Reflection – Art Nouveau and Orientalism

Out of the many different aspects of the Art Nouveau movement that we covered in class, one detail that stood out to me was the introduction of Japanese art and oriental elements into (up till then) a primarily Euro-centric narrative of graphic design history, and how it drastically changed the aesthetics and graphic elements for graphic design of that time.

Orientalism was not really new to art – in works from the Renaissance and Baroque era, there were already Oriental subjects present: from figures in Middle Eastern dress to scenes of Turkish, Greek, African and even Egyptian cultures, to suit the patrons with a more exotic palette. However, what really stood out to me in Art Nouveau was that artists did not merely copy (or attempt to imagine) Oriental subjects, but instead assimilated uniquely Japanese styles of expression to create a new approach to their work.

With the Meiji Restoration, the opening of Japan’s ports to Europe caused a large influx of Japanese art, culture and crafts into Europe. Among those, woodblock prints such as those from the likes of Hokusai proved to be the most popular and influential, with its flat, linear style and blocky colours greatly influencing the poster artists of the time (e.g. Beardsley and Toulouse-Lautrec).

To me, this was really interesting as it was the first time we see Asian art being put on the same level as its European counterparts. With the very Euro-centric narrative of graphic design, it is easy to toss aside Asian-style art and graphics as mere craft, with little to no individual aesthetic sense. Thus, it is fascinating to see Japanese work being appreciated and mimicked to the point where it helped to direct an entire art movement with styles and ideas entirely foreign to its origin.

Reflection – The Industrial Revolution

It was interesting to learn about the industrial revolution at a more in depth level – previously, I studied history but focused more on modern world history (1900-) and I could not help but see similarities between the industrial revolution and what later happened (again) with the industrialisation and urbanization in the States in the 1920s. Once again, with the advancements in technology and production, the worker is alienated from the fruits of his labour and is delegated to a disposable role in the spirit of mass production to satisfy the growing demand for cheap consumer goods.

Perhaps that is why even with the ever improving technology and means of production, many traditions and handicraft skills still live on – despite their relative inefficiency, the ability to return to the tactile nature of the raw materials, to feel, touch and work with the crafts is something that humans crave; the authenticity of the handicraft is something we all need in the coldly productive and competent era of the machine.

And perhaps that was what William Morris was trying to achieve – in the Victorian period where everything was loud and excessive, he yearned for a return to the simplicity of the medieval ages where things were carefully and preciously made by hand, and handicraft was at its peak.

It is ironic though, that in his pursuit for this utopia, William Morris recreated the assembly line, albeit in another form – while the workshops he created to make his work were meant to cultivate the camaraderie of the collective and the artist guild in spirit, his top down control of the work meant that any kind of autonomy held by them was probably lost.