Today’s post is about one of the most “popular” art movements of the Modern Era: Pop Art. This movement arose from a rebellion against Abstract Expressionists, that was considered by the Pop Art artists as pretentious and over-intense.

Gold Marilyn Monroe (1962) – Andy Warhol

Pop Art is thought to be an art style that returned to the material realities of everyday life, to popular culture (this is where the “pop” term comes from) which derives from most of the visual pleasures of people – like television, magazines or comics.

If you want to read more about the influence of art history on modern designs check out our other posts about: Gothic Style, Baroque Style, Art Nouveau and Cubism.

Drowning Girl (1963) – Roy Lichtenstein

When and where appeared the Pop Art movement?

The Pop Art movement appeared in Britain in the mid 1950s’ and in the United States in the late 1950s’. Pop Art artists wanted to challenge tradition assuming that an artist’s use of the mass-media visual elements of popular culture is considered fine art.

Pop art is about removing the material from its context and isolating the object or combining it with other objects for contemplation. This concept actually refers to the attitudes that led to art.

Viki (1964) – Roy Lichtenstein

It’s widely known that Pop Art coincided with the pop music phenomenon of the 1950s’ and 1960s’ and it was very much associated with the fashionable, swinging image of London. As an example, Peter Blake designed covers for Elvis Presley and the Beatles. Moreover, he starred actresses like Brigitte Bardot in his pictures, in the same way artist Andy Warhol used the image of Marlyn Monroe in the United States.

British Pop Art vs. American Pop Art

American Pop art was known to be anonymous, emblematic and aggressive. On the other hand, English Pop art was more referential and subjective. English Pop artists used to deal with popular culture and technology primarily as themes or metaphors. American Pop artists were more into these ideas. For example, Andy Warhol’s motto was “I think everybody should be a machine” and actually tried to make it artworks that looked like there were made by a machine.

Jackie (1964) – Andy Warhol

In 1952 in London appeared The Independent Group (IG), which was considered the precursor of the pop art movement. At the first meeting of the IG in 1952, the co-founding member, artist and sculptor Eduardo Paolozzi introduced a lecture using a series of collages called Bunk! that he created in his time spent in Paris in the period 1947-1949. This series of collages was composed of “found” objects like comic book characters, advertising, magazine covers and all sort of mass produced graphics that mainly represented the American culture. The first work of art which included the word “pop” was Paolozzi’s collage called I was a Rich Man’s Plaything (1947), where the pop appeared in a cloud of smoke emerging from a revolver.

Bunk! collage series - I was a Rich Man’s Plaything (1947) - Eduardo Paolozzi

The melody hunts my reverie – Roy Lichtenstein

In the United States, pop artists used to reproduce, duplicate, overlay, combine and arrange endless visual details that represented the American culture and society, introducing transformations and acting like commentaries. The most famous American Pop Artist, Andy Warhol had a very special interest in movie stars and this passion of his was represented in his art in 1962 when he started creating portraits of Marilyn Monroe.

Warhol tried to keep his personal fascination with fame from showing too clearly in his art work and preferred to let the meaning at the interpretation of viewers. The Pop movement and the role of the media was summarized by Andy Warhol in this famous quotation: In the future everybody will be famous for fifteen minutes. The magazines, television, newspapers and Hollywood are producing new images everyday, meaning that they are constantly enlarging the popular culture. Everything that surrounds us is just an image ready to be consumed.

Which are the most important characteristics of Pop Art?

Pop Art is characterized by techniques and themes drawn from the popular mass culture like comic books, advertising and mundane cultural objects . This movement is widely interpreted as a reaction to the ideas of abstract expressionism. Pop Art intended to employ images of popular in contrast to elitist culture in art, emphasizing the banal elements of any given culture, usually through the use of irony.

Figures in Landscape (1977) – Roy Lichtenstein

The colors used by the Pop Art artists – the predominant colors being yellow, red and blue – are vivid and, in comparison to other movements, they do not depict the artist’s inner sensation of the world. They actually refer to the popular culture, culture that inspired artist Andy Warhol to experiment with the technique of silkscreen printing, a very popular technique used for mass production.

Famous Pop Art artist, Roy Lichtenstein developed a style that was based on the visual vernacular of mass-communication: the comic strip. The features of this style were: black outlines, bold colors and tones rendered by Benday dots (that was a method of printing tones in comic books from the 50′s and the 60′s).

The features of the Pop Art artworks were: clear lines, sharp paintwork and clear representations of symbols, people and objects found in popular culture. Actually, Pop Art replaced the satirical, destructive and anarchic elements of the Dada movement (a cultural movement which appeared in Zurich during World War I and concentrated its anti-war politics through a rejection of the prevailing standards in art through anti-art cultural works) by having a reverence for mass culture and consumerism.

Just What is it that makes today’s home so different, so appealing? (1956) - Richard Hamilton

Pop Artists liked to satirize objects and they sometimes enlarged those objects to large proportions. In the pop movement food was a common theme, but also household objects as chairs and toilets being realized out of squishy plastic rather than the materials there were usually used. As an example we have the Soft Toilet by Claes Oldenburg.

Which are the main domains where Pop Art emerged?

Cubism in painting

The artist that personified the Pop Art more than any other was Andy Warhol. His painting of Marilyn Monroe are the most famous icons of Pop Art.

Elvis I&II (1963-64) – Andy Warhol

Painter Andy Warhol had an obsession with Hollywood’s fame and glamor. He used photographic silkscreen to create his famous portraits of Mick Jagger, Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe and Jacqueline Kennedy. The process he used allowed him to create a large number of prints. Actually, Warhol used a method of mass production to create his art work because he thought that celebrities themselves were mass produced.

Mick Jagger Suite of 10 (1975) – Andy Warhol

Whaam! (1963) – Roy Lichtenstein

Pop Art in packaging designs

Logos and product labeling often figures in the imagery chosen by the pop artists. For example, we have the Campbell’s Soup Cans labels by Andy Warhol. Even more, the labeling on the shipping carton which contained retail items was used as a subject of pop art. As example we have Campbell’s Tomato Juice Box by Warhol or his Brillo Soap Box sculptures.

Campbell’s Soup (1968) – Andy Warhol

Campbell’s Tomato Juice Box (1964) – Andy Warhol

Pop Art in sculpture

In the Pop Art Sculpture, Claes Oldenburg was considered one of the most important representatives of the movement. He created many large scale public works. A famous work of his, in collaboration with Coosje Van Bruggen, is the Spoonbridge and Cherry in Minneapolis.

Are contemporary design works still influenced by Pop Art?

Jeff Jaffe, the co-owner of Pop International Galleries in New York states that “Pop Art is stronger than ever”. Collectors, art dealers, publishers and auction houses of course agree with him. All of them point to some of the greatest names in art today: Clemens Briels, James Rizzi, Romero Britto, Steve Kaufman among others. All of these artists work in a Pop style and they have all found success in today’s art marketplace.

