Thursday, August 13, 2009
Richard Buckminster Fuller by John McClish
A Man With A Big Dome
Richard Buckminster Fuller (Bucky) was not a trained architect; but he was a designer who was ahead of his time and had significant impact on the architectural community. He designed many things, including an aerodynamic vehicle when people were still driving boxes down the road and the Geodesic Dome, a structure light enough to be flown in on a helicopter but still had the ability to withstand hurricane winds and had no internal support structure.
Bucky was born on 
He spent his childhood summers on
When Fuller was eight, he produced his first invention, a mechanical oar patterned after the motion of jellyfish. This invention expedited his four mile trek to pick up mail and supplies. "It consisted of a tepee-like cone mounted on the end of a pole and resembled an inside-out umbrella. Standing at the rear of his boat, Fuller would pull the pole toward him through a large iron ring attached to the rear of the boat. As the peak of the umbrella-like invention pointed toward the boat, it displayed little resistance. However, when it pushed backward into the water, the cone opened, propelling the boat forward”
(Sieden, 10). Fuller also discovered that his trips became much safer and more enjoyable because he could now see everything in front of him, where in a normal rowing position your back is turned to the direction of travel.
Fuller attended
In 1917 Fuller joined the Navy. “The period he spent in the
Bucky’s first venture into the building industry did not go very well. His father in law, James Monroe Hewlet, invented a new kind of hollow building block and Bucky discovered the type of cement to use for it. They sold about 240 houses but the company went down in financial ruin. Still, Fuller was convinced that mass production of housing was feasible. Fuller was drawn to the aircraft engineering and he disliked the bulkiness of current housing as well as how long it took to build a house. His solution was a house built on tension rather than compression. He wanted to create a building that could be massed produced and ultimately be light enough to be flown to its destination. In order to be flown in the building weight would have to be low. To keep the weight low meant he needed to use lighter materials that would not be able to support a conventional design. Tension seemed to be the answer. The first structures were hexagonal and they were 
suspended from a central mast. The rooms surrounded the mast, which contained heating and air-conditioning as well as other items. The Dymaxion house was supposed to be fully automated, solar-powered, deliverable by air, and low-priced. It was said to be priced about the same price per pound as a 1929 automobile. However, the major problem was getting it off the ground. To begin construction you would have to tool up the manufacturing plant which would cost in the billions. “Fuller argued, if for his new Model A Henry Ford had to make just one unit, that car would have cost $43,000,000 but the production of the second car would only cost $500” Gorman, 49. There was really no housing industry at this time, so finding an investor was difficult. Fuller was able to build a couple Damaxion buildings here and there but obviously was never able to mass produce them as he initially intended.
In the 1930s Fuller designed the Dymaxian car. The Damaxion car utilized a Ford V-8 engine, front wheel drive, and a single wheel in the rear fo
r steering. This vehicle was designed in a tear drop shape for its aerodynamic properties. The vehicle was supposedly able to drive at 120 miles per hour, get 40 miles to the gallon, and carry eleven passengers. This design was revolutionary considering the cars at this time were all shaped like boxes. Yet this unusual shape may have also contributed to its downfall. In 1933 the vehicle was involved in an accident and the newspapers wrote articles with head lines such as “Freak Auto Turns Over With Graph Passengers” (Gorman, 62). The crash was actually caused by another vehicle, but even with a newspaper retraction, perspective investors steered clear of this three wheeled dynamo (ha ha).
Probably the thing that Bucky Fuller is most famous for is the Geodesic Dome. He developed the dome in the 1940s. This st
ructure was completely different than his previous buildings. “While Fuller’s previous building-conceptions generally had an “endoskeleton” housing a “central nervous system”, like a human being, geodesic domes had an “exoskeleton”, like a sea urchin or egg” (Gorman, 115). This “exoskeleton” (Gorman, 115) is achieved by the inherent stability of triangles.
The force of the building is distributed in all directions throughout the entire structure. A very interesting yet unintended factor achieved in the geodesic dome is that the dome will cool itself. It was discovered that even if the when the skin was made of sheet metal and hot enough to fry an egg, the dome would stay cool. Warm air gets drawn out of the unit toward the lower edge and cooler denser air gets sucked in through the top of the dome. “Geodesic domes are the strongest, lightest, most resource-efficient shelter available today” (
Buckminster Fuller created and designed some very interesting things throughout his lifetime and he was way ahead of his time in these designs. Yet, I do believe that the Damaxion house and car would have had difficulty surviving even if production had started. I just think that certain elements were not quite thought all the way through. The Damaxion house seemed like a good idea and also cheap to make, but what about stability and maintenance? The structures main support was in one spot, the center. If something were to happen, a crack for instance, what could you do? Also, the tension wires were outside, how long would it take for the wires to corrode and need to be replaced, and could they be replaced easily or would part of the structure be weakened?
I thought the car was just ingenious for it’s time. The aerodynamics were just astonishing when you look at the other vehicles of the time. I do believe there would be some safety issues though. The vehicle had front wheel drive yet the steering cam e from single wheel in the rear. With the shape of the vehicle that puts the engine toward the front to middle of the vehicle. A blow-out or something happening to that rear wheel would just be devastating. You only have three point of contact with the road and less weight on the steering wheel. With only three points of contact and such a wide body over that small base a rollover seems inevitable. A solution may be just adding a rear axle with two wheels. The axle does not need to be as long as the front axle but spreading out the points of contact would make the vehicle significantly safer.
The Geodesic domes and the octet truss are just remarkable. It makes me want to build a house using these structures. You could use fewer and lighter materials and still have a stronger structure, who doesn’t want that. The cooling effect of the dome would be great here in
Home Sweet Dome.
Fuller’s designs were ahead of his time. If he were around today I believe his ideas would have been accepted much more willingly. I respect Fuller for his ability to see things differently and then act on his intuition. This is how new and wonderful things get created everyday. If no one was willing to try something new, we would never see anything new. How sad would that be?
Works Cited
Baldwin, J.. Bucky Works, Buckminster Fuller’s Ideas For Today,
Fuller R. Buckminster,
Gorman, Michael. Buckminster Fuller, Designing for Mobility,
Kenner, Hugh. Bucky: A Guided Tour of
Sieden, Lloyd. Buckminster Fuller’s Universe,
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Paul Rand, Eddie Beck
The complex notion of “defamiliarizing the ordinary”, has driven the creation of simplistic modern designs. This modernist philosophy of design allowed Paul Rand to fabricate iconic logo’s for companies such as IBM which, among other things, molded his success as a graphic design legend. Born in Brooklyn New York in 1914 with the given name Peretz Rosenbaum, Rand struggled at an early age to engage in his passion for design being raised in a Jewish Orthodox community. Although during his childhood Rand demonstrated great interest in artistic design by painting signs for his father’s grocery store and school events at P.S. 109, his father believed that art could not guarantee a sufficient livelihood for Rand. While attending the renown art institutions such as the Parsons school of design and the Pratt institute, the uninspired Rand became a self-taught designer by educating himself through the works of Cassandre (an influential Ukrainian-French painter, commercial poster artist, and typeface designer) and Moholy-Nagy (a Hungarian painter and photographer). During his early career, Rand had a part time position creating stock images for a company that catered to various magazines and newspapers. During his stay with the company (circa 1937) Rand decided to shadow his Jewish identity telegraphed by the name Peretz Rosenbaum, to his iconic surname Paul Rand. Peter Behrens, a well known German architect of that time, notes the importance of this new title: “Rand’s new persona, which served as the brand name for his many accomplishments, was the first corporate identity he created, and it may also eventually prove to be the most enduring.” The reputation Rand amassed during his early twenties drove his succers as a graphic designer, allowing him to provoke thought and inspiration through his teachings at Yale University as a professor of design, and gained his place in the New York Art Directors Club Hall of Fame. Rand has received countless awards for his designs of corporate logos, and as an author has spread his theories on design that have revolutionized the way individuals perceive aesthetics. To add to his accomplishments, Paul Rand is accredited with being one of the originators of the International Typographic Style, also known as the Swiss Style, which was a precursor to the often used Helvetica typeface.
