Post Modern Architecture and National Museum

post·mod·ern·ism

Definition:

 

any of a number of trends or movements in the arts and literature developing in the 1970s in reaction to or rejection of the dogma, principles, or practices of established modernism,  especially a movement in architecture and the decorative arts running counter to the practice and influence of the International Style and encouraging the use of elements from historical vernacular styles and often playful illusion, decoration, and complexity.

 

 

Post Modern Architecture still uses steel, concrete and glass to build the structures but it has a spin using computers, sleeker lines that suit more of an environmental spin and more energy efficient and also re-using old buildings to form new ones.

 

 

National Museum of Australia

 

 

 

Minimilism and Conceptual Art

Minimalism
http://www.zenfolio.com/benhouston/e/pages/blog.aspx#new In 1913 a man by the name of Kasimir Malevich placed a black square in a white background, this started the minimalist revolution.
 
The painting came with a very powerful quote, “art no longer cares to serve the state and religion; it no longer wishes to illustrate the history of manners, it wants to have nothing further to do with the object as such, and believes that it can exist, in and for itself, without things” 

  (quoted Gablik in Stangos 1981, p. 244)

 It was the least popular revolution amongst art buyers and critiques. It laid low for decades until artist in the 60's bought it back into vogue, noting that they were bored with the modern day action paintings and preferred to paint with intuition rather than a form or light painting.

Conceptual Art

Conceptual Art was first formed in 1961 by the American theorist and Composer Henry Flynt. Duchamp paved the way for the Conceptual artists with his Urinal sculpture entitled "DMut", I have summarised this work in a previous blog. It was known as the dematerialisation of art and concentrated breaking down art to its bare bones. Photography was used a visual recording device to follow the artists ideas:

 

 

 

 

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/384056/minimalism 
www.googleimages.com


  

Bauhaus Inspired Image Around the House - Mac Finder Icon

I chose something a little different for my Bauhaus inspired photo. The apple icon finder was inspired by the first Bauhaus logo and Exposition poster from Weimer, Germany the home of Bauhaus. The Bauhaus logo seems to be inspired by picasso's "Two Characters".

The finder is noted as Bauhaus because of the thick lines through the square face. The lines intersecting two complimentary colours and the back to front, front to back face, adding a spin on the original poster face. Steve Jobs (RIP), former Apple Inc CEO, quoted Picasso “Good artists copy, great artists steal”.  

Steve Jobs seems to be dedicating the use of the image to Picasso as a get out of jail free card for stealing his image!

My photo of the Icon:

 

The icon:

 

First Bauhaus Poster:

 

 

Picasso's two characters

resource: artresource.com

Abstract Expressionism and Nationalism

Abstract Expressionism

Abtract Expressionism was formed in the States from the 1940's to the 1950's. The idea was to convey emotional feeling and rawness by using colour and predominantly large canvases. Jackson Pollack was a world famous abstract Expressionist.

                                                              Jackson Pollack - Galaxy

Nationalism


Margret Preston believed that Aboriginal Art should form the basis for an Australian uniformed art. She was well educated, married to a rich husband and had everything going for her. She was a Nationalist and believed in the Aboriginal art movement.

                                                            Young Margret Preston - 18 yrs old

Albert Namatijira was an icon between the 1920's -1940's around the same time the Australian public including aboriginal people were going through plenty of upheavel. 
Namitijira had a real honesty about his work, he was from NT and his work was much more than any white painter during the time. He assimilated into white man culture but this came at a cost. His people disowned him and tried to take a portion of his money, this was in accordance to Aboriginal law. He tried to build a house but Aboriginals couldn't come out after dark in NT because they were not citizens. In 1957 the NT government made an exception for Albert but suggested his kids would not be able to visit as they were wards of the state in Alice.

 
                                                    Albert Namitijira before heart attack in jail




reference:

skhs.org.au
http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/namatjira-albert-elea-11217

Pop Art and 1960s Politics in America

Pop Art

Pop Art was coined by a journo discussing the artists use of all things pop at the time. Andy Warhol was a key figure in this era, taking popular items and placing them in a photo and calling it art. This flew against the previous conservative artist that used skill, instead of placement to create their work. It seemed like a celebration of consumerism too, with adverts for soup and the like. Bright fluro colours were generally used and sometimes slogans too. The Pop art culture in Britain road on the curt tails of American products flooding the UK consumer market.




"These raw materials were largely scraps and traces of Americana left over from U.S. servicemen after WWII – ads, comics, posters, packages – and also the influx of American goods into Britain post-war. In this post-war time of hope and of rebuilding, Depression years. So, it is understandable that envy, materialism and politics" quote from Tess notes.

Ref:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2007/aug/26/art

Russian Constructivism and Bauhaus

Russian constructivism

Russian constructivism came about after the end of world war 1. The Russian Artists started the movement looking for a more peaceful, compliant and reasonable outlook. The work was carried out with solid objects but no real understanding of a representation. Majority of the work was industrial in nature. Artists used harder grade materials like steel, hard plastic, wood and stone.

Some of the artists from this era are as listed:

Main Representatives: Alexander Rodchenko, Liubov Popova, Vladimir Tatlin, Olga Rozanova, Alexandra Exter, Naum Gabo, El Lissitzky, Antoine Pevsner, Kasimir Malevich and Alexander Vesnin.


 Bauhaus


Bauhaus is a German word and it described a school of design established by Walter Gropius in Weimar in 1919, best known for its designs of objects based on functionalism and simplicity.Bauhaus School bought together all the great architects and artists in the day. Most of them German. The Nazi's didn't agree  with what they were doing because they had many Russian artists invovled in the school.

The scool  bought the design, sophistication and a real place amongst the art elite in America and Europe. Many artists were attached to the school but were kicked out of the country because of their affiliation with the movement.

Bauhaus brings artists together fine arts and crafts to modernise engineering through art, expression and to look at simplicity as the next modern adventure.

 Ref. www.arthistoryarchive.com


 

Task 4: Futurist Manifest

We were asked to write our own futurist manifesto:


1. Believe

2. Work your ass off

3. Never Settle

4. Give a mile, get a smile

5. Take the photo

6. Live the Dream

7. Feel the need, the need for speed

8. K.I.S.S

9. Throw out most of your stuff

10. No one gets out alive;)