History of design Midterm

Debra Silverman, "Art Nouveau, Art of Darkness: African Lineages of Belgian Modernism"

"Imperialist modern" Prevalence of exotic images, tastes, and motifs taken from other cultures Belgium sourced materials and ideas from Free Congo State: Whiplash style of vines and whips used by colonial officials (seen in Hotel Tassel interior) Ivory taken from elephants (see Civilization and Barbarism) Elephant imagery (work of Henry van de Velde)

Art Deco

"Primitive" sources from the past, Often stereotypical/harmful views of other cultures flamboyant, colorful, glamourous, and exotic twentieth century style. considered to be modern despite that it consists of revived and "renewed" ancient styles from deeply rooted cultures mixed with an affinity for symmetry. Luxurious materials are used to emulate ancient eastern and African styles such as Egyptian, Mesopotamian, and Mesoamerican. Art Deco can be applied to many art forms which are not limited to architecture, including cinema, fine art, and fashion. The style was highly influenced by the arts of indigenous peoples and local flora and fauna. In France, Art Deco was characterized by a combination of high culture combined with native and ancient culture. Art Deco often created a contradiction between new, Avant garde styles, ancient ones, and conservative ones, and was intended for both mass production and luxury consumption. Art Deco style thrived in a time when fantasy was necessary to escape the realities of daily life, according to "style and age" by Benton. Art deco is difficult to define clearly because it is a complex style which combines the aesthetics of many different styles into one, therefore it has no stylistic coherence. Art deco was highly decorative but not ornamentative, and it utilized modern techniques to replicate ancient ones. It was not until the 1930s that Art Deco became a term to define the style. This definition was created by Bevis Hiller in his novel "Art Deco." It is believed that Art Deco was most clearly defined in the 1925 Paris Exhibition. Art Deco was once again revived in the 60s as a result of nostalgia for the glamour of a past generation, and the initiative to revive buildings from earlier in the 19th century.

Tea Service, Henry Cole, for Felix Summerly's Art Manufacture designed 1846, made 1846-71. Made by Minton and Co. Earthenware

- Anti-mass production, treasured individuality and hoped to change the tastes of all people at the time - Initially noticed the malpractice of mass production

A.W.N. Pugin gothic revival style The Medieval Court, 1851. Louis Hahhe. From Dickinson's comprehensive pictures of the Great Exhibition of 1851. Color Lithograph.

- Cole appreciated this re-creation inspired by medieval gothic style, he felt that this was a revival of genuine design, not falsified

1. *Etagere-Sideboard, 1853-54, Alexander Roux, New York, of black walnut, pine, poplar, Metropolitan Museum of Art Rococo Revival

- Designer's business was on Broadway - Sideboard made of solid wood and brass, intended to hold food in the dining room - Rococo revival furniture: very hourglass shaped, C and S scrolls, fish and animals - Reflects masculinity through accents of hunting and gathering

1. *Lithograph, Broadside for Joseph Meeks and Sons, 1833, New York City, Metropolitan Museum of Art Gothic Revival

- Features many pieces of furniture in Scroll style and gothic revival, lists how furniture can be customized on the bottom - The first American furniture catalog, also an advertisement

John Nash, Stuffed Elephant and Howdah from India, The Indian Court, Crystal Palace, 1851

- Flaunting imperial rule over India in a xenophobic and resist manner, using people and 'oriental' styles to portray the wealth and expanse of the empire. - Displayed in the glass palace

*Sofa, c. 1855, attributed to John Henry Belter and Company, New York City, of rosewood with contemporary upholstery, Milwaukee Museum of Art Rococo Revival

- Furniture for more than one person - Shown in the crystal palace USA - Made by immigrant craftsman John Henry Belter, German trained, perhaps France. Focused on Rococo revival in more comfortable forms - Wanted to accommodate the human form. - Springs are incorporated into the upholstery of furniture.

1. Hall Chair, c. 1845, Alexander Jackson Davis, designer, Richard Byrne, White Plains, New York, of oak and cane, for Lyndhurst, Tarrytown, NY Lyndhurst Mansion Designed 1838 by Alexander Jackson Davis Gothic Revival

- Gothic church accents: trefoil, quatrefoil, carved columns, rosette window - Pointed elements, rounded, vertical style

R.W. Winfield of Birmingham Gas Jet Lamp in the shape of a convolvulus, 1848. Included in Henry Cole's "False Principles" Exhibition. "a direct imitation of nature" and therefore "possessing unfitness of purpose"

- Henry Cole despised objects such as this one: he claimed it was unfit of purpose and a poor replication of nature in design

