Art Deco

Art deco began in Paris in the 1920s' and continued in the 1930s' when it got international recognition. Art Deco represents elegance, glamour, functionality and modernity. It also has an electric artistic style that never ages. Art deco influenced both art and design, influencing architecture, interior design, fashion and even jewelry. As for art, art deco influences painting, graphic design and media such as film.
It came after Art Noveau but it has little to do with it, in fact it is quite the opposite. In it(art nouveau) could be seen flowing organic curves were as in Art deco, is formed of linear symmetry. It got it's inspiration from other styles like neoclassical, constructivism, cubism, modernism and futurism, it even got a bit of inspiration from the ancient Egyptian and Aztec forms.
Art deco is for decorative purposes only and only for visual aspects. It's popularity decreased in the late 1930s' and early 1940s' but got back it's popularity during the 1960s' with the first book that was published on the subject of Art deco in 1968 written by Bevis Hillier. An exhibition organized by Mr.Hillier in Minneapolis in 1971 again help gain getting it back in style. It continued to grow when it started getting used in graphic design during the 80s'.


graphic design influenced by art deco


inspired by Art Deco


painting influenced by Art deco.


source: Art Movements - Art Deco. 2013. Art Movements - Art Deco. [ONLINE] Available at: http://pinterest.com/thebigmachine/art-movements-art-deco/. [Accessed 20 May 2013].

Realism

Realism is called "The Realist Movement" and it originated from France in the 1800s'. The artists from this movement wanted to break away from the artistic styles and what they used to paint in the past.

Realism focuses more about what's real and simple. Paintings in the movement were about nature, ordinary lives and problems. They were also about customs and the lower class, the unexceptional, the unadorned and the humble.

Gustave Courbet was one of the first of these realist and therefore led the others to follow in his example. This painting "The Burial at Ornans" that was painted in 1849  and other paintings he had done during that time,represented the common people in everyday scenes.

The Burial at Ornans.

There were other realists like Honore Daumier who was a social and political satirist. He painted "The Washerwoman" in 1863.

source: The Realism Art Movement. 2013. The Realism Art Movement. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.artsmypassion.com/articles.asp?ID=306. [Accessed 20 May 2013].

Realism (late 1800s-early 1900s) | Scholastic ART | Scholastic.com. 2013.Realism (late 1800s-early 1900s) | Scholastic ART | Scholastic.com. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3753924. [Accessed 20 May 2013].

POP ART.

Pop Art started in the 50s' in Britain. The first application of the term Pop Art got into conversation during a discussion a group of artists had. This group of artists called themselves "the independent group".
Pop Art did nothing to critique natural and did not exist to make a statement. It simply celebrated pop culture for what it is.
It was officially considered a movement in February of 1958 by Lawrence Alloway, talking about it in his article "The Arts and Mass Media".
The Modernist movement was completed by the Pop Art movement by investing in contemporary subject matter. Pop Art also ended the Modernism movement.

examples of POP ART


costume make-up inspired by POP ART


source: Pop Art - Art History Basics on Pop Art - mid-1950s to Early 1970s. 2013.Pop Art - Art History Basics on Pop Art - mid-1950s to Early 1970s. [ONLINE] Available at: http://arthistory.about.com/od/modernarthistory/a/Pop-Art-Art-History-101-Basics.htm. [Accessed 20 May 2013].

Andrew Warhol

Andrew Worhol was born on August 6, 1928 iin Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with the name Andrew Worhola. Both of his parents were Slovakian immigrants.
At the age of 8, Andrew Warhol got a (sometimes) a fatal disease called Chorea. This effects the nervous system that left him in bed for several months. This was the time when Worhol started drawing. His mother was an artist and started teaching him while he was in bed. Drawing had become his favorite past time. He also liked movies, which persuaded his mother to buy him a camera at the age of 9 and with that he took up photography as his past time as well.
He graduated from college with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1949 and he moved to New York to start his career as a commercial artist.
after getting a job with "Glamour" magazine, he become one of the most successful  commercial artists of the 50s', winning awards for his unique style.
He started giving more of his attention to painting in the late 1950s', and in 1961, he came up with the idea of "Pop Art". The concept of Pop Art was about paintings that focused on mass produced commercial goods.
In 1964, he opened his own art studio. This was named "The Factory" and has quickly became one of the cultural hotspots.
in 1967 Warhol published his first book "Andy Worhol's index" and after he produced more books one other being "The Philosophy of Andy Warhol" and another being "Exposures" in the 70s'.
In 80s' Andrew Warhol experimented with television, hosting "Andy Warhol's TV" and "Andy Warhol's Fifteen Minutes on MTV"
Andrew Warhol died on February 22 in 1987. He was only 58 years old.
 