Irrefutably, Rand’s greatest contributions that allowed him to be an icon in graphic design are the corporate identities he created that are still widely used. Conglomerates such as ABC, IBM, Westinghouse, and UPS owe their logos that the world has associated with their products. One of his primary strengths, as Maholy-Nagy pointed out, “was his ability as a salesman to explain the needs his identities would address for the corporation.” The logos that were stamped onto the companies may be interpreted as simplistic, yet Rand refuted this ideology by stating that ideas do not need to be arcane to be original or exciting. The trademark for ABC created by Rand in 1962 embodies the ideal of minimalism while proving Rand’s point that a logo “cannot survive unless it is designed with the utmost simplicity and restraint.” Steve Jobs was another client that revered Rand’s simplistic design. Although Jobs’s company (NeXT computers) that Rand created logos for was unsuccessful, Jobs was inspired by Rand to put large emphasis on the aesthetic design of products to come. In a 1996 interview prior to Rand’s death, Jobs labeled him, simply, “the greatest living graphic designer.”
During a meeting with Rand and Moholy-Nagy, Moholy-Nagy inquired on whether Rand had ever invested time into reading art criticism. As Rand replied with a sincere no, it opened another chapter of curiosity in the life of the soon to be theorist of design. Rand engaged in reading books on philosophy of art by Roger Fry, Alfred North Whitehead, and John Dewey that would have a lasting impression on his work. Furthermore, it allowed him to create theories that he would later express in his book “Thoughts on Design” in which he would elicit ideas on the need of functional aesthetic perfection. Among his proposals in “Thoughts on Design” was the idea of creating graphical design capable of maintaining their recognizable quality even after being changed, a test Rand performed on IBM’s corporate identity. Throughout the number of years that Rand produced trademarks for IBM, he modified the logo multiple times showing the strength of the company’s corporate identity regardless of the changed icon. In a article published in the New York Times, Rand denotes that the failed programs of corporations is not due to the impotency of design, rather “what is evident is that management does not really appreciated the contribution that design (art) can make socially, aesthetically, and economically.” Rand also commented in his book and other articles that it designers are often placed on the low end of the corporate ladder, resulting in the businesses appeal to consumer’s lower instincts rather than to their higher ideals.
The modern corporate era was in its infancy when Rand began his career, which contributed to his success in graphic design. During and at the end of World War II, corporate America was increasing dramatically due to the advancements in media and technology, and due to the confidence in American economics which lead to higher consumer spending. As companies began competing for an increase of clientele, they soon identified the need for simplistic icons that consumers could identify their products with. As Rand’s work began to show high dividend returns for stock holders, more and more companies acquired his expertise to put their name in the race and prevent them from being engulfed by growing conglomerate giants. Well into his eighties and nineties, Rand continued to produce important corporate identities with a rumored price tag of $100,000 dollars per single solution. During an interview, Rand wittily stated “Mies van der Rohe once said that being good is more important than being original. Originality is a product, not an intention.” If you’re good at something, you learn to not do it for free.
Without Rand’s idea of “defamiliarizing the ordinary” consumers would not be able to associate excellence of service from companies such as UPS nor would viewers associate family oriented shows produced by ABC. Most of us take for granted the complexity involved in the designing of icons that will effectively broadcast the message of a company for generations. When asked “how did you become a designer (more specifically on your path to becoming a designer what happened that you might consider unusual, out of the norm, that has had an influence on how you design today)?” Rand simply replied “An act of God.” Clearly, there was always method to Rand’s madness, all while adding a little madness and wit to his method.
Works Cited:
Rand, Paul “Thoughts On Design” Wittenborn, Schultz; 2nd edition (1951)
Rand, Paul Failure by Design New York Times; 1993
http://www.areaofdesign.com/americanicons/rand.htm (electronic)
http://www.paul-rand.com/thoughts.shtml (electronic)
Irrefutably, Rand’s greatest contributions that allowed him to be an icon in graphic design are the corporate identities he created that are still widely used. Conglomerates such as ABC, IBM, Westinghouse, and UPS owe their logos that the world has associated with their products. One of his primary strengths, as Maholy-Nagy pointed out, “was his ability as a salesman to explain the needs his identities would address for the corporation.” The logos that were stamped onto the companies may be interpreted as simplistic, yet Rand refuted this ideology by stating that ideas do not need to be arcane to be original or exciting. The trademark for ABC created by Rand in 1962 embodies the ideal of minimalism while proving Rand’s point that a logo “cannot survive unless it is designed with the utmost simplicity and restraint.” Steve Jobs was another client that revered Rand’s simplistic design. Although Jobs’s company (NeXT computers) that Rand created logos for was unsuccessful, Jobs was inspired by Rand to put large emphasis on the aesthetic design of products to come. In a 1996 interview prior to Rand’s death, Jobs labeled him, simply, “the greatest living graphic designer.”
During a meeting with Rand and Moholy-Nagy, Moholy-Nagy inquired on whether Rand had ever invested time into reading art criticism. As Rand replied with a sincere no, it opened another chapter of curiosity in the life of the soon to be theorist of design. Rand engaged in reading books on philosophy of art by Roger Fry, Alfred North Whitehead, and John Dewey that would have a lasting impression on his work. Furthermore, it allowed him to create theories that he would later express in his book “Thoughts on Design” in which he would elicit ideas on the need of functional aesthetic perfection. Among his proposals in “Thoughts on Design” was the idea of creating graphical design capable of maintaining their recognizable quality even after being changed, a test Rand performed on IBM’s corporate identity. Throughout the number of years that Rand produced trademarks for IBM, he modified the logo multiple times showing the strength of the company’s corporate identity regardless of the changed icon. In a article published in the New York Times, Rand denotes that the failed programs of corporations is not due to the impotency of design, rather “what is evident is that management does not really appreciated the contribution that design (art) can make socially, aesthetically, and economically.” Rand also commented in his book and other articles that it designers are often placed on the low end of the corporate ladder, resulting in the businesses appeal to consumer’s lower instincts rather than to their higher ideals.
The modern corporate era was in its infancy when Rand began his career, which contributed to his success in graphic design. During and at the end of World War II, corporate America was increasing dramatically due to the advancements in media and technology, and due to the confidence in American economics which lead to higher consumer spending. As companies began competing for an increase of clientele, they soon identified the need for simplistic icons that consumers could identify their products with. As Rand’s work began to show high dividend returns for stock holders, more and more companies acquired his expertise to put their name in the race and prevent them from being engulfed by growing conglomerate giants. Well into his eighties and nineties, Rand continued to produce important corporate identities with a rumored price tag of $100,000 dollars per single solution. During an interview, Rand wittily stated “Mies van der Rohe once said that being good is more important than being original. Originality is a product, not an intention.” If you’re good at something, you learn to not do it for free.
