Lecture 6: Post Modernism

Post Modernism - partly defined by exhaustion, pluralism, pessimism, disillusionment with the idea of absolute knowledge.
The opposite of Modernism (experimentation, innovation, individuality, progress, purity, originality)
Later modernism ended up like a doctrine, began to seem limiting.

Modernism is an expression of modern life, technology, new materials, communication, while POSTmodernism responds to these things.

A sculptural example of post modernism, Jean Tinguely's "Homage to New York"



In 1917 Rudolph Pannwitz its quoted talking about nihilistc, amoral, postmodern men.

In 1964 Lester Fielder talks about post culture

In the 70's postmodern is established as a term.

By the 80's its a recogniseable style

By the 90's its the common theory in art schools, partly defined by artistic and stylistic eclecticism.

Architectural theorist Charles Jenkes said that Modernism died on the 15th of July 1972 at 3:32pm when the demolition of the Pruitt, St Louis, happened. It was a community housing block for the poor. "The Projects" this was the failure of modernist architecture.

Postmodernism is also partly defined by difference, questioning conventions, multiple aesthetics, celebrates the unimportant (whats deemed unimportant by modernism.)

Sheffield - Park Hill flats - Now a slum but a listed building an example of modernist architecture.

Examples of postmodern architecture are AT&T building by Phillip Johnson, The Guggenheim museum by Frank Gehry, Neue Staatsgalerie in Stuttgart Germany, Future Systems Selfridges Birmingham

Jean Francois Lyotard 'The Postmodern Condition'
- disbelief in metanarratives
Such as modernism and Marxism
- the result is a crisis in confidence

We form our own mini narratives that compliment and compete with each other.
Eg. Sub Cultures

Robert Venturi - "Learning from Las Vegas" - book
New York - ultimate modern city
Las Vegas - ultimate post modern city

In "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep" Phillip K Dick creates a post modern dystopian society. Especially noticeable in the film Blade Runner

Also "Akira" creates the same effect.

Warhols Factory was a total attack on the role of the artist. all mistakes left in, the work was not made by him.

the "oxidation painting" literal pisstake of jackson pollocks paintings, by pissing on copper primed canvas.

A book = "post modernism" by Fredrick Jameson

Post modern graphic design = Memphis Group

Lecture 5: New Media and Visual Culture

Visual Culture is a term used for all visual art.

"The age of print" started in 1450 with the invention of the Guttenberg Printing Press.
This allowed people to become literate on a wide scale.

Marshall McLuhan, in the 1960's and 70's foretold the social effect of the internet in his theory of "the global village."

With the rise of computers, we are seeing people not only becoming literate, but computerate. The difference is that the computer provides a vehicle for the mass consumption AND mass production of information.

The eBook for example allows for people not only to take in information but they can critisize it and publish their own views at the same time. A possibility of democratic media.

This affects the way we read. Does it give us a false sense of efficiancy? Reading superficially, skipping through or becoming lost on a non linear path. Was print an easier vehicle for the consumption of information?

"Social Constructionism" is a theory about objects or ideas that come about as social constructs by a person or group, so in terms of information sharing it is about people building their own education.

The Mass Media is a group of modern communication systems supplied by a relatively small group of people but consumed by the masses.

The negative sides of this are:

- depersonalisation of the delivery of the information, it is superficial and uncritical. It is popular therefore unchallenging as a result.

- The audience is dispersed and disempowered by not being given the information as a group.

- It is conservative in that it encourages the status quo.

- It encourages apathy, the power is held by the few. Karl Marx said in 1844 "It (religion) is the opium of the people." The same idea can be used for the mass media becuase, like religion, it provides a quick fix of easily digestible information for those who need reassurance without putting in any effort.

Positives of the Mass Media

- It encourages and allows social injustices to be discussed

- It allows for mass transmission of creative ideas

- high art material can reach a broader audience instead of being restricted to the gallieries and walls of the rich and powerful.

John Walker wrote a book asking the question "what happens to high art in the age of the mass media?"

The leeds 13 did a project called "Going Places" where they pretended to have blown their student grants on massive piss-ups and holidays. They did this by staging photographs of them all partying around pools using backdrops and such. Then they leaked it to the mass media.
This made a lot of people angry and sparked off arguments about what was art and what wasn't.

