Neville Brody is a graphic designer, art director and at the same time he is a typographer. He is mostly famous with his works for the magazines such as The Face and Arena. Also he designed record covers for famous singers and groups. Now he is the head of Communication Art and Design department in Royal Collage of Art. He started his career when he was in collage. He was designing posters for the student concerts etc. Also he was interested in art. Brody’s first year thesis was on pop art and dadaism. In 1988 he published two volumes of Thames and Hudson books. After 1994 he started to work for the company called Research Studios in London. He was business partners with Fwa Richards for the Research Studios. Later on they opened this company in San Francisco, New York, Paris, and Berlin. The company was designing packages for famous companies such as Kenzo. Brody recently designed BBC website in 2011. He redesigned The Times with his new font called Times Modern in 2006. He is the major contributor for FUSE conference which connects all the art subjects each other such as design, film, architecture, interaction design, sound and web. Many different people were introduced to talk in this publication. He has designed many record covers such as Depeche Mode, Level 42, Kurtis Blow, Zuice, Raybeats, Defunkt, Code and 23 Skidoo. On the other hand he also helped Apple company to design their fonts. Neville designed many font families such as Arcadia, FF Autotrace, FF Blur, FF Dirty 1 etc.
Postmodernism is a movement that is beyond modernism. It came out to criticize modern life and thinking. This philosophical idea is spread in different fields such as architecture, philosophy, literature and art. It is hard to answer the question what postmodernism means. It came out after the World War II. Postmodernism began with architecture. Modern architectures are Le Corbusier, Walter Gropius and Philip Johnson. They are one hundred percent minimalist people. The thing that is important for them is form and function. They try to use as much as window as they can. Later on postmodernist started to question the modern architecture and minimalism. Such as Michael Graves decided to reject pure form and perfect details of architecture. Modern architecture was telling that ‘less is more’ but later on post modernist architecture changed it as ‘less is a bore’.
Vanna Venturi House
Postmodern term started to use for art after 1950s. It is also called contemporary art. Some people accepted this period as late modern art but mostly they rejected this thought. They ignored to see postmodernism same with the modern art. Traditional techniques came back to art with this ideology. It ignored the thought of ‘art for art sake’ and purity. Post modernism brought out the elements of being kitsch, and elements of commercialism. Also it took the style from the past such as Renaissance, Baroque, and Gothicism. Some of the post modernist artists are Marcel Duchamp, Umberto Boccioni, Barbara Kruger, Roy Lichtenstein, Rene Magritte, James Rosenquist, and Andy Warhol. In this period pop art became popular too. Also there were many performances and happenings.
Yoko Ono – Performance
Jackson Pollock
Andy Warhol
Alexey Brodovitch is a Russian photographer. At the same time he is the designer and the art instructor of a famous magazine Harper’s Bazaar. At the beginning he was serving for the military but later he changed his road. After arriving in Paris he decided to be a painter. He didn’t become a painter but started to do sketches for china, jewelry and textile. Later on he sold these designs to fashion markets. So that he started to work in many magazines like Cahiers d’Art. His art works were on photography, illustrations and also putting them together.
When he became 32 he was doing all the staff like posters advertisements, posters, china, jewelry, painting and fashion. He became a very imported person in Paris on illustrating and graphic design. After on he became the head instructor for advertising design department in Pennsylvania Museum School of Industrial Art. Some years later he started to give a lesson called Design Laboratory. The lesson aims to help students to find their own tastes and creativity in themselves. On the other hand he designed his own typeface called Al-Bro in 1949. In 1949 he started to produce a publication of Portfolio with several people. Also in his carrier life he photographed ballet. Also these photographs were gathered together in a book simply called Ballet in 1945.
El Lissitzky is a Russian artist. At the same time he is a designer, typographer, architect and photographer. He did many works for Soviet Union. Most of his works contains political messages. He is an artist that makes art for politics. He is a famous suprematist who is working together with Kazimir Malevich that they are protesting for the former Soviet Union. He also gave lessons on architecture and graphic design together with Kazimir Malevich in Popular Art School. He influenced Bauhaus so much that he counted as the starter of constructivist movement. First he started his carrier by illustrating Yiddish children book. Then he started to design posters for Soviet Union. He is a great suprematist that he imitates the nature with the geometric shapes. He rejects the traditions.
Prounen (1925)
He did Prounen in 1925. It is one of his works for the UNOVIS which is a group that he worked together with Kazimir Malevich. In his work he wanted to show his extreme love for the architecture. He used basic statements of architecture in his art work such as space, volume, weight and color. He try to show architectural work in his paintings. He explains his work with these words ‘’We brought the canvas into circles… and while we turn, we raise ourselves into the space.’’.
Shifs-Karta
He designed this poster for protesting the freedom of opposing opinion. He loves to use dots and letters in his works sothat he can direct audience where ever he wants to.