Without Rand’s idea of “defamiliarizing the ordinary” consumers would not be able to associate excellence of service from companies such as UPS nor would viewers associate family oriented shows produced by ABC. Most of us take for granted the complexity involved in the designing of icons that will effectively broadcast the message of a company for generations. When asked “how did you become a designer (more specifically on your path to becoming a designer what happened that you might consider unusual, out of the norm, that has had an influence on how you design today)?” Rand simply replied “An act of God.” Clearly, there was always method to Rand’s madness, all while adding a little madness and wit to his method.
Works Cited:
Rand, Paul “Thoughts On Design” Wittenborn, Schultz; 2nd edition (1951)
Rand, Paul Failure by Design New York Times; 1993
http://www.areaofdesign.com/americanicons/rand.htm (electronic)
http://www.paul-rand.com/thoughts.shtml (electronic)
William Morris, Stephanie Aguilar
San Francisco/Oakland is a school I attended for two years. I admired the openness to design that I experienced there as well as the equality and respect of an individuals craft. But it was not before long that the word craft was dropped along with half the staff, the price increased and the whole mood changed. After speaking with veteran advisors and professors at the school and doing a little research I found that this school was originally designed after the influence of this man; William Morris and his beliefs in the Arts and Crafts movement.
Born to a business man in 1834 named William Morris and a daughter of a musician, named Emma Shelton; William Morris Jr. was born to be an artist. Growing up in London Morris became a fan of the medieval style in which he was surrounded. A natural at design Morris always had a gift for interior design which is not surprising considering he studied architecture in his early years of higher education. Morris always understood that art surrounds us at all times and even the chair chosen to place next to your desk was an aesthetic decision.
Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood was originally composed of painters and poets who openly rejected the idea of the academy and felt like painters like Raphael and Michelangelo corrupted the academic practice of art. William Morris became a predominate figure of the unofficial second phase of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. The opposition to the royal academy was the basis of brotherhood and it was obvious to those in the group that not only painting should be a respected/accepted form of art worthy of academic training. Naturalism; or the study of nature was extremely important to William Morris especially when in reference to his designs. He was especially disgusted by the industrial mass produced aspect of design. When posed with the challenge of finding furniture for his home, he gave up and hand crafted his own “total” environment. His colleagues; John Everett Millais, Dante Gabriel Rossetti supported him with the this new appreciation of the craft of art, but after an affair the Rossetti had with Morris’ wife the friendship slowed down and Morris when head first into interior design or what he liked to call “decoration”.
I come more into the details of my subject I shall not meddle much with the great art of Architecture, and less still with the great arts commonly called Sculpture and Painting, yet I cannot in my own mind quite sever them from those lesser, so-called Decorative Arts, which I have to speak about: it is only in latter times, and under the most intricate conditions of life, that they have fallen apart from one another; and I hold that, when they are so parted, it is ill for the Arts altogether: the lesser ones become trivial, mechanical, unintelligent, incapable of resisting the changes pressed upon them by fashion or dishonesty; while the greater, however they may be practiced for a while by men of great minds and wonder-working hands, unhelped by the lesser, unhelped by each other, are sure to lose their dignity of popular arts, and become nothing but dull adjuncts to unmeaning pomp, or ingenious toys for a few rich and idle men.” Morris.
Arts and Crafts Movement was probably a direct result and opposition of the industrial revolution. The repetitive nature of design was limiting, not inspiring; non-personal. The machine taking over the job of a man was not to be accepted or respected. Of course many artists were involved in the creation of this movement but William Morris in particular stood out as a founding father. The arts and crafts movement was very special, especially to those that had not had the luxury of art surrounding them, similar to families that had never had a portrait made until photography made it possible. Also the arts and crafts movement has created an appreciation for hand crafted works, from jewelry to textile, from stained glass to furniture. Eventually Morris was able to start his own company. Morris and company specialize in interior design products such as wallpapers, curtains, stained glass and pillow cases. It is obvious that Morris loved to design not only textiles or furniture, but he loved to design his total environment, call it Feng Shui if you will. It was the idea that art should not be secluded for the rich and only viewed by the elite, but should be something by the secluded for the rich and only viewed by the elite, but should be something by the people and for the people.
Another project that enthralled Mr. Morris and his arts and crafts friends was a house called the Red House. While researching this subject of the Red House it became ever so clear how important the total environment actually was to Morris, even in his own personal life this was a priority of his to design his world. Here are a couple of images below as finding ones of the interior are a bit difficult.
Decoration was William Morris’ first born love, he of course did not stop there in his dabbles with the arts. Phillip Webb along with William Morris designed a home called the Red House where William Morris lived for some time. Here many artists came and went, shows were held, and spoken word was herd. Many artists before leaving would add a special touch of their own to the house. The Red House has a beautiful garden landscape that surrounds it. It is often called the house of the arts and crafts movement. Still to date furniture, stained glass windows, paintings and even letters recently found under floor boards have resided there in tact and open to the public.
William Morris also enjoyed the practice of Calligraphy, or Typology as we would probably now call it. In his book plates he used the visual expression of language to convey emotion or intention mixed carefully with his signature filigree work as decoration. He was a well know writer publishing many works such as A Dream of John Ball, The Defiance of Guinevere and Other Poems, and The Earthly Paradise. He was evolved in writing for the News from Nowhere which was a community based newsletter. The list can travel on and on but rather here is an example of a work he did that I thought was beautiful.
It is amazing the amount of work this man William Morris put into making his world so beautifully decorated. I clearly understand now why the Arts and Crafts Movement was so admired, and why after learning about CCA I chose to attend that ridiculously expensive school. I love the term art by the people for the people, it sounds so revolutionary and political! I guess I wonder now how William Morris would have reacted to the modernist move towards kitsch. Would he agree that kitsch is a move toward totalitarianism, a victim of a mindless culture? Or would he enjoy the playfulness and sarcasm that goes hand and hand with the art practice? I sure wish I could ask him. None the less the man was somewhat of a genius and impacted the world of design immensely.
Bibliography
Bibliography
*Stokstad, Marilyn. Art History: A View of the West, Volume Two. Pearson Education Inc., New Jersey. 2008.
*Stokstad, Marilyn. Art History, Revised Second Edition. Pearson Education Inc., New Jersey. 2005.
Born to a business man in 1834 named William Morris and a daughter of a musician, named Emma Shelton; William Morris Jr. was born to be an artist. Growing up in London Morris became a fan of the medieval style in which he was surrounded. A natural at design Morris always had a gift for interior design which is not surprising considering he studied architecture in his early years of higher education. Morris always understood that art surrounds us at all times and even the chair chosen to place next to your desk was an aesthetic decision.
Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood was originally composed of painters and poets who openly rejected the idea of the academy and felt like painters like Raphael and Michelangelo corrupted the academic practice of art. William Morris became a predominate figure of the unofficial second phase of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. The opposition to the royal academy was the basis of brotherhood and it was obvious to those in the group that not only painting should be a respected/accepted form of art worthy of academic training. Naturalism; or the study of nature was extremely important to William Morris especially when in reference to his designs. He was especially disgusted by the industrial mass produced aspect of design. When posed with the challenge of finding furniture for his home, he gave up and hand crafted his own “total” environment. His colleagues; John Everett Millais, Dante Gabriel Rossetti supported him with the this new appreciation of the craft of art, but after an affair the Rossetti had with Morris’ wife the friendship slowed down and Morris when head first into interior design or what he liked to call “decoration”.
