Aeropittura: EC

All this talk of dynamics and the influence of artistic styles wanted to bring me back to a post I forgot to write while Fascism was a fad I was going through.  I want to go back to the Aeropittura and discuss the influence the plane had on it's style of art.  Below is an image called, 'Nose Dive on the City,' by Tulio Cralli.  Without the emergence of aviation in Italy during this period I don't think that this piece would have ever came to be.  Also, it helps that Mussolini was an avid art enthusiast and an avid aviation lover.  The two mix together to create this masterpiece.  Aviation's effect on the Italian people led to the idolization of the aviator in their culture.  Here, Cralli pays respect to the aviator and the airplanes effect on art by allowing for new views of the world to be seen.  The piece has a cubist aesthetic to it in the form of all the buildings that create that background with a slight sense of dynamic movement.  The image itself allows the viewer to experience the thrill an aviator may get as he nose dives on the city below.  It's quite magnificent to place yourself in the seat of this airplane as, historically, you get to experience the greatest engineering features of the time.  The skyscraper, the modern city, and the airplane are all wrapped up in this painting in artistic fashion.  Aeropittura was born through the plane and here we get a first hand view at why. 

'Nose Dive on the City'

Impressionism and the Human Form: EC

The recent hint at impressionism that I gave in my last post led me to write a piece on their work.  This is a similar work to the 'Unique Forms of Continuity and Space,' however it is not a sculpture. I believe the images share the same aspects as dynamism though as well as how the human body can influence artistic space.  The image is 'Nude Descending a Staircase, No.2,' by Marcel Duchamp, a French impressionist painter.  The painting shares the aspects that Balla and Boccioni used in their works such as fluidity and a slightly cubist aesthetic. 
It also relates to formula of the body's joint in motion that I touched on in the last post.  Here the whole body is shown, even though it may be hard to make out, there are pinpoints within the painting that locate the joints of the knee and the elbow.  These points cause the most dynamic effects in the painting.  Where each joint causes a ligament to move there is a swoosh like aesthetic laid over the blocky and tonal representation of movement.  The stairs remain static in the image but the human body causes a lot of angular moments as well as curvature.  It is almost as if this image was seen by Boccioni and he took it to represent a sculpture with a bit of his own touch.  Duchamp's impressionist work was similar to the aesthetic of the Futurists. 

Futurist Sculpture: EC

"Unique Forms of Continuity and Space

The Futurist movement, as it bloomed throughout the early 20th century, was not only limited to certain styles of art.  Their beliefs on dynamism, speed, and motion stretched from architecture, to art, and eventually to sculpture.  To the right I have an image from Umberto Boccioni, who was a student under Giacomo Balla, the same artist of Abstract Sound + Speed. This piece is called 'Unique Forms of Continuity in Space.'  Now I can't give all the credit to the futurist ideals because Boccioni also studied for a long period in France with the impressionist style but his work falls in with the futurist category.  The sculpture is one of the most iconic images of the human body in motion. The waviness of the form gives to the idea of motion in a static sense.  It is representing the thought of the legs movement from point a to b.  The high flame like extension of the sculpture above the calf would be the location of the heel at point as.  The bulkier and more static section that comes in to contact with the ground would be the location of point b as the heel strikes the ground.  The dynamism of the angles works to make the figure abstract more-so to the ideals of dynamism and motion than the ideal of the human anatomy.  I believe that is also why the piece has no arms.  The strong and aerodynamic form represents futuristic ideals mixed with a slight hint at impressionism. 

Until next time.

The Futurist Architect: EC

Sant’Elia was a designer during the time of the Futurist movement who displayed these features in his sketches.  With the change of technology Sant’Elia saw the need for a change in the architectural world, from program, materials, to scale, etc.  His work displayed futuristic ideals of motion through his use of curves and swoops, to his dream of buildings reaching high into the sky.  He also worked with re-designing the power plants that were taking over landscapes as new modes of energy began to thrive.  The works he did were like nothing we’ve ever seen before and based solely on the idea of moving forward.  It was mentioned that the works of architects should be temporary so that the predecessors could demolish them and advance further instead of being stuck in the past.  I believe Sant’Elia’s work and the ideals of futurist architecture come together nicely as they display motion, reject the past, and bring a new sense of life to modern society through design.  With each image he shows drastic diagonal angles to represent speed and dynamism as well as light and airy structures that represent the material advancement of the future.  Although he tried to avoid monumentality, each work seems very monumental in regards to their drastic heights and heavy appearance.  However, with both images he never gives a sense of scale.  There is nothing in the image that allows us to relate an object to the building and understand truly how large they are.  

Until Next Time.