Card Table, 1817, Charles-Honore Lannuier, New York, of mahogany veneer, gilded gesso, verd antique, gilded brass, die-stamped brass borders, one of a pair, Metropolitan Museum of Art Neoclassical: Empire

- New form of furniture for Americans, a table used for playing cards - A luxurious table, top flips open to expand, reserved for uppermost class - Neoclassical elements: legs resemble animal legs, elaborate gold leaf - The front feature is a figure from Greek mythology, also helps to support the table - Brass hardware - It was made by an immigrant "Charles Lanuee" a Frenchman, highest end furniture of the period - Accents: acanthus leaves, caryatid, sphinx

Imperial Federation Map of the World, from The Graphic, 24 July, 1886

- Red represents the British empire, which at that point spanned 1/4th of the world - Displays animals and plants local to foreign areas under their empire, such as an elephant and Australian plants - Most noticeable person depicted in the image holds a British flag shield - Created British cultural influence globally in all aspects: food, clothing, religion, etc. - Symbolic of imperialism and British dominance

*Centripetal Spring Chair, c. 1849-58, design attributed to Thomas E. Warren, possibly manufactured by American Chair Company, Troy, New York, of cast iron, steel, birch, yellow- poplar, basswood, brass, paint, Munson-Williams-Proctor Institute, Utica, NY Rococo Revival

- Rococo revival: hourglass form, legs are created from a series of C scrolls, created from springs - Albany and Troy were experts in Iron manufacture - Made of Iron, swivels - Patented with the US patent and trade office - Practicality: intended to be comfortable, mobile

1. *Pier Table, c. 1835, Joseph Meeks and Sons, New York City, of mahogany veneer, marble, mirror glass, Metropolitan Museum of Art Neoclassical: Empire

- Scroll style, takes wood styles and creates squared exaggerated rolls - Heavier style, marble tabletop, mirror to open up space - Furniture design for the very wealthy - Manufactured by Meeks Cabinet making firm in NYC - Meeks created furniture in many different styles

Bauhaus Weimar • Anni Albers, Wall Covering, 1926.

- Women are being filtered into textile making - Funneled into traditional workshops - Woman master in the weaving workshop - Women begin to make radical textiles for industry, using new materials - Begin to make prototypes for industry which can bring money to the school - Universal forms - Function and efficiency - Collaboration between students and faculty - Mass production

The Crystal Palace, Exhibition Building for the Great Exhibition of 1851. Designed by Joseph Paxton, Hyde Park, London.

- World fair, inspired by greenhouse - Created by Cole in collaboration with the king in order to educate the public and change their tastes - Attracted 6 million in its time A display of imperialism (Britain displayed foreign cultures, crafts and resources), a display of craft and gothic revival. The king worked with a designer to create taste for the public, whom they believed to be tasteless. The temporary building was constructed almost entirely out of glass, a material which could only recently be utilized at such a scale because of industrialism. A period which emphasized craftsmanship and handmade arts, which they idealized over mass produced décor and artwork.

Bauhaus Weimar Lyonel Feininger, Cathedral of the Future, woodcut, 1919.

- looking back to the middle ages, emphasis on craftsmanship (why the cathedral is pictured) - ideology of collaboration, unification of disciplines, "no distinction between monumental and decorative art" -

Gothic Revival

1830-1850 - references medieval design motifs and styles - rosette windows, columns, foils, fleur de lees

Rococo Revival

1850-1870s - highly decorated with imagery of nature: flowers, leaves, animals, hunting and gathering - C/S scrolls - Messages are more subliminal than Neoclassical style - Hourglass and symmetrical shape - Highly expensive - Attempt at functionality: comfortable - Often impractical and decorative (sideboards)

American Aestheticism

1870s-1890s - Not a revival, but a combination of styles and tastes - Lacks morality and specified taste - Cultural elements from japan and the middle east were often incorporated - Beauty for its own sake - Highly decorative - It was entirely about the sensory experience of the design, how the design was made had nothing to do with the design. However, most pieces were custom made - Arts and crafts

Neoclassical

: 1780-1820s - Aspect of education: understanding of a visual vocabulary - Upper class style

Empire:

A branch of Neoclassical art - Focused on the luxury of materials: mahogany and brass - richer style than federal

Federal:

A branch of Neoclassical art - Inspired by Greek and roman design qualities & including motifs from both cultures - Earlier on it was hand crafted

*Dragonfly Lamp, pre-1906, probably designed by Clara Driscoll, Tiffany Studios, NY, New-York Historical Society American Aestheticism

Art for art's sake: no moral reasoning, purely about the beauty of objects Richly decorated objects and interiors: associated with wealth Influenced by Islamic, Japanese, Chinese, Venetian, and Indian design styles

