Italian Surrealist: Giorgio de Chirico

When the surrealist movement began in the early 1920’s, the main focus was to bring the dream world into the real world; to make the illogical and strange thoughts of our subconscious not so hidden in society. Though the movement begun in Paris, the Italian artist Giorgio de Chirico was the main influence of the surrealist development. De Chirico was Italian but he was born and taught in Greece in his early years and worked most of his artist life in Florence, Milan, Germany, Paris, and Rome. One of de Chirico’s main themes in his paintings was placing odd and curious symbols juxtaposed next to each other and this then led the surrealist group stylistically. However, the difference between many of Chirico’s paintings and other surrealist works, is that most of the surrealist artists focused on the dreamworld and awakening the subconscious, whereas a lot of the paintings by de Chirico incorporated classical influences from the past, or symbols pertaining to Greek mythology (stemming from his birthplace). For example, in de Chirico’s “The Soothsayer’s Recompense,” he used exaggerated color and perspective to show a “sleeping Ariadne, who according to Greek mythology was abandoned by her lover on the desert island of Naxos” in the middle of a deserted Italian piazza (Philadelphia Museum of Art). Though the subjects themselves in this painting are a little more realistic than lets say, Dali’s meting clocks in “The Persistence of Memory,” they are nonetheless unrealistic in their conflicting moods and background, and use of color and sharpness. This painting in particular is a little less “photo-realistic” than the other surrealist paintings as well, for the sharp shadows and paint strokes that are seen within the darker areas of the painting are much more harsh and unrealistic (there are even black outlines around where the shadows end). Further, the perspective seems to be much more flat. Though we can see that the train, building, and brick wall are in the background, it is not as much because of the perspective drawing aspect, but more because of his use of simple scaling. Though the style and subject matter may be not as close to surrealist work as some of his other paintings, The Soothsayer’s Recompense most definitely carries the curious quality that surrealism entails. The foreground is quiet, empty, and obvious, whereas behind the brick wall, the world looks new (for that time), and the use of steam and transportation contrasts drastically with the greek sculpture in the foreground. If it were not for the background of this image (and the coloring and style of course), this work could have easily passed as a landscape painting based on greek times. The train, palm trees, clock, and even the little flags, lend a more juxtaposed and interesting perspective on the subject. Giorgio de Chirico no doubt influenced the surrealist painters and movement dramatically, but his ideology stemmed from something a little less tapped into the dream/sub-concoious world, and was more concerned with classical background and symbols.

Sources: http://www.philamuseum.org/collections/permanent/51288.html

Minimalism inspired by Italian artist : Giorgio Morandi

Although Giorgio Mordani himself may have not been involved in the Minimalist movement of the 1960s and 70s, he most definitely inspired it. Post World War II, the Abstract Expressionist artists took over America with their unconstrained, involuntary works representing the individual artists’ physical expression. The reaction to this movement which then took over the minds and forms of American artists in mostly the sixties and seventies, was a movement called Minimalism. This movement was much more about the physical space, breaking things down into their most simplistic nature, and giving the audience or viewers credit in experiencing the work, instead of the artist. Though Giorgio Mordani, a famous artist in the Italian art world was known for mostly his work which fell into the futurism, cubism, and then metaphysical painting movements, he was also most famous for his still life paintings. The vases and bowls which he painted most often slowly changed into looking less and less like objects on a table and eventually represented the overall shape which presented a space and possible mood, but not much more in its content, deeper meaning, or expression. Minimalism, which focused on the materials of the works and was constantly trying to move away from using metaphors in the pieces what so ever, was influenced by Mordani’s use of shape and powerful form instead of the unorganized and expressive abstract expressionism at the time. Mordani striped away the inessential, leaving a different and less complicated aspect to everyday life. Though his still life objects were real objects we may see on a table at our home (a vase, bowl, glass, etc.) they are so simple and minimal that they leave room for the viewer to see what they want in the negative space, in the form, and in the overall essence, instead of blinding and overwhelming us with feeling and splatters. The most famous minimalist artists in America, such as Tony Smith, Donald Judd, and even Sol LeWitt, definitely approached their minimalist work in a completely different manner than the Italian Giorgio Mordani set the tone for. However, their sculptures and use of space and material exhibit many of the same key ideas that Mordani featured in his still life paintings, and were no doubt influenced by his minimalist conception. The most obvious impact that Mordani had on minimalist artists was his desire to breakdown the traditional meaning behind sculpture and paintings and instead to erase that distinction. Though the still life works created by Mordani, were paintings and not sculptures, they exhibited the same amount of indistinction between the two as some of the most famous works of minimalist sculpture in america did. This sense of time and space is exhibited in the most simple and raw-like form, line, and color (or lack thereof). Giorgio Mordani not only set up minimalist artists for an entire movement based on simplicity and the ability to let the viewer notice physical space, but he created beautiful forms in painting that created a bridge between two mediums and cultures.