The Futurist Beliefs: EC

            The fundamentals of futurist architecture were developed based on the advancement of technology in modern society.  The culture of Italy was changing with the addition of the car, the bicycle, and many other features from its second industrial revolution.  With these cultural luxuries came the ideals of speed, mechanizing, and most importantly ‘the future.’  The futurists believed that these ideals led to a rejection of the past.   To seek inspiration or precedent in the past was a step backwards in the progress of design.  They saw that the world was advancing and that art and architecture should advance with it.  To do so, architecture and art should draw from the characteristics of the new modern society incorporating and utilizing scientific advancements as well as new materials.  These advancements should add to art and architecture by bringing it to life dynamically and relieving itself of a static state.  To do so, futurists made things dynamic and flowing to instill the idea of motion to design.  Ideas of motion were discovered in the everyday life of modern society, from cars, bikes, or trains. Here we have an image from Giacomo Balla, an Italian futurist artist, that depicts that dynamism futurists admired.  The swoops are to represent the speed of people flying by in cars, planes, or on bikes.  The echoing effect from the red and white swoops depict the combination of speed and sound.  Notice the colors pop and appear drastic over the subtle green background that represents nature.  It's an interesting piece that shows the dynamism of the machine and their speed versus the static beauty of nature.  

Abstract Speed + Sound

Reestablishing the Empire with Benito Mussolini: EC

Mussolini during his reign in Italy wanted to relate his new Modern Empire to that of the Old Roman Empire under the rule of Augustus. In my recent posts I always emphasize his love for flight and how he wanted to use it to express the power that his nation had through aviation and their aeronautical prowess.  He chose the airplane as the tool to steer Italy towards a modern future because it's advancement in transportation.  Augustus did the same with roads.  Roads in his time period were important because they are what allowed for the expansion of the Roman Empire.  Ships were also important in expansion and both are modes of transportation.  The plane dissolved national boundaries and physically bridged the gap between land masses all over the world.  This is important because of the context that Mussolini places himself in.  I have two images below.  One is of Mussolini and the other of Augustus.  Just by glancing at the two images you can tell he was trying to represent himself in the manner of Augustus.  However, he just made it to reflect the modern society that he is establishing.  Augustus is seen in his general garb as a militaristic leader in an oratorical stance.  The militaristic garb is important because it shows Augustus as the leader of the empire and as the leader of the armies that made them such.  Mussolini is doing the same but instead of a militaristic general garb he is wearing an aviators suit.  Representing himself as an aviator shows him as the leader of the Modern Empire while showing his ability to control the magnificent machines that will allow them to expand and grow.  He also locates himself in the cockpit of a plane that gives him a podium to speak from as he also represents the oratorical stance of Augustus.  His representation of the aviator in Italian propaganda made them easy to idolize.  Taking on the task of aviator in true form made it easier for the public to be amazed with him and adore him.  His propaganda and ability to represent himself to the people was pretty astonishing.  If only it would have worked out better. 

Meanwhile in Fascist Italy, Aeropittura: EC

 Across the Atlantic there were different forms of propaganda arising.  Italy, being one of the leaders in art culture at the time, decided to create new radical forms of art to express their respect for their leader.  After Benito Mussolini came to power (as I discussed before) he focused a lot of his leadership into developing aeronautical engineering as a way to express power for Italy.  Italy's air power during the early 20th century was superior to many other countries and became an icon for the Italians.  That, mixed with the recent founding of the Futurist movement from F.T. Marinetti, led to a sub-movement called Aeropitture Futurista, or Aeropainting.  Below are some images from that movement to pay homage to Mussolini.  In both images, Mussolini's head is enlarged, taking up almost the whole painting, giving him a definite sense of hierarchy.  His head is large similar to that of the bust of Constantine in his reign.  The size gives a sense of grandeur and divinity to Mussolini.  Showing him looking over the world as if it was all his.  In the image on the left there are planes surrounding Mussolini as if he was controlling them as he looks over the horizon.  The painting itself is divided into abstract rectangles with a change in hue in each one, a combination between the Cubist style and the dynamic style of Futurism.  On the right, he is laid over a section of the city of Rome.  The main road on his head is the Via delle Impero which leads to the Colosseum.  This road was important to Mussolini and Italy as it was he who put the scheme into order by digging up and revealing all the old Roman ruins of the forums located along this road.  He was also the one who decided to build the road in that location.  Similar to the way Augustus expanded and built roads for the old Roman Empire.  The road also accentuates the Colosseum and it's grandeur.  His plan was to show the many monuments of the Old Roman Empire alongside the new inventions and buildings of the new Modern Empire.  Without Mussolini's actions, the Roman ruins and main tourist spots of Italy would not be what they are today. 