"United Colours of Benneton" had an ad campaign showing shocking images of suffering and the results of war while advertising their clothing.

Projects like this create questions like "Can and should art be autonomous (exist on its own?)"
The debate is "does the best art stand outside of politics and society?"

The was a rumour that Jackson Pollack was funded by the CIA to show the "genius of the liberated mind under capitalism."

Thomas crow wrote a book "Modern Art in Common Culture" which talked about Pop artists such as Richard Hamilton and Roy Lichtenstein who presented a challenge to the elite value system of high art.

Andy Warhols "Marylins" portrayed Marylin Monroe in kitsch colours (soapbox colours, anti aesthetic) Marylin Monroe was portrayed by the mass media as a fun loving sex goddess, whereas in reality she suffered from mental illness and died of a drug overdose. Essentially she was a product that was marketed and sold, Warhols images reflected this.

Also, Warhols "green cola bottles" showed cocacola in a light unlike the adverts of the cocacola company as a wall of green bottles some half full, like a production line, dull, drab and boring.

5. Dole Pineapple Chunks

This is an art deco poster advertising dole pineapple chunks. Art deco lent itself towards mass production, celebrating modern technology. This poster advertising the distribution of pineapple chunks to a wide public using modern technology. Also the Art Deco style was seen as new and exciting, there is an absence of historical reference.

Lecture 4: Advertising and New Media

William Hesketh Lever and James Darcey started Unilever in the 1890's.
A ubiquitous brand, "part of the consumers mental furniture"

Bill Bernbach paired copywriters with directors.

In the 1860's the technology to print on mass and folding and filling boxes was made.
Along with abolishment of taxes on newspapers in 1855 and on paper in 1861.
The press owes much to advertising.

Lever begins buying contemporary art from the colleges and using them in his adverts. At this point once you bought the piece you owned its copywrite too.

Product placement in the painting "The Wedding Morning" famously replacing a tea cup and a clock with his soap "Sunlight Soap"
It had royal endorsement "Soapmakers to the queen" and a wrapper scheme. Collect 750 and get a record player, collect 4000 and get a rolled gold watch.

1899 Lever begins to buy other companies and selling soap for washing floors with a tropical theme to the advertisements, steering away from the forced labour he used to get the palm oil.

He placed his posters in well chosen places, such as the inside on train carriage doors so they could be seen all down the platform when loading and unloading.

Lever was a firm advocate of the truth or so he says.

He marketed Sunlight soap as;

- making washing easier which meant
- you will age slower
- so you will have more time for romance
- so you will get laid more.

It also had a british stamp on it so along with the royal endorsement it sold itself through the british empire.

High Feeling tactic - "If you are unclean you are worth shit." Linx still use this technique.

Descrepancy theory - The difference between the self and the ideal self. A psychological concept.

"Nine out of ten screen stars care for their skin with Lux Soap." - Proctor and Gamble

Economic Liberals - Capitalists

- Good trade relations between countries help keep the peace
- advertising creates more jobs

New Media

From Mass Media to My Media,

Viral advertising, volountary online viewing

Old method - Direct transmission

New method - Cybernetic, it engages with the audience for example

- The coke mentos experiments
- The old spice viral campaign using twitter to get responses
- youtube competition - "Embrace Life"
- NYC tourism campaign, 4 new oasis songs played by street artists positioned around the city. "Dig out your soul" people encouraged to go find the artists through google maps etc.

Mobile phones are the promotional channel for the future of advertising.

The Kairos Factor - picking oppertune moments to advertise to people, mobile devices connected to the internet make this possible.

The internet makes mass creative collaboration possible.

4. Adolphe Mouron Cassandre - Nord Express

This was created in the 1930's to be an alternative to the Russian Constructivists graphic design and the Bauhaus graphic design.
The image is a poster advertising the Nord express, a modern railway. Its subject matter supports the modern ideal. It has been designed to be mass produced using modern technology. There is no historical reference in style or content.

3. Buy a share of a winning loan, Unknown artist, 1923

"The poster is unique to a very short window in time where the man portrayed is not a worker - with the Soviet Union falling apart, the Soviets needed to appeal to small-time capitalists to get the economy moving again." - International Poster

Again this is a poster designed for mass production using minimum colours. It supported modern industrial methods being used in a way the supports the people aiming for utopian ideals. There is an absence of historical reference, this poster is about building for the future.

