Artists of the 20th Century

I am currently studying as a graphic design student and have become interested in the history of art and design. This blog will include posts from the 20th century and different art styles.

[chloemulligan]

Kinetic Art - Theo Jansen

Dutch artist Theo Jansen creates sculptures that he calls Strandbeest. In Dutch the word strand means beach and beest means beast. These creations are not only the fusion of art and engineering, but a 3D mechanism with an artificial intelligence and life of its own.

Strandbeest is made of plastic yellow tubes and it closely resembles a skeleton that moves with the help of the wind.

http://www.jebiga.com/strandbeest-kinetic-animal-sculptures-theo-jansen/

[chloemulligan]

Experimental - April Greiman

Design Quarterly 133, Does It Make Sense? (detail),

Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, 1989

http://www.aiga.org/medalist-aprilgreiman/

Identity, business cards, hang tags, and postcards for Vertigo, 1979

http://www.aiga.org/medalist-aprilgreiman/

Jaime Odgers Four Panel Poster

https://www.behance.net/gallery/13629153/April-Greiman-Jaime-Odgers-Four-Panel-Poster

2012  Stanislav Lunin ArtWork - "poster on the Swiss style of typography style cover of April Greiman"

The greatest threat to communications - no difference, and uniformity. Communication ceases when one being no different from another, when there is nothing which can be surprising, there is no new information to share.

http://talent.adweek.com/gallery/4501337/LuninArt4life-04

[chloemulligan]

Experimental - Svenja Jödicke

Experimental artist design their artwork to be different from other artworks around them and want to be unusual, unfamiliar to the point of their looking peculiar or perplexing.

Flora (100 x 75 cm)

http://pixiecold.deviantart.com/art/Flora-327961848

Godesses of Nature

http://pixiecold.deviantart.com/art/Godesses-of-the-Nature-344163471

God of the Forest

http://pixiecold.deviantart.com/art/God-of-the-forest-351654403

Declaration of Love

http://pixiecold.deviantart.com/art/declaration-of-love-306857188

Metamorphose

http://pixiecold.deviantart.com/art/Metamorphose-292772791

Other Life

watercolor, acryl and maker

http://pixiecold.deviantart.com/art/Other-life-249470204

[chloemulligan]

Postmodernism - David Carson

“The Obama Speeches: A Special Issue” cover, 2009

Client: The Guardian

Designer: David Carson

http://www.aiga.org/medalist-david-carson/

National Theatre 50th anniversary poster, 2013

Client: National Theatre, London

Designer: David Carson

http://www.aiga.org/medalist-david-carson/

2015. Davids poster for the 50th anniversary of the Society of Publication Designers, nyc

http://www.davidcarsondesign.com/

The Magazine Factory,  London.2013.

[chloemulligan]

Postmodernism - Stephan Seigmester

Postmodernism is an art movement that occured in the late 20th century. It is often associated with deconstruction and post-stucturalism. Movements such as Intermedia, Installation art, Conceptual Art and Multimedia involving video are often reffered to as postmodern.

Characteristics of postmodern art ofter includes briocolage, using words as the central artistic element, collage, simplification, appropriation, performance art, and recycling past styles and themes od modern day context. 

Aizone

​Art Direction & Design Aizone, a luxury department store in the Middle East. Taking the vibrant nature of the brand and presenting it in campaigns that are printed in newspapers, magazines, and billboards throughout Lebanon.

http://www.sagmeisterwalsh.com/work/project/aizone/

TAKE IT ON SVA Posters

"Take it On" posters for the School of Visual Arts (SVA) in New York City. We looked around our studio and realized that the Sagmeister & Walsh team is rooted in the SVA community. Stefan teaches at the MFA Design department, Jessica teaches at the BFA Design department, and Santiago was a student at the BFA Design department. We embraced the maxim by literally taking on the typography on our faces. We worked with renowned photographer Henry Leutwyler and creative retoucher Erik Johansson to achieve this poster series which is now displayed throughout the NYC subway stations.

http://www.sagmeisterwalsh.com/work/project/sva-posters/

Lou Reed Poster

I went to a show in Soho by middle Eastern artist Shirin Neshat. She used arabic type written on hands and feet. It was very personal. When I came back I read Lou's lyrics for Trade In, a very personal song about his need to change. We used his lyrics written on his face.

http://www.sagmeisterwalsh.com/work/project/lou-reed-poster/

Everybody thinks they are right

Everybody thinks they are right.... about everything. Including predicting the future of media.

http://www.sagmeisterwalsh.com/work/project/everybody-thinks-they-are-right/

[chloemulligan]

Minimalism - Sol LeWitt

Minimalism started in the early 1960s in New York. The term minimalism is used when describing paintings and sculptures that embrace simplicity, in both content and form, and aim to remove any sign of personal expressivity. The sculptures were often fabricated from industrial materials.