Emphasis on the Individual, Phillipines: EC

To merge the ideas of emphasis on the individual and the propaganda of the Philippines, I found an flyer that correlates with both.  It is an anti-Japanese flyer to attract the citizens of the American population/Filipino population to what the Japanese were doing in the Pacific. The first thing that my mind focuses on in the image is the newspaper clipping that is placed in the middle.  The clipping talks about the many Americans that were killed by Japanese torture and it points out the method of 'March of Death.'  One, 5200 is a very large number, so that immediately evokes emotion from the viewer on the lives that were lost.  It also states that they were prisoners, which in war, prisoners of war are supposed to be treated fairly.  There is also the use of the words 'Jap' and 'Yank.'  Jap being somewhat of a racial slur, Yank could be considered a racial slur but I don't understand why Americans would use a racial slur towards themselves unless they are using it to relate to other countries who better know us as Yanks during this time period.  I believe they used a newspaper clipping image to give a sense of realism.  I'm not sure if this was an actual newspaper clipping or not.  If so, it is a direct relation to the incident, if not, it is made to be representative of the actual event.  Behind that is an image of a tied up American soldier being mistreated and abused by a Japanese soldier.  Further behind that is the 'Death March,' which is why it was mentioned in the newspaper clipping.  Here, the artist portrays what the march was actually like.  You can see soldiers watching to make sure everyone marches and some being hit to continue.  This is another way of evoking emotion from the viewers.  Then of course there is the font.  Similar to the way Uncle Sam's poster was laid out, there is a change in color and size on the word YOU.  Stating, "What are YOU going to do about it?"  Basically it has evoked emotion from the viewer, sadness, anger, angst, whatever it may be, then it asks you what YOU're going to do about it.  This is a tactic to make you want to do something for those people you see in the images.  It then follows up with the lower line, "Stay on the job until every murdering Jap is wiped out!" One, they portray the killing of Japanese as a job for the Americans.  We NEED to stop the Japanese from doing this to our people and the Filipino people.  Murdering Jap is emphasized and enlarged as if someone was actually saying it.  I think it is an effective flyer as it makes me angry that this happened to our soldiers and the innocent people of the Philippines.  It gives an incentive for people to join and help the fight.  It is different than the Uncle Sam poster in the sense of directness.  There is no one pointing directly at you or staring you down but there is a direct question to the viewer which is what makes this image effective. 

Emphasis on the Individual: EC

In regards to my recent post on WWII propaganda in the Philippines I wanted to expand on my visual analysis' findings on emphasizing the individual.  There was not necessarily a strong emphasis on the individual in the last flyer in a straight forward, in the face type of way, but there was a notion that you are the one that should be experiencing it.  Propaganda is very effective when it places the viewer in the image or setting that they are trying to express.  It is a way to draw emotion and feeling from the viewer in hopes that the propaganda will get them to do what they want.  It is the same for advertising in a product except these products are branches of the military.  In one of the most iconic American images of all time, Uncle Sam, emphasis on YOU is very important.  Here you have on of the most American people you will ever see, white beard and hair representative of presidents of the old days and their powdered wigs while also showing age and wisdom.  Along with that are easy to see wrinkles and depressions in the face, again showing age and wisdom.  He loudly wears the colors of the United States of America with stars on his hat just to make sure you know we're talking about America here, not France or modern Russia (who also have red/white/blue flags).  His eyes are gazed directly at the viewer with a stern brow and a very aggressive point towards you.  The 2D image almost gets a feeling of 3D with the point being in the foreground.  It also gives the impression that Uncle Sam is directly in front of YOU speaking at YOU.  Then there is the famous line, "I WANT YOU.... for U.S. Army."  YOU is boldly expressed larger than the rest of the font and with reverse colors.  The other letters are black with a red outline, but here they are red with a black outline, making them stick out more than the rest.  YOU are the emphasis.  HE is talking to YOU.  Uncle Sam also has a very angry or disappointed look on his face as if you don't listen to him America will be very angry with you for not enlisting.  This type of propaganda directly effects the viewer as it places him in a setting where someone is directly talking or acting towards you, the viewer.  It is an effective way to advertise and a strong use for propaganda.  There are many other images like this for the military branches of America and I'm sure there are many others like this for other countries as well. 

Until next time.

The Fighting Filipinos: EC

I decided to blog about some propaganda that meant a little something to me.  So I chose an old propaganda ad from World War II based out of the Philippines.  As a half-Filipino, I do my best to learn and understand the Filipino culture.  The Philippines were definitely in a dire state during World War II when it was invaded by Japan.  The Japanese devastated the Filipino people, tortured them, killed them, and demolished their homeland during the war and of course, many Filipinos fought back.  Not only were Filipinos affected but many American prisoners of war were as well.  Japanese forces were plenty in the Philippine Islands which made the war very hard for the Filipinos, even when America stepped in to help, it was still going to be tough.  In the first ad, it shows a youthful Filipino man.  He has what appears to be a military uniform on, but seeing that most fighters were just citizens, it could just be a matching pair of clothes.  There are no insignias or patches on them that signify he is a part of the military.  He is most likely youthful to reach out to the many youthful men and women that had the ability to join and fight.  It is also easier to persuade the youth.  His uniform is beaten, ripped, and bloody to show that he has been fighting and he is hurting, but he will persevere for the country.  The Filipino flag is held high into the air by his hand, also beaten and torn but still waving.  Also, the Filipino flag can be waved in two ways.  When the country is at war the red side is up.  The blue side is up when they are at peace.  So obviously in this image the red side is up signifying the war against the Japanese. Smoke billows in the background which could represent a city or village that the Japanese probably burned.  The 'soldier' is holding a grenade in his hand as if he is ready to throw it which allows the viewer to imagine who he is throwing it at.  Most likely it is the Japanese but this gives the viewer freedom to believe what he wants.  This idea of freedom can also be seen as a selling point.  Given the freedom to imagine being this soldier throwing that grenade at the people ravaging your country gives a little bit of angst and desire to stand up and fight.  A youthful and energetic viewer may let his feelings get the best of him in a situation like this.  Then there is the slogan, 'The Fighting Filipinos,' with delightful alliteration to it as well as 'We will always fight for FREEDOM.'  Here is another strong point in the poster.  The word Freedom in all caps.  The Philippines may not have been completely overrun yet but this lets you know as a citizen that there are people coming in to YOUR country stealing YOUR freedom from you.  It is a pretty simple poster but it gives off a lot of spirit to the viewer, especially if they were a Filipino during this time.  It allows for the viewer to experience the situation it is showing and the idea of being the soldier displayed.  It evokes a lot of emotion and could easily provoke and persuade the people of the Philippines to stand up and help out.  As a Filipino-American, this poster speaks to me and my culture and I am thankful for the people that gave their lives so that I could be here today, free, and speaking my mind.