2. Sign up for the Urals Workers - 1924

This is a poster from 1924. The artist is named as Blik. It is a sign for workers in the Ural disctrict. The design shows the working man as powerful. The poster uses minimal colours to save resources. It is designed to be printed using modern industrial methods.

1. Georgi and Vladimier Steinberg 1929

This is a film poster utilizing photomontage. The spiralling design attracted me to it initially. I noticed the red and white building in a wedge shape at the top. I think this is significant, as this was after Stalin took control. Its also obvious that this image does not follow the definition of social realism. I dont think its constructivist either though. The grand tall office block style buildings speak more to me of beurocracy and economic power than a language for the proletariat, although its also likely the way I see it is jaded by a lack of knowledge of Russian history and over exposure to these sort of images being used in such a way in our society.

Image Comparison 1

Poster by Saville Lumley (1915)

This is a poster aimed to emotionally blackmail. It is aimed at men with family values and enough money to make it through the war without being a soldier. It intends to persuade them to sign up to the army. This is before it was mandatory to go to war for all young men. It is set after the war,

“what did you do in the great war?”

The text is italicized to make it seem more personal, like a handwritten note. The “YOU” is capitalised and underlined directing it at the reader of the poster. It is spoken by the daughter of the man while his son sits on the floor playing with toy soldiers, glorifying the idea and implying that it is the duty and nature of all young men to go to war and that perhaps the son has already outgrown the father as a man. The son and father also both where red, although the fathers red jacket is faded, to me this connotes a fading figure of a man where the son is the future. The red rose is all over the poster as a pattern as are English flag colours. The text itself implies that everything has turned out ok because it is in the past tense. It even goes so far as to refer to a current war as ‘the Great War.’

The Uncle Sam Range by Schumacher and Ettlinger (1876)

The purpose of this advert is to sell The Uncle Sam Cooking Range by promoting it as a tool for gaining high social status. It is aimed at men with enough money to afford it but not enough to be so comfortable that they don’t care about gaining higher social status. This is the main focus of the advert as the product is only half shown. The poster features central an al American male, sat in grandiose dining room at the table, his wife serving food and a slave cooking at the stove. The slave herself is status symbol. There are many images in this advert that are intended to make independent American seem superior to the rest of the world intending to make the American viewer believe he is already half way at least to be becoming a superior being to the rest of the human race. A clock in the top left has one hand at ‘1776’ (Independence day) and the other on the current year (1876,) one hundred years on. The man is set with globe character with a caricature African face taking the place of the African continent. Written on the table cloth is “Uncle Sam’s Dinner Party’ The globe is holding a menu for the world divided by country serving stereotypical staple diets. For example, China are being served boiled birds’ nests and locusts and Ireland get potatoes served in all the various ways of serving them. The all American male however is being served roast poultry with a variety of vegetables that we can see. Through the window we see Centenary Hall, Philadelphia, where they held an exhibition of American culture.

Both images are focused on men within a certain social status. While the American poster relies on the man wanting to gain higher social status, the war poster relies on the attitude of the man making him a target for emotional blackmail. Both rely on patriotism as a given in the audience. Both images rely on a fantasy structure to be built in the audiences mind through the use of unconscious imagery and typography. They can then manipulate for their own gain.

Lecture 2: Graphic Design

In 1922 William Addison Dwiggins defined graphic design.

"In the matter of layout forget art at the start and use horse-sense. The printing-designers whole duty is to make a clear presentation of the message - to get the important statements forward and the minor parts placed so that they will not be overlooked. This calls for an excersize of common sense and a faculty for analysis rather than art."

Richard Hollis put it more simply.

"Graphic design is the business of making or choosing marks and arranging them on a surface to convey an idea."

Steven Heller said that Graphic Design originated in the late nineteenth century as a tool for advertising. But that it shouldnt be used soley for this as it undermines the graphic designer as an artist.

In 1893 Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec was making posters for concerts and dance events at the Moulin Rouge and other popular Paris venues. These included illustration and text. Examples are "Aristide Braunt" and "La Goulue"

Alphonse Mucha at around the same time was making illustrative posters with text. 'JOB' is an advertisement for cigarette papers and was drawn in 1898.

