full of questions.  He may have been influenced by the tragedy of his mothers suicide, by shrouding the heads of the models.

Visual Language and Interiority 18 November 2014

We looked at the way the house has changed in meaning over the years.  It was considered a display of status education and power where people came to be entertained in order to view the accumulated wealth of the owner.  It was considered the domain of the male head of the house and reflected his position in society.  This changed when the  wealthier Victorian middle classes began to speculate in property and build affordable homes for the lower middle class professionals.  The space became the domain of the lady of the house and she ran and decorated the home to suit her.  

We looked at the collage of Richard Hamilton What is it that makes todays home so appealing.

Richard Hamilton

fig 1 http://www.artyfactory.com/art_appreciation/art_movements/art-movements/pop_art/richard_hamilton.jpg 25/11/2014

Our task is to take a piece of art work and see the influences for the past to the present and into the future.

I have taken the television as an item from the Richard Hamilton collage and researched recent work by artists using item.  Jordan Bernier has used televisions in an art installation.

23 TV's by Jordan Bernier

The television is a major item in the home and as technology advances so do the improvement in televisions which can now be purchased in giant size screens, hi definition and three dimensional pictures, surround sound, full home cinema packages and the ability to record and watch programmes when convenient.  The ability to show television programmes on other technology such as pc's, laptops, tablets and smart phones without having to make another payment for television programmes is changing the way the public think about the way the home television is being used.  

http://www.techradar.com/news/television/best-tv-2013-what-tv-should-you-buy-this-year-709255

Panasonic TX-55AX902B SmarTViera 4K Ultra HD 3D LED TV