Architectural Anatomy with Zaha Hadid

International super star of architecture, better known as a 'starchitect,' but truly known as Zaha Hadid is under some serious flak as of late.  I believe it's due to the immaturity of the world and their relation of everything normal to a sexual state.  It seems nothing can be looked at these days without some sexual humor.  I'm in discussion about this in response to the criticism she has been receiving for her recent soccer stadium in the small Arabian state of Qatar.  The Al-Wakrah stadium was given to Zaha to design and propose has been a focal point all over social media and satirical shows such as 'The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (which I will discuss further).  Zaha used to be a very under the radar architect striving to find her own style that she could then share with the world.  It is common for architects to work for years of their lives until finally being recognized around the age of 50, which is what happened here.  Zaha was ambitious in her forms using white renders of the most curvy and obscure shapes.  They're something of an art form themselves.  Most are seen as conceptual forms and have struggled to make themselves present in our society in the past.  Recently, however, Zaha has found her place all over the world with her well recognized style.  She has become an icon to the architectural society and has even used her spare time to design shoes in the same shape she seems to repeat in her building design.  The stadium in Qatar uses the same formal gestures and swoops that she always has, except this one has a hole directly in the middle of it.  Not only is it agape to allow light to penetrate the soccer stadium and the field, but it just so happens to stretch out in a shape that most are calling 'labial.' Yes. Labial.  Representative of the female genitalia.  A vagina.  In this day and age something like this of course is going to get blown out of proportion and ridiculed by the people who hide behind their computers.  Which is a completely different discussion in itself; the internet and what it has become.  The voice of the many hidden behind their screens that will do anything to ridicule others through social media and other sites like buzzfeed.  Anyway, back to vagina buildings.  If any of the people who immediately bashed this building knew anything about the style and work of Zaha Hadid since the 1980s they would know that's just her style of work.  That doesn't mean she is trying to represent the female anatomy in her stadium.  She goes to say, "It's really embarrassing that they come up with nonsense like this. What are they saying? Everything with a hole in it is a vagina? That's ridiculous."  That was reported in the Times.  Now I can't lie and deny that it does share similarities, but she even explained to critics that she was basing the forms off of a local sailing ship called a 'dhow,' which is pictured below.  I have to say, she nailed the formal representation of the dhow in her form.  She just happened to place a gaping hole in the middle that shared similarities with a vagina.  Basically, I am arguing in defense for Zaha against the quick to ridicule minds of the world that is the internet.  Zaha had justification for her form, it is similar to the many works that she has always produced, and it is a style that represents a local figure of the culture.  Architecture is a strong part of visual culture and it is so easily ridiculed by people who will never even experience that building.  Nonetheless, internet has also become a huge part of visual culture, memes, video reviews, imgur.  Anyone, anywhere, can edit a photo to make it something else.  Television will also be a part of the visual world and television star Jon Stewart did his own critiquing of the Zaha stadium with an overlay of the British building 'the 30 St. Mary Axe,' or also known as 'The Gherkin,' (Also an analysis based on its form, which appears to be phallic), penetrating the stadiums opening.  Humorous, maybe, but that's what he does.  Anywho, I will say that I am not defending the building itself as it does not appeal to me, but I will defend Zaha and her architectural genius that has taken over an international setting.  Architecture will always be quick to criticize but at least have some intellect in your arguments.  

Zaha's Al-Wakrah Stadium

A dowh boat and it's sail.

Also, if you're interested in Jon Stewart's segment.  Here it is. http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/tue-november-19-2013/unnecessary-muffness

Clever title right.

Until next time.

Similar Topics vs Style

With one of my most recent posts being about Pawel Kuczynski, I wanted to focus on one piece in particular and relate it to an image that was posted on the Facebook Group wall near the beginning of the semester by Carli Holbrook.  Her image was a minimalist work that showed the differences between the luxury of having water and the necessity of having water. The image (pictured below) was of two kids swimming versus a lone woman waiting for water placed within an hourglass.  The hourglass is representative of how it is only a matter of time either before the luxury of water will no longer be a thing and necessity will be our only concer for water.  OR, it is a simple contrast on how first world versus third world nations use their water.  Luxury is placed over the necessity as to express hierarchy and political standing (1st world over 3rd world.)  The cool hues versus warm have a sense of feeling to them.  The blues being exciting and in a sense almost refreshing in contrast to the dryish orange/brown that makes my mouth dry.  Also it states directly, save water in the background.  That being said, Pawel shows many similar qualities in his own work.  He places a man (pictured below) in a pool or tub of water placed within a tree.  The feeling of hues is present in this image as well and he places 1st world over 3rd world to also express that hierarchy.  The man is smoking and drinking some kind of alcoholic beverage to further express his sense of luxury.  The boy below is more detailed, skinny, without shoes, and balding, probably from some form of malnutrition.  The boy waits patiently for just a drip of water from the tree while the man wades in enjoyment.  Both images focus mainly on the topic at hand in the foreground while leaving the backgrounds simplistic.  I think both artists tackled the topic well in expressing the value of water to the world.  The contrast between 1st world and 3rd world is expressed well through hierarchy and tone even in a minimalist nature.  Great work by both artists on a topic we should all consider.