Minimalist art eliminated all represational imagery and illusionistic pictorial space and replaced it with a single image, often composed and arranged according to a grid.

The aim of Minimalism is to allow the viewer to experience the work more intensely without the distractions of composition, theme and so on.

Hanging Complex Form, 1989

Sol LeWitt, American (1928 - 2007)

painted wood, 11' 6" x 3' 4" x 2' 11" (350.5 cm x 101.6 cm x 88.9 cm)

http://www.pacegallery.com/artists/261/sol-lewitt

Wall Structure Blue, 1962

Sol LeWitt, American (1928 - 2007)

oil on canvas and painted wood; 62 1/4 in. x 62 1/4 in. x 9 3/4 in. (158.12 cm x 158.12 cm x 24.77 cm)

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art

http://www.sfmoma.org/explore/collection/artwork/20240

Progressive Structure , 1997

Sol LeWitt, American (1928 - 2007)

painted wood, 48-3/4" x 52-1/2" x 24-3/4" (123.8 cm x 133.4 cm x 62.9 cm)

http://www.pacegallery.com/artists/261/sol-lewitt

Irregular Form, 1998

Sol LeWitt, American (1928 - 2007)

gouache on paper, 22-1/2" x 29-1/2" (57.2 cm x 74.9 cm)

http://www.pacegallery.com/artists/261/sol-lewitt

[chloemulligan]

Psychedelia - Wes Wilson

Pyschedelia, also known as psychedelic, began in the mid 1960s. This art movement not only effected music, but also style of dress, language, art, literature and philosophy. The name “psychedelic” refers to drugs that were popular with the youth culture of the time. Posters for rock concerts tried to visually express the feeling of “tripping out”. Typical designs featuring of psychedelia is the use of abstract swirls of intense color with curvilinear calligraphy inspired by Art Nouveau.

Euphoria, 1966

Wes Wilson, American (Born 1937)

color offset lithograph on paper sheet and image; 20 1/4 x 14 in. (51.4 x 35.6 cm)

Smithsonian American Art Museum

http://americanart.si.edu/collections/search/artwork/?id=76543

Wonderland, 1966

Wes Wilson, American (Born 1937)

color offset lithograph on paper sheet and image; 20 1/2 x 14 1/4 in. (52.1 x 36.2 cm)

Smithsonian American Art Museum

http://americanart.si.edu/collections/search/artwork/?id=76545

Captain Beefheart, 1966

Wes Wilson, American (Born 1937)

color lithograph; 19 x 13 3/4 in. (48.3 x 34.9 cm)

Smithsonian American Art Museum

http://americanart.si.edu/collections/search/artwork/?id=54531

[chloemulligan]

Kinetic Art - Alexander Calder

Kinetic art, or kineticism, is an art movement that refers to art of both real and apparent motion created between 1920 and 1970, however it was not recognized as a movement until 1955. Kinetic art claimed Constructivism and Dada as its historical precedents. 

Untitled, 1935

Alexander Calder, American (1898-1976)

Wood, metal, and string; 31 inches (78.7 cm) high

http://www.guggenheim.org/new-york/collections/collection-online/artwork/740

Red Lily Pads (Nénuphars rouges), 1956

Alexander Calder, American (1898-1976)

Painted sheet metal and metal rods; 3 feet 6 inches x 16 feet 9 inches x 9 feet 1 inch (106.7 x 510.5 x 276.9 cm)

http://www.guggenheim.org/new-york/collections/collection-online/artwork/750

Blondie, 1917

Alexander Calder, American (1898-1976)

Painted sheet metal and metal rods; 19 3/4 x 15 1/8 x 13 inches (50.2 x 38.4 x 33 cm)

http://www.guggenheim.org/new-york/collections/collection-online/artwork/760

Spring (Printemps), 1928

Alexander Calder, American (1898-1976)

Wire and wood; 92 x 25 x 25 inches (233.7 x 63.5 x 63.5 cm)

http://www.guggenheim.org/new-york/collections/collection-online/artwork/736

[chloemulligan]

Op Art - Bridget Riley

Op Art, also known as optical art, is a visual art style that uses optical illusions. It’s artwork are abstract and most commonly use black and white for maximum contrast. The aim is to give the viewer the impression of movement, hidden images, flashing and/or vibrating patterns, or swelling and warping. 