Needless to say, art has always been an expression of what takes place in society. In the 50′s in England, and in the 60′s in the United States, art was rather a chaos of chaos of consumption, advertising, television, comics and fashion. Art reinvented itself more than ever before because of the pop art movement, which is still highly appreciated by people today.

Today, Pop Art is still very popular, whether we’re talking about old originals selling for thousands of pounds or copies of those which are selling in large numbers for a small price. It’s clear that pop art has became more than just a statement and it’s impossible to ignore, it’s absolutely everywhere you go, in everyday life places, used for advertising (that is what it was initially used for in the 50′s).

Pop Art can mean a lot of things, but one of those things is clearly “popular”. All art appeals to people on an emotional level, but Pop Art is experienced on an experiential level it comes from our daily lives, said Julie Maner, director of business affairs for Museum Editions in New Rochelle, N.Y. By this she refers to the “Pop Dog” series, created by Gloria Lee. This series features 25 different dog breeds in some electric Pop colors. Of course this print in particular is put by dealers in the window of their shops because they are colorful and whimsical.

Pop Art is so popular today that it’s used for creating awesome birthday cards, t-shirts, badges, calendars, posters, canvases – so it’s really hard to ignore. The features of this art like the bright colors and the prints haven’t yet faded and I seriously doubt that they’ll ever will, as the popular movement still continues to fascinate today.

Some people asked why did the Pop Art returned so strongly, even at 47 years after it appeared? The answer given by some was that Pop gained a lot of supporters over the years and it proven to be a solid investment.  Others said that it’s just the time to swing back that way, as fashion returns to some of the early years. Moreover, it’s thought that it came back as a need of the American’s to be comforted by familiar things.

Art in the Pop genre is constantly changing, it’s a way of keeping up with the times, said Julie Maner. “What I think is great about Pop art is that it’s cross cultural. It’s not making a political statement. It’s the best art form for anyone who might be intimidated by art.” states Ruth-Ann of Thorn of Crown Thorn Publishing. Anti-war protests, war itself, threats of foreign attacks and fear of nuclear bombs are as real today as they were in the 50s’.

Pop Art influence in contemporary artworks.

Artists still use today most of the features of the pop art style as inspiration for their artworks. Andy Warhol’s and Roy Lichtenstein’s works are the most often used as models for their contemporary works. You will see that today’s artists are creating cool illustrations, prints and posters with details like: dotted image, strong and multiple colors, series of images on one print, famous people faces and home utilities like tv, radio, cameras.

Pop Art influence in home decorations, accessories prints and fashion.

Pop Art artwork, because of it’s bundle of colors represents a great inspirations for designers, whether we’re talking about product prints, posters, canvases, t-shirts or many other things. Check out some everyday products with awesome pop art inspired prints:

The Influence of Art History on Modern Design – Pop Art is a post from Designious Times - Graphic design tutorials, resources and inspiration.

Fruits are most often used in logos because they have pretty and warm colors and they are easy to remember (when you want to establish a better position of the company’s name or products in the consumer’s mind). In today’s article I made a collection of logos with fruity designs.

Generally, the logo of a company can be represented in two ways: a visual, illustrative element generally called “icon” or “symbol”; or a textual element, respectively the name of the company, which, most of the times also contains the illustrative part and it’s called “logotype”.

Colors are very important when it comes to logos. They play an important role in brand recognition, but they don’t necessarily have to be an integral component of the logo design (this could come in conflict with its functionality).

Colors are usually associated with certain emotions and the use of one particular color depends on the feeling which the designer wants to transmit. For example, the loud primary colors, like red, are used to attract the attention of drivers. Green is usually associated with ecological, health and hygiene themes and blue or silver is often used in logo designs to reflect diet foods. Even more, some brands use some subdued tones and with lower saturation in order to communicate quality, reliability or relaxation.

As an important component of graphic design, a company logo is one of the most difficult elements to create and perfect. The common belief is that the logo or the ideogram is the image embodying an organization. Because logos are supposed to represent companies’ brand or corporate identities and achieve customer recognition, it really is not recommended that you frequently redesign your logo.

Some logos may seem easily done and you may think that any designer could do them. Actually, designing a logo for a company is much more than that. The logo designer must know and inform about the company, about its products or services, about its mission and objectives and it’s target in order to create the appropriate logo design. Also, you have to take in consideration the cultural sidelines of the country or the region the company is from. Also, you always have to be updated and aware of the constantly changing cultures around us.

Showcase of Cool Fruit Logos is a post from Designious Times - Graphic design tutorials, resources and inspiration.

If in the previous posts I wrote  about the influence of art history on modern design and I posted about the Gothic Style – Medieval Period, the Baroque Style – Western Art and the Art Nouveau Style – Modern Art, today’s article is about one of the most influential art movements of the twentieth century’s modern art: Cubism.

If you want to read more about Modern Art, click here.

When and where appeared the Cubism movement?

Because of the emerging of new technologies like photography, the motor car, cinematography and the airplane, artists felt the need to a more radical approach, a new way of seeing that will expand the possibilities of art like the new technologies were extending the limits of communication and travel. This new way of seeing was called Cubism, also known as the first abstract style of modern art.

Dynamism of a Soccer Player (1913) – Umberto Boccioni (1882 – 1916)

There seems to be different opinions regarding the moment when cubism began. Some say that the year 1907 is its starting point. This was also the year in which Picasso was introduced by the poet Apollinaire to Braque. These two great painters developed their ideas on Cubism around the year 1907 in Paris and it’s widely known that their starting point was a common interest in the later paintings of Paul Cezanne.

Les Demoiselles d’Avignon (1907) – Pablo Picasso (1881 – 1973)

In the same year, before meeting Braque, Picasso completed the painting Les Demoiselles d’Aviginion in his Monmartre apartment house which was called the “Bateau Lavoir”. This work is very important because it’s considered to be the painting which foretold the future development of Cubism, and along with Cezanne’s influence appeared a new search due to the suggestions from African black sculpture.

Le Portugais/The Emigrant (1911 – 1912) - Georges Braque (1882 – 1963)

The Cubist painters rejected the inherited concept that art should copy nature, or that they should adopt the traditional techniques of perspective, modeling, and foreshortening. They wanted instead to emphasize the two-dimensionality of the canvas. So they reduced and fractured objects into geometric forms, and then realigned these within a shallow, relief like space. They also used multiple or contrasting vantage points.

Violin and Glass (1915) – Juan Gris (1887 – 1927)

Which were the phases of Cubism?

In the development of Cubism there were three phases: Facet or Pre-Cubism, Analytic Cubism, and Synthetic Cubism, although some divided this movement only in Analytic and Synthetic Cubism.

1. The first phase of Cubism – Pre-Cubism

The first phase, which was also known as pre-cubism lasted until the year 1910 and it is under the strong influence of Cezanne and his famous characteristic of reproducing nature in paintings by using cylinders, spheres and cones. Picasso and Braque, which were painting in this period characters, landscapes and still life, were not satisfied with the attempts of renouncing on perspectives and aim at reducing the motifs to fundamental geometric forms.