Giorgio Morandi, Still Life, 1931, Oil on Canvas, 54×64 cm @2015 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / SIAE, Rome. Reproduction, including downloading of Giorgio Morandi works, is prohibited by copyright laws and international conventions without the express written permission of Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

 

Sources:

http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/famous-artists/giorgio-morandi.htm

http://www.italianmodernart.org/exhibition-program/future-exhibitions/

http://www.theartstory.org/movement-minimalism.htm

Design Systems Thinking Post 4

While researching for the capstone project I have been working on for the past quarter, I found many non-profits which work with people who have anxiety disorder, or high stress levels. However, these non-profits are focused on categorizing stress-like disorders, rather than people who may not necessarily be diagnosed with anything, but instead could use help and reminders in their daily lives to overcome stress. I have learned through many articles and design-thinking reading in general though, that finding different purposes to fit specific needs is nothing to stray away from even if it may seem more abstract in the beginning stages. Through interviews, research, and cycles of several iterations consisting of ideas to help put this concept in the most beneficial context, you are able to find solutions you never thought would work so well.

There is a huge part of the design community that is passionate social change, and this in itself gives us as designers the opportunity to take these thoughts we have and share them with others who have the same desire to use visual (or audible or tactile) designs to change and shape people in a positive direction. The book I created for this project includes four sections (mind, move, food, and friends), which were decided upon after conducting interviews about what helps those who are stressed. This final product though, could have been pushed and changed and been even better with a team of other creative minds. People like those at desigNYC or DIY which both combine design and helping others, ideas which cater towards the greater good of people and communities, are places where helping others through creativity happens everyday. “desigNYC is a nonprofit 501©(3) that aims to improve the lives of New Yorkers through the power of design by connecting designers with nonprofits serving the public good, and then revealing the impact of those partnerships through great storytelling.” DIY consists of a toolkit which is designed “for development practitioners to invent, adopt or adapt ideas that can deliver best results.”

http://diytoolkit.org

http://www.aiga.org/designforgood-get-involved/

http://www.designyc.org

http://diytoolkit.org

http://diytoolkit.org

Fluxus – Turin

In the 1960’s and 70’s when artists were taking a radical turn in Modern Art, the Italian art critic Germano Celant coined the term Arte-Povera, meaning quite literally “poor art”. This term was not necessarily related to the money spent creating the artwork however, but moreover the work of anti-materialists that fell into this category (according to Celant). Common artists who demonstrated Arte Povera included Giovanni Anselmo, Luciano Fabro, Giuseppe Penone, along with several others. They “found vitality as well as metaphysical import in every kind of common, even perishable material…and chose to present rather than represent it” (Hunter, Jacobus, Wheeler, Modern Art). While in italy, the museum I visited most often was the GAM (Gallery of Modern and Contemporary art in Turin). One exhibit I remember my professor talking about extensively while on a tour, (probably because it was very close to her, being that it took place in the museum 45 years earlier), was an exhibition called “Fluxus alla Gam” curated by Maria Teresa Roberto. “Fluxus” was a type of “anti-art” of the time, which usually combined several different mediums into one piece. This work was a one time installment which took place on April 26, 1967 and resulted in a mark on a long roll of paper created by a man being drug on his head to create it. The other installation was when he tied himself with a bunch of different strings attached to different parts of the room, and had people come and observe. These events were part of a three day event “Concert Fluxus art total”,which included actions and concerts of music. The idea of this kind of “anti-art” was to be in the instant of the event and for that reason, this piece is much more about the moment in time in which this event happened, and less about the outcome of the piece after the fact. However, these artifacts become something interesting in themselves, and something we as viewers are able to hold onto and try to understand though we may never have the full experience of being there at the happening. “The performative dimension thus entered for the first time in the museum, according to the principles of a Fluxus art practice widespread, collective, aimed at denying the principles of originality and authorship.”