a collage of his work

source:  Andy Warhol Biography - Facts, Birthday, Life Story - Biography.com . 2013.Andy Warhol Biography - Facts, Birthday, Life Story - Biography.com . [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.biography.com/people/andy-warhol-9523875?page=2. [Accessed 20 May 2013].

how Anime influenced western animation

the word anime is now used to refer to Japanese animation,these usually have a distinct style. Anime has gotten more popular, making it a big part of the animation and it's production in the Western world.
Since it has become more popular, animation in the west has started putting hints of its distinct style that anime has. These include exaggerated facial expressions and different versions of the characters for a few seconds. Particularly, western animations like "The Batman" and "Teen Titans" use these characteristics. In "Batman Beyond" these characteristics are also there, which makes sense since some of its production processes were outsourced in Japan.

teen titans as seen on the show for most of the time.


exaggerated version seen for a few seconds.

Influences in Western animation can be seen also in the 80s', like the animation "transformers" which was inspired by mecha anime.
Another example is the american animation "Avatar: The Last Airbender". The show is technically not an anime because it originated from America but some people consider it an anime since both the plot and the style of the show are very similar to an anime. Once a reviewer had stated that "Avatar blurs the line between anime and (US) domestic cartoons until it becomes irrelevant" Creators of the show (Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino)  have said that anime was a very big influence for them to create the show.


avatar the last airbender.

Some Disney movies have also been influenced by anime. Glen Keane, the animator for "the little mermaid", "beauty and the beast" and "Aladdin" has said that anime was a big part of the inspiration. Pete Docter, a director for "UP" and "monsters inc.", has also described anime, specifically Miyazaki, as a influence.
Anime has not only influenced America but also Canada and Europe. The french animation "Cody Lyoko" was one of the most successful animated series and its producers say that the visual impact  of Japanese animation was an influence.

source: Anime-influenced animation - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 2013. Anime-influenced animation - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. [ONLINE] Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anime-influenced_animation. [Accessed 19 May 2013].

how Japanese culture influenced western fashion

Fashion pieces inspired by Japanese fashion is slowly being worn more and more by teenagers and young women in the west side of the world.
Japanese fashion started its revolution not long ago in the 80s', starting with designers like Issey Miyake, Kohji Kammamoto and Comme de Garcons. It has expended now to a lot more, creating brands such as Uniqlo, Kenz and Muji.
European designers like John Galliano, Elie Saab and Karl Lagerfeld have been a fan of Japanese fashion for years and often go to Japan to be inspired and see what they can bring to the west.
In fact, in 2007, John Galliano got some inspiration from the Japanese artistic elements for his Dior Handbags collection. A bag from this collection called "Dior Samourai 1947" is a woven bag that was released in celebration of Dior's 60th anniversary. The hand stitched Japanese hair knot and tortoiseshell frame top are very detailed and the rolled leather handle with twisted die detailing and gusseted sides add a bit of an Asian style to it as well.


Japanese Fashion has not only influenced fashion designers, but also celebrities. The singer Gwen Stefani voiced her love for Japan and its culture in 2004 when she hired "The Harajuku Girls" as her back up dancers. The girls are named after a small distract in tokyo where teenagers and young adults shop and hang out to explore their own fashion trends.
Gwen Stefani also has her Harajuku clothing line in which he got a lot of her inspiration from the Japanese culture. This was the the first fashion line directly combining a European designer with Japanese style. This had generated a shock for the whole western fashion world.

 
source: Japanese fashion’s influence on Western style and trends | Liberty n Lux. 2013. Japanese fashion’s influence on Western style and trends | Liberty n Lux. [ONLINE] Available at:http://libertynlux.wordpress.com/2011/03/30/japanese-fasions-influence-on-western-style-and-trends/. [Accessed 19 May 2013].

Vanity, Profanity and Worship- Jewelry Exhibition.

Visited exhibition on the 4th of May 2013.
The exhibition was held at the Casino Maltese(valletta)
The organization responsible for this exhibition were patrimonju malti. The exhibition was made up of different jewelry pieces done by different artists.

Gothic Revival

The Gothic Revival style was inspired by the medieval design that came before it.  This style was part of the mid-19th century romantic movement associated with architecture.
This style that was mostly in America was enhanced and advanced by Alexander Jackson Davis and Andrew Jackson Downing, architects and authors of Rural Residences(1837), Cottage Residences(1842) and The Architecture of Country Houses(1850).
The Gothic revival style was also a popular style for churches. They had castle-like towers, parapets and pointed arched windows.

Example of a church with Gothic Style in Gozo in Nadur.

source: Mid-19th Century Period. 2013. Mid-19th Century Period. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/mid-19th_century_period/2386/gothic_revival_style/293443. [Accessed 17 May 2013].

how Japanese art influenced Vincent Van Gogh.

