Revival Of Handicraft

There was a growing demand for handcrafted goods even when unornamated. Regret for the lack of labour made goods and there were drooping spirits about machines replacing all hand labour.

Machinary vs Handicraft's affect upon the arts. Although people regretted the loss of handicraft, most the public didn't really know what sort of work went into the process of manefacture.

Capitalist which controll the market force the people into putting up with poorly made goods, because "the needs of the public are suboardinate to the intrest of the capitalist masters...
therefore individuality is a sham"pg 188

The age of "Pure Handicraft" pg 190 the workman worked for himself, then the division of labour came about in the 18th century and there was a loss of skilled labour as each man contributed to a part of a product but didn't understand the process of the whole

The loss of handicraft to machinery is down to capitalist demands, trashy ornamated design, the elemtary design for the peasent man is easier make than the geometric and proportionate designs for the civilized man. Beauty in handicraft is becoming lost to the mass producing machines, if we could have beauty in hand craft in ages of war and turmoil, why not now in this age of peace?

Idea to re-build the world after WWI, 29th cont...

Modernism History [continued from last two post]

Industrialization
Machine is a key part to this movement

• Remake peoples values
• Design could educate people

Modernism started to move widespread, and modernist architects became city planners, who were now in a position to express this "new architecture" a new spirit, movement toward: "the new"

Bauhaus: New movement took practical form

• Work
• Creativity
• Value

Breakdown of art and workmanship
Art was not just for the rich, everyone should have access to good design.
Value: Art was not just for museums, it seperates its aesthetic value from everyday life
Bauhaus wanted to integrate these three principals, and integrate them into everyday life and society.
Form Follows Function
Design language ie; Handles, different fuctions (kettle, door) Different forms.

Nazi's closed Bauhaus as a purge of modernism, in generally moved to the United States

Searching For a Utopia: 29th Continued...

Modernism History [continued from last post]

WWI was seen as a loss of rationalization, they believed: "If they become more rational with their design, it would create a more rational society" they wanted to create art into life

Russian Constructivism

Due to the Russian Revolution led by Lenin and the murder of the last Tsar; Nicolai Romonov II and his family as the only hiers to the thrown, this brought about an age of re-construction for Russia, an age of building where they were no longer held back by the restrictions of the Tsar

1919 El Lissitzky. "Beat the Whites with the red wedge" Graphic art using very basic geometric shapes.
1925 El Lissitzky. "The Constructer" A self portrait of Lissitzky, the hand of god across his face but not his eye.
Structure is expressed
Reduce everything down to the barest geometric shapes, 1920 Aleksandro Rodchenko's Spiral construction no 20.
Tatlins Tower, monument to the third international 1920, lage dynamic form, basic geometric shape, no ornamentation.
Katazyna Kobra, "Art was not something to be viewed at from a distance" you should walk through it, experiencing a sculpture

Italian futurism
they were intoxicated by the possibilities of the machine, imangined a world shaped by technology, even poetry was delivered in way to express a machine like quality in the readers voice.
Umberto Boccioni - 1913 sculpture of a man running, space and form become one, no seperation.

Modernism: Designing new Worlds - 29th

Modernism History

Modernism Came about after the World War. Architects and Designers dreamed of a world free of war or class, They believed design and technology could shape society.

Baroque Period 1600 - 1700

Ornamation in design, a more expressive style of design wich showd faith power and pristigue. ie Château de Versailles.

Industrialisation
James Watt's: Watt Steam Engine 1775 still retained classical elements in its design ie; the columns. The machine still didn't have a style yet and was still influenced by decorations such as from the Baroque Period.

Joeseph Paxton Crystal palace 1851
A modern glass and steel building used in an exhibition showing highly decorated objects inside, Design style was still: "What sort of ornament should we apply here"

William Morris was the founder of Modern Design, defending simplicity in a time when design was ornamated and full of eclectism. He was said to have been influenced by Gothic designer Pugin Augustus. Radical stripped back chairs, Sussex Rush-seated chairs (consided bare of ornamentaion) Morrisbelieved he could change society for the better through his designs, he made wallpaper designs which were flowy and were mostly designs of flowers.

There was a stripping back of materiality; Otto Wagner, Adolf Loos, Joseph Hoffman (Sitting machine 1908). The Deutscher Werkbund - Henery Van der Veld and their theory of rationalization

Then came the World War