This piece and Fluxus, Anti-art, and Arte-Povera in general were crucial movements in defining what art is. This was the beginning of the transition from modern to contemporary art, for the re-definition of what art is, is an ongoing question even today.

Performative roll of paper painting in the Fluxus alla GAM at GAM Torino. Photo by Hailey Thomson

Event Poster for Fluxus alla GAM at GAM Torino. Photo by Hailey Thomson

Photographs of some of the events at Fluxus alla GAM at GAM Torino. Photo by Hailey Thomson

Sources:

Hunter, Sam, and John M. Jacobus. Modern Art: Painting, Sculpture, Architecture. 2nd ed. New York: H.N. Abrams, 1985. Print.

http://www.gamtorino.it/surprise/index.php?id=fluxus-alla-gam-26-aprile-1967

Design Systems Thinking Post 3

Though there have been several articles I have read this quarter that are formed around design research, the proposal written by Meredith Davis, the Director of Graduate Programs in Graphic Design at NC State University, talks about the research process as it relates to the design education system, rather than just the overall research system. I have seen many different circle-like plans and how-to’s that are formed around explaining what to do when approaching the research process before or during making design decisions. However, the thought training that is needed in order to execute these sort of processes is not always just picked up in the work force, nor is it directly taught alongside learning the fundamentals of graphic design while in school. The importance of being able to configure how exactly your audience is going to use a final design, and what benefits the look or content can do on it’s own are critical when approaching the design world. Davis makes a strong and interesting point when she explains the difference between research “focuse[d] on the subject matter of their design” compared to “the characteristics of users or context.” This hit home not because of the way my professors have guided my learning in design school, but because of the way I have thought of design research as a tool to look at the background of my subject instead of the use of the product at hand. Whether it be the instinct my fellow classmates and I have about education or not, this research distinction between background and use is something that should be clarified in order to move forward with more strategic and beneficial designs. The final outcome of graphic look will continue to be irrelevant unless the user and purpose is taken into consideration and helps to fully shape the way the project is formed. The easiest way I could picture this difference is as it relates to a Homelessness project my classmates and I worked on last quarter in our information design class. We spent weeks gathering background information, statistics, interviews, etc. but our final output was always going to be the same: two posters, and a motion graphic video. Could some other end product been more successful? The research testing for what the outcome would be could have taken just as long if not longer than the background research. But the end product or design as far as how helpful it could be in making a difference in the community, could have been worth that extra testing.

Davis, Meredith. “Building a Culture of Design Research.” SEGD (2012). SEGD. SEGD Academic Summit. Web. 1 Jan. 2015. <https://segd.org/building-culture-design-research-0&gt;.