Charles Rennie Mackintosh and Kolomon Moser were working around the same time. Making covers for magazines and posters for exhibitions. These included illustration and text.

As the first world war started in 1914 Alfred Leete drew the famous "Britons wants you!" poster.
3 years later James Flagg made the equally famous uncle sam "I want you for the US Army" poster. These both included illustration and text.

When Kandinsky started working as a graphic designer this had a huge influence on graphic design. El Lissitzky's "Beat the whites with the red wedge" seems to take influence from Kandinzky.

The first london underground map made in 1931 by FH Stingemore in the UK was a literal map.
Where as Harry Becks "London Underground Map" interpreted the underground system in a way he thought would be easier to read. There is more design here. Illustration and Text.

Simon Patterson in 1967 did a drawing called "The Great Bear." This is an example of graphic design moving towards fine art.

Kandinsky started working with Bauhaus and still in Illustration and Text. Hitler closed the Bauhaus describing the work done there as Degenerate Art. He held an exhibition in 1936 to exhibit this.

Herbert Matter, a Swiss designer, drew "Swiss Tourist Board" posters in 1932. The swiss at this time were at the forefront of Graphic Design and still are.

A poster for the Paris - Brussels - Amsterdam train line by AM Cassandre (French) show more interpretive illustrative styles and playfulness with typography. "Etoile du Nord" 1927.
Tom Purvis' poster "LNER" for the train to Durham isn't so exciting.

In 1936 Pere Catala i Pic (spanish) made "Lets Squash Fascism" depicting a foot stepping on the Swaztika. There was no text in this poster.

In 1951 Abram Games (uk) drew "Exhibition of Science" for the Festival of Britain in London.
This is an example of the UK starting to play more with illustration in Graphic Design.

In 1959 Helmut Krone designed the "Think Small" advert for Volkswagon. This has stuck with the company ever since as a design.

In the late 1950's Saul Bass drew film posters for "Vertigo" by Alfred Hitchcock, "Anatomy of a Murder" and "The Man with the Golden Arm."

Paul Rand designed a famous poster for IBM in 1970 using just illustration. He also designed the ABC broadcasting logo in 1962 which is a logo that has been the same ever since.

"The First Things First" manifesto by Ken Garland written in 1964 spoke out against Graphic Designers being used purely for advertising and said there were much more important jobs for them such as books, instruction manuals, industrial photography, educational aids, films, and "all other media through which we promote our trade, our education, our culture and our greater awareness of the world."

In 1960 FHK Henrion designed the CMD logo and a poster called "Stop Nuclear Suicide." This was mostly illustrative with minimal text.

The Art Workers Coalition produced a poster (illustration and text) called "Q. And Babies? A. And Babies." The question is whether this particular piece needed the text.

James Reid produced the "Never Mind The Bollocks" sleeve design which was mostly text, but playful with typography and using odd angles.

Peter Saville made the Factory records club posters. They were 2 days late after the event, true to the anarchic style of factory records. He also produced the album sleeve for "Blue Monday" by New Order.

In the '80's Neville Brody did magazine covers for "The Face."
David Carson was working for "Ray Gun" at the same time.
Is this art for arts sake?

"Dont mistake legibility for communication." - David Carson

In 1986 the sleeve for Public Image Limited's album simply said "album" or "compact disc" depending on what format you bought it in. It also had the the "PIL" logo on it.

Peter Blake designed a cover for Chumbawamba in 1986 called "Pictures of starving children sell records" which was purely text. Is this lazy?

Mike Farrow designed several album covers for "Spiritualized" a producer well known and out spoken about his drug habits.
The cover resembled a pharamceutical drugs packet."1 Tablet. 70 Min"
They also did a limited edition cover which said on it "12 tablets 70 min" which contained 2 packs of six foil wrapped pill packets where you could pop out each song on an individual cd.
While being really fucking cool I think this was ultimately pointless.

In August 2001 "The Coup" released the album "party music." The album looked like a bad photoshop and featured the twin towers exploding. A month afterwards the twin towers were bombed using aeroplanes. The album cover was replaced with an image of a cocktail glass.
On septermber 14th Time Magazine published their front cover which was a photograph of the towers exploding. It looks remarkbly similar to the album cover by "The Coup."