Still Life with Chair Caning (oil on canvas, 1912) – Pablo Picasso (1881-1973)

2. The second phase of Cubism – Analytical Cubism

Analytical Cubism is considered to be one of the major branches of the Cubism and it was developed in the 1910 – 1913 period. In comparison to Synthetic cubism, in this phase, the cubists “analyzed” natural forms and they reduced forms to basic geometric parts to create a two-dimensional picture plane.

In this phase, color was almost non-existent except for the cases when the artists used monochromatic schemes that included blue, gray and ochre. Analytic cubists focused more on forms like spheres, the cylinder and the cone to represent the natural world. Because of these features, the works created by Picasso and Braque had stylistic similarities.

Violin and Jug (1910) – Georges Braque (1882 – 1963)

3. The third phase of Cubism – Synthetic Cubism

The last movement of Cubism and the second as importance, Synthetic Cubism was developed by Picasso, Braque and Juan Gris and others in the 1913 – 1919 period. This cubism movement was characterized by the introduction of different surfaces, textures, papier colle, collage elements and a great variety of merged subject matter. This was the beginning of collage materials introduced as an important ingredient of fine art works.

Still Life with Mandolin and Guitar (1924) – Pablo Picasso (1881 – 1973)

In comparison to Analytic Cubism, which was an analysis of the subjects (pulling them apart into planes), Synthetic Cubism is actually pushing several objects together. Less pure than Analytic Cubism, this movement has fewer planar schematism and less shading, creating flatter space.

The Influence of African Art on Cubism

The artists of the cubist movement considered that the traditions of the Western art were overrated and the remedy they applied to revitalize their work was to draw on the expressive energy of art from other cultures, especially from the African art.

The inspiration to cross-reference art that came from other cultures it’s believed to come from Paul Gauguin, a French post-impressionist artist, whose prints and paintings were inspired by the native cultures of Tahiti and the Marquesas Islands, places where he spent his final years.

Head of a Woman (1907) – Pablo Picasso and right: Dan Mask

A controversial element of early Cubism was the grotesque face that evoked African masks. The exaggerated features of these masks represented a hallmark of Cubism. The artists tried to interplay elements in their works and to create a sort of detachment in technique, resulting in grotesque, exaggerated forms.

Which are the most important characteristics of Cubism?

In Cubism, proportions, organic integrity and continuity of life samples and materials objects are abandoned. The artist’s canvas resembled more like a field of broken glass, some critics said.

The shattering of objects in focus into geometrical sharp-edged angular pieces and the geometrically analytical approach to color and form baptized the movement into “Cubism”. Actually, despite what some vicious critics might have said at that time, a closer look to cubism art works reveals a very methodical deconstruction into three dimensional shaded facets and some of them are caving others convex.

The Bargeman (1919) – Fernand Leger (1881 – 1955)

Cubism considers the “whole” images perceived by the retina artificial and conventional, based on the influence of the past art. This movement rejects these images and recognizes that perspective space is an illusory, a rational invention or a sign system that comes from art since the Renaissance.

Factory, Horta de Ebbo (1909) – Pablo Picasso

In cubism works, instead of an image of an external world we are given a world of its own, analogous to nature but built with different principles. Cubists seek to reproduce different perspectives simultaneously, like they might be seen by the mind’s eye. It tries to mimic the mind’s power to abstract and synthesize its different impressions of the world into new wholes.

Which are the main domains where Cubism emerged?

1. Cubism in painting

Picasso and Braque are credited with creating this new visual language, but this movement was adopted and further developed by many painters like Fernand Leger, Juan Gris, Marcel Duchamp, Robert and Sonia Delaunay, Albert Gleizes, Roger de la Fresnaye and Jean Metzinger.

Nude Descending Starecase No. 2 (1912) – Marcel Duchamp (1887 – 1968)

The Cubist painters did not embrace the concept that art should copy nature, or that they should adopt the traditional techniques of modeling, perspective and foreshortening. The artists wanted to emphasize the two-dimensionality of the canvas so they fractured and reduced the objects into geometric forms and then realigned them within a shallow, relief like space. A specific feature also was the use of multiple or contrasting vantage points.

2. Cubism in sculpture

Although it was primarily associated with painting, Cubism also exerted a great influence on the 20th century sculpture. The most important Cubist sculptors were Raymond Duchamp-Villon, Alexander Archipenko and Jacques Lipchitz, identified as the first Cubist sculptor.

Walking Woman (1912) – Alexander Archipenko (1887 – 1964)

It’s believed that cubist sculpture developed in parallel to Cubist painting, having many of the same artists. For example, some sources name the first cubist sculpture Picasso’s 1909 Head of a Woman or Otto Gutfreund’s Anxiety, which were showed in Prague in 1912.

Head of a Woman (1908) – Pablo Picasso

Just like in Cubism painting, the style has its origins in Cezanne’s reduction of painted objects into component planes and geometric solids (spheres, cubes, cylinders and cones). Like in painting, cubism sculpture had its course by 1925, and it became an influence and contributed fundamentally to Constructivism and Futurism.

3. Cubism in architecture

Some people might say that the relationship between Cubism and architecture was at best a tentative and it involved the application of Cubist decorations to stripped Neoclassical buildings. However, in Prague, the Czech Cubist group (Chochol, Gocar, Capek, Hofman, Janak and Novotny) managed to do more than treat the facades with prismatic ornaments.

The basic features of Cubism, however, which included asymmetrical compositions, transparency, interpenetration of volumes and simultaneous perception from different points of view were enshrined in the Modern Movement and played an important part in its evolution.

House of the Black Madonna, Museum of Cubism in Old Town Prague

The most representative feature of cubist architecture was the multi-faceted facade of a building, which was also a way of articulating a vision of space, especially the relation between inside and outside. In other words, the cubist design should not celebrate the solid tectonic qualities of the material but to call those into question, establishing an ambiguous relationship between the space on the inside and on the outside of the structure.

Is contemporary art work still influenced by Cubism?

Although Cubism was born in France it emigrated across Europe and integrated with the artistic consciousness of several countries. This movement emerged as futurism in Italy, vorticism in England, Suprematism and Constructivism in Russia and Expressionism in Germany and it also influenced several of the major design and architectural styles of the 20th century and it still prevails to this day as mode of expression in the language of art.

The Key by Marcos Andruchak

Cubism is far from being an art movement confined to art history, its legacy continues to inspire the work of many contemporary artists. Cubist imagery is regularly used commercially but also a significant number of contemporary artists keep drawing upon it stylistically and, more importantly, theoretically.

YetAnotherFace by Petra Stafankova

Some said that the latter contains the clue as to the reason for cubism’s continuous fascination for artists. When it came to image making, photography was an increasingly viable method and Cubism attempts to take representational imagery beyond the mechanically photography and to go beyond the limits of traditional single point perspective perceived as though by a totally immobile viewer.