I come more into the details of my subject I shall not meddle much with the great art of Architecture, and less still with the great arts commonly called Sculpture and Painting, yet I cannot in my own mind quite sever them from those lesser, so-called Decorative Arts, which I have to speak about: it is only in latter times, and under the most intricate conditions of life, that they have fallen apart from one another; and I hold that, when they are so parted, it is ill for the Arts altogether: the lesser ones become trivial, mechanical, unintelligent, incapable of resisting the changes pressed upon them by fashion or dishonesty; while the greater, however they may be practiced for a while by men of great minds and wonder-working hands, unhelped by the lesser, unhelped by each other, are sure to lose their dignity of popular arts, and become nothing but dull adjuncts to unmeaning pomp, or ingenious toys for a few rich and idle men.” Morris.
Arts and Crafts Movement was probably a direct result and opposition of the industrial revolution. The repetitive nature of design was limiting, not inspiring; non-personal. The machine taking over the job of a man was not to be accepted or respected. Of course many artists were involved in the creation of this movement but William Morris in particular stood out as a founding father. The arts and crafts movement was very special, especially to those that had not had the luxury of art surrounding them, similar to families that had never had a portrait made until photography made it possible. Also the arts and crafts movement has created an appreciation for hand crafted works, from jewelry to textile, from stained glass to furniture. Eventually Morris was able to start his own company. Morris and company specialize in interior design products such as wallpapers, curtains, stained glass and pillow cases. It is obvious that Morris loved to design not only textiles or furniture, but he loved to design his total environment, call it Feng Shui if you will. It was the idea that art should not be secluded for the rich and only viewed by the elite, but should be something by the secluded for the rich and only viewed by the elite, but should be something by the people and for the people.
Another project that enthralled Mr. Morris and his arts and crafts friends was a house called the Red House. While researching this subject of the Red House it became ever so clear how important the total environment actually was to Morris, even in his own personal life this was a priority of his to design his world. Here are a couple of images below as finding ones of the interior are a bit difficult.
Decoration was William Morris’ first born love, he of course did not stop there in his dabbles with the arts. Phillip Webb along with William Morris designed a home called the Red House where William Morris lived for some time. Here many artists came and went, shows were held, and spoken word was herd. Many artists before leaving would add a special touch of their own to the house. The Red House has a beautiful garden landscape that surrounds it. It is often called the house of the arts and crafts movement. Still to date furniture, stained glass windows, paintings and even letters recently found under floor boards have resided there in tact and open to the public.
William Morris also enjoyed the practice of Calligraphy, or Typology as we would probably now call it. In his book plates he used the visual expression of language to convey emotion or intention mixed carefully with his signature filigree work as decoration. He was a well know writer publishing many works such as A Dream of John Ball, The Defiance of Guinevere and Other Poems, and The Earthly Paradise. He was evolved in writing for the News from Nowhere which was a community based newsletter. The list can travel on and on but rather here is an example of a work he did that I thought was beautiful.
It is amazing the amount of work this man William Morris put into making his world so beautifully decorated. I clearly understand now why the Arts and Crafts Movement was so admired, and why after learning about CCA I chose to attend that ridiculously expensive school. I love the term art by the people for the people, it sounds so revolutionary and political! I guess I wonder now how William Morris would have reacted to the modernist move towards kitsch. Would he agree that kitsch is a move toward totalitarianism, a victim of a mindless culture? Or would he enjoy the playfulness and sarcasm that goes hand and hand with the art practice? I sure wish I could ask him. None the less the man was somewhat of a genius and impacted the world of design immensely.
Bibliography
Bibliography
*Stokstad, Marilyn. Art History: A View of the West, Volume Two. Pearson Education Inc., New Jersey. 2008.
*Stokstad, Marilyn. Art History, Revised Second Edition. Pearson Education Inc., New Jersey. 2005.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Eero Saarinen by Genny Konicke
Eero Saanrinen: A Design Genius
By: Genny Konicke
Eero Saanrinen was born in Kirkkonummi, Finland on August 20, 1910, oddly enough sharing the same birthday as his father. He emigrated to the United States in 1923 when he was only thirteen and blissfully began studying under his father at the Cranbook Academy of Art in Michigan. He concluded his studies at the Yale School of Architecture in 1934. In the 1940’s his friend recruited him to join the Office of Strategic Services where he designed certain functions of bombs. His father passed away in 1950 and Eero took over his father’s practice, Saarinen & Associates in Birmingham. He also embarked on a mission to design for Knoll International where he then promulgated his permanent role as one of the masters of American 20th Century architecture.
It was unambiguous there was a passion for design in Saarinen’s heart. He thought of architecture design as, “…a much more fundamental role to play for man, almost a religious one” (Saarinen 30). Unlike today where many look at architecture as merely a business, Saarinen perceives architecture as an art, which most likely led to his reputation with many critics as superseding form with function. He elusively described architecture as something that had to work with society, which established his belief that design greatly defined our societies since, “Each civilization and culture has produced a total surrounding with an architecture which has come down to our day as its contribution to culture” (30).
The futuristic era in architecture emanated in the early 20th century. This upheaval in the world of architects was distinguished by flagrantly prominent shapes, highly contrasting colors, unelaborate designs, and vibrant lines. Eero Saarinen superseded many designers once the futuristic age was promulgated. Many of Saarinen’s significant designs were birthed during this era, which indicated him as a major contributor of futurism. His designs from this age resume to serve as popular furniture, landmarks, and debates to this day.
Eero Saarinen’s most popular piece of designed furniture was the infamous tulip chair, still customary today after its construction in 1956. After the tulip chair was released to the public, Time Magazine dedicated an article to the new invigorating chair. They describe the chair as a, “…revolutionary design for on-legged, pedestal-based chairs, dining tables, and coffee tables that have all the weightless elegance of a stemmed wineglass” (1). Saarinen claimed that his inspiration came from the “…idea for a form to replace ‘the ugly clutter of cages and legs going in different direction’”. He precisely calculated the base of fascinating piece to decrease the amount of four legs to one. Time explains that, “The plastic seats are of tulip-shaped organic design, [that] have richly colored cushions to temper modern simplicity with elegance”. His stunning design was incredibly promoted when used on the set of Star Trek television series from 1966-69.
Another larger and flagrant piece Saarinen designed is the Trans World Airlines terminal at the John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York. Even though some classify it as a pariah that looks, “…like a bird that has lost its flock”, it was unequivocally a substantial beauty that defined the futuristic era (Muschamp 1). To encapsulate the Flight Center, it was considered anything but trite when finished in 1962. USA Today explains how the exhilarating structure’s, “…soaring, birdlike roof and curvy interior shapes evoke[d] the excitement of the Jet Age, when travelers dressed up rather than [strip] down to get on an airplane”. Robert A. M. Stern describes the invigorating sight as the, “Grand Central of the Jet Age” and New York Times agrees, “…it had a good reason for doing so” (Muschamp 1). New York Times claims the interior, “…is the most dynamically modeled space of its era” with dynamic lines being a fundamental part of futuristic design (2). Although this was an extraordinary structure, many critics have a belligerent attitude toward it. As Saarinen was well known to perform, critics presented their brackishness by blaming Saarinen for, …”placing image before function and structural integrity”, a major case of superseding function with form (3).
Saarinen’s design of the Tulip Chair, T.W.A. Flight Center, and many other invigorating designs such as the St. Louis Gateway Arch, unequivocally emphasized his power during the age of futurism.
Numerous works of Saarinen continue to generate a fervent attitude from society today while others beseech to maintain their importance. One of these futile structures includes the T.W.A. Flight Center. While its inconsequentiality is being debated, the terminal continues to sit empty since Trans World Airlines went out of business in 2001. William DeCota, director of the agency that runs the airport, describes the deteriorating condition of the structure, “As a piece of architecture, it’s exciting, but as a functioning airport terminal, it just absolutely can’t meet the needs of today”. The most popular answers for the quandary seem to be to either renovate the Flight Center or find a new use for it. But, there is the minority, such as Frank Sanchis, vice president of the Municipal Art Society of New York, who believe, “Some buildings are simply better like in their original use, and we think this is one”. The decision on what to transform the terminal into is still being debated.