1. *Wisteria Lamp, c. 1901, designed by Clara Driscoll, Tiffany Studios, NY, New-York Historical Society American Aestheticism

Art for art's sake: no moral reasoning, purely about the beauty of objects Richly decorated objects and interiors: associated with wealth Influenced by Islamic, Japanese, Chinese, Venetian, and Indian design styles

A.W.N. Pugin

Designer Promoted Gothic Revival Converted to Catholicism Saw Gothic as only true style of England Created works primarily for churches and political buildings did not resist industrialization

Henry Cole

Designer Wanted to reform taste, reforming taste = helping society Started Great Exhibition of 1851 and South Kensington Museum (modern day Victoria & Albert Museum) to reform/train designers Rejected designs with imitation of reality, illusions of three dimensions, false impressions of nature, materials disguised as other ones Presented 78 works in "False Principles" Exhibition that showed these qualities Form = function Created works like tea service (pictured) under the name Felix Summerly Reading: "On the International Results of the Exhibition of 1851"

William Morris

Designer of furniture, textiles, wallpapers, tiles, and other household goods Also a publisher, poet, and Socialist activist Believed in the joy of labor: workers should enjoy making things = produce better items, help create happier people and better/more beautiful society "truth to materials" = not disguising materials when making things Considered the founder to the Arts and Crafts movement Readings: "The Lesser Arts," "William Morris: A Life in Design"

Bauhaus Weimar Gunta Stolzl and Marcel Breuer, "African Chair", Oak and cherry wood, hemp, wool, cotton and silk, 1921.

Gunta Stolzl and Marcel Breuer, Chair, 1922. - Stolzl begins to work with furniture designers - Appropriates cultural designs and motifs from Africa, seen in Art Deco - Loom form - Hand painted

Art Nouveau

Industry and printing of posters, organic (whiplash=interior curves, tied to colonizers in art of darkness) , the new woman - 'Art of darkness' Belgian art nouveau as " imperial modernism," created from Congo raw materials and inspired by Congo - Mainly available to the uppermost class, lots of luxury materials, impractical - Total environment - About the experience of being in that environment, not deeper meaning or functionality - Revival of craft production which draws back to the design reform

1925 Paris Exposition and the Popularization of Art Deco Style

Intended to visualize "new modes of life," modern living International gathering, but a triumph in showing off luxury French goods Ambiguity about what the term "modern" meant to designers, each country interpreted it differently Begin to see abstraction, use of geometric forms, flattening of image plane

Furnishing chintz, c. 1850. Roller printed glazed cotton. Included in Henry Cole's "False Principles" Exhibition "imitation of ribbon upon chintz, direct imitation of moss roses, want of symmetrical arrangement"

Mass produced, an example of the false style that Cole despised: the flowers are unrealistic and falsified, created with artificial dyes

The Industrial Revolution

Occurred as a result of new technologies and steam power. Mass production created purchasing options for a new middle class. Tacky art pieces such as the flowered gas lamp were able to be made rapidly. Steam technology enabled the industrial revolution to occur.

John Ruskin

Rejected industrialization Saw beauty in design imperfections/the ability to see human influence in design production Looked to Gothic/Medieval church carved sculptures for influence of handcrafted and more beautiful designs Did not encourage copying and unnecessary ornament Either make a man a worker or a grindstone = freedom to design/make or making a man a machine under industrialization Teachings influenced William Morris Readings: "The Nature of the Gothic," also published The Stones of Venice

Art Nouveau

Revival of craft production, narrow the gap between fine and applied arts Decoration of whole interior space Very popular in France, but spread all over Europe and to United States Lots of flowing, organic/natural imagery = feeling that designs have energy or are alive

Frankfurt Kitchen

also known as a "the labor saving kitchen," was designed by Margarete Schutte-Lihotzky, who was not a Bauhaus artist. The designer utilized the principles of scientific management to create a completely optimized, efficient, and functional kitchen space, which helped to save work and increase productivity. The Kitchen includes hung dishes, lights on a tract, large windows, labeled bins, united countertops, and more. This kitchen is minimalist, and exemplifies a new trend towards functionality and assessibility in modern design. - Happening at the same time as the 1925 paris exhibition

American Neoclassicism (ca. 1783 − 1820s)

appropriation and use of aesthetics of ancient Greece and Rome - Population increases and spreads out west, industrialization occurs, and immigrants begin having a great impact on culture - During this time there were many excavations of Greek and roman ruins

Bauhaus Weimar Peter Keler, Cradle, 1922.

influenced by DeStijl movement: - reduction of forms to bare essentials - use of color to differentiate forms - minimalist - primary colors - basic shapes such as circles and triangles - function is the fundamental focus - minimalist in the form of abstraction