Art and Culture by Marcos Andruchak.

As an example of the contemporary feature of Cubism, the questions and the theories which arose during the initial appearance of the movement are, for many representative artists, as current today as when first proposed.

Woman Arranging Her Flowers – Michael Yee.

Some artists believe that Cubism will have durable consequences because it influenced all the important movements in modern European and American art. Without Cubism we couldn’t imagine the collages of Max Ernst, the surreal work of arts of Joan Miro, the art of Roy Lichtenstein and, seeing the subject in ensemble, pop art, the “ready made” art work of Duchamp and finally, the whole abstract art.

The Chef by Kristen Stein.

The influence of Cubism in contemporary designs, especially from the features of Synthetic Cubism, seems to come from a structural design of the picture plane, the grid. We can also notice the use of reducing the pictorial space and figures to hard-edged geometric forms.

Cubism in Contemporary Designs

A representative characteristic that Cubists proposed was that your sight of an object is the sum of many different views and our memory of an object is not created from one angle, as in perspective, but from many angles selected by our sight and by movement. Keeping that in mind, contemporary artists create paradoxically abstract in form graphic designs and not only  with an attempt at a more realistic way of seeing.

Kitty in a Box by Alma Lee.

Cubism Cafe collage by Mischi92.

Cubism by Toesinhand.

As in the art works of the representatives of famous Cubists, contemporary artists create designs with people, objects, places, but not from a fixed point of view. Their art works often show you many parts of the subject at the same time but viewed from different angles and reconstructed into a composition of planes, colors and forms. The purpose of this feature specific to Cubism is to reconfigure the space: the front, the back and the sides of the subject will become interchangeable elements in the design of the work.

The Cello Player by hummingbird44.

Cubism… by CrazedQuetzal.

Cubism in Modern House Designs

This modern movement was also influential in contemporary architecture. The Cubist houses are being recognized by having many geometric lines, sharp edges and many facades with fantastic perspectives from different angles.  Even the colors used in the house designs are monochrome or very limited.

Multifarious Modern Cubic House Architecture.

Aggressive Cubism.

Cubism – Notes

• Cubism appeared around 1907 in Paris and its parents were Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque.

• Cubism was the first abstract style of modern art.

• A Cubist painting ignores the traditions of perspective drawing and shows you many views of a subject at one time.

• The Cubists introduced collage into painting.

• The Cubists were influenced by art from other cultures, particularly African masks.

• There are two main distinct phases of the Cubist Style: Analytical Cubism (pre 1913) and Synthetic Cubism (post 1913)

• Cubism influenced many other styles of modern art including Orphism, Futurism, Vorticism, Suprematism, Constructivism and Expressionism.
• Cubism continues to inspire the work of many contemporary artists, which still use the stylistic and theoretical features of this style.

The Influence of Art History on Modern Design – Cubism is a post from Designious Times - Graphic design tutorials, resources and inspiration.

In the previous posts I started writing about influence of art history on modern design and I began with the Gothic Style from the Medieval Period, which was followed by the post about the Baroque Style from the Western Art.

Today’s post is about another great and influential style, this time from the Modern Art: Art Nouveau. If you want to read more about the Modern Art, click here.

When and where appeared the Art Nouveau style?

Art Nouveau (the term comes from French and it means New Art) is an art style which was mainly manifested in visual arts, design and architecture in the late 19th century and the early 20th century (1890 – 1914), almost in the same time in most of the cultures and European countries , but also in North America.

This style was spread pretty fast throughout Europe thanks to photo-illustrated art magazines and international exhibitions. Its name differed according to each country, so it was called “Modernisme” in Catalonia, “Liberty” in Italy, “Jugendstil” in Germany, “Secession” in Vienna or Prague.

Art Nouveau Print.

This modern style was considered an attempt to create an international style based on decorations. Art Nouveau was a style developed by an energetic and brilliant generation of designers and artists who sought to fashion an art form appropriate to the modern age.

In many ways, this style was a response to the Industrial Revolution. The technological progress was welcomed by artists who embraced the aesthetic possibilities of using new materials in their art work such as cast iron.  Actually, the Art Nouveau style came into being in 1893 when Victor Horta introduces for the first time iron and casting into the homes of the bourgeoisie in Brussels.

Art Nouveau Artwork in The Grand Palais – Paris.

The Art Nouveau artists shared the belief that all the arts should work in harmony in order to create a “total work of art”: buildings, textiles, furniture, jewelry, clothes all conformed to the principles of Art Nouveau.

After 1919 this style was considered old-fashioned and limited and the artist generally abandoned to use it as a distinct decorative style.

Which are the most important characteristics of Art Nouveau?

The Art Nouveau Style is characterized by the use of sinuous, long organic lines and temperate and dark colors. The most used colors are mustard yellow, dark red, olive, brown and some violet and blue now and there.

The specific ornamental characteristics of this modern style is asymmetrical and undulating lines, that were often taking the form of flower stalks and buds, insect wings, vine tendrils and other sinuous and delicate natural objects.

The lines in Art Nouveau were either elegant and graceful or infused with powerfully rhythmic and whip like force. Other features are represented by hyperbolas, parabolas and conventional mouldings which seem to spring to life and grow into some plant shaped forms.

The ornament as a structural symbol is part of the force which grows from nature, the artists creating an organic and transparent world with precious flower elements, with tulips, sun flowers, gillyflowers, cornflowers and so on, combined with lines and simple undulated plans.

Which are the main domains where the Art Nouveau style emerged?

Art Nouveau was considered a “total style”, which means that it includes a hierarchy of scales in design: architecture, interior design, decorative arts, including furniture, textiles, jewelery, household silver and other objects and lighting, as well as the range of visual arts.

This great modern style was known to be employed the most in architecture, interior design, jewelry and glass design, posters, and illustration.

1. Art Nouveau in Architecture

In Architecture, the Art Nouveau style particularly shows the synthesis of ornament and structure. This type of architecture was characterized by a liberal combination of materials – glass, iron, ceramic and brickwork – which was employed in the creation of interiors in which beams and columns became thick vines with spreading tendrils and the windows became both opening for air and light and membranous outgrowths of the organic whole. It’s safe to say that this approach was surely directed opposed to the traditional architectural values of clarity and reason of structure.

Art Nouveau in Riga.

The buildings in the Art Nouveau style have many of the following features: asymmetrical shapes, curved glass, extensive use of arches and curved forms, mosaics, curving, plant like embellishemnts, stained glass and Japanese motifs.

A classic example would be given by Gaudi in Casa Mila (1905-1907) which reproduces the way in which different parts appear organically tied to the base plan.

One of the predominant qualities of the Art Nouveau architecture is the possibility of using the structure theory by exposing the constructive elements of a building, especially iron, so that they become apparent elements of the facade, most often used as a decorative function.

