Reading Response – Massimo Vignelli

I really love this quote that he says ” Trends kill the soul of design”. This really help me inform my practice, on staying true to my own approach and objective when designing graphics or products. It is not about copying others, or seeing what is popular then imitating it. But rather knowing what is true from the internal part of myself, and portraying that as that kind of designer to the world.

As what I could see from the works that are posted on the website, it focus heavily on readability, and understandability. I can says that his part is minimal due to his huge reduction of unnecessary graphics as compared to many designer does today. There are little ornamentation, no quirky fonts, and almost everything serve a function or to portray a meaning in his design, except for his textured background that serve for aesthetic purposes, rather than for functionality (in my own opinion).

However his approach portrays a more serious undertone to his work, anything that set the mood for fun, quirky, adventurous, experimental, will be out of the question.

 

 

 

Constructivism Presentation (Handout + Presentation Slides)

Handout

 

 

CONSTRUCTIVISM

 

What:

  • A Russian artistic and architectural philosophy that propagated an entirely new approach to making objects, one which sought to abolish the traditional artistic concern with composition, and replace it with ‘construction.’
  • This construction was then used in the service of the Russian Revolution

 

Who:

  • Father of Constructivism: Vladimir Tatlin
  • Other significant artists: Malevich, Popova, Rodchenko, Lissitzky, Gabo, Pevsner

 

Background context: Political chaos (When and Where)

  • During the decade after the birth of Cubism, the world witnessed astounding changes
  • Technology zoomed ahead at breakneck speed
  • Against a backdrop of World War I, Europe erupted in political chaos. Finally the Russian revolution of 1917 called for the destruction of everything from the old regime.
  • The Bolshevik Party seized power
    • The Bolsheviks: a major organization consisting primarily of workers governed by the principle of democracy, who considered themselves the leaders of the revolutionary working class of Russia
    • Wanted to converted Russian society from a feudal state to a “People’s Republic”
  • Amidst this upheaval, Constructivism called for a careful technical analysis of modern materials
    • It was hoped that this investigation would eventually yield ideas that could be put to use in mass production, serving the ends of a modern, Communist society

 

Constructivism amongst other Modern art movements outside of France:

Futurism Constructivism Precisionism
Period 1909-18 1913-32 1915-30
Locale Italy Russia US
Artists Boccioni, Balla, Severini, Carrá, Russolo Tatlin, Malevich, Popova, Rodchenko, Lissitzky, Gabo, Pevsner Sheeler, Demuth, O’Keeffe
Features Lines of force representing movement and modern life Geometric art reflecting modern technology Sleek urban and industrial forms

 

Key Influences To Constructivism:

 

 

  • Political

 

      • The Russian Revolution in 1917 is a great influence to art in Russia. Artists started creating artworks to support the revolution.
      • Artworks are very related to the politics at that time

 

  • Social

 

      • Art is influenced by the shift of society in the revolution such that artists now cater their artwork to everyone instead of just the rich
      • Artists’ intentions are influenced by the shift in society to unite Russia and to use art as a way to serve the community
      • Art is thus used as propaganda and becomes something more practical

 

  • Cultural

 

      • The changes in Russia made artists throw away traditional art-making techniques like easel painting which are deemed overly bourgeoisie
      • The rejection of an existing art culture is an influence to constructivism as artists try to move Russia forward with a new way of artistic expression

 

  • Technological

 

      • Artists are heavily influenced by the industrialisation and technological advancements in Russia

 

  • Cubism

 

      • Vladimir Tatlin, an avant garde artist in Russia was influenced by Pablo Picasso’s wooden reliefs when he visited Paris in 1913
      • He created sculptures that eventually gave rise to Constructivism

 

  • Suprematism

 

      • Suprematism developed at around the same time as Constructivism by Kazimir Malevich
      • With similar influences that started out Constructivism mentioned above, the difference is only in that Suprematism artworks are non-functional and self-expressing unlike Constructivism

 

  • Futurism

 

    • Rejection of tradition and everything that is old, progressive and forward-looking
    • Fascination with speed, youth, power, and technology

 

Principles/Concepts of Constructivism

 

  1. A modern art movement

-Constructivism falls under one of the modern art movements, which took place between the late 19th century till the mid-20th century. Art movements from this period tend to stray away from traditional aesthetics and instead formed new ideas of what art was.

 

  1. Industrialization

-Constructivism was a result of the industrial revolution that hit Russia. Factories, machines and technology started coming in, leading to an obsession with everyday objects and materiality. Constructivists also had to cater to the new mass production techniques that were being adopted and thus have to come up with a new design language.

 

-The new visual they came up with consisted of geometric forms, bold colours and strong typography. This visual was kept consistent for many of the posters then so that they would be easier to mass-produce. One such example was Books! By Alexander Rodchenko and Varvara Stepanova, which showcase the usage of the mentioned visual to help with promotion.

 

  1. Art with a purpose

– Constructivists also believed in making artworks for a purpose. They did not want to create art just for basic viewing, instead, they believed art should be ‘constructed’ to serve a societal purpose. Paintings were thus viewed as ‘dead’ and they chose to work with sculptures, architecture or graphic design instead.