Research_book_presentation_v1

Italian Futurism – Boccioni

When I visited the Palazzo Reale di Milano in June 2013, I saw several Picasso and Braque cubist paintings that displayed the signature edgy and dimensional look that Cubism is known to exhibit. Some of the Picasso and Braque pieces were actually difficult to tell apart because of their similar look and use of natural muddy tones. In contrast to these more dull color schemes though, displayed close by, were the works of the Italian futurist painter, Umberto Boccioni. Two of the paintings I snapped a quick photo of, were his Studio-di-testa, La Madre (Study of a head, Mother) and Donna al caffè : Compenetrations di luci e Planes (Woman in a Café: Compenetrations of Lights and Planes). Futurism, being an analytical branch of Cubism, means that paintings were drawn from real life models or observations. The basic shapes, colors, and interpretations of Futurist paintings are created from taking real life subjects and finding their core forms and tones, usually resulting in very geometric and monochromatic paintings. These two particular paintings by Boccioni are actually much more colorful than most Futurist works, both incorporating more colors than the usual monochromatic color schemes seen in this movement. In Study of a Head, Mother the colors are not extremely saturated, but that may just be because of the faded canvas background. However, the use of color on the face is much warmer and realistic than the colors in those in his Woman in a Café. Study of a Head, Mother is no doubt categorized as an analytic Futurist painting because of it’s simplified forms of the cheeks, eyes, hair, and body of this elder woman, but I must say that the colors most definitely seem more realistic than most other futurist paintings. The face is warm and bright, like skin, and though the hair and body are darker and blue, their tones give a realistic contrast to the skin tone. The woman herself also has emotion in her face and posture that is much more readable than the other Futurist paintings of the time which exhibit less emotion, and more focus on movement, and basic shape. The Woman in a Café: Compenetrations of Lights and Planes, on the other hand, is a more mainstream example of Futurism. It’s less realistic color scheme and strong feeling of movement are more established in the Futurism movement overall. Though after reading the name of this piece, one may be able to make out the face of a woman, and maybe even a coffee table (and sugar cube tray?) it is much more difficult to make out what these shapes represent, and the overall movement, aura, and mood of this piece are more evident. That being said, seen from an analytical viewpoint, this painting makes much more sense, for Analytical Futurism was also known to focus on examining something in its entirety, not just as it looks like in real life. In this way, once knowing the name of this piece, one can feel more of an overall essence of this woman in this place and time. Boccioni’s futurist works are extremely interesting in that they exhibit two very different approaches to the movement, both created within (at most) two years of one another.

Studio-di-testa, La Madre (Study of a head, Mother), 1912 and Donna al caffè : Compenetrations di luci e Planes (Woman in a Café: Compenetrations of Lights and Planes),1912-1914. Museo Civico di Arte Contemporanea, Palazzo Reale, Milan. Photo by Hailey Thomson

Umberto Boccioni. Study of a Head, Mother. Image found on WikiArt.org

Umberto Boccioni. Woman in a Café: Compenetrations of Lights and Planes. Image found on WikiArt.Org

Italian Expressionist / Post-Impressionism inspired Painter – Francesco Menzio

When in Italy in the summer of 2013, I saw many expressionist, impressionist, cubist, and futurist paintings throughout several modern art museums. Though all of these movements took place throughout the same two to three decades, they have differences that are sometimes hard to decipher unless you know some history on the particular movement, painting or artist. Through looking back on some of the photos I took while abroad, I found several paintings that were done in the early 1900’s, yet they mimicked some post-impressionism qualities.

A painting done by Francesco Menzio, titled “Ritratto in Bleu” (Portrait in Blue), was sitting among some surrealist, cubism, and futurism paintings. What I found most interesting about this painting in regards to it’s time period, is how much transition it reflects. It undoubtably displays impressionist qualities such as the brush strokes, and use of color with the blue shadows, and minimal color mixing, and it gives a strong emphasis on mood rather than subject matter. The colors are very cold and bright, yet the facial features, body, hat, vase, and table are not exceptionally detailed. When the war ended in 1918, there was a “Return to Order” movement, which was a time after the war when surrealism and futurism was rejected, and returning to traditional styles was favored. However, many artists (and especially Menzio who was just getting started in his painting career post-war), were still transitioning between post-impression and fauvism where new uses of color and light were being explored, but the impressionist strokes were still embraced and the desire to put a certain respect and importance on artist expression was highly sought after.