One of the works by Saarinen that is acknowledged as a U.S. Historical Landmark today is the St. Louis Gateway Arch. Designed by Saarinen in the 1960’s, the arch is also known as the Gateway to the West and is especially valuable to the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial. Construction on the arch finished in 1965 and was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1987. During the mid-1900’s, St. Louis was considered the “Gateway to the West” and thought it appropriate to build a gate to indicate the spot. Saarinen’s winning designed was promulgated while Time illustrated the design as a, “…stainless steel, streamlined, 590-ft-high arch to rise beside the Mississippi” with, “…a funicular elevator and observation corridor” (1).
Even though critics often pointed out mistakes in Saarinen’s works and some of his works may have to disappear forever, he has left behind numerous colossal changes in the world of design that will never be forgotten. He wasn’t afraid to accept the critic’s comments and shine though his own individualistic approach which eventually lead to his extraordinary designs. These designs are what allowed him to really allow the futuristic age to soar not to mention helping the Jet Age take flight.
Eero Saarinen eventuall was married and had two children. He then divorced and remarried having another child. He died on September 1, 1961 at the age of 51 in Michigan.
Sorry Guys
If you wanted to hear about William Morris email me and I will send you the paper. For some reason I was unable to cut and paste to the blog. I will try again tomarrow from a computer at the library, so just wanted to tell everyone that the papers are great and I wish I could recieve all your comments too, its nice to have feedback from your peers. Anyway good sharing class with you all!
Monday, August 10, 2009
Lissitzky works cited
"El Lissitzky." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2009. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 31 Jul. 2009 <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/343316/El-Lissitzky>. Electronic
"El Lissitzky." The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 31 Jul. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. ElectronicGray, Camilla. The great experiment: Russian art, 1863-1922. New York:Abrams, 1962. Print.
http://www.el-lissitzky.com/ (Electronic)
Lissitzky, El An Exhibition from 9th April until end of June 1976. Zurich: Galerie gmurzynska, 1976. Print.
Lissitzky, El. El Lissitzky, 1890-1941 catalogue for an exhibition ofselected works from North American collections, the Sprengel Museum Hanover,and the Staatliche Galerie Moritzburg Halle. [Cambridge, Mass.]: HarvardUniversity Art Museums, Busch-Reisinger Museum, 1987. Print. Lissitzky-Kuppers, Sophie. El Lissitzky Life, Letters, Texts. London: Thames& Hudson, 1992. Print. Rudenstine, Angelica Zander. Russian Avant-Garde Art The George CostakisCollection. New York: Harry N Abrams, 1981. Print. Situating El Lissitzky Vitebsk, Berlin, Moscow (Issues and Debates Series).Detroit: Getty Trust Publications: Getty Research Institute, 2003. Print.
Tupitsyn, Margarita. El Lissitzky beyond the Abstract cabinet : photography, design, collaboration. New Haven: Yale UP, 1999. Print.
"El Lissitzky." The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 31 Jul. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. ElectronicGray, Camilla. The great experiment: Russian art, 1863-1922. New York:Abrams, 1962. Print.
http://www.el-lissitzky.com/ (Electronic)
Lissitzky, El An Exhibition from 9th April until end of June 1976. Zurich: Galerie gmurzynska, 1976. Print.
Lissitzky, El. El Lissitzky, 1890-1941 catalogue for an exhibition ofselected works from North American collections, the Sprengel Museum Hanover,and the Staatliche Galerie Moritzburg Halle. [Cambridge, Mass.]: HarvardUniversity Art Museums, Busch-Reisinger Museum, 1987. Print. Lissitzky-Kuppers, Sophie. El Lissitzky Life, Letters, Texts. London: Thames& Hudson, 1992. Print. Rudenstine, Angelica Zander. Russian Avant-Garde Art The George CostakisCollection. New York: Harry N Abrams, 1981. Print. Situating El Lissitzky Vitebsk, Berlin, Moscow (Issues and Debates Series).Detroit: Getty Trust Publications: Getty Research Institute, 2003. Print.
Tupitsyn, Margarita. El Lissitzky beyond the Abstract cabinet : photography, design, collaboration. New Haven: Yale UP, 1999. Print.
Rem Koolhaas research paper by Kristen S.-B.
In the world of design, Rem Koolhaas is a modern pioneer. Koolhaas is world-renowned for his innovative architectural designs, his architectural theories, and his work as Professor in Practice of Architecture and Urban Design at the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University. Koolhaas was born in Rotterdam on November 17, 1944. Rotterdam is in the Dutch province of South Holland. Nicolai Ouroussoff, critic for the Los Angeles Times, described Koolhaas’s importance like this: “There is little questions that Rem Koolhaas is one of the most influential architects of the last 20 years. As an architectural thinker, his cool analytic approach to design, sprinkle with a healthy skepticism, has informed the profession that his fingerprints can be found on the work of almost any young architect today. Koolhaas has achieved the enviable stature of both cult idol and international celebrity” (May 21st, 2004). Before Koolhaas was famous, he spent a significant amount of time studying and working in other professions.
After high school, Koolhaas studied scriptwriting at the Netherlands Film and Television Academy in Amsterdam. Like many young people it is possible that Koolhaas’s professional aspirations were influenced by his environment—in this case the fact that his father was a screenwriter and alternately that Koolhass’s grandfather was an architect. After graduation Koolhaas worked as a journalist and script writer and actor. Years later Koolhaas begins studying architecture at the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London. Koolhaas graduates again in 1968 and begins working with respected architect O.M. Ungers. In 1972 Koolhaas was admitted to Cornell University where he continues to work with Ungers until 1978, which, according to one source, influenced Koolhaas’ “ideas on architecture and its relationship to the city” (Schrijver). Based on my observations, Koolhaas has been significantly influenced by the Surrealist movement which is most often associated with Salvador Dalí. In Roberto Gargiani’s book, Rem Koolhaas: OMA, The Construction of Merveilles, it was from Dalí’s book Le Mythe Tragique de l’Angelus de Millet, which was published in 1963, that ". . .Koolhaas took the ‘paranoid-critical interpretation’ he was to apply to the study of New York and the invention of other merveilles of architecture./ ‘I have had a longstanding interest in surrealism—he would say later—but more for its analytical powers than for its exploitation of the subconscious of the subconscious or for its aesthetics. […]. I was most impressed by its ‘paranoid’ methods, which I consider one of the genuine inventions of this century, a rational method which does not pretend to be objective, through which analysis becomes identical to creation" (12). The surrealist approach must have appealed to Koolhaas after working as a journalist for years under the artistically restrictive directive of “objectivity.” Koolhaas’s designs and theories as a student would reappear and transform his work in later years.
Koolhaas gained international attention when he co-founded the Office for Metropolitan Architecture with Elia and Zoe Zenghelis and Madelon Vriesendorp in 1975 with offices in New York City, London, and Berlin. The small collective worked in association with Ungers and
". . . confirmed the central importance . . . of the metropolitan phenomenon in the definition of architecture . . . It also indicated consensus with that contemporary cultural orientation that acknowledges the dissolving of the architectural object in the dimension of the metropolis, as theorized for the most part by Italian Marxist intellectuals and radical architecture groups, from Manfredo Tafuri to Archizoom" (Gargiani, 25). Later, OMA established AMO. Specifically, AMO is a think tank focused on social, economic, and technological issues. Koolhaas manages the AMO branches in Europe (Rotterdam), North America (New York), and Asia (Beijing). The OMA entry to the Venice Biennale of 1980 drew attention from critics because it was the only modernist design—all the other entries displayed postmodern classicism of the late 1970s. While OMA was intensely focused on contributing to the world of architectural theory in its first decade (and a half), they eventually broke into the world of physically constructing architectural projects.