In 2000 Naomi Klein released Truth in Advertising and spoke about Bennetons ad campaign with designer Oliviero Toscani. Is it immoral to try deal with moral and ethical issues in advertising? They are still trying to sell a product.

"Benetton's clothing has nothing to do with AIDS or war or the lives of prisoners on death row, and by using these issues in sweater adverts. Benetton is inserting a layer of distance and mediation - represented by the Benetton name itself - between consumers and these important issues." - Naomi Klein, Truth in Advertising, 2000

"Which the publicity generated by such campaigns (Benetton) is immense - and their globalised distribution protects them from the effects of a ban in any one country - it is also surely shocking that the shock effect wears off so quickly. perhaps the overall driving motive of such campaigns is in fact nothing new - but simply an astute loyalty to one of the oldest adages in the business: there is no such thing as bad Publicity." - Cook, G. (1992) The Discourse of Advertising

Barbara Kruger / selfridges "Buy Me I'll change your life" campaign is a wierd example of a company designer collaboration that conflicted each other.

Judy Blame "Keep Britain Tidy" t - shirt design. Example of graphic designers being part of a worthwhile compaign against racism.

Adbusters make images juxtaposing adverts. For the example the obsession CK poster being reworked as a bulemic girl throwing up.

Lecture 1: Modernism Notes

IN THE BEGINNING...

Modern

There was Classical (high brow) art. Modern art was classed as low brow.

Until the 1800's when the Pre-Raphealites (founded in 1848) who were a group of English poets, painters and critics began to inspire positive connotations of the the word "modern." They rejected the teachings of the classic art schools and were considered the first "avante guard" art movement.

Thanks wikipedia.

In the present day the word "modern" is still considered positive. For example Tony Blairs modern labour party. Bad Example. Modern technology would be a better example.

Modernity

Modernity is social cultural experience born out of living in the modern world.
The modern world is considered to have started in about 1750 and to have lasted 200 years, which would mean we are now living in a "post modern" world. Paris in 1900 was considered the Nexus of the modern world with its wide spread urbanisation and population moving inward towards the urban centre. Examples of modernity in Paris include accessible travel, widespread use of electricity and leisure facilities. Shopping could now be classed as a leisure activity as it was trnedy to be seen out and about in the city spending money, although this could only be said for the bourgeoisie.

Another feature of modernity was "The Enlightenment," when science took over from spiritualism as the popular way of thinking.

Yet another example is world time. Modern technology and internationalisation meant there was a way to sync up world time.

The concept of a city could be seen as the personification of modernity.

The subject of art becomes the experience of modernity.

For example the painting "Paris on a rainy day" by Gustave Caillebotte.
Urban Alienisation becomes a common concept in modern art. Psychology becomes a prominent subject.

Example: Experiment on attentiveness to sound location 1893

The civic planner Georges-Eugene Hausmann rebuilt paris under Napoleon Bonapartes instruction and replaces winding narrow streets with large boulevardes. This reduced crime by making Paris easier to police. The lower classes retreated to the outskirts of Paris.

People start to view the world through modern technology instead of interacting directly with the world. Devices like the Kaiserpanorama are invented.

The Lumiere Brothers create the first films.

Modernism becomes a response to the condition of modernity.

Modernism

Forms starts to be dictated by purpose, for example the Flatiron building in Manhatten, New York. The Barcelona Pavillion.

Photography as a modern technology forces painters to do something new. Impressionism begins. On the other hand modern photographers such as Paul Citroen do modern things with photography such as his piece "Metropolis."

Modernism in designs dictates:

Anti-historicism. Dont look to the past for inspiration.
Truth to materials. A material shouldnt be made to look like something else or embellished.
Form follows function.
Internationalism. Modern design should be accessible to anybody, anywhere, losing any cultural differences.
Modern tech should be embraced and used.

The BAUHAUS movement followed these rules.
Although the Bauhaus movement was supposed to allow for easy mass production and easy access to ergonomic products it somehow becomes elitist.

On the extreme end of this movement is Adolf Loos who said "Ornament is crime."

On "The International Style."

The London Underground Map by Harry Beck is a perfect example of the international style. Universally useable.

Definitions:

Modern. Used to connote improvement.

Modernity. Social cultural experience born out of the modern world.

Modernism. A range of ideas and styles that sprang from modernity.