Japanese art had a great influence on Van Gogh, especially Japanese woodcuts. This happened when Van Gogh moved to Paris in 1886. This was the time he was introduced to impressionism as well as Japonism. He liked the bold designs, vivid colours and the flat areas of colour it had.
Van Gogh's brother(Theo) ran an art gallery at the time in Montmartre. This helped Vincent get in contact with ukiyo-e, an Japanese artist. Van Gogh spent a lot of time in the gallery studying the works and what made them have the Japonism style. He later became a collector of ukiyo-e's work.
Van Gogh copied two designs of Japanese landscape printmaker, Hiroshige. He copied the prints 'The Bridge in the Rain' and 'Flowering Plum Tree'. In the 'The Bridge in the Rain', Van Gogh filled the border with calligraphic figures that he got from other Japanese related prints.
Van Gogh created a version of 'The Courtesan' in the same fashion as the others. This piece was based on Kesai Eisen's work, another Japanese artist. The frame of this piece was as well filled with Japanese prints. Even though Van Gogh copied the prints, the changed them to make them fit his style as well. The copies Van Gogh made had brighter colours and a greater contrast could be seen from the colours.


'The Bridge in the Rain'


'Flowering Plum Tree'

source:  Japonisme, Japonaiserie, Japanese Influence on Van Gogh . 2013.Japonisme, Japonaiserie, Japanese Influence on Van Gogh . [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.vangoghgallery.com/influences/japonisme.html. [Accessed 16 May 2013].

Olympia painting. Edouard Manet.

Edouard Manet's painting 'Olympia' in 1863 was the first well known painting from a Western Culture that involved the influences of Japanese style. This painting made Manet the first person to be documented that lead to the French Japonisme style.
Taking genuine interest in the Japanese style, Edouard Manet, made these implications subtly, making the style his own, making his work not all of Japanese. This subtle hints could not be seen by the casual viewer.
'Olympia' had elements of light, shadow and shade but the figure in the composition had a certain flatness and  focus was made on the contour line that the Japanese style was famous for.



source: documented file.

Japonisme

japonisme and Japonism are both French terms. They were first used by Jules Claretie in the book "L' Art Francais" which he wrote in 18 72. The book is about the influence of Japanese art on Western art.
Japan opened trade again with the west and sold fans, porcelains, woodcuts and screens. These were all first time seen by European countries mostly effecting France and The Netherlands. This was around 1854.
Japanese art got a lot of attention from the World's Fair that was held in Europe in 1862. In the 1860s', Japanese art such as woodblock prints became very popular and got a lot of other artists inspired. Some of these artists were Monet,Degas and Van Gogh.





source: Japonisme, Japonaiserie, Japanese Influence on Van Gogh . 2013.Japonisme, Japonaiserie, Japanese Influence on Van Gogh . [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.vangoghgallery.com/influences/japonisme.html. [Accessed 16 May 2013].

Paimio Chair

The Paimio chair was designed by Alvar Aalto. The chair was created as part of the Paimio Sanatorium's overall project. This was won by Alvar Aalto in 1929. instead of using metal tubes which was popular at the time, Aalto wanted something that will feel warmer, more at home. In 1931, the Paimio chair was created with bent plywood and laminated wood. The simple design was made not only for looks but also for people to feel free and not claustrophobic while sitting.



Aalto 41 Paimio armchair - Lounge & Sofas - Furniture - Finnish Design Shop. 2013. Aalto 41 Paimio armchair - Lounge & Sofas - Furniture - Finnish Design Shop. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.finnishdesignshop.com/furniture-lounge-sofas-artek-paimio-aalto-paimio-armchair-p-4371.html. [Accessed 15 May 2013].

Erik Nitsche

Erik Nitsche was born in Naursanne, Switzerland. His family was very open minded towards art, this being that both his father and grandfather were well-known photographers and they had friends like the artist Paul Klee that was very close to the family.

He studied a the Kunstgewerbeschule in Munich. He graduated in early 1930s' and started working in Cologne, Germany. He was later hired by Maximilien vox in Paris. There, he did illustrations for magazines and newspapers.

Nitche then left for the United States. He started his work in Hollywood, making movie set designs for musicals. He didn't stay there long and left for New York.

In New York, he worked as a freelance graphic artist for major american fashion magazines. Some of these were LIFE, LOOK and VANITY FAIR.
in 1940, the people behind Air Tech and Air News magazines asked him to become an art director for their magazines. These were specialized technical magazines with charts and graphs, mostly about aerodynamics and hydraulic systems. 