The glass is used in combination to iron and the glass wall enjoyed a great independent development in the art nouveau period. In that period, there were also used the glass and iron staircases like the one created by Hotra for the Maison du Peuple.

Black Sea Art Nouveau.

The Art Nouveau designers selected and modernized some of the abstract elements of the rococo style, such as shells and flames textures and they also advocated the use of very stylized organic forms as a source of inspiration in their art works, expending the natural elements used to embrace grasses, insects and seaweed.

2. The print manifestation of Art Nouveau

The prints from the Art Nouveau period are very important for understanding this movement. For example, the lithograph “Tropon” by Henry van de Velde (1898) shows the distinctive color choices of an Art Nouveau Print with dull green, brilliant ochre and orange, which were combined with the letters of the word “tropon”. The simple composition of this artist combines a new style of color choices with the curvy lines.

“Tropon” by Henry van de Velde (1898).

The Peacock Skirt, by Aubrey Beardsley, (1892).

The two-dimensional Art Nouveau pieces were drawn, painted and printed in popular forms such as posters, advertisements, labels and magazines. The style was typified as extravagant, flowing and with curved lines, often with a floral motif. But it was perhaps the commercial application of the style that gives its particular appeal, directness and lasting presence.

Art Nouveau Poster – Toulouse Lautrec Jane Avril.

Even today so many wonderful Art Nouveau posters survived because they became collectible items. The technological progress in lithographic printing allowed for color printing on a large scale for the first time and therefore to make the graphic style of Art Nouveau to be widely available. The commercial poster runs were extended to allow for more copies to be sold to collectors.

Paulette Douval Art Nouveau Poster.

2. Art Nouveau in Decorative Arts

2.1. The Art Nouveau Tendency in Painting

In an attempt to analyze the role played by Art Nouveau in the evolution of painting, we must say that it represents a reaction against the impressionism, except for the German culture area. In essence, this style represented a reaction against the development of the surface and of the line and in painting it marked the end of the illusionist conception of form.

The images can have importance for the content by the way the line holds the atmosphere of the painting through its effect, or they can evoke ornamental values. We can say that this current is an ancestor of expressionism while the other tendency lays the accent on the decorative and ornamental side and their special value in painting in general.

2.2. Glass making and Art Nouveau

Glass making was a domain where art nouveau found a great expression – as example we have the works off Louis Comfort Tiffany in New York, Emile Galle and the Daum brothers in Nancy, France and Charles Rennie Mackintosh in Glasgow.

2.3. Jewelery of the Art Nouveau period

Jewelery in the Art Nouveau period used nature as the principle source of inspiration, complemented by new levels of virtuosity in enameling and the introductions of new materials such as semi-precious stones and opals.

Art Nouveau Winged Fairy.

The jewelery artists also found inspiration in Japanese art and they showed more specialized enthusiasm for Japanese metalworking skills and fostered new themes and approached to ornamentation.

Nummy antique Czech jewel corseted in Art Nouveau bronzed repousse.

If in the previous two centuries, the emphasis in fine jewelery was gemstones, especially the diamonds, and the goldsmith was particularly concerned with providing settings for their advantage, in the Art Nouveau period, a different type of jewelery emerged, motivated by the designer rather than the jeweler as setter of precious stones.

The most renowned jewelers were in Paris and Brussels at that time. Rene Lalique was a French jeweler that glorified nature in jewelery, extending the repertoire and including new aspects of nature like dragonflies or grasses.

3. Art Nouveau in furnishing and home decorations

Furniture

In general, the furniture pieces had round, sinuous and elegant lines. The furniture has made out of wood usually combined with glass and metal. Some furniture pieces had tapestry and stylish floral patterns. The cabinets regularly had many drawers and painted glasses.

Art Nouveau Furniture.

Accessories

The chairs in an Art Nouveau decorated house had high backrests and the tables were low and most often had the countertop made out of colored glass. Actually, the painted glass and the stained glass are defining elements for this style. It is used in making decorative objects, lamps or for embedded panels in the furniture or in the windows of doors.

Peter Behrens, Jugendstil Table Lamp (1902).

Art Nouveau motifs on mirror.

Is modern design still influenced by the Art Nouveau style?

Although the Art Nouveau movement had a rapid decline because after the 1910 it already vanished, its importance in applied arts and architecture remains overwhelming. We can say that this style has every right to hold a great place in the history of art, especially in the history of art styles.

Art Nouveau inspired illustration.

The Art Nouveau movement had a great influence on illustrators, artists and the printing trade in America including Art Nouveau revivial in the post-war 60s hippie movement. Even today, some of the best features of Art Nouveau can be seen throughout the visual communication industry – like the painting of Marilyn Monroe for “Visages De Renom” by New York illustrator Les Katz or the works of Milton Glaser and his Push-Pin studio.

Vector Art – Rose created in Art Nouveau style.

Vector Art – Roses Illustration in Art Nouveau style.

The Art Nouveau has been reevaluated in the last twenty years with the rise of postmodernism design. Artists all over the world are using as inspiration today elements of this modern art style like the sinuous lines, floral elements, the nature features and the characteristic colors.

Peacock Garden – Art Nouveau inspired illustration.

One of the most inspirational features from the Art Nouveau style is the nymph poster with the nature, floral motifs and ornaments.

Art Nouveau and Print Designs

The nymph and floral oranaments are some of the most influential art nouveau elements used by graphic designers in their artworks. Some of the most beautiful print arts represent nymphs with floral elements, art nouveau specific colors like olive green, ochre, sinuous lines and art nouveau typography.

Art Nouveau Print Illustration.

Art Nouveau inspired poster.

Art Nouveau Print on T-shirt.

Mucha-esque Art Nouveau bookmark illustration.

Art Nouveau in Typography

The Art Nouveau typography from today originated in magazines like Munchner Jugend, The Studio and Yellow Book or in period advertising, poster or sign design. Collections of typography today include some of the most recognizable styles of the period (Ariosto, Munch, Pantagruel) but they also include unique faces which are based on rare hand lettering.

Art Nouveau Typography with floral and fruits elements.

Art Nouveau Typography by Irina Vinnik.

Illustration of Art Nouveau inspiration.

Metro Type – Art Nouveau Typography.

Art Nouveau in Modern Home Design

The Art Nouveau style can still be found in some of todays’ most luxurious homes. The home designs decorated in Art Nouveau style are characterized by the use of various prints and ornamental shapes. These are used in decorating the walls or in tapestry, in the textiles or even in the art artifacts or wall watches.

The accessories in an art nouveau home are represented by large mirrors with bronze frames or sculpted wood, painted jewelery cases, vases and porcelains.

Home decoration in Art Nouveau style.

Art Nouveau style lamp.

The Influence of Art History on Modern Design – Art Nouveau is a post from Designious Times - Graphic design tutorials, resources and inspiration.

Today’s article is about the third element of nature, Earth. Earth is associated with stability and it’s considered to be all the things that bring nourishment, fullness and fertility; it is the ground beneath our feet and the foundation on which we build our lives.