The first large project that OMA built was the Kunsthal in Rotterdam in 1992. The Kunsthal was modeled after schemes discussed by Koolhaas in his book Delirious New York, a Retroactive Manifesto for Manhattan, which was published in 1978. Delirious was written while Koolhaas is a visiting scholar at the Institute for Architecture and Urban Studies in New York City. One of the interesting ideas that Koolhaas explained in Delirious was his perception of New York City’s skyscrapers as having ". . . ideological ambitions, to the extent that they represented in many ways the realisations [sic.] of those European avant-garde movements—such as Futurism, Constructivism, Expressionism, Surrealism, Socialist Realism—that had each in their own way been preoccupied with the invention and subsequent imposition of a completely new way of life. But in Europe, where they had been invented, these movements had considered themselves absolutely incompatible and their conclusions irreconcilable. Each of them therefore sought to impose the hegemony of its doctrines at the expense of others. But in Manhattan, where they lived ‘incognito’ so to speak, they coexisted with the Grid as if they had always been intended as each other’s necessary complement without any tempering of their truculence” (Gargiani, 18). While there has been great criticism of American culture as being a melting pot of once greater cultures, perhaps Koolhaas is so fascinated by New York because of it foreignness. Another difference between European cities and the New York that Koolhaas adores is that of Manhattan’s grid. In an essay published in the book Making the Metropolitan Landscape, Roy Strickland tells readers that, in Delirious, Koolhaas concludes that there can be a “euphoric celebration of the liberation from conventions of hierarchy, scale, decorum, and so implied, if not actually realized, by the Manhattan (and presumably other) urban grids.” For those of us not familiar with European architecture in the most generalized way, Strickland goes on to say that "In this, of course, Koolhaas was only the latest in a long line of would-be escapees from the stuffy aesthetic and social constraints of traditional European towns and town life and, by the early 20th century, their even stuffier reproductions in proliferating garden cities and suburbs—not to mention the post-war reconstructions of Koolhaas’s youth" (121).
Most recently, the big commissions that OMA has won were for the Netherlands Embassy in Berlin, the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago, the Prada Epicenter in Los Angeles, the Public Library in Seattle (2004), the Casa de Musica concert hall in Porto (2005), and China Central Television’s cultural center in Beijing (2008). One of Koolhaas’s signature aesthetic choices in his work has been to employ the use of the “void.” In the case of a library Koolhaas designed for the Trés Grande Bibliothéque competition entry, ". . . the library was a solid stack from which volumes are carved: ‘The major public spaces are defined as absences of building, voids carved out of the information solid.’ . . . [Eisenman] argues that the [Jussieu Libraries] conceives the void not only as a critique of modernist precedents, but also . . . [a strategy that] involves creating situations which introduce a voyeuristic gaze and in which the voided space both blocks direct vision and reveals supposedly hidden elements" (Eisenman, 202). One of the modernist principles that Koolhaas worked against was the simplification of exterior and interior spaces that couldn’t possibly excite someone whose mind was as active as his. In creating his unique urban spaces, Koolhaas often employed techniques like bending walls and slanting ceilings so as to give the impression of malleable and continuous surfaces, in part to make the inhabitants aware of the spaces they were in. The two pictures below are of the Educatorium on the university campus in Utrecht.
One of the most interesting spaces that Koolhaas designed was his Prada store in Beverly Hills. When I think of the interior space of a high-end luxury store, I think of bright lights and lots of shiny, metallic surfaces with lots of mirrors and hundreds of delicious colors and textures to absorb. Koolhaas knew this and designed the Beverly Hills store to create an opposite experience wherein the textures in his Prada store absorbed light and looked soft and non-reflective.
The Beverly Hills Prada store also has so few clothes within such a large amount of space that the consumer feels small and as if they were in a museum where the clothes were on display (instead of in a store where the mirrors and other reflective surfaces made them part of the Prada experience). According to author Simone Brott, the purpose of this was to create a feeling of interiority and to experience the architecture of the store (8). Prada hired Koolhaas to be the architect for this store so that they could connect the concept of their store to the avant-garde of the art world.
As someone who has been inside the Seattle Public Library, I can definitely say that the dynamic that Koolhaas created was very visually exciting—I had never been in a building that seemed so open and mysterious at the same time. These conflicting feelings made me want to explore the space, not just check my email as I had originally entered the building to do. The way the interior space was laid out, it seemed like a photographer’s dream: you could get entirely different impressions of the building by positioning yourself on different floors in different directions as the colors, materials, and spaces changed in every direction; the whole thing seemed like a puzzle that would only come together if you could find the right vantage point.
In Essentiial Architecture: The History of Western Architecture, the Seattle Public Library is described this way: "A structural steel and glass skin unifies eight horizontal platforms that are connected by a series of elevators and escalators. These levels, all of different opacities, densities, sizes and shapes, allow for versatile uses of space. The sloping glass ceilings and walls create unusual lighting and views of the urban surroundings" (Borden, Elzanowski, Lawrenz, Miller, Smith, Taylor, 496). However, on the other side of the emotional spectrum, there has been some critique of Koolhaas and OMA’s ethics in regard to building the CCTV in China.
According to Ian Buruma, the CCTV is “ . . . the voice of the party, the centre of state propaganda, the organ which tells a billion people what to think” which is bad when the government is promoting things like the genocide of Tibetan people” (McNeill, 141).
In addition to publishing Delirious, Koolhaas also published the book S, M, L, XL, which summarizes the work of OMA and established connections between contemporary society and architecture. In 2005, Koolhaas co-founds Volume Magazine with Mark Wigley and Ole Bouman. Then in 2008, Time Magazine puts Koolhaas in their top 100 list of “The World’s Most Influential People.”
Koolhaas has also received numerous awards, the most prestigious of which are the Pritzker Architecture Prize (2000), the Chevallier de Légion d’honneur (2001), the Praumium Imperiale (2003), the RIBA Royal Gold Medal (2004), and the Mies van der Rohe Award for the Netherlands Embassy Berlin (2005). The Mies van der Rohe Award is presented every 2 years by the EU and the Fundació Mies van der Rohe (Barcelona) to acknowledge and reward quality architecture production in Europe.
Koolhaas’s work has also been the subject of various exhibits in well-established galleries around the world. The first to mention would be the Content exhibit which was housed in the Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin in 2003 and was later transported to the Kunsthal (which was built by OMA) in 2004. In addition to the Content exhibition, a book of the same name was published in 2003 by Taschen Books. According to Harvard’s Graduate School of Design’s website, “Content illustrates the ways that Rem Koolhaas and OMA-AMO interact with the world and how the world in turn influences their work.” Then, in the summer of 2005, Koolhaas curated one of the exhibitions called 'Expansion & Neglect' for the very prestigious Venice Biennale. The Venice Biennale is one of the most well-respected art exhibits in the contemporary world of fine (high) art. Then in 2008, AMO held an exhibition on the representation in and the perception of Europe to be on display in Brussels and at the Haus der Kunst in Munich.
