To begin creating ideas for Animal farm, it is
first necessary to look at the design used during the Russian Revolution of
1917. This will include the art movements that were present during the time,
the colour and layout schemes used in the design in this era and the ways in
which they were responsive to society, in Russia. Looking at the methods of
production at this time will further provide an understanding of the ways in
which the art was distributed and presented. This will include the printing
methods and where the designs would be published. Once an understanding of this
background context is established, it will then be possible to gather
appropriate content to use in the design stages of the project.
To begin exploration into the design, looking at
pre-war art was one way to understand where the art movements had come from.
The most notable movement of art in Russia between 1890 and 1930 was the
Russian Avant-Garde movement. Although it is believed to have existed prior to
1890 and beyond 1930, the Avant-Garde movement included several other movements
within it. Kazamir Malevich is known to be one of the prominent figures of the
Avant-Garde movement, when he founded the Suprematism art movement, around
1913. Other figures include El Lissitzky, Marc Chagall, Alexander Rodchenko and
Vasily Kandinsky.
• Suprematism
- This movement included the use of geometric shapes, produced using a
limitation of colours. The most famous of these being Malevich's Black Square,
in 1915. This piece was representative of forms floating weightlessly through
infinity. The point of the movement was to create art that would depict its own
world, rather than reflect our own.
Black Square - Kazamir Malevich (1915)
Beat the whites with the red wedge - El Lissitzky (1919)
• Futurism
– It is thought that the literary group Hylaea created this art movement, in
1912. Futurism was expressive art, which often concerned the fascination with
speed, relentlessness and dynamism of modern machines. This type of art was
commonly found in Russian literature, with many of its artists using poetry as
a platform of expression.
Portrait of Ivan Kliun - Kazamir Malevich (1913)
• Neo-Primitivism
– Derived from several other modern art movements, Neo-Primitivism was a
combination of styles such as Cubism, Futurism and traditional Russian
‘folk-art’. Notable figures of this movement include Marc Chagall and Aleksandr
Shevchenko.
Rain - Marc Chagall (1911)
On a
whole, the Avant-Garde movement was a wide variety of possibilities for Russian
art during the early 20th century. Today we can still see mannerisms
of these styles in modern graphic design. One of the most notable uses of these
early design theories was the propaganda.
We can
often recognize the style of this art, by the heavy use of red as its primary
colour. This minimalist colour scheme was reflective of the proletariat of
society and would show the power that working class people of the Russian
Revolution had. Often, the red colour would be paired with either white or
black for startling visual combination. However, it is also known that
sometimes yellow, blue and green would be present in the style.
Russian
Constructivism is an iconic form of design and ever since the time period in
which it was created, this style has been reinforced in different ways over the
last 100 years. Today, the style exists in popular culture and is widely used
for businesses that wish to project the aesthetic of the Russian Revolution. The
style is also easily identified by the disparate typeface, which uses varied
sized letters that would not have been composed in the same manner as the
traditional forms of Russian design. The letters for this style of design would
have also been taken from different sources, combining serif font with sans
serif. Constructivism was also present in architecture throughout the 20th
century, influencing some of the greatest movements, including the Bauhaus.
Avant-Garde
eventually became replaced by a new style of art in Russia, around 1932. This
was when Russian Realism would be introduced, suppressing the existing
individual practices. In its place, Russian Realism reflected an ideal image of
Russia during Stalin’s reign. This would also show authority over other forms
of art, ushering them out in a way that would show them to be inferior to the
new style.
Methods of production
Many of the styles found during the Avant-Garde period would have been painted using oil on canvas. This was particularly the case for movements such as Suprematism and futurism. On the other hand, the style of the propaganda during the 40s would have been produced using different printing methods. These methods included chromolithograph, intaglio, lithograph, silkscreen printing and more. These prints would have either been distributed as posters in public places or they would have been handed out as leaflets and pamphlets. Occasionally, these leaflets would have been dropped from planes so that they could quickly be disbursed to a wide area.
Many of the styles found during the Avant-Garde period would have been painted using oil on canvas. This was particularly the case for movements such as Suprematism and futurism. On the other hand, the style of the propaganda during the 40s would have been produced using different printing methods. These methods included chromolithograph, intaglio, lithograph, silkscreen printing and more. These prints would have either been distributed as posters in public places or they would have been handed out as leaflets and pamphlets. Occasionally, these leaflets would have been dropped from planes so that they could quickly be disbursed to a wide area.
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