The Works of Graphic Designers During the 20th Century
For the final assignment you will curate a hypothetical exhibition of three (3) works of 20th century graphic design and write a corresponding 'curatorial essay'.
What is a curatorial essay? A curatorial essay (or curatorial statement) is written by the curator to explain the rationale behind the exhibition. It is usually a persuasive essay that informs the reader about the premise of the exhibit and describes in detail some of the works in order to show how these works relate together and why it is significant to see them together.
Organizing your curatorial essay:
The initial paragraph should establish the overall premise of the exhibition, the main theme or concept of the show.
The middle paragraphs should describe detailed aspects about each of the three works. Describe what they have in common (themes, style, techniques, technologies, location, time period, politics, etc.) and how they each illustrate the overall theme/premise of your hypothetical exhibition. You may also chose to describe how they differ if juxtaposition is significant to your thematic.
In the final paragraph, suggest the wider significance of your theme. Describe what you learned from putting the exhibition together and/or what you hope the viewer takes away from the exhibit.
Requirements:
You must select 3 (three) works of 20th century graphic design, including 1 (one) from the Eskilson textbook.
Your paper should be 1250-1500 words in length submitted in MLA format.
This assignment will require external historical research and you must cite a minimum of 3 academic sources.
Include an appendix with images of the three works. For each image, include the artwork’s title, artist name, media, and year
Instructor
Course
Date
Curated Exhibition
During the 20th century, graphic designers pursued novel approaches to expressing their ideas. Through their exhibitions, most artists designed layouts, posters, and aesthetic and indefinite illustrations. The graphic design sector has continued to evolve, and the period was defined by experimentation that started during the 1980s. During this period, designers started to utilize geometric approaches in their expressions. Another aspect that influenced the unique graphic expression during the 20th century was the formation of the Vienna Secession. This group included artists who wanted to explore new ways of designing. At the sunrise of the 20th century, the graphic arts sectors were commercialized. This was majorly influenced by the invention of the Gutenberg Press, which enabled the mass production of diverse elements in printed format. Moreover, during this period, Art Nouveau emerged to address the graphic demands of the the industrialization era. The movement was majorly defined by unique graphic approaches that were directly linked with the conventional academic techniques and the modern graphic styles.
The exhibition focuses on the works of graphic designers during the 20th century, and the main theme presented highlights the styles and techniques that artists used to complete their works. The show will include three major works selected from the 20th-century era.
Curated Works
Vogue Magazine Cover, April 1, 1939, by Cipe Pineles
The first work to be considered is by Cipe Pineles, an influential graphic designer of the 20th century. Her career was centered on magazines, which included Vanity Fair and Vogue. Her work was also influenced by Mehemed Fehmy Agha, a Russian-born graphic artist who defined the role of the art director in magazines. It is worth noting the design was published on April 1, 1939. Pineles designed a cover for Vogue magazine in this work, where he was absorbed as an art director in 1936. The work is an illustration that features a full-color image of two ladies' faces (Eskilison 249). The photo is not centered, which is also intended to communicate an aesthetic design and the novel ways of expression that designers applied at the time. There is a combination of vintage and modern styles in designing this work. Also, the tilting of the photo makes the upper left corner point to the magazine. This style or technique was used to draw attention to the photos and also inspire the reader to think about the meaning. The picture and the text form a diagonal line across the magazine cover. Another design aspect is the use of the decorative font on the word Vogue (Eskilison 249). This was to create aesthetic appeal and draw the readers' attention to the image. Agha mostly used this style because he never had any standard style for completing the magazine cover. Politically, this cover relates to the rebellion against the academic ways of completing designs.
Anatomy of a Murder (1959) Poster by Saul Bass
Saul Bass is regarded as one of the most notable designers of movie posters during the 20th century. He worked with numerous filmmakers in Hollywood and was eventually awarded an Oscar because of his unique contributions. The poster is regarded as one of the most memorable of all time because it possesses attractive graphics and outstanding color contrasts. Another aspect applied in the design is the minimalist approach, which challenged numerous components related to movie promotion (Anatomy of a Murder (1959)). It defined a pivotal moment in designing posters because the technique had never been seen before. The theme of the design was centered on the film title, with the spotlight centering on the victim.
As he participated in courtroom drama, there are clear linkages between the anatomy of the happenings and the human symbol of the different components. These components that make up the anatomy include ethics, legal issues, morality, and the film characters. There is both simplicity and complexity within the same poster. The human shadow separated into different parts aligns with the film's Anatomy of a Murder. Another aspect is the emphasis on the black...