 

-This redefined the role of the artist as well as the artwork produced as works now carry a heavier thought and meaning than just aesthetics. It evokes the consciousness of the viewer and gets them to do something, creating an inclusive relationship between the art and the viewer.

 

  1. Constructivism as a propaganda

-Besides societal purpose, many artworks during the Constructivism era also had a lot of political references and served as propaganda. It can be said that artworks then could be used as a political tool and Russia was their canvas. This concept can be found in the propaganda poster ‘Beat the White with the Red’ by El Lissitzky, which used abstract forms to portray its political meaning.

 

Characteristics of Constructivism:

 

In constructivist artworks, the visual qualities of these artworks tend to propagate a sense of truthfulness to the needs and purpose of material. Which in basic terms, “wood should be wood” and “steel should be steel”. Site-specific scenario places an abundance of iron mills in the countryside of Chernobyl, which leads to a heavy usage of iron constructivist. Secondly, the compositions of these work are often utopic and doesn’t account for spatial logic; Emphasising on the “magical” industrial growth of Russia at that point of time of time. Lastly, the abstraction to basic elements of design are results of a more effective mode of education and awareness. Without excessive, unnecessary details, messages are to the point.

 

 

  • Visual quality truthful to material and purpose

 

 

Emphasising on the idea of being truthful to materials and their purpose, we will compare two artists of similar era, of whom with different intentions. Edward Hopper, an American realist painter who painted actual modern American life and Americans distilled in their urban environment, compared to Vladimir Tatlin, who made artworks that represented the growth and state of Russian industrialisation. Albeit similar themes of patriotism as subject matter, the execution is very different. Edward Hopper paints realistic works of skyscraper that are of existence and people who live in that environment. This eye-to-paintbrush to canvas technique can be limited in its effect in terms of driving up diligence under the American Dream (even though Hopper is very successful) Tatlin on the other hand, uses real material of iron, glass and steel that stands representative of the Russian industry to create a monumental tower that symbolises growth and patriotism for the fatherland, with intentions of building it higher than the Eiffel Tower to stir up national pride with the Russians, which would be possible but difficult under the techniques of realistic painters or sculptors.

 

 

  • Composition focused on constructing industrial utopic vision

 

 

Another distinct characteristic would be the fantastical composition that defies spatial logic. Comparing two artworks again, El Lissitzky with Edward Hopper. Lissitzky broke up architecture into beings that are not defined by the laws of gravity or motion. Hence in the Proun series, buildings are seen hovering above plains, in which the plains itself are hovering over empty space without proper grounding. This utopic spaces are not tied up by stroke and harsh tones that makes visual logic, unlike the ones in Hoppers painting. When Hopper is painting from real life, his architecture are seemingly slightly more mundane without exaggerated arrangement and features. This in turn drives up the American Dream in another method, challenging the everyday viewers to relieve familiar sight.

 

 

  • Abstraction to shapes, colours and lines

 

 

Lastly the abstraction to the most basic elements help to clear off any unnecessary details, smoothening the process of understanding. In the Proun Series, the architectures are simplified into their most basic shapes, removing details and textures to facilitate spatial understanding. In Rodchenko’s triptych of primary colours, he plays to this idea of abstraction very intentionally. In the avant garde exhibition called the 5×5=25, he showcased these three paintings that features only a plain layer of each primary colour. His idea of doing so is to express the material quality of the paint. He wanted to reduce the paintings into its most logical conclusion, drawing attention to the substance as a matter. In doing so, Rodchenko announces that this painting is of the subjects “red”, “yellow”, and “blue” and nothing else, unlike the over-decoration by the contemporary counterparts. A key difference when you compare this constructivist abstraction to the then contemporary geometric abstraction or de stijl artists is the purpose behind it. For de stijl, the key player Piet Mondrian, who runs the movement with strong influence from Theosophy. Hence, De Stijl features a strong sense of spiritualism apart from the social intentions. Removing the embellishments of spiritual and social grounding, the function of abstraction applies for both artsworks, the triptych as well as Mondrian’s “Untitled”. Both artists wants the audience to look at the painting and just take notice of the painterly quality of each work. When you look at the layer of black, it visually creates a stronger depth compared to the white which enhances the foreground space. When you look at the red, it pops out compared to the receding blue colour. When you walk towards the painting, you are confronted with the detailed brushstrokes, questioning yourself with each intentions of the brushstroke.

 

Constructivism Today

 

  1. Design language as mentioned by Amanda consist of : Sharp geometry, Primary colours Heavy sans-serif fonts. Dynamic and eye-catching design that helped to promote
  • MoMA poster redesigned in a Russian constructivist style, Lauren Wells, 2009
  • Concert posters for The Black Keys’ NYC tour, designed by OBEY’s Shepard, 2012.
  • Poster for CBS Records, Paula Scher, 1979.
  • Obey develop prints that are heavily influenced by Constructivist style

 

 

 

Presentation Slides