Modernism and Material culture

Use Value

the practical function of the object/ its fitness for purpose

Material Value

the economic value of the object

Sign Value

social and symbolic function of the object and its role in the performance and construction of the self.

Status Consumption/value

the acquisiton and display of design objects as a means of defining standing within society or a peer group

adaptation

the ability of the design object to represent the owner/user’s belonging or integration within a status group.

distincton

the ability of the design object to represent the owner/user’s individuality.

cross cultural object

a hybrid object whose design or production spans two cultures.

rococo

og called picturesque in the period. design movement spanning the 1720s-1780s, featuring exotic and irregular forms inspired by tropical vegetation, geological forms, etc. Rococo design focuses in virtuoso craftsmanship.

chinoiserie

designed objects inspired or loosely imitating Chinese exports goods.

galbé

sinuous curvilinear form, giving a design object an anthropomorphic form.

veneer

application of thin sheets of precious or rare exotic woods to the exterior of an object. Supporting structure of the object, made of more common wood such as oak or pine, is called the carcass.

ormolu /gilt bronze mounts

cast metal ornamental flourishes or framing elements used to protect the most delicate parts of veneered furnitures (feet, joints between materials, corners)

lacquer

Brilliant finish composed of numerous layers of resin originally derived from the sap of the tree Rhus vernicifera. Imprevious to heat and water (can crack if exposed to direct sunlight over time). In natural form= colourless.- colour added- traditionally red in China and black in Japan.

neo-classicism

a neologism, defining the general revival of interest in Ancient Greco-Roman culture in the period from roughly 1750 to 1840. Encompasses many different strands and variations in different periods and countries.

minimalism (in design)

reduction of a design object to its barest essentials. new models derived from archaeological artifacts legitimized a form of minimalism in late 18th and early 19th cent. design.

retrospection

phenomenon in culture and design, where new productions imitate or evoke works of the past. the emulation and appropriation of the past can offer a form of cultural legitimacy or reassurance in a time of change.

the Grand Tour

touristic/cultural phenomenon which saw Northern European elites spending long periods of time travelling throughout europe, especially rome. Travels constituted a key stage in the education and training of élites, allowing them to build up collections and define their identities as connoisseurs.

Grotesque

genre of ornament from decors found in Nero’s Golden Palace in late 1400s. Bc it had been buried after Nero’s death, it was first assumed to be a subterranean space (grotto, hence grotesque). Imagery consists of distorted anthropomorphic, zoomorphic and phytomorphic forms, monsters, chimeras, all linked by a structure of fantastic architecture or plant forms.

Etruscan Taste

Largely fantasist evocation the arts of the Etruscan civilization, Essentially ancestors of Romans and imparted many artistic and cultural practices. Etruscan taste= in fashion from 1770s- 1820s

Curule Chaire

Originally, folding stool composed of double arc forms, seat of an Ancient Roman or Etruscan king, emperor or magistrate. adapted in the neo-classical period for contemporary furniture.

Empire Style

neo-classical aesthetic promoted by Napoléon Bonaparte and his family characterized by simplified ornament, generally use of one type of wood that is left uncarved. Generally little carving, with exception of applied bronze plaques or scultpural elements.

Charles Percier

(1764-1838) architect, furniture and set designer, veritable artistic director of Napoléonic regime who defined the Empire style. France.

Klismos Chair

popular model of chair from 1790s through 1830s. Curved tapering “saber” legs, in back and sometimes front. Prominent curved backrest. One of most common adaptations of ancient furniture.

Egyptomania

fashion for Egyptian-style ornament and forms unleashed by Napoléon I’s abortive invasion of Egypt in 1797, and the magistral Survey of Egyptian antiquities compelted and published by Dominique Vivant Denon.

eclecticism

mix of styles and influences…In 19th cent. multiple competing styles came into fashion simultaneaously. Meant that consumer was able to select the style that was most in keeping with their tastes and character- for example, gothic, Renaissance, Arabic, etc…

neo-gothic/gothic revival

(Fre. Troubadour) design emulating medieval period. Starts in 1760s, but becomes a major facet of design in Romantic period (1820s-1860s). Often carries moralistic, religious, reactionary overtones.

neo-renaissance

design emulating the arts of the Renaissance period. Starts in 1850s and lasts through 1890s.

japonisme

design in the image of Japanese culture, fashion that began in 1860s, following the first exhibition of Japanese furniture and art in the Exhibition of 1867, following the opening of Japan to trade. also driven by sudden availability of Japanese woodcut prints.

expressive line

refers to a line or mark in art that conveys emotion, mood, or meaning beyond its literal representation.

whiplash line

The whiplash or whiplash line is a motif of decorative art and design that was particularly popular in Art Nouveau. It is an asymmetrical, sinuous line, often in an ornamental S curve, usually inspired by natural forms such as plants and flowers, which suggests dynamism and movement.

