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