Presently, at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, Koolhaas conducts Project on the City, a research program investigating changing urban conditions around the world.
As anyone who took the time to look over the prolific life’s work of Rem Koolhaas would conclude, Koolhaas is one of the designers of the 20th and 21st centuries who has become a “starchitect” due to his unconventional approaches to architecture and architectural theory.
Bibliography:
Borden, Daniel; Elzanowski, Jerzy; Lawrenz, Cornelia; Miller, Danial; Smith, Adele; Taylor, Joni. Essential Architecture: The History of Western Architecture. London: Herbert Press, 2008.
Brott, Simone. “Close Encounter, Withdrawn Effects.” Journal of Architectural Education (2008): 6-16.
Eisenman, Peter. Ten Canonical Buildings 1950-2000. New York: Rizzoli International Publications, Inc., 2008.
Gargiani, Roberto. Rem Koolhaas: OMA The Construction of Merveilles. Abingdon, Oxford: Routledge, 2008.
McNeill, Donald. The Global Architect: Firms, Fame and Urban Form. New York: Routledge, 2009.
Schrijver, Lara. “OMA as tribute to OMU: Exploring Resonances in the Work of Koolhaas and Ungers.” The Journal of Architecture 13 (2008): 235-261.
Stauber, Jennifer, and Tatom, Jacqueline, eds. Making the Metropolitan Landscape: Standing Firm on Middle Ground. New York: Routledge, 2009.
Monica Barbera
El Lissitzky
El Lissitzky was a Russian painter, typographer, designer, and one of the most influential figures in nonrepresentational and constructivist art. Although he had a relatively short life, dieing at the age of 51, he was a well traveled accomplished artist who is still relevant today.
Lazar Mordukhovich Lisitskii, better know as El Lissitzky, was born on November 23, 1890 in Pochinok, a small Jewish, river side town in the Vitebsk district of Russia. El lived with his grandparents on this mother’s side in Smolensk while he attended secondary school where he began showing an interest in art. El’s family provided him with a board education, including training in art. His father spoke four languages, including Russian, German, Yiddish and English and would translate Shakespeare and Heine for El. After finishing secondary school Lissitzky applied to the St. Petersburg Academy and was rejected because of his Jewish background. After this rejection El decided he needed a profession and began studying architecture in Germany. As a student El traveled to many places studying their architectural significance. During these travels El found himself drawn not only to the architecture of religious buildings but to Japanese prints, crafts, western painting and sculpture. These influences can be seen in some of this surviving works from this time.
With the eruption of World War I Lissitzky was required to leave Germany. He returned to Russia and attended the Riga Polytechnic Institute in Moscow. He graduated as an “engineer-architect” in 1918. El worked in two major architectural firms but did not design. During the war he became involved with a movement focused on the revival of Jewish culture. This sudden concentration was said to be sparked by his earlier travels, interest in religious architecture and the 1917 Revolution, which dissolved the restrictions on Jews. Lissitzky went on to work for several Jewish publishers designing publication covers, illustrating and trademarks.
There have been many rumors as to why El moved to Germany in the early 1920’s. This move proved to be a significant event, shortly after Lissitzky began teaching architecture and design at the VKhUTEMAS at Khudozhestvenno-Praktichesky Institut (Artistic-Technical Institute), his Prouns movement began taking shape and he aided in the formation of the UNOVIS group (Affirmers of the New Art). After this point El’s interests shifted to the use of typography and photography. El used the shapes of printed letters as to symbolize the parts of the human form and the world around them. Lissitzky’s work in photography is not what one would expect when they hear the word photography. El experimented with placing everyday objects on photo paper and exposing them to sunlight. He also double exposed picture to superimpose images. El then journeyed into propaganda for Stalin, specifically in the area of book design. As the events leading to the beginning of World War II took place Lissitzky continued creating from his deathbed creating his last work, a propaganda poster to rally Soviets to build tanks to defeat Nazi Germany. 
In looking at El Lissitzky’s works we can see how closely it is linked to the world around him. His earlier works are marked by his commitment to his religion during a time in which he was being persecuted and forced to live as a second class citizen. While his later works show his deep connection to his support for Stalin.
El is best known for his series of works he called Proun a series of abstract geometric paintings. Lissitzky described this work as “the station on the road towards constructing a new form” (Lissitzky, 1976 p.60) Lissitzky shifted axes, used multiple perspectives and his own pension for architecture to take the previously 2D suprematism into a 3D form. Over the five years he spent on Proun his work progressed from paintings and lithographs to 3D installations and exhibitions.
Some have speculated that Lissitzky has remained such an important figure because he was so ahead of his time. Many in the art community consider design to be a modern term, but Lissitzky used it to describe his works in his autobiography in 1926. El considered his giving up painting to be the beginning of the most important work as an artist, although Russia did not agree at that time. Many did not understand the purpose of his works.
In one of Lissitzky’s essays, Do Not Separate Form from Content he writes “Technology offers the most colossal possibilities for design.” In this essay El is specifically speaking about books, both the design and publication, but this quote speaks a great deal about Lissitzky’s general artistic identity. He started in more classical mediums and as technology advanced his works changed to incorporate these advances.
El Lissitzky
El Lissitzky was a Russian painter, typographer, designer, and one of the most influential figures in nonrepresentational and constructivist art. Although he had a relatively short life, dieing at the age of 51, he was a well traveled accomplished artist who is still relevant today.
Lazar Mordukhovich Lisitskii, better know as El Lissitzky, was born on November 23, 1890 in Pochinok, a small Jewish, river side town in the Vitebsk district of Russia. El lived with his grandparents on this mother’s side in Smolensk while he attended secondary school where he began showing an interest in art. El’s family provided him with a board education, including training in art. His father spoke four languages, including Russian, German, Yiddish and English and would translate Shakespeare and Heine for El. After finishing secondary school Lissitzky applied to the St. Petersburg Academy and was rejected because of his Jewish background. After this rejection El decided he needed a profession and began studying architecture in Germany. As a student El traveled to many places studying their architectural significance. During these travels El found himself drawn not only to the architecture of religious buildings but to Japanese prints, crafts, western painting and sculpture. These influences can be seen in some of this surviving works from this time.
With the eruption of World War I Lissitzky was required to leave Germany. He returned to Russia and attended the Riga Polytechnic Institute in Moscow. He graduated as an “engineer-architect” in 1918. El worked in two major architectural firms but did not design. During the war he became involved with a movement focused on the revival of Jewish culture. This sudden concentration was said to be sparked by his earlier travels, interest in religious architecture and the 1917 Revolution, which dissolved the restrictions on Jews. Lissitzky went on to work for several Jewish publishers designing publication covers, illustrating and trademarks.
There have been many rumors as to why El moved to Germany in the early 1920’s. This move proved to be a significant event, shortly after Lissitzky began teaching architecture and design at the VKhUTEMAS at Khudozhestvenno-Praktichesky Institut (Artistic-Technical Institute), his Prouns movement began taking shape and he aided in the formation of the UNOVIS group (Affirmers of the New Art). After this point El’s interests shifted to the use of typography and photography. El used the shapes of printed letters as to symbolize the parts of the human form and the world around them. Lissitzky’s work in photography is not what one would expect when they hear the word photography. El experimented with placing everyday objects on photo paper and exposing them to sunlight. He also double exposed picture to superimpose images. El then journeyed into propaganda for Stalin, specifically in the area of book design. As the events leading to the beginning of World War II took place Lissitzky continued creating from his deathbed creating his last work, a propaganda poster to rally Soviets to build tanks to defeat Nazi Germany.