Arts & Crafts movement

an idealistic social, artistic and design movement in late 19th and early 20th cent. that sought to improve the lives of workers by elevating the value and quality of craft. Led largely by polymath designer and theorist William Morris and then subsequently by his daughter Jane Morris.

descriptive line

“Descriptive lines” in the context of art and design refer to lines used to describe the form, shape, or contours of an object or subject being depicted. These lines are often drawn or sketched with the purpose of accurately representing the appearance of something, whether it’s a still life, a landscape, a portrait, or any other subject matter.

tubular steel construction

In furniture design, tubular steel construction involves the use of hollow steel tubes as the primary structural elements in creating furniture pieces. This construction method has been popularized particularly in modern and contemporary furniture design due to its aesthetic appeal, structural integrity, and versatility.

jugendstil

German form of Art Nouveau, based in Munich, which takes is name from periodical Jugend (youth) founded in1896. Style generally more restrained than Art Nouveau found France and belgium, although influences included Symbolism and an interest in nature.

darmstadt Artist Colony

refers both to a group of Jugendstil artists as well as to the buildings in Mathildenhöhe in Darmstadt in which these artists lived and worked in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The artists were largely financed by patrons and worked together with other members of the group who ideally had concordant artistic tastes.

De Stijl

Dutch periodical founded by Theo van Doesburg along with Piet Mondrian in 1917. Platform for a new art in all its forms: painting, scultupre, architecture, urbanism, interior design, music, poetry and theater. The search for a nieuwe beelding (new imagery) was characterized by the elementary components of the primary colours, flat, rectangular areas and only straight, horizontal and vertical lines.

Constructivism

Art movement from 1915-1940, associated with Bolshevism, considered art as part of the propaganda that would forment revolution. Rejected decorative, symbolic and evocative functions of art, and used pure geometric forms and modest materials. materials like glass, metal and wood favoured bc affordable and could be used in mass-production.

The Bauhaus

School of art, design and architecture, founded by Walter Gropius. Was active in Weimar from 1919-1925, it re-established workshop training, as opposed to impractical academic studio education. Exemplified contemporary desire to form unified academies incorporating art colleges, collegs of arts and crafts and schools of architecture, thus promoting a closer cooperation between the practice of “fine” and “applied” art and architecture.

International Style

Successor to European modernism, defined by work of Mies Van der Rohe in 1930s and dominant in post-war period, used largely for offices and corporate settings. Strongly identified with the US and its corporate and political hegemony after WWII.

Art Deco

(1925-1935) neologism from 1960s, what was called Style Moderne at the time is an eclectic mix of Art Nouveau, Historicist styles from previous centuries and artistic movements like De Stijl and Cubism. regers to the exhibition of Decorative Arts of 1925. Art Deco design is characterized by luxurious and exotic materials and geometric and simplified forms well suited to industrial production and the “Machine Age”

Fauvism

first major avant-garde developments in 20th century European art, in which artists explored the emotional and decorative effects of color and pattern, usually combined with distortion or simplification of form. The movement lasted only from 1905 to 1907, although its impact lingered- especially in the decorative arts- into the 1920s.

Cubism

term developed to desribe the paintings of Picasso and Braque, inspired by African scultpure. These rejected the conventions of perspective and representation and instead used geometric planes and compressed spaces to depict traditional subjects such as landscapes, nudes and portraits. Cubist works challenged viewers to understand a subject broken down into its geometrical components and often represented from several angles at once.

Galuchat

A stingray leather, also called shagreen. Halfway between the animal and the mineral and which comes from various families of stingrays. the bead-clad central part of the animal’s back is composed of dentine and enamel (same material as human teeth) making it the hardest leather known. Named after leather worker Jean-Claude Galuchat who introduced it to the court of Louis XV and Pompadour.

Streamlining

later aspect of Art Deco design, refers to the search for aerodynamic forms and their application to static objects.

kinetic furniture

moving or looking like it might move

folded sheet metal

new technique in furniture-making in post-war period, borrowed from automobile and airplane manufacturing. considerably cheaper and more solid than tub frame construction, sheet metal can be folded using large industrial presses. it can be cheaply colored using paint or powder-coatings. Largely pioneered by Jean Prouv. in France, particularly for his dormitory furniture comissions