It’s often called Mother Earth because it is green, fertile and not an inanimate sphere of rock but the nourishment of our lives. It’s important to know that we must not take her for granted because by destroying it our lives can soon come to an end.

Check out these inspiring Mother Earth photo manipulations.

What do you do to conserve Mother Earth?

Nature Elements Photo Manipulations – Earth is a post from Designious Times - Graphic design tutorials, resources and inspiration.

In the previous post I started writing about some of the most important styles of art history, and I began with the Gothic Style from the Medieval Period.

Today I am moving on to another important style, this time from the Western Art: Baroque Style. If you want to read more about the Western Art, click here.

Baroque is an artistic style that was present mainly in Europe from the late 16th century until the early 18th century. The Baroque is considered to be the dominant style of art in Europe between the Mannerist and Rococo eras and it is characterized by overt emotion, dynamic movement and self-confident rhetoric.

When and where appeared the Baroque Style?

The baroque style appeared in Rome, Italy around the year 1600, as a demand of the church for new art. The representatives of arts were demanded by the Roman Catholic Church in 1545 – 1563 to create paintings and sculptures that even the illiterate can comprehend. This decision of the church actually offered inspiration for Baroque artists, which appeared, however, a generation later.

Fontana di Trevi, Rome, Italy

This art style continued to spread from Italy towards Western Europe, especially in the first half of the XVIIth century, and later towards Central, Northern and the Eastern Europe in the last half of the same century and at the beginning of the XVIIIth century.

Latin America was also strongly influenced by the Baroque Style. Many cath0lic churches, but also public buildings, official and private residences, built in the XVIII-th and XIX-th century are clearly of Baroque origin.

Cusco Fountain in Peru

Which are the most important characteristics of the Baroque Style?

Baroque Style evolved from the classic forms of the Renaissance, but it differs by new details and trends: colossal buildings as proportions with dramatic appearance, pompous facades with gables modified in various means, double towers, tall and unshapely domes, annex buildings with beautiful ornaments, windows with irregular forms.

Baroque Angels, St. Nicholas Church, Prague

In the painting decoration the artists renounced on creating profane and pagan themes (nudes and mythological types); instead, the ornamentation got excessively rich, with twisted columns shaped as snails with fantasy figures. The straight lines become bended, the oval shapes arch and take more winding forms, the plain surfaces completely disappear and make room for an abundance of ornaments. The buildings become more and more a pretext to use decorations or an aggregation of ornaments of the most various and bizarre. The interiors dazzle with the lavishness of gold, silver, silks and rich tapestry and luxurious furnishings.

Prague window ornaments, Czech Republic.

Regardless of the domain we can find it in, the Baroque Style is characterized by the exaggerate use of movement and clarity, respectively the use of flamboyant details which stands for easily interpretable types and lack of ambiguity. All of these elements are used by the artists of the Baroque Style to produce moments of intensity, drama, exuberance and greatness.

Detail of the Ecstasy of Santa Tereza by Gian Lorenzo Bernini.

Which are the main domains where the Baroque Style emerged?

The Baroque Style is clearly represented in domains like architecture, painting, sculpture, theater, music, literature, furnishing, dance and philosophy.

1. Baroque Architecture

According to Francis D.K. Ching in A Visual Dictionary of Architecture (p. 133), Baroque Architecture is “A style of architecture originating in Italy in the early 17th century and variously prevalent in Europe and the New World for a century and a half, characterized by free and sculptural use of the classical orders and ornament, dynamic opposition and interpenetration of spaces, and the dramatic combined effects of architecture, sculpture, painting, and the decorative arts”.

The Versailles Palace in France.

In Baroque Architecture, a peculiar characteristic is using the architectural elements which give greatness, like: massive columns, tall vaults, large arches, overwhelming domes, colors with high contrasts, volumes and impressive empty spaces.

The interior of a construction built in a Baroque Style has as one of its innovations the use of a huge interior space at the entrance followed by the presence of monumental stairs which connect the ground floor to the other levels of the building. As a fact, the model of the monumental interior staircase became a specific element of the wealth of the bourgeoisie, being copied at a smaller scale in different aristocratic residences from everywhere.

Staircase of Kloster Sch̦ntal monastery РGermany.

The Baroque architecture was enthusiastically embraced in the center of Germany (see the Ludwigsburg Palace from Stuttgart and the Zwinger complex in Dresden), in Austria (the Melk abbey) and in Poland (Wilanow and Bialystok Palaces). In Sicily, Baroque developed new shapes and themes as in Noto, Ragusa and Acireale “Basilica di San Sebastiano”.

Other examples of baroque architecture are the Cathedral of Morelia Michoacan in Mexico and the St. Paul Cathedral from London, built by Sir Christopher Wren, one of the promoters of English baroque.

2. Baroque Sculpture

In sculpture, there was a dynamic movement and energy of human forms. In the Baroque Sculpture, groups of figures assumed new importance – the artists created a spiral around an empty central vortex and reached to the surrounding space. The special characteristics of the Baroque Sculpture were represented by extra-sculptural elements like concealed lighting or water fountains.

Baroque baby angel statue – Church of “La Santa” in Bologna, Italy.

One of the most important sculptor of the Baroque period is Gian Lorenzo Bernini, renowned for his architecture, sculpture and fountains. As a complex artist, Bernini worked as an architect, sculptor, painter, he wrote plays and staged spectacles. A good example of Bernini’s work that can help us better understand the Baroque is represented by  St. Theresa in Ecstasy (1645–52), created for the Cornaro Chapel of the church of Santa Maria della Vittoria, Rome. Bernini designed the entire chapel, a subsidiary space along the side of the church, for the Cornaro family.

Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi – Piazza Navona Roma.

Another great name of Baroque Sculpture is Aleijadinho from Brazil, with his great set of statues of the Santuario de Bom Jesus de Matosinhos in Congonhas. They represent soapstone sculptures of old testament prophets around the terrace and are considered his finest work.

3. Baroque Painting

The Baroque Painting is often associated with the Baroque cultural movement, which began in the 1600s and continued throughout the 17th century and into the early 18th century. The most important characteristics of Baroque art are great drama, deep, rich color, intense light and dark shadows.

In opposition to the Renaissance art, where the artists showed the moment before an event took place, in the Baroque Painting, the Baroque artists chose the most dramatic point, the actual moment when the action occurred. For example, Bernini’s David was caught in the moment of hurling the stone at the giant. In comparison to the rationality and calm of the Renaissance, the Baroque art was meant to evoke passion and emotion. Moreover, Baroque paintings often tend to dramatize scenes by using chiaroscuro light effects.

Some of the greatest painters of the Baroque period are Rembrandt, Vermeer, Rubens and Caravaggio. Caravaggio opened a new chapter in the history of painting with his realistic approach to the human figure, that was painted directly from real life and it was dramatically spotlit against a dark background.

