Rococo design started during the early 18th century till around 1760's. By the early 18th century, Italy was in trouble as it lost most of its power and lost its position as the European Cultural Leader to France. During this time the Baroque style went out of fashion and the Rococo style took its place.
The Rococo style was a much lighter and delicate style in comparison to the Masculine and harsh Baroque style.
Rococo concert room of Sansoucci palace
in Potsdam, Germany
By Eduard Gaertner (1801-1877)
Baroque-styled room.
The Baroque interior style was developed by craftsmen and designers instead of architects. Baroque interiors were considered extentions to the over all architecture of the building. Designers would commission artists to design and sculpt the interior of a room and would not think about what the furniture would look like once placed in the room.
The Rococo interior style considered the interior and the furniture of a room as one element which would harmonize and tie the whole concept together. Furniture was often custom made and freat though was given to the placing of the furniture.
Designes of this style were considered to bring joy and movement. Rococo styled rooms usually made use of soft pastel colours and asymmetry to create movement.
During the Rococo period, trade with the far east had improved greatly and this influenced many designers. Oriental patterns and lacquerwork became more popular.
The Rococo style has influenced many designers today. For example:
Renaissance design refers to the decorative arts which mainly occurred in Italy during the mid- 14th century and lasting up until the late- 16th century.
Italy was the nation that founded the Renaissance movement that revolutionised Europe. Along with this movement came a new set of architectural principles. Medieval and gothic styles were neglected and a more classical style was adopted. Cities in Italy like Florence, Venice, Rome and so on, were heavily influenced by this new style and began to renovate older buildings. The Renaissance movement not only brought a change in architecture but also in learning. Books became more popular because of the invention of the printing press.
Printing Press by Johannes Guttenberg (1568)
The product that was most in demand during this period was the the large Marriage chests (cassoni). They were the most common features found in Italian homes. Although they were expensive, they were bought by all types of social classes. They were made with gesso ad wood and were often dark and elaborate in design. Their design depended on the persons social class status as wealthier people bought more elaborate ones than those who had less money.
Renaissance 'Cassone' (marriage chest) from Florence
done in gilded wood.
Renaissance furniture was usually done in wood which was either walnut or willow and were usually rich in style. From the beginning of the renaissance there was a big change in the design of furniture. Due to the great growth in wealth and powerful bourgeoisie the building of houses became more elaborate and grand and so good and expensive furniture was in high demand. Like the Romans, the purpose of furniture was subordinate to its form. Furniture from the Italian Renaissance was often restraint to beautiful, simple, yet highly decorative designs carved in wood.
A bench coming from the Italian renaissance period.
The furniture of this time was usually rather grotesque and often having old-looking, monster like figures to make the piece of furniture look more dramatic and interesting. Caryatids also became very popular at the time especially with those families which were richer than the majority. They were usually made out of marble and used in the dining room, attached to the legs of the dining room table. Chairs at the time were used as a sign of wealth. The wealthier families had them and were usually very elaborated and grand. The lower class usually could only afford three legged stools or chairs with and X-shaped back.
Chair from the italian renaissance.
Wooden chair taken from the Italian renaissance.
It is very clear that today we are still very influenced in our designs by the renaissance. Some of these influences include:
1) High Ceilings
2) Ceiling Details
3) Ornate Floors
4) Patterned Walls
5) Mural Fresco Paintings
6) Four-Poster Beds
7) The Use Of Silk
Greek art was popular from around 750 BC till about 180 BC. It is divided into three main periods; The Archaic period (c 750 BC - 480 BC), the Classical period (c 480 BC - 300 BC) and The Hellenistic period (c 300 BC - 180 BC).
The arts of ancient Greece have influenced many cultures in many different countries all over the world especially when it came to sculpture and architecture. For example, because of the Greek influence on central Asia and India, Greco-Buddhist art became very popular . (Example taken from Wikipedia)
Exampl of Greco-Buddhist art
coming from
Gandhara in Pakistan.
Example of Greco-Buddhist art coming from
Gandhara in Pakistan.
Most of the time in Greco-Buddhist art, the main theme is the worship of the buddha. This is clearly shown in the two examples above. The buddha is the central figure and its worshipers surround him.