In looking at El Lissitzky’s works we can see how closely it is linked to the world around him. His earlier works are marked by his commitment to his religion during a time in which he was being persecuted and forced to live as a second class citizen. While his later works show his deep connection to his support for Stalin.
El is best known for his series of works he called Proun a series of abstract geometric paintings. Lissitzky described this work as “the station on the road towards constructing a new form” (Lissitzky, 1976 p.60) Lissitzky shifted axes, used multiple perspectives and his own pension for architecture to take the previously 2D suprematism into a 3D form. Over the five years he spent on Proun his work progressed from paintings and lithographs to 3D installations and exhibitions.
Some have speculated that Lissitzky has remained such an important figure because he was so ahead of his time. Many in the art community consider design to be a modern term, but Lissitzky used it to describe his works in his autobiography in 1926. El considered his giving up painting to be the beginning of the most important work as an artist, although Russia did not agree at that time. Many did not understand the purpose of his works.
In one of Lissitzky’s essays, Do Not Separate Form from Content he writes “Technology offers the most colossal possibilities for design.” In this essay El is specifically speaking about books, both the design and publication, but this quote speaks a great deal about Lissitzky’s general artistic identity. He started in more classical mediums and as technology advanced his works changed to incorporate these advances.
Frank Gehry - Toron Smith
Frank Gehry
Most of us are familiar with at least one piece of Frank Gehry’s architecture. I remember there was this big to do about Paul Allen investing in a new kind of music museum called the Experience Music Project or “EMP” for short. It was supposed to be this huge cutting edge building that put the viewer in the drivers seat in terms of interactivity. The icing on the cake was that Mr. Allen commissioned a world renowned architect to design the building in its soon to be home in downtown Seattle. I never really paid to much attention to the uproar or thought to pay that much attention to the construction process of the museum. Lets just say that when I saw final product I finally understood the cheers and the jeers. That in my opinion sums up the work of Frank Gehry. His work is often praised for its forward adaptation of design, all while criticized because of his against the grain approaches.
Frank Gehry was born on February 28, 1929 to a Polish-Jewish family in Toronto, Canada. As a young boy Frank began to hone his creative impulses by constructing and sketching out his ideas and would often borrow materials from his grandfathers hardware store for inspiration. The Young Gehry moved to Los Angeles in 1947 where he began studying at Los Angeles City College. He took his first architecture classes on a whim and fell in love with the possibilities of design. It should be noted that he was very much under skilled and was not a natural when it came to drafting. With the help of his professors and an early encounter with established architect Raphael Soriano, he won a scholarship to the University of Southern California. In 1954 he earned his degree in architecture.
Gehry’s post undergrad career began as he began work at notable architecture firm Victor Gruin Associates. His work would soon be interrupted by military service where he served one year in the United States Army. It was not soon after he returned that he entered into the Harvard Graduate School of Design. He began studying city planning but returned to Los Angeles before he completed his degree. Upon his return home he worked at various LA architectural firms but it is said that he grew tired and decided on relocating with his wife and kids to Paris were he worked for French Architect Andre Romondet and apprenticed under noted modernist Le Corbusier. This marked the true beginnings of his career.
After his stewardship in Paris, Gehry returned to Los Angeles where he spawned Gehry Associates. It should be stated that in the early stages of his business career he continued to work in the international style as created by Le Corbusier and taught by the Bauhaus school. A change began to take place in his design style as he became closely involved with the sculpting community. It was by this new found interest in sculpting that he began to explore new ways and new uses of material and thought. It was at this point where he broke through and his personal design language began to surface. National popularity was soon to follow after the success of his furniture line called East Edges. The hugely popular line was featured in numerous magazine spreads and periodicals. By the mid 1980’s Frank’s work attracted international attention and world acclaim. His work in the Vitra furniture factory in Basil, Switzerland and the Vitra Design Museum in Weil-amRhein, Germany cemented his status as a star in the design world. His style is known as playful and imaginative, all while complex in thought and construction. Critics placed his style of work in the realm of “deconstructivism.“
Deconstructivism, or Deconstruction, is an approach to building design that attempts to view architecture in bits and pieces. The basic elements of architecture are dismantled. Deconstructivist buildings may seem to have no visual logic. They may appear to be made up of unrelated, disharmonious abstract forms.
Originally, some of the architects known as Deconstructivists were influenced by the ideas of the French philosopher Jacques Derrida. For him Deconstructivism should be considered an extension of his interest in radical formalism. Some practitioners of deconstructivism were also influenced by the formal experimentation and geometric imbalances of Russian constructivism. There are additional references in deconstructivism to 20th-century movements: the modernism/postmodernism interplay, expressionism, cubism, minimalism and contemporary art. The attempt in deconstructivism throughout is to move architecture away from what its practitioners see as the constricting 'rules' of modernism such as "form follows function," "purity of form," and "truth to materials."
Gehry’s work is sometimes referred to as Los Angeles School, which is based on the idea that many architects around the Los Angeles area produce postmodern architecture. His work is also known as California funk, which references the 60s and 70s use of inexpensive material to make something grand.
I guess you don’t get to become a Pritzker Prize winning architect without having constructed some amazing pieces of architecture. One of Frank Gehry’s most renowned and some say his best work to date is from his construction of the Guggenheim Museum in Spain. The building itself is designed to be, feel, and appear random. The museum opened in 1997 and was considered by many one of the most immaculate buildings ever constructed in this time and age. The shape itself is said to resemble a ship, which seems quite appropriate since the museum was constructed on the shores of the Nervion River in Biboa. It blends together the world of both the organic and inorganic. While the body of the building flows naturally, the exoskeleton seamlessly blends together titanium flanks to hold together the beautiful composition. In an explanation of the process Gehry explained how he managed to develop the Guggenheim on time and within budget. First he secured the artists in order to maintain his artist vision, then he budgeted a realistic cost or figure, and finally he used a computer-aided system called CATIA along with other time saving software in order to maintain efficiency.
Being from Seattle I think that it would only be in order for me to reference the Gehry piece of architecture that adorns my cities vibrant metropolitan makeup. The building is made up of more than 140,000 square feet of sheet metal and steel. The EMP is very much psychedelic and pays homage in various ways to Seattle bands and rock and roll prodigies such as Jimi Hendrix, Pearl Jam, and Nirvana. The building itself is said to resemble a smashed guitar. "We started collecting pictures of Stratocasters, bringing in guitar bodies, drawing on those shapes in developing our ideas" Gehry stated. The outside of the building features a rainbow of golds, silvers, reds and blues. It definitely is a sight to see if and when one travels to Seattle.
Another wildly famous work of Frank Gehry is the Walt Disney Concert Hall in downtown Los Angeles. In shape it takes after the Guggenheim in my opinion, but on a less grand scale. It seats well over 2,000 occupants. The stainless steel exterior has been said to pose numerous problems according to some Los Angeles residents. In 2005 some of the panels were sanded and dulled in order to counteract the problematic glare.
All in all Frank Gehry’s architecture if not anything is compelling to the eye. He has a flair for pushing the limits of construction and form in the architectural and design world. His non-conformist designs are still today as controversial as ever. I encourage any who has not gotten a change to visit one of his many building to do so. I’m sure you’ll walk away with a strong opinion of your own.
Watch This: Charlie Rose Interview with Frank Gehry: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8650915086454055077
Bibliography
Frank Gehry Biography, Academy of Achievement 2007
Charlie Rose, Frank Gehry, May 2009
Frank O. Gehry: The Complete Works, Phaidon Press, Oct 2003
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Gehry
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deconstructivism
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