Hexagons!

This isn't necessarily a post of any sort, I just wanted to touch up on my older post, The Transformative Grid.  Over the break I watched two movies, one being the new Hunger Games: Catching Fire, and the other being Cabin in the Woods.  In both movies the hexagon was very prominent in aesthetic features.  In the Hunger Games it shows itself in the dome of the arena, the forcefields that are present, and on their battle uniforms.  In Cabin in the Woods, there is also a forcefield present and it too is made up of hexagons.  This is just me ranting to further express my theory that hexagons are the grid of the future aesthetic.  Images below as evidence.

Cabin in the Woods Forcefield

Hunger Games Battle Uniform

Pawel Kuczynski

I stumbled across this guy randomly on this internet article:  http://sobadsogood.com/2013/11/19/art-designed-to-make-think-deeply-about-the-world-by-pawel-kuczynski/   I recommend taking a gander at it as Pawel Kuczynski may have just became one of my favorite satirical illustrators.  Not only does he do a very good job of instigating discussion in each piece but his illustrations are beautifully done and simple enough to understand for anyone's viewing pleasure.  He also touches on many, and I mean, many different topics all around the world.  He's covered many different situations and in many different forms.  War, hunger, politics, slavery, social media, water crisis, religion, medical issues, death, life, or just plain art.  The artist does a very good job of using very little elements in his work.  There may be two contrasting points simplified to two objects, it could be more relative to the works.  He also usually places the images on a subtle background with nothing to distract you from the topic at hand.  Most of the images from the internet article above are done in this way.  I will post a couple here and give a short analysis of each.  The first image is of a man waiting with the door open to a limousine.  Out of the limousine comes the red carpet that leads to the pigs at the feeding trough making a mess.  Now, this image can relate to multiple contexts.  It can be an image relative to the wealthy who can afford such eloquence and luxury and how they are greedy people.  Gluttony is also a topic at hand that relates well to greed.  If the option is viable to eat so much why not do it.  If that was the case it could be contrasting to world hunger in other places.  In another case it could represent politics.  The pigs would represent politicians who worry only about themselves while the rest of us waits on them to make up their mind.  The limo driver, who is doing his job, waits patiently for them to finish before his job can be deployed.  These are only instances that I could draw from the image but it is represented visually as a stimulant to our minds to bring those issues about to ourselves.  What is it that we see? Also, in relation to what I stated above about visual analysis, notice the minimal elements and background.  Pigs and Trough, Limo Driver and Limo, Red Carpet.  5 elements, but the curiosity that it stimulates is still present.  Another one I liked was the one at the bottom, which was  a man in a suit talking into a plethora of microphones atop a podium.  The wires of the mics eventually become a pipe and the pipe leaks out into a drain.  My guess is that the man is a politician based on his attire and the multiple mics represented.  Usually a man of that importance would have many news stations, radio stations, and other journalist branches wanting to hear him.  However, everything the man is saying is being fed through the wires into the pipe that leaks into the drain.  A reference towards the idea that politicians say a lot of things that are never fulfilled or are all just lies.  Waste is basically the main concept I get from it.  We waste a lot of time putting our hopes into politicians who never fulfill their promises.  Again, the image is laid over a simple background and foreground with few elements at play but the visual stimulus is still as strong.  Pawel does these things very well and there are many across the internet if you find yourself interested in more.  I will be blogging soon comparing one of his works to another work with a similar topic.  Until next time.