Architecture:
Very little architecture from the Archaic and Early Classical periods no longer remains because buildings during this time were built from wood or mud-brick. Most of our knowledge of Greek architecture come fro the late Classical, Helenistic and Roman periods, since the Romans copied Greek architecture a lot.
(Picture 3) The Parthenon
The Parthenon, as shown in picture 3, is one of the few surviving buildings we have today that come from the Ancient Greek period. The buildings of this period were usually cube shaped and were most of the time made from limestone which greek has an abundance of. Marble was also used in the Parthenon however it was not usually used as it was a very expensive material.
Styles of architecture:
There were three main styles of greek architecture. The Doric style was mainly used in mainland Greece and then spread to the greek colonies in Itlay. The Ionic style was used on the regions of Ionia. The Doric style was more formal whilst the Ionic style was more relaxed and decorative. The Corinthian style was a later development of the Ionic style and was by far the most decorative.
Most of the well known surviving greek buildings use the Doric style. The Ionic became dominant during the Helenistic period.
The three different styles found in Greek architecture.
Today there is still a substantial amount of Greek influence in architecture.
The White House, Washington D.C
The Acropolis inAthens.
Taking the White House as an example, we can see a great greek influence in the architecture of the building. The White House in Washington DC, uses Doric styled columns taking its influence from The Acropolis temple in Athens.
Ancient Egyptian design is made up of all the art works produced by the civilisation of Ancient Egypt that lived between 5000 BCE to 300 AD. Ancient Egyptian design was both stylised and symbolic as most of the art from this period that has been discovered came from tombs. The most common furniture piece the Egyptians had in their homes was the four-legged stool covered in leather or wool.
Throne of Tutankhamun.
There was little outside influence to Ancient Egyptian design.
The throne of Heterpheres.
Ancient Egyptian culture was one which was obsessed with the afterlife. Wealthy egyptians would commission had crafted pieces to accompany them when they died. These furniture pieces included basic stools, chairs, tables, storage chests and beds.
Storage chests were also very common. The chests of the wealthy families were very decorative and were made of expensive materials like wood and ivory.
Characteristics of Ancient Egyptian design:
- Straight backs.
- Raised feet on pedestals.
- Animal feet pointed in the same direction.
- Wood imported from the Mediterranean, North African countries and West Asian countries.
- Gold was also used.
- Highly decorated.
- Embellished with religious or mythological symbols.
Ancient Egyptian design influenced Greek and Roman design greatly. Today we also can see the Ancient Egyptian influences.
Klismos Chair
This is a chair from the Ancient Greek period found at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. The back of the chair is now slightly inclined unlike those chairs of the Ancient Egyptian period. However, the chair is highly decorated, and made out of wood like those found in the Ancient Egyptian period.
The Arts and Crafts movement was international design that initially developed in England between 1860 and 1910 and held its influence till 1930. In the United States this style was knows as Mission Style. It was mainly inspired by John Ruskin and William Morris. This movement represented a new appreciation for the decorative arts. During this time the idea of craftsmanship had been taken over by the industrial revolution and mass production took over.
In 1816, the British poet and designer, William Morris, founded an interior decorator and manufacturing firm called Morris, Marshall, Faulkner and company which aimed at reviving the spirit and quality of medieval craftsmanship. Morris together with his colleagues produced handcrafted goods. Many designers today have been greatly influenced by the Arts and Crafts movement and the works of William Morris. (Taken from http://www.artyfactory.com/art_appreciation/graphic_designers/william_morris.html)
Wallpaper by William Morris
By 1880 the Arts and Crafts movement had spread to a new generation. In 1882 a guild for craftsmen was created which together with several other groups, revived the art of craftsmanship and hand printing.
By 1890, the movement had spread to many other countries. As the Arts and Crafts movement spread, it grew closer and closer to many other movements happening at the time especially with Art Nouveau.
Aswell as being closely related with Art Nouveau, the Arts and Crafts movement has a substantial amount of Byzantine influence.
