Post modernist images

Reid, J (1977) 'God Save the Queen',http://www.theage.com.au/news/people/sex-pistols-sell-out/2006/03/10/1141701665565.html

This image could be seen as post modern, because of the bold use of colours. It also follows no grid and the type seems to be quite random, in its ransom note style. 

Shrigley, D (2009) 'You cannot help looking at this'http://www.flickr.com/photos/39628616@N08/3760782743

I really like David Shrigley's work, and think that it takes on a very post modern sense of humour. It has no solid purpose except for being witty and funny.

Sagmeister, S (1997) 'AIGA biennial conference' http://aimeegd.wordpress.com/category/470-readings/

This piece goes against normal conventions of design, breaking the rules and using no grids. The aesthetic seems quite random and the use of handwritten text gives it a post modern element.

Sagmeister, S (1999) 'AIGA lecture poster' http://www.designboom.com/eng/interview/sagmeister.html

Sagmeister uses his own handwriting with no grids or guides, making it rough and original, following no solid aesthetic.

Jones, T(1980) 'I-D magazine cover'http://shanny12.wordpress.com/modernism-vs-postmodernism/

The bold colours and collage style used in this magazine cover, I think give a post modern style. The type is also free hand and quite rough and random.

Postmodernism

We live in a post modern era.

'Ironic'- key trait.
Sense of positivity: Art, design and culture. Building a utopia; better, positive world.

Rules of Modernism limiting (form follows function)

Modernism removes humanity, personality, originality.
MODERNISM: Experimental, purity, innovative, original, individual, serious.
POSTMODERNISM, characterised: Exhaustion, pluralism, pessism, dissillusionment, with the idea of absolute knowledge.
Not opposites, interelated.

Postmodernism: celebration of modernity, a response: negative, sarcastic reacts to modernism.
'Homeage to New York' Jean Tingley- Rebelion of modernity. Made of junk. Designed to destroy itself- no function, blowing up the modern world? No aesthetic considerations.

Starts to take shape in 60's

1960's beginning
1970's established as term (Jencks)
1980's recognised style
1980's & 90's dominant theoretical discourse
Now tired and simmering- post, postmodernist era?

• after modernism
• historical era following modernism
• equivelant to 'late Capitalism' (Jameson)
• artistic and stylisic eclecticism
• 'global village' phenomena: globalisation of cultures, races, images, capital, products- world is reduced.
• started by modernism railroads, telegram etc.
• postmodernism interconnected world internet?

Modernism died 15th July 1972 3:32pm: Charles Jencks- demolition of Pruitt
Modernist building housing project- ghettos slums. Condensed people together- not a community.
to save American society after the war, the building was destroyed: symbol of failure of modernism, reality of modernism.

Postmodernism- started with idea that modernism is wrong, failed us.

Utopia & technological determinism: developement not always good for society, eg. Internet is good for the world but a chance for crime, stolen identity, porn etc.

Postmodernism- questionning conventions (especially those set by modernism).
Modernism: Equality, Postmodernism: Individuality

Postmodernism rejects rules and conventions- society gets confused so many options, too much choice.
Celebrate what has been discarded.

London- Postmodern city
New York- Modern city, form follows function

Makeover modern buildings. Sheffield Hill flats. AT&T building, Philip Johnson.
Mixing the old and new, takes seriousness of modernism away. Makes more human and fun. Refernce to old form of architecture made new... folly outside college failed, being 'ironic'.

New buildings that revive the past- postmodern reaction to ugliness of modernism.

Modernism is a lie... imposing visions in the rest of the world, ideaology, utopia. Entire communist society- impossible.

Totalising belief sysems. Crisis in confidence- dont know where wer going- Postmodernism, who am I? Splitered broken society- competing, people forming subcultures as opposed to a culture.

Robert Venturi... learning from Las Vegas- ultimate rejection of structured city.
Hybrid rather than pure.
For modernist Las Vegas represents destruction, degeneration of the world. Postmodernism celebrates this thought, out with modernism.

Advertising has more effect than fine art in postmodern world.

POSTMODERNITY

• A vague disputed term.
• Pomodernist attitude of questionning conventions.
• Space for new voices.

New media and Visual Culture

Emergence of new technologies and the effect on visual culture.

'late age of print' Marshall Mcluhan: 'prophet' of electrical age. Foresaw the 'digital age'- different methods of communication, TV, radio, internet, mobile etc.

'Age of print' around 1450: Gutenbergs printing press- abled writing to be reproduced. Start of mass reproduction of literature. People can become educated, newspapers start.

Literate/ computerate. Important to be educated in 'computeracy'.

Computers- vehicle of consumption and product of communication.
The electronic book- reader takes on the role of the author. Challenges the power of the author. democratic, allows us to shape how we recieve information.
Reading newspapers online- different takes on the news by being read through different media.

Computer media: superficial style of reading. Lost in hyperspave. the illusion of not being able to get back to where you started.


Mass media. Small group of people controlling what everybody sees.
Not all of mass media is of low quality. Democratic potential- theatre, gigs, exhibitions can be accessed by millions, youtube. Mass spread.