Transformative Grid: The Future

As an avid movie goer, science fiction nerd, video game player, and as an architect, I've been noticing a recurring use of the hexagon in relation to the future.  This post is going to be a different type of visual analysis that relates many different media mediums together to display the use of the hexagon in future situations.  The reason I've titled it transformative grid is because in most instances the hexagon is replacing the standard square grid.  It's as if in the future simple squares are no longer fitting and hexagons fix the more complex needs of the future.  Or it's some new style or phase in which conceptual artists are going through that uses the simplicity of the hexagon to achieve a more complex aesthetic.  When Modernism started to find its place in the world in art, architecture, and design, the square was a very easily manipulated and generative form.  Futuristic renditions must be avoiding the idea of reliving modernism and establishing a characteristic of its own.  I do not know however if it is something that people altogether are noticing or catching on to, if one saw that someone did something with it and decided to go with it, if its all the same person, or what.  But it is out there.  Keep your eyes open.  I'll dive into some examples that I've seen it take place in and then throw some images at you to let you see for yourself.  I'll start off with movies since they might be something you as a viewer might relate easier too.  I couldn't find an image of this, seeing that it was a specific moment in the movie, but in JJ Abrams' new Star Trek and Star Trek: Into Darkness, the hexagon is prominent in the HUD (Heads Up Display) of the bridge's main screen and piloting window.  When the bridge screen first comes on live there are multiple hexagons that target and move throughout the screen.  There are also multiple instances of it used in the interior aesthetic.  There are small clips here and there that show lit up interior walls with a skeletal hexagon grid laid over it.  In the movie 'Tron Legacy,' and the video game, the grid is this new idea of a digital world that the main character's father has envisioned and created.  It is constantly referenced throughout the movie and you see hints of the actually rectangular grid with little points of light that represent intersections.  However, floor tiles, clothes, building form, and again, screens all have hexagonal patterns.  Even at the end of the movie when he holds his disk up in the air to transport him back to the regular world the pulses of digital light that surround him are hexagons.  While in the older 80's movie of Tron, the gateway and the grid were all made up of squares.  Pictured below is an image from the video game that shows the ground floor hexagon pattern.  In the video game Halo 4, the hexagon also became prominent in the HUD of the main character.  As you play the game the HUD uses hexagons to display information to the character, specifically when you are getting shot at or shot.  When hit, a red hexagon grid appears based on the direction you are getting shot from.  Also, from the outside of his helmet the glass has the patterning as well.  Pictured below is a poster for the game near its time of release. In another video game, 'Mass Effect,' the hexagon is primarily used as an aesthetic in armor.  It may be hard to notice in the image below but it's one of the only ones I could find.  Describing the many instances in pictures rather than actually experiencing it during gameplay or while watching a movie is hard.  By this time you may be getting the gist of my perplexed curiosity to why the hexagon has replaced the simple square or circle, and maybe it is a merger of the two, but I will wrap up my argument with a few more images and be speedy.  The new avengers/spiderman movies that released both used hexagonal facades on their design of the OSCORP tower, also pictured below.  And lastly, real world application of the hexagon, slightly skewed, but could've easily been squares or circles, can be seen in Nike Combat Armor.  Pictured below.  That is my rant on the overused hexagon aesthetic in future renditions of design and its application in real world uses.

Halo 4 Poster

Tron: Legacy

Mass Effect Suit

OSCORP Tower

Nike Combat Armor

 

Government Politics

I decided to blog about a political cartoon for once rather than movies, fascism, and architecture.  I chose this image because to me it represents the 'democracy' that is upheld in America.  Politics isn't a strong point of mine nor is it something that I follow regularly.  That being said, I chose this image because it is neutral to both parties but represents the 'democracy' as a whole.  Analyzing the image I of course see that both parties are represented as their mascots, but there seems to be a hierarchy between the two.  I know that an elephant is a much larger creature than a donkey, but this one seems to be very assertive and strong compared to the skinny donkey.  I'm guessing that is a subtle representation on the strength and assertiveness of the Republican party vs the passive nature that is stereotyped on Democrats.  From what I've experienced people seem to think Democrats are pacifists of sorts, tree huggers, and who don't voice themselves as well or as strongly as the Republicans.  Another part of this image that hints at that could be the tone of their speech, or their captions.  The democrat again could be represented as passive as he says "Step aside."  The republican on the other hand states "My way or the highway."  It appears that the democrat doesn't want confrontation but to get by while the republican voices that he is the one that needs to be in control.  There is also the image in the background that shows Egypt and Tunisia standing with Uncle Sam.  Uncle Sam is depicted as confident and as if he is being compassionate in a sense.  The Egyptian and the Tunisian look very scared at the idea of 'democracy.'  So Uncle Sam wraps his arms around them, gets down on their level, and is probably assuring them that it's all going to be okay.  It reminds me of a child who is about to be adopted and just meeting their new parents.  The look of fear of these strangers who are going to be the nurturers of the rest his/her life.  Uncle Sam is the one who put it all in motion and let them meet.  That's me going on off on a tangent, but the similarities are perfect.  Uncle Sam introduces this country to the idea of a ruling 'democracy' that he assures them will work out fine but in all actuality it is an unknown style of politics that they do not understand.  This is their first glimpse of how it actually works which isn't a very good first impression.  Also, you can't forget the caption.  "Want to learn about the Wonders of Democracy? Here's a crash course."  Obviously it hints at the idea that the two are about to crash into one another or bump heads.  I also get a sense of sarcasm in the wording.  Also, Wonders is capitalizes which makes me think that the caption is expressing that the Republican and Democratic party are somewhat of a spectacle.  They are giants that are interesting to watch and view but not be a part of.  I think the cartoon is pretty simple and to the point but uses a lot of interesting and subtle hints to represent more than you would catch at first glimpse. A job well done to the cartoonist.

Till next time.