Big Blue, 1981-1982

Bridget Riley, England (Born 1931)

Oil over synthetic polymer paint on linen; 234.5 x 201cm

Queensland Art Gallery

http://www.qagoma.qld.gov.au/collection/contemporary_international_art/bridget_riley

Movement in squares, 1961

Bridget Riley, England (Born 1931)

Tempera on board; 122×122

http://www.op-art.co.uk/bridget-riley/

Pause, 1964

Bridget Riley, England (Born 1931)

Emulsion on board; 115.5×116

http://www.op-art.co.uk/bridget-riley/

Cataract 3, 1967

Bridget Riley, England (Born 1931)

PVA on canvas; 223.5×222

http://www.op-art.co.uk/bridget-riley/

[chloemulligan]

Abstract Expressionism - Jackson Pollock

Abstract Expressionism is an art movement that was developed in New York in the 1940s. It was the first specifically American Movement to achieve international influence. It is best known for it’s large-scale paintings that break away from traditional processes. Artists would often take the canvas off of the easel and use unconventional materials such as house paint to create their artwork.

Gothic, 1944

Jackson Pollock, American (1912-1956)

Oil on canvas; 7' 5/8" x 56" (215.5 x 142.1 cm)

http://www.moma.org/collection/browse_results.php?criteria=O%3AAD%3AE%3A4675&page_number=47&template_id=1&sort_order=1

There Were Seven in Eight, 1945

Jackson Pollock, American (1912-1956)

Oil on canvas; 43" x 8' 6" (109.2 x 259.1 cm)

http://www.moma.org/collection/browse_results.php?criteria=O%3AAD%3AE%3A4675&page_number=53&template_id=1&sort_order=1

Full Fathom Five, 1947

Jackson Pollock, American (1912-1956)

Oil on canvas with nails, tacks, buttons, key, coins, cigarettes, matches, etc. ; 50 7/8 x 30 1/8" (129.2 x 76.5 cm)

http://www.moma.org/collection/browse_results.php?criteria=O%3AAD%3AE%3A4675&page_number=56&template_id=1&sort_order=1

Easter and the Totem, 1953

Jackson Pollock, American (1912-1956)

Oil on canvas; 6' 10 1/8" x 58" (208.6 x 147.3 cm)

http://www.moma.org/collection/browse_results.php?criteria=O%3AAD%3AE%3A4675&page_number=76&template_id=1&sort_order=1

White Light, 1954

Jackson Pollock, American (1912-1956)

Oil, enamel, and aluminum paint on canvas; 48 1/4 x 38 1/4" (122.4 x 96.9 cm)

http://www.moma.org/collection/browse_results.php?criteria=O%3AAD%3AE%3A4675&page_number=77&template_id=1&sort_order=1

[chloemulligan]

Swiss Style - Josef Müller-Brockmann

Swiss Style, also more commonly known as the International Typographic Style, is a graphic design style that was developed in Switzerland in the 1950s. Swiss Style emphasizes cleanliness, readability and objectivity. The style has an asymmetric layout and uses grids, sans-serifs typefaces and with flush left and ragged right text layout. 