Saint Matthew and the Angel – Caravaggio.

4. Baroque Theater

In the Baroque era, theater evolved and became a multimedia experience, beginning with the actual architectural space. Actually, some of the technology used on Broadway or in commercial plays was invented and developed during the Baroque era. They evolved so much that they could change the stage from a romantic garden to the interior of a palace in a matter of seconds! Moreover, Gods were actually capable to come down – literally – from heavens and rescue the hero in the most dangerous situations.

Baroque Theater at the Český Krumlov castle.

To get an idea of the style of productions from the Baroque period, you can see films like Vatel, Farinelli and the staging of Monteverdi’s Orpheus at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona. Some artists like the American musician William Christie and the artists from Les Arts Florissants have performed extensive research on all the French Baroque Opera, and they performed pieces from Charpentier and Lully.

5. Baroque Music

The application of the term “Baroque” to music is a relatively recent development. It was first used in 1919 by Curt Sachs and as late as 1960 it was still considered a dispute in academic circles. The debated question was if Baroque music shares any aesthetic principles with the visual and literary arts of the Baroque period.

From the many musical forms that flourished in that era, we can mention the concerto, the symphony, the sonata, cantata and the oratorio. All of these forms of music had a defining technique that was used especially in the Baroque music: the use of ground bass, a repeated bass line. A goof example of this technique is Dido’s Lament by Henry Purcell.

When compared with its predecessors, Baroque music can be seen as being highly ornate, lavishly textured, and intense. The music of this time period was characterized by rich counterpoint and a highly decorated melodic line.

6. Baroque furnishing

Baroque furnishings appeared around the year of 1670 in the rich abodes in Venice, Rome, Florence at the time when the new great families of the papacy and the commerce started to display their assets and their taste for arts. The most impressive characteristic of the imposing Baroque furniture is that it was the work of sculptors, and not of carpenters. The Italian furniture was made with beautiful and rich materials and, besides that, it was a vigorous sculpture.

Mazarin Writing Desk, 1685-1700.

In comparison to the preceding century, in the 18th century the furniture suffered a deep transformation becoming really modern because it had to assume the specific characteristics that were demanded by utility, assuming a more domestic role and not being just a show of the aristocratic power. This change took place also because of the increasing application of elegant furniture from the bourgeois class arising.

Is modern design still influenced by the Baroque Style?

Baroque art and architecture – extravagant in concept, exuberant in spirit, elaborate in detail – flourished in the 17ths’ century Europe and through the ages has continued to stir us with its vitality and dynamism, its mood of barely suppressed passion. In the architecture of St. Peters in Rome, St. Paul’s in London and Santa Maria della Salute in Venice, in the works of Michelangelo, Bernini and Rubens, the Baroque spirit still lives today to inspire us.

Baroque in home design

The Baroque style is still used today as inspiration when it comes to decorating a home in a rich manner. This style is well known for being dramatic and opulent, characteristics which can transform a simple home into something flamboyant.

Many people choose to decorate their living space with a baroque style, and there are a variety of ideas that you can incorporate; ideas like using baroque style patterns to enrich cushion covers, linen, upholstery, curtaining and much more!

Baroque in modern Graphic Design

The interior design business wasn’t the only one inspired by the Baroque movement.

Now graphic artists can add Baroque flair to almost any design project with elements like lush florals, rosettes as a repeating motif in a frieze and many more ornaments with a clear Baroque influence. Baroque designs can be used by artists to enhance various items, because the ornaments specific to this style have the great capacity of making an art work look richer.

It’s not an unknown fact that often in modern graphic design the inspiration comes from art styles from the past. If you have the right skills, you can combine past and present design and create amazing modern art work. The Baroque Style is represented by beautiful and rich decorations that can perfectly combine with the styles designers who love to ornate their work with flowers and swirls.

Here are some beautiful examples of  baroque inspired modern designs.

The Influence of Art History on Modern Design – Baroque Style is a post from Designious Times - Graphic design tutorials, resources and inspiration.

These days you can find designs on pretty much any product package. But if you want a client to remember you, give him a product with a package print out of the ordinary!

Today I stumbled upon some sugar sachets with very creative prints and I want to share them with you. Here they are!

Small Packages, Big Designs – Sugar Sachets is a post from Designious Times - Graphic design tutorials, resources and inspiration.

I was looking the other day at some truly amazing body paintings and I couldn’t believe they were real! Artists who paint on others’ people body must have great patience and fantastic imagination to create this kind of art work!

Let me show you what I’m talking about!

Would you get your body painted if you’d ever had the occasion?

Breath Taking Body Painting Art is a post from Designious Times - Graphic design tutorials, resources and inspiration.

Since ancient Greece, people believed there is a special relation between the elements of the environment – water, fire, air, earth – and humanity.

Today we are going to focus on another element of nature: fire.

Fire is one of the 4 elements that helps humanity survive on Earth. It warms our houses and it helps us cook our food. Besides its material values, in ancient Mythology, fire was considered to be the symbol of human energy.

So check out these hot fire photo manipulations and boost your energy!

Which element is your favorite?

Nature Elements Photo Manipulations – Fire is a post from Designious Times - Graphic design tutorials, resources and inspiration.

I wanted to write about the history of art, but it’s way to vast and it can’t be compressed into a few articles so I decided to write about some of the most important art styles. Art history was and will always be a source of inspiration for artists all over the world.

This is the first article of a series, presenting some of the most important styles from each period, styles that still offer high inspiration for designers even today.

So here it goes!

Which are the main periods of Art History?

The periods in which art history has been divided are: Pre-historic Art, Antique Art, Medieval Art, Western Art, Modern Art and Contemporary art. If you want to read more about Pre-historic Art, Antique Art or Medieval Art, click here for more information.

I will focus in today’s post on the Gothic Style from the Medieval Period.

When and where appeared the Gothic Style?

The Gothic Style is a Medieval Art movement that was outspreaded in medieval Europe beginning with 1140 until the 1500s’. The actual term of  “Gothic” was introduced in 1500 by Georgio Vasari, who referred to it in comparison to the German tribe of the Goths, as a prototype of an inferior, barbarian culture. He called Gothic art a “monstrous and barbarous disorder”. Nevertheless, late Gothic art continued well into the 16th century, after that being subsumed into Renaissance art.

Which are the most important characteristics of the Gothic style?

The Gothic Art is characterized by weight of forms, ascending lines tendency, balance in stability of the weight, narrow, pointed arches, the buttress, the flying buttress, the pilgrims, ribbed vaulting, towers (usually on the West end) and stained glass windows.

Flying buttresses from the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France.

Parisian gargoyles from Notre Dame Cathedral.

Gargoyles at Notre Dame, Paris, by Viollet-le-Duc and Eugene Emmanuel (1814-79). Photograph: Bridgeman Art Library

The ribbed vaults in the Reims Cathedral in France.

The largest cathedral in Northern Europe – York Minister in England.