The Spectacle of Flight

Italo Balbo's Seaplanes 

In class we discussed the idea of 'soft power' as a tool of expressing prowess, power, knowledge, etc. in a subtle gesture.  I'm going to discuss a major achievement of Italian Fascism in the 1930s that I would consider a subtle gesture of soft power in a big way.  In 1933 Chicago held the Century of Progress Exhibition that invited many national powers to come display their culture, technology, and arts to one another.  Italy at this time were world leaders in aviation as aeronautical engineering was revolutionizing the
world.  National boundaries and physical gaps between nations were dissolving as the airplane allowed us to go all over the world.  One feature flight in particular was when Charles Lindbegrh of America flew an alone flight from New York to Paris in 1927.  This being an example of nations use of the new and incredible feature of engineering that was the airplane to display technological advancements in engineering and as a subtle way to say, "Hey, were better than you."  As Italy's engineers worked harder and harder to make the best aircraft the world could see, Benito Mussolini decided to use them for international propaganda to express Italy's progress through the years.  He used organized mass flights to show the public his progression in leadership and to give them assurance of militaristic power.  However, internationally they had not achieved anything as great as Lindbergh's flight over the Atlantic.  Mussolini saw the Century of Progress Exhibition as the perfect setting to display his aeronautical engineering to the world.  He passed this task on to Italo Balbo, to lead over 20 military style seaplanes over the Atlantic to land in the harbor outside Chicago.  No mass flight of this caliber had been done yet.  *History aside for a second.*   Could you imagine being an American citizen in Chicago at that time as 20 massive Italian sea planes unlike any planes they had ever seen before came landing down in your harbor, knowing they flew over 4000 miles from Rome.  I would have to say that I would be impressed if not in a sense of infatuation with the Italians.  Back to history, this is exactly what Mussolini wanted.  He used airplanes as a multi-sensory tool to evoke emotion in the viewers to forever ingrain into their mind that it was Italy that caused that moment. 

This moment in time was not only a huge moment in visual spectacle and aeronautical engineering, but allowed for more styles of propaganda to come.  Fascism was supported by the Futurist artists, architects, and designers of the period.  Not everyone supported the futurists however, but they're new age propagandistic flyers captured the moment of the flight and Mussolini's leadership through use of photomontage, collage, and typological innovation.  I'm going to discuss one in particular that I think best expressed Italian aviation, Mussolini as "Il Duce," and futuristic style.  Bare with me now, I could not find this photo anywhere on the internet so I snapped a photo from the book I had found it in.  Keep in mind that during this time photography and film were still advancing technologies and this flier was very advanced for the time.  At the top of the image is an S.55 seaplane, one of the planes flown from Rome to Chicago.  Radiating from the propeller are waves of energy growing in scale, with the words Du-Ce inside them.  This typography can be represented in two ways.  One as a recognition to Mussolini for his efforts to put this spectacle into motion or as a representation of radio waves.  Radio being another new form of propaganda.  As the planes were landing back in Italy, F.T. Marinetti, the leader of the futurist movement, spoke over radio to the people of Italy cataloging the event in magnificent language.  The words ITALIA are photomontaged, made up of Italian citizens. This is displaying that Italy is made up of the people above all else, it is the people *literally under* Il Duce who will advance the Italian future.  Below that is a photo of the planes landing back home in Italy. A display of the mass spectacle that shot Italy to the top of the aviation rankings.  The flier, in new age futurist fashion, perfectly encapsulates the great aeronautical achievement while recognizing to the viewer that it was done so under the power of Il Duce and for the Italian people.  Aviation as a tool of propaganda became a very powerful image for the Italians and this moment in particular was one of the most iconic.  I may not know much about fascism but I think they hit the nail on the head with their efforts in propaganda. 

Politics in Video Games: Warning (Explicit Material)