Beat the Wind with Red Wedge (1919)
With the help of geometrical shapes the poster directs us from left to right. First we see the red triangle then white circle later we see the black part. There is a hierarchy in the painting. This painting symbolizes the war between rights and lefts. Red triangle represents the communists where as the white circle represents the monarchy. In the painting it is understandable that he try to symbolize Communists beating the monarchy people. This is one of his major work.
The Constructor (1925)
This is his photomontage on his self portrait. The hand on the photograph symbolizes the hand of God.
Casa Batllo was built in 1877 in Barcelona by Antoni Gaudi which believes in Art Nouveau. He was a wealthy aristocrat and lived in the lower two floors of the building. The rest of it was rented as an apartment. The building is remodeled in 1904-1906. It is built for a middle class family. In Barcelona citizens change the international name of the building as Casa Dels Ossos meaning the house of bones since it gives a feeling of a skeleton and organ.
Gaudi didn’t use any strick lines. He preferred curves which reminds people organic things. In other words it is a dreamlike house which is done by abstract natural forms It is interesting that the house is done in a style of Art Nouveau but Gaudi used some medieval elements on the building. There are turret, stained glass and a roof looks like dragon. Turret symbolizes the sword of a St. George stuck into the dragon. The supporting pillars of the balcones are in the shape of bones. These bones symbolizes the victims of the dragons. Also he used the shapes and the colors of marine life. Also in the interior like the exterior he avoided from straight lines. He used carving in many places of the building.
For lightning he used extremely big windows. So because of the exaggerated windows people also called the building ‘house of yawns’. Also in the middle of the house there is a big patio taking the sky light into the house. The walls are covered with mosaics which is the trademark of Gaudi.
Venetian masks are one of the old tradition of Venice Italy. Documentations show that it was first used in 1268 in an annual celebration. Later on the masks became very popular especially during the renaissance period. Also it became a social figure in Venice. It symbolized immoral acts and became very important in carnal pleasures. In 16th and 18th century masks became the signature of Commedia Dell’arte. Commedia Dell’arte was a theatre that was traveling around Italy and doing commedy about the topics of adultery, jealousy and love. Also masks were hiding wearers identity and social status that they were creating mystery. So it is an important symbol of a social life. It equalizes everybody as a status and creates a lefty environment. Some of the masks are very glossy with golden garnishes on it that they remind us baroque period. They are mostly designed for the whole face but some of them only cover eyes. In 1797 when Venice became the part of the Lombardy Venetia Austrians took the control of the city and banned the masked celebrations.
Venetian Masks
Commedia Dell’arte
Then in 1979 the masks were again started to be used in carnavals with the help of undergraduate art students in Venice. They were successful that masks became the symbol of Venice and carnavals again. There are different types of masks. First one is Bauta. Bauta covers the whole face. It has long chin but has no mouth and there are many glidings on it. People were not wearing Bauta only in carnavals. It was also worn in political events. Only citizens can wear it to protest something against government. So that while protesting everybody becomes equal. Carrying weapon with this masks are not allowed. This is a very strict rule in Italy.
Bauta
The second one is Columbina. It is a half mask that only covers eyes. There are many gold, silver color and crystals on it. It is tied with ribbon to the head or it can be carried by baton. It is said that it was designed for a character in Commedia Dell’arte, because it is said that she didn’t want to cover her beauty.
Colombina
Third one is Medico Della Peste. The Medico Della Peste has a long beak. It is one of the most recognizable Venetian masks. Mostly it is used as a decorative thing. But also it can be worn as a doctor costume with white gloves in carnavals because long beak saves doctors from diseases.
Medico Della Peste
Fourth one is Moretta. It is very popular in Italy. It brings out the beauty of woman such as mind, head, body. Actually it is forbidden in Italy since 1760. Some people explain that it symbolizes ‘mute maid servant’. Only women were wearing it. It was found very humiliating. It enables women to speak.
Moretta
The last one is Volto. It is mainly white and it is the traditional Venetian Mask. It is mostly worn by cloak and tricorn hat. The person who wears it can easily talk, drink and eat without taking it off. It is designed for the entertainment life. It symbolizes dancing and the night life.
Volto Mask
Albrecht Dürer is a German painter. At the same time he lived in time when the printing press was started to use. He is also mathematician, writer, theorist, engraver and printmaker. His prints are established in Europe and in art history he is known as Northern Renaissance artist. Dürer started his carrier with his godfather. His godfather owned a printing press. He was a very popular publisher. He did many illustrations on a wood so that probably Dürer worked on these illustrations too with his godfather. So he started doing painting with his godfather.
When he was thirteen he started to do portraits of people. His father was his teacher. When he was fifteen he did his first professional portrait. It was the portrait of Michael Wolgemut.