Recently I was on holiday in Venice and as I began to look around I could clearly see influences of the Arts and Crafts movement together with Byzantine influences. All the local boutiques sold goods which were hand made and highly decorated. I could see influences in the architecture of the buildings especially around the windows of the buildings, and also in the street furniture. From the fonts used on signs in the streets to the lamp posts and benches, the Arts and Crafts movement can be clearly seen.
Arts and Crafts influence on the street furniture in venice.
Byzantine influence on architecture in Venice.
Arts and Crafts influence on hand made goods sold in small boutique shops in Venice.
Streamlining was a late type of art deco which was mostly popular in the 1930's during the financial depression where there was a great need for product differentiation. The aesthetic elements of the product became more important and advertising became more popular as people began to see products on posters before seeing them in real life. People began to use style to enhance the existing products. (Taken from Wikipedia)
Henry Dreyfuss Streamlined iron
Raymond Loewy "Teardrop" Pencil Sharpener
Streamlining reflected the growth of hydrodynamics and aerodynamics, travel, technology and the magic of speed. The architecture of buildings looked very similar to new technologies like Cars, Ships and Airplanes. Although Streamlining was a branch off the Art Deco movement, it was very different.
When the Great Depression hit, designs had to be rearranged in order to cut costs. In Streamlining lavish decoration was cut, designs now showed a love for the machine and products were more simple and functional.
Characteristics of Streamlined products:
1) Clean, curved shapes with rounded corners.
2) Long horizontal lines.
3) No decoration.
4) Flat roofs.
5) stripes to give a feel of motion and speed.
1939 Coca-Cola Bottling Plant in Los Angeles
By Robert V. Derrah
This is one of the Coca-cola bottling plants in Los Angeles which was build in 1939 by Robert V. Derrah. It is a great example of a streamlined building. It was built to look like an ocean liner from the inside and the out. It is complete with a flying bridge, Promenade deck and portholes. The shell was built around four older buildings.
Today many of our household objects are streamlined and se are cars. Today most cars are extremely streamlined to emphasise speed and luxury.
When we think about The Bauhaus we think of white walls, clean and sleek lines and the use of glass and concrete. The Bauhaus is still very influential today.
The Bauhaus was founded in Weimar, Germany in 1919 by Walter Gropius with the aim of unifying art, design and the industry.
It was a school where students got training in all the fine arts and they learned to combine their knowledge with technology in order to design products which were pleasing to the eye but also practical.
The Bauhaus
Gropius was heavily influenced by the Arts and Crafts movement.
Being an architect, Gropius believed that a building should mark the centre of learning.
The school was designed by Gropius himself. All workshops, studios, classrooms, offices and living spaces were included in this one building. The building communicated a sense of openness, cleanliness and simplicity. This style of architecture became later known as the 'International Style' which is still influencing architects today. (Taken from Wikipedia)
The period between 1924 and 1928 was the most important period for the Bauhaus because the Dutch movement 'De Stijl' was very influential. This movement embraced the use of flat primary colours, simple shapes and horizontal and vertical lines.
In 1922, Van Doesburg who founded the De Stijl movement, taught a course at the Bauhaus and the prinicples of this movement integrated with the Bauhaus style.
Machines began to be more widely recognised and the Bauhaus began to embrace the machine and the ability to create household designs that could be easily mass produced.
Wassily Chair by Marcel Breuer
The Bauhaus only lasted 14 years because of the political pressure caused by the Nazi movement. The legacy of the Bauhaus is very much what we consider today as contemporary or modern design. All our streamlined household products, chairs, tables and lamps can all trace back to the Bauhaus.
Pedestal Docksta Table from Ikea
This is the Pedestal Docksta table from Ikea.
Its is obvious that it its greatly influenced by Marcel Breuer's nesting tables. The design from Ikea is slightly modified. Instead of metal, wood is used and the colours are slightly different, however, the main concept is the same. Bold and flat primary colours are used, the structure uses simple shapes and there is definitely an element of practicality.
We can also see influences of the Bauhaus in todays fashion designs. This is a video of Carolina Herrera's Spring/Summer 2012 collection at the Mercedes-Benz fashion New York fashion week. The collection was influenced by the Bauhaus by using various graphic shapes, different materials and colours and sleek silhouettes.