Video Games today have become a key note in the world of visual culture.  More and more people are joining in on video game playing as their quality from year to year continues to get better.  Graphics, gameplay, online interactions, and stories continue to enhance as technology finds more ways to upgrade itself.  One game in particular that seems to catch a lot of flak every year a new one releases is from the Grand Theft Auto series from Rockstar and Take Two Interactive.  Grand Theft Auto games have always been considered controversial in the way that they let the player experience violence in a video game.  Not only are the games graphic and extremely violent, they also contain lots of drug and alcohol references, sexuality, foul language, and much more.  But, that is a topic for a different blog.  Today I want to discuss the upside of Grand Theft Auto.  GTA (Grand Theft Auto) will always be negatively criticized by the public and that usually outweighs the positive criticism of what took years for a company to make.  Video games are a work of art that many people don't understand how to appreciate.  Let me just state some statistics about GTA V.  It cost 226 million dollars to make, which is more than every movie ever made, except for Pirates of the Carribean 3 (I don't know why that cost so much because it wasn't that great of a movie in my opinion).  This is more than any video game ever made as well, Star Wars the Old Republic was rumored to be 200 million, and with another Rockstar game coming in at 3rd, Red Dead Redemption, costing 100 million.  This may seem expensive to put this much time, effort, and money into video games but trust me it paid off.  On the first day of Grand Theft Auto's release, it raked in 800 million dollars.  On that day alone it made more money than the biggest box office hits of the summer.  I think Ironman 3 was the closest at a little over 300 million.  Grand Theft Auto IV sold 310 million worth on it's first debut.  It is stated that GTA V sold over 1 billion dollars worth in three days.  This is the fastest any entertainment industry has reached that milestone.  Anyhow, I'm here to discuss a part of the game that was displayed on it's website before it ever released.  http://www.rockstargames.com/V/  The game did its best to represent a world similar to the ones we live in with great emphasis on satire.  One topic in particular was that of politics.  Below are two videos of slander campaigns from two fictional candidates of the GTA V world/state of San Andreas in the city of Los Santos (California and Los Angeles).  These videos are an obvious exaggeration of political campaigns and add a humorous touch to the game itself.  I honestly probably kept up with these politics more-so than I do real world politics.  Please don't judge.  Jock Cranley and Sue Murry are the candidates slandering one another below.  My first analysis will be of the clothes each candidate is represented in.  This is something we have talked about plenty in class.  Each candidate is well dressed with a simplistic stylistic haircut that automatically gives that sense of 'politician.'  They also both have a sense of 'dirty' or 'manipulative' to them in the way their smiles are exaggerated.  It makes them appear mischievous. Secondly, after watching both videos I can get  a sense of who would be represented as a republican (Jock) vs democrat (Sue).  Now to a video breakdown of each.  I'll start with Jock Cranley, a "retired stuntman and actor."  I believe this is an obvious shot at Arnold Schwarzenegger running for governor and how he actually got elected.  He calls himself "...a highly qualified candidate for governor.,"  although he has no background in politics whatsoever. Hence my belief that he is representative of what Arnold did.  People who know that they are famous and well known run thinking they can get a majority vote off of that alone.  Later in the video he slanders Sue Murry and displays her as a devil with horns which is why I decided to write about this in particular (not only because I love the game and play it regularly.)  In class we discussed the use of photo manipulation in politics to lower the standings of political candidates.  This one is a satire based off of the many images released of Obama depicted as a devil.  Now to Sue, who might be a representation of Hilary Clinton, it's hard to say.  However, her video starts off with an instant slander of Jock Cranley depicted in an image wearing a dunce cap with crossed eyes calling him 'tiny brained.'  This reminded me of the day we spent in class looking over images of Obama and George W. Bush represented as monkeys.  It shows the primitive and un-intelligent nature that she believes Jock Cranley has.  She also criticizes his past by calling him out directly on his former actions.  He has no background in politics and is a former drug addict and a subject of multiple concussions.  He believed that his stunt man career helped him develop decision making abilities and the knowledge of city planning.... how, I'm not sure.  Sue then goes on to list her plans, saying we will only have to pay up to 72% of our money on taxes through her.  This being a shot on how politicians say that they wills ave us money on taxes by passing this or that or by following their plan, but usually ends up costing us way more than we expected.  These two videos have no influence on the actual game, nor do they change the storyline at all.  They are simply additional elements that help develop that game as a well rounded satire of the lives we live in.  Throughout the game are many instances of slander and campaigning over the radio while you drive or on billboards throughout the landscape.  They'll even appear on T.V. commercials, IF I decide to sit down in a video game and watch T.V, WHILE, I sit down in real life and play video games on another T.V.   Keep in mind these were also part of advertising their video game.  These were on the main webpage and in now way tell anything about the gameplay or story of the game.  They are simply expressions of great satire in a video game context that everyone can relate to.   More to come, thank you for your extended period of time.

Casa Del Fascio (House of Fascism)

The Casa Del Fascio

 Benito Mussolini’s presence in the Italian government from 1922 to the mid 1940’s led to its changed political values to that of a fascist state.  Visual culture was used as a tool by Mussolini to help strengthen his grasp on the Italian people and spread fascist ideals.  Fascism, being a new style of government and a change in Italy’s culture could no longer be expressed by the traditional standards of Italian architecture.  A new, modern and original style was needed to best represent fascism.  Fascism would change the architecture of the city to adapt to these ideals and utilize organizational skills and new materials while adhering to public and government use.  Benito Mussolini used art and architecture in new styles as propaganda to express itself throughout the nation.  Giuseppe Terragni, an Italian architect displayed a uniform and rhythmic expression of fascism in his Casa Del Fascio, a building that was to be the center of the new Italian government. He took the words “The Glass House of Fascism,” to heart as he designed this building.  The building’s organizational layout best represents the connection between the people and the government.  Terragni created a vast openness with the floor plan and atrium that correlated with the circulatory paths of both the public visitors and the government officials who worked there.  The connection established through this represented a strong trust between the two.  It showed that there should be nothing to hide between the people Fascism supports and the people who run it.  This also allowed the people to be a part of the government at any time necessary.  Also, as you enter the building on both sides were offices of people at work, free to be viewed.  There was a black marble monument on the left as you walk in that had names of fallen soldiers etched into it.  This was interesting to me seeing that we just went over the Vietnam memorial that is very similar.  Within the rooms of the Casa Del Fascio were works of Fascist art and representations of abstract forms.  Within the main conference room was an image of Mussolini captured in one of these shapes.  After the war, the image was removed but his silhouette can be seen still, almost giving a lingering sense of his power.  The building was located in a piazza so that it would have direct access to a public gathering space for speeches and assemblies.  Terragni also used photo montage to create an image of the Casa Del Fascio in use of a gigantic gathering.  Although the gathering never took place, this was a way to express its uses and the overbearing power that Mussolini could have on the public through speech. The atrium allowed for people to gather below as Il Duce spoke.  It was also very flexible to crowd sizes based on entrances and exits that would open for larger floor space or close to confine small groups.  The circulation and floor space was referred to as a ‘square doughnut’ as the plan revolved around the atrium.  All of this was enveloped in a cubical volume of concrete with structural elements expressed in a framework outside involving steel and concrete.  Both new materials for the age that could evoke monumentality and order in a traditional sense while being viewed as modern and new.  The Casa Del Fascio was an innovative and very well designed building that encapsulated the ideals of fascist politics while establishing a connection between its leaders and public followers.

Photo Montage of Gathering

The Conference Room