Francesco Menzio was an Italian artist who’s paintings were deeply influenced by both post-impressionism and the impressionist painters before him, after he came back to Turin from Paris in 1928. He was born in 1899 in Sardinia, an island off the west coast of Italy, from a Piedmontese family. He moved to Turin with his family at the age of 13. After the first world war (which he was in), he began his painting career. He visited Felics Casorati’s gallery often, who was a prominently realist painter, but he lived in Paris for some time in his life as well, where he met and continued to be influenced by some Impressionist painters. Menzio changed from a more traditional style to a more expressive one when he, along with several other artists who had interest in french painting, formed the Gruppo di Sei (Group of Six) in 1928. These six artists felt that “intellectual freedom against the dictatorship” was of the utmost importance when it came to art, along with it being “a way to express critic and ethic autonomy.” (MAG Como, Francesco Menzio Biography).

Citation:

http://salvatoremarsiglione.wix.com/magcomo#!biography-francesco-menzio/ca6l

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

Ritratto in bleu. (Portrait in Blue.) 1929. Milan Museo del Novecento. Photo by Hailey Thomson

Ritratto in bleu. (Portrait in Blue.) 1929. Milan Museo del Novecento.
Photo By jean louis mazieres via http://saveflickr.com/

Design Systems Thinking Post 2

Noble and Bestley’s introduction to design research methodologies was an interesting read in which the process for designing something that visually communicates a message, is put into a step by step ideation of how to go about finding and creating the most successful final piece. The first instinct for most designers or people in general, is to eliminate and find the exact end result ideas as soon as possible. However, in a successful process, the practical problem that is trying to be solved needs to be thought of in a broader sense. Once the problem/idea is addressed, you can then generate research questions, which will define the research methodology to find the research outcome, which then solves the original problem. Through this cycle of research, relating the content to competing messages is important so that if there is a visual language that has already been created for your particular audience it can either be followed or recognized so that a new visual language is created. Cost and time restrictions are also an important aspect to look at before hand, and this may play a part in the scheduling for experimentation. This brings us to the section on experimentation and how to go about investigating. Context-definition is a model that purely investigates a field of study, where as context-experiement starts with investigating a field, but then uses experimentation to take the redefinition of a project into a more particular focus, sooner. Both of these methods should help find the visual route and end product which is most “effective, useful or engaging” for the purpose. To do this, social analysis’ (whether they are measured by criteria/ positive and negative number results or the designer using critical self-reflection), is critical.

What interested me at the end of this reading, was the section on mind mapping and the case study reflection titled “I love you.” When addressing an audience of any kind, no matter what the research guides you toward specifically, there is an embedded aspect of human kind that responds to the way maps convey direction and sense-making, and the way symbols create different visual meanings based on their shape, color, size, etc. These visual variables studied by designers, are what create a successful visual communication, if done correctly. The research is at the core, and the background is what develops these visual outcomes, but in the end, basic human understanding of symbolism and mapping is how the project’s successful execution is created.

Noble, Ian, and Russell Bestley. “Methods.” Visual Research: An Introduction to Research Methodologies in Graphic Design. Lausanne: AVA, 2005. N. pag. Print.

Interesting way to use both symbols and mapping to show the creative process.

