Tuesday, 4 December 2012

Context of Practise: Seminar Notes- 'Art, Graphic Design and Value'

Tuesday 4th December 2012
'Art, Graphic Design and Value' Seminar Notes
Richard Miles

What are the differences between Fine Art and Graphic Design?

  • Fine Art's a bit random
  • Graphic Design has a purpose (Communication vs Expressionism)
  • Class Divide- Elitist Culture towards Fine Art (High Culture) whereas Graphic Design emerged from the Working Class 
  • Graphic Design is accessible everywhere and more commercial
  • Graphic Design is re-prodcued everywhere whereas Fine Art is a one-off
  • Both have meaning but Graphic Design is to-the-point whereas Fine Art is 'layered' in concept and depth
  • Graphic Design, unlike Fine Art, is understandable
  • Graphic Design is anonymous whereas Fine Art is signed
  • Mass Productability vs Individual Creation
Marshall Animan "Is there a Fine Art to Illustration" (2003)
  1. Fine Art is pure
  2. Illustration is the beginning of selling out
  3. Graphic Design is commercial art
  4. Advertising is selling. Period.
Art vs Graphic Design:
  • Ambiguity or Complexity of Meaning
  • The Designer as Wage Labourer
  • Cultural Significance
  • Expression and Individuality
  • Creativity/ Problem Solving
  • Function
Ambiguity of Complexity of Meaning
- Sigmar Polke (1969) - How you arrive at aesthetic decisions
- Manet (1882) - People gave pieces a lot more meaning than the artist ever did
                         - Re-interpretted and over-analysed
- David Carson- Can't miss his style
- Allen Hori- Intellectualised/ Complex with no logical layout

The Designer as Wage Labourer
- Henry Wallace and Van Gogh- Outsiders of society that we don't understand and we only paid
                                                     attention to when they had died
                                                  - They have always been paid for/ commissioned by other people
                                                  - Symbiotic of madness and genius
                                                  - Haggiography- Describing the art as the person who makes it
- Damien Hirst- Richest artist alive
                        - Doesn't make the work- only comes up with the ideas
                        - The art that kills art

Cultural Significance
- Graphic Design is ephemeral- looks hip at the time and becomes dead 
                                                - Reflective of the time/ Has cultural significance
- Fine Art is suppose to be eternal- John Constable painting
                                                     - Commissioned by the landowner to make it look beautiful
                                                     - English green and pleasant land- captures a lie
- Monetary value of Fine Art- sold for the most out of all creative disciplines

Expression and Individuality
- Graphic Design expression0 Trying to convey our thoughts
- Fine Art- Communicating expression in a visual way
- Jackson Pollock- Visual Communication for an audience
- Script Typography- Finding a language that reaches an audience

Creativity/ Problem Solving
- Raymond Williams- Both arts are 2 ways in which experience is made meaning and visually
                                   communicated
                                 - Notion of creativity as 'Irruption' is mistaken and mystified
                                 - Neither is created in the above sense

Function
- Whistler- 'Le Art pour Le Art' - Art for Art's Sake which makes it pure and beautiful
                                                 - However, this could make it redundant


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