Weniger Lärm, 1960

Josef Müller-Brockmann, Swiss (1914–1996) 

Offset lithograph; 50 1/4 x 35 1/2" (127.7 x 90.1 cm)

http://www.moma.org/collection/browse_results.php?criteria=O%3AAD%3AE%3A4154&page_number=11&template_id=1&sort_order=1

Frühjahrskonzert der Tonhalle-Gesellschaft (5th Spring concert of the Acoustic Society), 1953

Josef Müller-Brockmann, Swiss (1914–1996) 

Lithograph; 39 x 27 3/4" (99.5 x 70.5 cm)

http://www.moma.org/collection/browse_results.php?criteria=O%3AAD%3AE%3A4154&page_number=1&template_id=1&sort_order=1

Musica Viva, 1958

Josef Müller-Brockmann, Swiss (1914–1996) 

Linocut and letterpress; 50 3/8 x 35 5/8" (128 x 90.5 cm)

http://www.moma.org/collection/browse_results.php?criteria=O%3AAD%3AE%3A4154&page_number=8&template_id=1&sort_order=1

Der Film, 1960

Josef Müller-Brockmann, Swiss (1914–1996) 

Offset lithograph; 35 1/2 x 50 1/4" (90.1 x 127.6 cm)

http://www.moma.org/collection/browse_results.php?criteria=O%3AAD%3AE%3A4154&page_number=9&template_id=1&sort_order=1

Das Freundliche Handzeichen, Schützt vor Unfällen, 1954

Josef Müller-Brockmann, Swiss (1914–1996) 

Offset Lithograph; 50 3/8 x 35 7/16" ( 128 x  90 cm)

http://www.moma.org/collection/browse_results.php?criteria=O%3AAD%3AE%3A4154&page_number=2&template_id=1&sort_order=1

[chloemulligan]

Pop Art - Andy Warhol

Pop Art is an art movement that emerged in Britan and the United States in the mid- late 1950′s. Pop Art wanted to challenge the traditions of fine art by including images from popular culture such as advertising and news. The materials used are often visually removed from its known context, isolates and/or combined with unrelated material.  The concept of pop art refers not as much to the art itself as to the attitudes that led to it.

Campbell’s Soup Cans, 1962

Andy Warhol, American (1928-1987)

Synthetic polymer paint on canvas; 20 x 16 inches (51 cm × 41 cm) each for 32 canvases

Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Campbell%27s_Soup_Cans

Eight Elvises, 1963

Andy Warhol, American (1928-1987)

Silkscreen on canvas; 200 cm × 370 cm (6.5 ft × 12 ft)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eight_Elvises

Gold Marilyn Monroe, 1962

Andy Warhol, American (1928–1987)

Silkscreen ink on synthetic polymer paint on canvas; 6' 11 1/4" x 57" (211.4 x 144.7 cm)

Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY

http://www.moma.org/learn/moma_learning/andy-warhol-gold-marilyn-monroe-1962

[chloemulligan]

De Stijl - Piet Mondrian

De Stijil, Dutch for The Style, was founded in 1917. It was an art movement that embraced an abstract aethetic that focused on basic visual elements such as geometric forms and primary colours.

Composition in Oval with Color Planes 1, 1914

Piet Mondrian, Dutch (1872-1944)

Oil on Canvas; 42 3/8 x 31″ (107.6 x 78.8 cm)

http://www.moma.org/collection/browse_results.php?criteria=O%3AAD%3AE%3A4057&page_number=6&template_id=1&sort_order=1

Composition in Yellow, Blue, and White, I, 1937

Piet Mondrian, Dutch (1872-1944)

Oil on canvas; 22 1/2 x 21 3/4" (57.1 x 55.2cm)

http://www.moma.org/collection/browse_results.php?criteria=O%3AAD%3AE%3A4057&page_number=16&template_id=1&sort_order=1

Composition A, 1923

Piet Mondrian, Dutch (1872-1944)

Oil on canvas

Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna e Contemporanea, Rome, Italy

http://www.wikiart.org/en/piet-mondrian/composition-a-1923

[chloemulligan]

Russian Constructivism - Aleksandr Rodchenko

Russian Constructivism was a movement that occured during the 20th Century. It was created by the Russian avant-garde, but soon spread to the rest of the continent. The aim of Constructivist art is to complete abstraction with a modern influence. Themes are often geometric, experimental and rarely show any emotional influence.

