At the Turn of the Last Century

At the turn of the 20th century there was a change in culture all over Europe. The idea of having commodities and designing being as important as function was born. Machinery and technology meant that high quality products could be made at a much lower price than before. As a result more attention can be spent on function and how it looks. Not only were these products functional, modern and sexualy utilizing the very best that science and technology could offer but they would change how we viewed art. It would change the way the masses would consider what art was, how it should look and who was allowed it.

Technology and science grow at an extremely fast rate man was learning about the world he lives in more and more. This relentless growth was only matched by the imaginations of the designers and artists that would sculpt the landscapes of the cities and factories we would occupy. This grow would come with a toll and that was war, but this wasn’t going to stop the growth but make it faster and both the first and second world wars would change our lives forever.
I really enjoy the unique aesthetics that was born during this period of time and find that it not only influences my creative taste but it truly satisfies my ideas. In the early part of the 20th century a lot happened and ideas of lifestyle began to change on both ends of the spectrum. In Russia there was revolution and the birth of communism in Europe the idea of commodity was born. Both ideas having a very similar undertones making life better for all through growth and mass prosperity.

Art became the platform for these ideas with artists like Marcel Du Champ, Dmitry Moor and Joseph Csaky describing the then current culture and making their work available to the masses. Using their work they encouraged men and women to support the current political climate. Describe the beauty of industry and show us how science will inevitably make are lives better even though we are just animals. Or simply making art available for the common folk. These artists and many more also speared the imaginations of millions and pushed the ideas of future in to our hearts and minds.

Below is a series of images that I have chosen for their aesthetic qualities mostly. They are a range of media, architecture, sculpture and feature. There is a common theme running through the selection, they mostly depict images from the early part of the 20th century but there are some modern images also. These more modern images have played a massive role in the selection of the other images like the 1998-2001 Batman images. (I spent a lot of my childhood playing with batman toys.) These batman images also explain my selection of human figurative images that I have made. I love the very athletic look that has been given to all of the figures both male and female. Yes they are very attractive but I believe it is more that they are also capable of fighting or working that makes them most appalling.

I have also selected images that have a certain line and shape quality. The shape and line selection is very stylish but have been carefully chosen. There is a sense of simplicity to the images but they hold a massive amount of details and information. The image, especially the figurative images have a very emotive feel they show stronger powerful forms and suggest young modern and cool ideas of a bright future. I really enjoy the Art Deco look and this fits perfectly with my ideas of Japanese culture and styles. Simple, cool, and modern.