This is his best know self portrait. Now it has been exhibited in Louvre. He completed his very famous woodcut works by the age of thirty which are The Apocalypse, The Large Woodcut Passion Cycle and the Life od Virgin. He was highly interested with the artistic practices of Italy so he visited Italy so many times. Also when we look at his works we can see the effect of early Renaissance art. In his journeys to Italy he produced many works, prints, paintings for the churches and museums. His interest in mathematics and geometry made him very successful in his art life so that he invented Dürer device which is still in use in some art schools.
The Dürer Device can also be called as a perspective machine. It is hard to give the feeling of perspective in nude art. So that Dürer device is a system that solves the problem. It has many equal squares on the device same as on the paper infront of the painters paper. He draws what he sees in every square to the paper. So that the measurements are perfectly same. Also there won’t be any mistakes in linear perspective. Dürer did his nude paintings with his invention Dürer device.
Book of Kells is written in 800 AD. In some sources it is said that it took seventy-five years to finish the book. It is an Irish, illuminated manuscript which contains Four Gospels of the New Testament in Latin. It has four gospels but today only two of them are exhibited in Trinity College museum in Dublin. Professors say that it is the master work of Western Calligraphy. Book of Kells is the symbol of Irish nationalism.
The book is full of Christian iconography. There are figures of human, mythical characters and animals with celtic knot. It is written with black, yellow, red and purple ink. It has three hundred forty leaves in other words folios. Texts in every folios continued sixteen or eighteen lines. The Book of Kells takes its name from Irish village called Kells which is located in northwestern of Dublin. For many years the book was kept there in a monastery.
The book is designed in the system of insular majuscule. Insular script is a medieval script system. It is used in Ireland. After Ireland it is used in Great Britain and then it is spread to all Europe. There are many miniatures all around the scripts. The book has illustrations of Arrest of Jesus, and the Temptation of Christ. Also there are portraits of evangelists. The initials are used in the scripts. Today the book’s design has a very important role in graphic design.The book is religious. It doesn’t aim to educate people.
Crete island is most populated and the biggest island in Greece. It is also very turistic in these days. Crete was the center of Minoan civilization. Minoan civilization wrote a script called Linear A. After Minoan Civilization many civilizations passed through Crete island such as Mycenean, Rome, Byzantine empire, Venetian rule, and Ottoman empire. Phaistos Disk belongs to the Ancient Greek. It is made from fired clay. It belonged to the Bronze age.
The clay is from Minoan palace which is in an island of Greece called Crete.
The disk has 15 cm diameter. The disk is covered with symbols which are hieroglyphs written in spiral zone. The signs are grouped in themselves and these groups are separated with vertical lines. There are forty five different signs on it which are belonged to the Protopalatial period.
Still Greek people are thinking that the disc has magical powers. Some archeologists say that the disk tells about rituals and religious beliefs and some say that it is the list of soldiers. Some symbols are recognizable such as human figures, body parts, weapons, plants and animals. Today there are many rumors about the exhibited Phaistos Disk. They tell that it is not the real one; it is fake. Many professors are making researches on it. Also today it is not exhibited in Minoan Palace. It is exhibited in Heraklion Archaeological Museum which is far away from the city.
Feng Shui is a type of placement that is belong to ancient Chinese. Its aim is to provide peaceful, positive environment. Feng Shui means ‘wind water’ in English. It helps us to use the energy in environment. For feng shui architecture four things are important which are environment, time, building and people who are living in that building. Today feng sui is not only studied by Chinese people. It is very popular between Westerns too.
When designing a house according to feng shui system every inch of the room should have the light. There should be a big mirror on a very big plane wall but while placing the mirror people should be very careful since the placement of the mirror can effect the spread of negative energy. The room should not be messy. The television or the electronic sources should not be placed as the most important thing in the room. There should be an object or a painting that contains red in it. Also you shouldn’t face your back to the things that has water in it.
Some companies such as Coca cola, Shell and Sony are using Feng Shui decoration in their business environment. They say that it provides a better place for business. Also Donald Trump uses feng shui in his Trump Towers. He confessed that he doesn’t believe Feng sui system but it makes money.
Origami is another thing that is very popular today. First it was found in China. Chinese people developed some paper folding techniques than brought it to Japan. Origami takes a very important place in Japanese culture.
There are six types of origami. First one is action origami which consists moving objects. The second one is modular origami. Modular origami is done by putting identical pieces together and build one piece. The third one is wet-folding origami. It does not consists geometric straight folds but smooth curves. The fourth one is pureland origami. In pureland origami you cannot do several folds at a time and reverse folds are not allowed. The fifth one is origami tesellations. There is no gaps in origami tesellations. And the last one is kirigami. Kirigami is a Japanese type of paper cutting.
Today origami is spread all around the world. In Turkey there is a famous paper folding artist called Nermin Er. She uses only paper in her art work and also adds some light tricks to her art work.