Italian Neoclassicism

Neoclassicism is one of the first movements in modern art, and stemming from the french revolution, it greatly reflects the style of classical paintings. However, most neoclassical art is so heavily influenced by this style, because during this time period, human kind was being re-looked at as sinful and much less perfect than previously. Therefor, highly influenced by the writings of Johann Joachim Winckelmann, imitating the extrordinary, perfect, and historical classicism was the only way to “become great” again.Two years ago, I spent the summer in Turin (or Torino), Italy where I took a Modern and Contemporary art class. I traveled to museums in Milan, Florence, and Rome. Because Italy is so well known for its older art, it was interesting to compare the classical art of the 14th to 17th centuries to the re-evaluations of them in the neoclassical art of the late 17th and early 18th century. A museum I visited several times in Torino, called the Galleria Civica d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea held a lot of modern art pieces, and notably some of the work of Giovanni Fattori. However, most of the work featured during the time I was there, included the later modern movements. It was not until I did a little more research and looked back through my pictures from the museum trips, that I was able to find an example of the neoclassical sculpture I had remembered most, which was created by an Italian artist. Antonia Canova’s Saffo (Erma di Saffo), which means Herma of  Sappho, is a bust sculpture made of marble, of the Ancient Greek lyrical poet, Sappho. Though this sculpture was made in the early 19th century, it has an undeniable classical perfection influence. Sappho was known to write poetry obtaining to love by both genders, and was born on the island of Lesbos, known to be where the word Lesbian stemmed from. Sculptures and Hermas like this one, were created in the fourth and fifth centuries BC. When in Italy I visited the Vatican, Uffizi Gallery, and other museums where classical greek sculptures (or roman copies of them) were prominent throughout. To see a reinterpretation of there style, which looked so much more clean, crisp, and yet delicate gave a sense of what the marble used for the greek and roman classical sculptures looked like long ago. However, a notable difference I saw in Canova’s Saffo when compared to the classical influences, was the simplicity and calm look on her face. The perfection and essence of beauty is deeply rooted in the classical greek influence that neoclassicism was known for, but the innocent, pure, light, and airy look about Saffo shows less bold-ness than it’s past influences. Canova was known for his light and airy look about his sculpture, which carries even into one of his most famous works, Perseus with the Head of Medusa, which is at the Vatican. Even this piece, which represents a famous slaughter in Greek mythology, a heroic and elegant take is shown in his reworking of this historical and repeated sculpture.

Sappho by Antonio Canova at GAM Torino. Photo by Hailey Thomson

Sappho by Antonio Canova at GAM Torino. Photo by Hailey Thomson

Sappho by Antonio Canova at GAM Torino. Photo by Hailey Thomson

“Perseus Canova Pio-Clementino Inv969” by Antonio Canova – Marie-Lan Nguyen (2009). Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons – http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Perseus_Canova_Pio-Clementino_Inv969.jpg#/media/File:Perseus_Canova_Pio-Clementino_Inv969.jpg

Design Systems Thinking Post 1

After reading Brown and Wyatt’s Design Thinking for Social Innovation, I quickly connected this idea of thinking through the user’s actual needs first, as a similar process to what I have been using to come to the final ideation of the last few projects I have worked on in class. Whether it is information design, an app, or some sort of program used for people to obtain clean water in a foreign country, thinking about the process of the user is a vital aspect. It is easy for designers to jump into not only visual aspects of a design or product, but even the overall idea because of assumptions and habit. However, once the users process is taken into consideration, this is when the product obtains it’s highest amount of usage. This article and its explanation of the “design thinking” process, is reflected currently in a program my classmates and I are testing out for our capstone class. Helium, which is currently in beta, is a program that allows professionals and students alike to make decisions and have conversations based off of poles, ideas, collaborations, and charts, all in one place. Though I have not used it extensively, our class is currently testing it for a project. As the “users” in Artefact’s design thinking process, we are responsible for sending our feedback of this product in order to improve it’s user experience. Our feedback is a direct reflection of how design thinking, even in the prototype stage, leaves room for constant improvement and consideration of the user. Good products, no matter how beautiful they look, only truly last if the user is able to seamlessly use them in a productive and uninterrupted manner. IDEO, who created this “design thinking” process explains this method as something which is “about empathy for people and for disciplines beyond one’s own. It tends to be expressed as openness, curiosity, optimism, a tendency toward learning through doing, and experimentation.” (Design Thinking For Social Innovation, 34).

This informational design piece below, by Curiousity Design Research, though not completely parallel with the steps described in IDEO’s Human Centered Design Toolkit, allows us to quickly grasp this detailed and thoughtful mechanism of design.

Brown, Tim, and Jocelynn Wyatt. “Design Thinking For Social Innovation.” Stanford Social Innovation Review (2010): 31-35. Print.