Which are the main styles of Gothic?

Throughout 300 years of the Gothic period, there were created three main styles. These styles are, in the order they were created: the Early, High and Late Gothic styles.

1. The Early Gothic style

The Early Gothic represented a series of experiments. Some of them succeeded and some didn’t and the Gothic builders had to rebuilt many cathedrals which collapsed. This primary Gothic style is categorized with: St. Denis, Laon, Notre Dame (Paris).

The abbey church of Saint Denis.

Notre Dame de Paris Cathedral.

2. The High Gothic style

The High Gothic style began with the construction of the Chartres cathedral. The particularity of this building was that it was the first of its kind that included, from the original plan, a flying buttress. This style also focused on creating an organic feel of light and space, renouncing at the gallery and lengthening of the clerestory.  An example of High Gothic style is the St. Chapelle church.

In the High Gothic Cathedrals category are included: Chartres, Amiens, Bourges, St. Chappelle, Beauvais.

Chartres Cathedral.

Beauvais Cathedral in France.

3. The Late Gothic Style

The Late Gothic Style is quite different from the primary ideas of the High Gothic Style. This style is characterized by flamboyant style, with very lacy ornaments, with multiple buttressing and a lot of small detailed perforations. Although the height and size of the design was entirely lost, the focus remained on the inside unity, the lightness of the stone and the organic forms.

Cambridge – Kings College Chapel.

St. George’s Chapel – Windsor Castle.

Which are the main domains where the Gothic style emerged?

1. Gothic sculpture

The Gothic sculpture evolved from the fix and longed early style with a light influence of Romanesque style, into a naturalistic and spatial feel in the late 12th century and the early years of the 13th century. Some influences from surviving ancient Greek and Roman sculptures had been introduced into the treatment of facial expression, drapery and pose.

The history of Gothic Art began in Ile-de-France, in the middle of the 12th century, when Abbot Suger constructed the abbey from St. Denis, which was considered to be the first Gothic building.

The Gothic art movement in sculpture spread from France to Germany, where in 1225 was built the largest assemblage of 13th century sculpture, the Bamberg Cathedral. Later, in 1240 was built the first equestrian statue in Western art since the 6th century, the Bamberg Rider.

The Bamberg Cathedral in Germany.

In England, the Gothic movement was more confined to tombs and decorations, mostly because of the Cistercian iconoclasm.

In Italy, although there still was a Classical influence, the Gothic style made its way into sculptures of pulpits (the speakers’ stand in a church), like the one from the Pisa Baptistery (1269) or the Siena pulpit. An impressive work of Italian Gothic sculptures are the Scaliger Tombs in Verona from the early-late 14th century.

The Pisa Baptistery – interior.

The Scaliger Tombs in Verona, Italy.

2. Gothic painting

The paintings in the Gothic style appeared nearly 50 years after the beginning of Gothic architecture and sculpture, around the 1200s’. The transition to Gothic in painting is more clearly made when figures become more animated in facial expression and pose, being smaller in relation to the background of the scenes and arranged more freely in the scene. This transition takes place first in England around the 1200s’, around 1220s’ in Germany and in Italy in the 1300s’.

The Gothic style in painting was practiced mostly in the following four crafts: panel paintings, frescoes, manuscript illumination and stained glass.

The frescoes were used as the main pictorial narrative craft on church walls in the south of Europe.

St. George (Sogn Gieri) Church, Rhäzüns.

Stained glass was the preferred art in the north of Europe until the 15^th century.

Stained glass from St. Etienne church in Bourges.

The history of panel painting starts in the 13^th century in Italy and it spreads throughout Europe, becoming the suppliant of stained glass.

The most complete record of Gothic painting is represented by the Illuminated manuscripts. These manuscripts provide a record of styles in the places where no monumental works have survived.

Illuminated P letter in the Malmesbury Bible. The script is black letter, also known as Gothic script.

3. Religious art

In general, religious art had a better survival rate than some equivalent arts because a large proportion of the art realized in that period was religious, commissioned by the church or by the laity.

The first Gothic art building was built by Abbot Suger in France in the 12^th century and it is called Basilica at Saint-Denis. Some monastic orders, like the Cistercians and the Carthusians disseminated distinctive styles of Gothic art in buildings all over Europe.

Even if in the late 14^th century evolved an universal style named International Gothic, which continued in the late 15^th century, many regional variations of the style remained important.

The nave of the Basilica at Saint-Denis.

Is modern design still influenced by the Gothic Style?

Yes, of course! The Gothic art never really disappeared! Artists still use today some of the features of the Gothic Style in their work.

Elements of the Gothic Style still used by artists today

As elements of the Gothic Style, artists still use as inspiration in their present design work the gargoyles, the architectural and religious features that were found in churches beginning with the 1200s’ (the rose, the stained glass, the ribbed vaulting), Gothic text (typography), Gothic floral elements (like the ‘Fleur de lys” Gothic symbol), the pilgrims, the Gothic cathedrals with pointed arches and high towers, the Gothic religious paintings and much more.

In some design works, the Gothic style is mainly used as inspiration to create masculine, forceful, tough, gloomy, sinister, mysterious, unnatural creatures.

Gothic typography.

Great Gothic art images by artist Anne Stoke.

Saint Mary’s Studley Royal Yorkshire Interior HDR.

Fantasy image with a Gothic inspired cathedral.

Beautiful Gothic Digital woman.

Gothic industrial drawing.

The influence of the Gothic Style in music

The Gothic Style was inspirational even for music artists. Therefore, in the 1970s’ appeared Gothic rock (or Goth rock), a sub-genre of post-punk and alternative rock. The main characteristics of this movement is that it combines dark, sometimes keyboard-heavy music with depressing and introspective lyrics.

The beginning of Gothic rock gave birth to a broader goth subculture, which included fashion, clubs, publications, posters, CD covers and much more. This subculture grew in popularity in the 1980s’ but there are still a lot of followers today.

Some of the most important Gothic rock bands include Bauhaus, The Cure, Virgin Prunes and the Sisters of Mercy.

Bauhaus Poster

The Cure music wallpaper

Cool Digital art – Gothic Guitar.

The influence of the Gothic Style and Gothic Music in fashion

Music is highly influential over people, therefore, the members of the Goth subculture created their own clothing style. The typical Gothic fashion includes black lips and black clothes, black dyed and crimped hair, for both female and male representatives, short or very long skirts, high heels, black corsets for girls.

Even some fashion designers have been inspired by the Gothic Style.

Gothic Dress by designer Robert Panciera

The Gothic fashion has turned into quite an industry. Check out some truly awesome Gothic t-shirt designs. The artists have really outdone themselves with these Gothic prints!

Designious t-shirts with gothic themes.

Affliction Men and Women T-shirts with Gothic themes.

Do you like art work with Gothic influence?

The Influence of Art History on Modern Design – Gothic Style is a post from Designious Times - Graphic design tutorials, resources and inspiration.