Blog assignment 13 (Postmodernism)

The Persistence of Memory by Salvador Dali. Retrieved 7th of October from: http://www.moma.org/collection/object.php?object_id=79018

      

The Simpsons in Salvador Dali's The Persistance of Memory by Zeitan. Retrieved 7th of October from: http://www.sjsu.edu/faculty/wooda/171/171syllabus13chapter7.html

In postmodern variation of Salvador's Dali "The Persistence of Memory" by Zeitan the painting get an absolutely new modern meaning. As probably all modern especially young people know, Simpsons are a symbol of a modern family of the 21^st century. They represent both sides of modern families - ridicule negative features and underline positive ones. The appearance of Simpsons on The persistence of memory brings a new cultural message and tries to make people thing about the future instead of turning back to the past. Simpsons in The Persistence of Memory is a parody but I think it is already a new art object itself. What I personally really like abut it is that it does respect the original painting. It does not make fun of it but has a dose of healthy irony. The author “builds” something completely new and creative using famous Dali’s painting as a historical quotation and a base for it. Kaufman states that states that modern design “is the planning and making of objects suited to our way of life, our abilities, our ideals.” (Kaufman, 1948 as sited at Woodham  p.187). I consider this  parody is a very good example implementation of his words.

References:

1.Woodham, J. (1997), Pop to Post-Modernism: Changing Values in Twentieth-Century Design (p. 187) Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press

Blog assignment 12 (Politics of Design)

Solar-powered house by Victoria University of Wellington students. Retrieved from: http://firstlighthouse.ac.nz/home/

People today become more and more concerned and interested in an issue of environmental pollution. Of course designers cannot stay away and try to find ways to support and develop ecology on the planet. “Green ideology” is fortunately becoming more and more popular. Almost every supermarket today offers its customers to buy food packed using ecologically friendly materials and “green shopping bags” instead of plastic ones. Another important goal was achieved by students of Victoria University of Wellington, who managed to design and built ecologically friendly house which is called “solar-powered house”. It is using solar power, which is a renewable source for household needs of energy.  If houses such as “solar-powered house” will get a wider spread much less nonrenewable resources such as oil or coal will be used and  consequently less waste will get into the water and atmosphere as solar energy does not produce any waste at all. I strongly believe that appearance of such products on the market will give a huge jolt in solving environmental problems on the Earth.  

Blog assignment 11 ( Modernism: standardisation, rationalisation, and the search for the universal)

Design of coca-cola bottle aimed at mass-production. Retrieved September  24 from:  http://asianmalerevolutions.com/remember/i-propaganda-consumerism--origins-of-mass-media/

Hannes Meyer, the Swiss-born architect appointed director of the Bauhaus in 1928, argued that design is a product of “function x economy”, aligning design with a scientific model driven by new technologies and manufacturing potential. I agree with opinion that design nowadays becomes more and more scientific and less artistic. Today design is aimed more at mass production and collective needs rather than individual taste and preferences. This tendency was reinforced with the advent of first and then Second World War when social goals and needs were set higher than private. Modernism simplified design but made it more complicated at the same time. Even though appearance of things became less complex the process of making started to involve new machine technologies which requires special scientific engineering knowledge. Lissitsky states that “The new art is formed, not on a subjective, but on an objective basis.” (Lissitsky as stated in Raizman, 1918-44, p. 74) Which means that artists apply less personal attitude to their work. Personally, I do not think that this is what design should be like. I believe that design is all about self-expression of an artist. It is obvious that in 21^st century design for mass production is an essential part of design. But there still has to be place for pure art in our life.

References:
1.Raizman, D. (2004). The First Machine Age in Europe, in History of Modern Design, New Jersey: Prentice Hall Inc.

Blog assignment 10 (the symbolic universe)

The Creation of Adam by Michelangelo (Sistine Chapel) Retrieved September 18th from: https://briarcroft.wordpress.com/2010/12/06/an-advent-tapestry-our-hearts-are-restless/

I think one of good examples of symbolic universes today can be different new religions. Religious people acknowledge themselves as a part of divine world created by God who is the father of all people. Whenever newborn comes to the world he or she is already a part of the supernal universe and as he or she rises he or she starts to learn from elder people about the God and how everything that exists in the world has been created and starts to perceive him or herself as integral part of that universe. And for that person it cannot be otherwise. It does not depend on him or her. He or she was born as a part of that universe, everyone else in his or her understanding is a part of it and it does not matter whether that person is believer or not. It was just meant to be so. People are powerless to affect it.

I believe that design plays an important role in straightening the faith of people. It implicates iconography and architecture that can create a unique feeling of divine greatness and omnipresence. In turn media plays an important role in spread of religion by propaganda of religion through printed production and TV and radio programmes.

Blog assignment 9 (New Media)

Ekaterina's palace 1751, Tsarskoe selo, St. Petersburg Russia. Retrieved September 9 from http://tickitnow.com/?p=museum&view=4

In his essay “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction” Benjamin claims that “To an ever greater degree the work of art reproduced becomes the work of art designed for reproducibility. From a photographic negative, for example, one can make any number of prints; to ask for the authentic print makes no sense.” (Benjamin 1935, p. 4) I can not agree more with that statement. In the age of digital and mechanical reproduction, the work of art appears as something, that is meant to be  reproduced. As a comparison, looking back to the past I want to turn to Ekaterina’s Palace in Saint Petersburg – architectural monument of the Tsarist Russia. Nowadays it is considered as a unique work of art. However originally it was built as a house for living. In Russian Imperia not only queen could afford apartments like that. Rich and wealthy Russian dynasties also lived in luxurious palaces. With new technologies houses are built way faster and they are not unique. If we will have a look at house of Russian person today it would be an easy to reproduce architectural object, which will scarcely likely will ever become a work of art. With the advent of the Bolsheviks houses started to be built on the same project to support the socialist idea of absolute equality between people, so most houses looked absolutely the same. Same thing happened to the art in whole. Since 20^th century new media takes a huge place in art and it continues to defend it’s right to be a significant part of art. The tendency shows that cinema becomes more and more popular while theatre takes a back seat. It is also not a secret that more and more people become interested in photography and less – in art. According to Petty, with new media technologies art work loses it’s aura (M.Petty, personal communication, September 7, 2011). “Authentic” art still exists but it is probably about to extinct in few centuries.


References: 1. Benjamin, W. (1935). The Work of Art in the Age of the Mechanical Reproduction.

Blog assignment 5 (Colors)

The very first understanding of color was supported by Newton’s theory, which was based on mathematics and physics. In Newton’s view spectrum of colors appeared as the refracted rays of light. Being a scientist but not artist he did not consider subjective perception of color. This invention was made by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe in the beginning of the 19^th century – hundred years later than Newton’s theory. It was a great chance for artists to improve their knowledge of color through the experimentation and learn how to control color. The idea of using strong contrast was Matisse’s inspiration for his painting “Night café” where he is playing with contrast of green, red and yellow. Colors look differently and express not artist’s actual seeing of things but his understanding and perception. Painting “The red studio” is a great example of expression of after-image. It was also important for artists to find out how colors change depending on light. “The light which illuminates hues changes them considerably; blue appears green by candle light and yellow appears white; blue appears white by weak daylight, as the beginning of night.” (Gage, 1993 p.192).


References: Gage, J. (1993). Colours of the Mind in Colour and Culture: Practice and Meaning from Antiquity to Abstraction (pp.192). New York: Thames and Hudson.