Dobrolet, 1923

Aleksandr Rodchenko, Russian (1891-1956)

Offset lithograph, 13 3/4 x 17 7/8″ (35 x 45.4 cm)

http://www.moma.org/collection/browse_results.php?criteria=O%3AAD%3AE%3A4975&page_number=20&template_id=1&sort_order=1

Razgovers Finispektorom o poezii, 1926

Aleksandr Rodchenko, Russian (1891-1956)

Cover with letterpress lettering and photomontage illustration on front, and letterpress photomontage illustration on back; 1 letterpress photomontage illustration, 6 7/8 x 5" (17.4 x 12.7 cm)

http://www.moma.org/collection/browse_results.php?criteria=O%3AAD%3AE%3A4975&page_number=66&template_id=1&sort_order=1

Books (The Advertisement Poster for the Lengiz Publishing House), 1924

Aleksandr Rodchenko, Russian (1891-1956)

Photomontage and Gouache on Paper;

http://www.theartstory.org/artist-rodchenko-alexander.htm

[chloemulligan]

The Bauhaus Movement

10 facts about the Bauhaus Movement:

The Bauhaus was one of the most influention Design Insitutes of the 20th Century

It was founded by Walter Gropius in Weimar, Germany in 1919

Although the school was founded in Weimer, Germany, it was percieved as too liberal and was moved to Dessau in 1924 before being forced to close its doors in 1933 because of the pressure from the Nazi political party

The Bauhaus aimed to unite creativity and manufacturing and to create an enviroment where artists and craftsmen could work alongside each other and contribute to ‘building the future’

The school was well known for its faculty which included artisits such as Wassily Kandinsky, Josef Albers, Paul Klee, Johannes Itten and László Moholy-Nagy, architects such as it’s founder Walter Gropius, and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, and also designer Marcel Breuer

In 1923, the Bauhaus went public with an exhibition which showed a house, Haus am Horn, that was designed and furnished by the students and teachers who attended the school

The Wassily chair, designed in 1925 by Marcel Breuer, is one of the most iconic pieces to come out of the Bauhaus

The Bauhaus changed the idea of furniture design and maufacturing by using steel as the frame and support for chairs, tables, sofas and even lamps instead of wood

After closing the school during the dangerous years of World War II, most of the key members of the Bauhaus emigrated to the United States where their work and teaching influenced many of the younger arcitects and designers 

Although the Bauhaus was only open for 14 years, it has influenced modern art, industry and technology, but has been most influential in modern furniture design

[chloemulligan]

Suprematism - Olga Rozanova

Suprematism was an art movement that focused on basic geometric forms, such as circles, squares, lines, and rectangles, painted in a limited range of colors.

Abstract Composition, 1916

Olga Rozanova, Russian (1886-1918)

Charcoal, pencil and coloured pencil on paper; 17 7/8 x 14″ (45.5 x 35.5 cm)

http://www.moma.org/collection/browse_results.php?criteria=O%3AAD%3AE%3A5066&page_number=30&template_id=1&sort_order=1

Universal War, 1916

Olga Rozanova, Russian (1886-1918)

Oil on canvas;

Green Stripe (Color Painting), 1917

Olga Rozanova, Russian (1886-1918)

Oil on canvas; 71.5 x 49 cm

Rostov Kremlin State Museum Preserve

http://allplusall.tumblr.com/post/2416198697/olga-rozanoba-green-stripe-color-painting

[chloemulligan]

Dada - Marcel Duchamp

Dada was not so much a style of art, it was more a protest movement with an anti-establishment manifesto. There was no predominant medium in Dadaist art, instead assemblage, collage, photo montage and the use of ready made objects gained wide acceptance.

Bicycle Wheel, 1951

Marcel Dunchamp, France (1887-1968)

Metal wheel mounted on a painted wood stool, 51 x 25 x 16 1/2″ (129.5 x 63.5 x 41.9 cm) 

Museum in New York City, New York

http://www.moma.org/learn/moma_learning/marcel-duchamp-bicycle-wheel-new-york-1951-third-version-after-lost-original-of-1913

L.H.O.O.Q. or La Joconde, 1964

Marcel Duchamp, French (1887-1968)

Colored reproduction, heightened with pencil and white gouache;  8 1/4 x 5 3/8" (21 x 13.8 cm)

http://www.nortonsimon.org/collections/browse_artist.php?name=Duchamp%2C+Marcel&resultnum=5

Fountain, 1917

Marcel Duchamp, French (1887-1968)

Glazed ceramic with black paint; 15 in, x 19 1/4 in. x 24 5/8 in. (38.1 x 48.9 x 62.55 cm)

http://www.sfmoma.org/explore/collection/artwork/25853