He was very productive in the 1940s', working for a large number of clients as an art-director. In 1948, he became an art director for Mademoiselle magazine for a couple of issues before Bradbury Thompson took over later
Nitsche was restless and called himself a 'nomad'. This was because he could never keep a job for very long.
He later got involved in the Gotham agency. He was assigned as art director in 1955 and could build the company's image the way he wanted.
He was working for General Dynamics when they were working on the first atomic submarine. Nitsche was given very few information on how the submarine would look like and had to give it his own touch. He made it look nothing like a killing machine and rather as a progressive tool in peacekeeping. That was the start of all General Dynamics products.
Nitche built himself a total corporate identity between 1955 and 1960. This included advertisements  posters, brochures, annual reports and a book called 'Dynamic America', a 420-page book about the company history.
When he decided to finished his career he moved to Munich. He kept designing stamps and record sleeves. This stopped in 1995 when he was diagnosed with fatal illness which took away his health and strength. He died on November 10, 1998.
His work spoke for itself in fact he once said "preferred to the the work, not talk about it." Even though he was not a big part of it, he did play a role in Modernism. He always followed his own intuition and for this, he did not take on the Swiss international style because it felt too cold and distant. Saying this, his work did resemble the Swiss style but his classic typography distanced it from it. This might have caused his absence in the Hall of Fame.

   

information from: Erik Nitsche - iconofgraphics.com. 2013. Erik Nitsche - iconofgraphics.com. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.iconofgraphics.com/Erik-Nitsche/. [Accessed 15 May 2013].

Savoy Vase

The Savoy Vase was named after a restaurant in Helsinki called Savoy which opened in 1937. Even though the vase is named after the restaurant  it was not made for it. It was a part of a series of designs which Alvar Aalto entered into a competition and won.
Aalto wanted the forms to blown into molds of thin steel sheets. This was so that molds were easily replaceable to make remodeling possible. He took part in production trying to soften the sharpest curves. Then the molds had to be done in wood. This continued until 1954 when the wooden molds were replaced with cast-iron molds.
The original height of the vase was 140mm.
There are a lot of people who have different opinions to the form of the Savoy vase. Some say it represents the characteristic shapes of the Finnish landscape. Others say it was Aalto's intention to make it formless, symbolizing formless nature.



Alvar Aalto: Savoy Vase (1936). Text by Jan Michl. 2013. Alvar Aalto: Savoy Vase (1936). Text by Jan Michl. [ONLINE] Available at:http://janmichl.com/eng.aalto.html. [Accessed 15 May 2013].

Swan Chair

The Dwan Chair was made by Arne Jacobsen. A Danish designer that graduated from The Academy of Fine Arts in 1927. After his graduation it didn't take long for his talen to be discovered. He became an architect of buildings and furniture internationally.
The Swan Chair was designed as part of the interior for the Rasisson SAS Royal Hotel which he also designed. The chair was designed using fluid lines and not that much padding. The name for the chair came from its shaped profile.
In the original version of the Swan Chair, the foot was made by one piece of aluminum, that later changed in 1973, when the foot was made from a combination of aluminum and steel. Also, for a short period of time, it was possible to get the foot in teak wood. This version was very rare to get because it was less elegant than the other versions.
Arne Jacobsen also designed the Egg Chair, the Giraffe armchair and the Drop chair.


information gotten from: The Swan Chair - history and now - Swan Chair. 2013. The Swan Chair - history and now - Swan Chair. [ONLINE] Available at: http://myswanchair.com/. [Accessed 15 May 2013].

DADA movement

The DADA movement began in 1916 in Switzerland.  Officially, DADA was not a movement just a reaction the World War I. Its influences where cubism, futurism, Constructivism and Expressionism. The works that came out of the DADA movement were not just art works but also media, photography,poetry, writing, collages and sculptures. These works were meant to provoke the viewer and make them feel some kind of emotion. usually anger and hatred.
DADA self-destructed when it was becoming 'acceptable', fearing it won't have the same effect it once did. DADA was responsible for Surrealism.

Information found from: Dada - Art History Basics on the Dada Movement - 1916-1923. 2013. Dada - Art History Basics on the Dada Movement - 1916-1923. [ONLINE] Available at: http://arthistory.about.com/cs/arthistory10one/a/dada.htm. [Accessed 15 May 2013].

Dada Movement, Artists and Major Works | The Art Story. 2013. Dada Movement, Artists and Major Works | The Art Story. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.theartstory.org/movement-dada.htm. [Accessed 15 May 2013].

Abstract Expressionism

Abstract Expressionism, also known as action painting, was the term used to describe the movement in american painting that began its successes in th 1940s' and 1950s'.
Artists who contributed to the movement were called Abstract Expressionists. Some artists were Barnett Newman, Willem de kooning, David Smith and Ibram Lassaw among others. Artists in this movement did not care about critics  This movement has some romantic traditions in it and became the first american movement that got international recognition.







information taken from school notes.