John A Walker- Art in the age of mass media.

Superficial uncritical machine is alwaus standing between the audience and communicator- distanced. Audience is disempowered. Encourages the status quo- illusion that your'e part of a collective.
Phone ins- illusion of control. Encourages apathy, no control, cant change it.
Encourages escapeism, seen as a drug that aneasthetises us. Bland... Opium of the masses.

Benneton ads. Trading on images of death, horror- exposed AIDS.
Doing more than advertising, more political- not mindless- concrete effect.

Media and Art- Richard Hamilton.
Modern of mass culture.

Roy Lichenstein- showing comics ('trash') as something important. Mass production.

Critics dismiss media and pop art just the same- missing the point. Challenging superficiality, commercial essence of it all.

Warhol- Marilyn.
Celebrities are constructed and reproduced in the media.
Colours of product design, not art- anti-aesthetic.

Shocking images, once repeated lose shock value, disensitisation. Repetition causing numbness.

Modernist Images.

Rodchenko, A (1924) 'Books', http://www.aworldtowin.net/reviews/Rodchenko.html

This Image uses the solid wedge shape that is used in many modernist images from this time. It uses bold block colours and also very importantly uses photography, which was very current at the time as photography was quite new, making this a modernist image, using modern technology.

Lissitzky, E (1919) 'Beat the Whites with the Red Wedge',http://www.designishistory.com/1920/el-lissitzky/

This image by Lissitzky is a very well known design from the modern era. The red wedge is a very prominent symbol of power and anti capitalism

Stepanova, V (1932) 'The photomontage of Constructivism, from The Results of the First Five-Year Plan',http://www.flickr.com/photos/20745656@N00/573033730/

This image also merges photographic image with bold block colour. The colour red is very prominent, which is the colour of communism. 

Rodchenko, A (1928) 'Novyi Lef cover',http://www.flickr.com/photos/20745656@N00/576054576/in/photostream/

This cover seems to be developed from Lissitzky's 'Beat the Whites with the Red Wedge'. It strongly shows the red wedge, a very powerful image. It is very simple and straight to the point, using straight lines and shapes with no needless decoration. The san serif font is also a  sign of modernist design.

Fairey,S(2008)'Hope'http://theformofmoney.blogharbor.com/blog/_archives/2008/8/31/3862186.html

A more current example of design that is influenced by modernism. Modernist design is not meant to discriminate, and should speak a language that everyone can understand. The image is powerful enough to speak for itself, making it a common language understood by all.

The Document

Documentary photography was the biggest form of photography in the 20th Century.
-Describes the photograph as a truthful representation of the world.


'Camera with a conscious'  to expose as well as to record. (James Nachtwey)


Photography- shows everyone the pain of war through images. Exposing war to benefit humanity. Photographer struggling for the people- erases the idea of photography being neutral.


Showing how the other half live- world being closed in on itself- photographer seeks to make viewer feel empathy.


Planned images- more than just a record, leans towards art- does the aesthetic involved make it less real?


Jacob Riis- social campaigner. Photographed squalor and poverty- hidden agenda?
Allowed the rich to spy on the poor.
Photographs are set and people are posing- fake representation?
Are they representing the peoples sense of self or how the photographer depicts them and intends to portray them.


Project FSA- government campaign to combat social crisis. Images used as an emotive lobbying tool- controversial. Photographers had an agenda, trying to make emotive images.


A photographer can stamp their representation on people or show their representations of themselves.
Subjects arranged like actors.


Blurring images becomes an aesthetic style to add dramatic effect- Capa Shudder.


All photographers have their own style and way to represent the world. 

Graphic Design... Medium for the masses.

Beginnings of visual communication

•  Bison & Horses 15,000- 10,000 BC- cave paintings, signifiers for communication, no words
• Betrayal 1305- Giotti Di Bondone, representing yourself, classical art but still shows visual communication

Graphic Design 1922- William Anderson Dwiggins
"this calls for an exercise in common sense"
-Early graphic design was a way of laying things out.

Richard Hollis
"The business of making or choosing marks and arranging them on a surface to convey an idea"
Has to have a messages directed at target audience.

Steven Heller- Graphic design and advertising go hand in hand

Henri De Toulouse-Lautrec
-Early stages of graphic design was very similar to fine art.
Visual communication- Proppaganda of the first and second world war.

• Harry Beck 1931- 32- London Underground map

1937 BRITISH- Fine art, image and text. Graphic design stays very conservative.
Ludwig Vierthaler- degenerate art

SIMPLE

Sainsbury's classic cola- brand on Coca Cola... too close to Coke brand: people easily pick up on imagery, manages to sell because of similar branding.

• Paul Rand - at the forefront of branding graphics.
• Ken Garland  - First things first manifesto.

More to life than promoting, more to do than advertising: promote our trade, education, culture and greater awareness of the world.

TOUGH ECONOMY

• Saul Bass- Hitchcock films: Classic graphic design
• Post Modernism - Is the packaging just as important as the product?
• David Carson - Ray Gun - Graphic design for graphic designs sake?... becomes an object of beauty? Dont mistake legibility for communication.