Skip to main content

MODULE 4 - THE ARTS AND CRAFTS MOVEMENT/VICTORIAN ART ERA

 Module 4 - Explore a subject of interest in the Arts and Crafts Movement or the Victorian Art Era (CHAPTERS 9 and 10)

I am personally drawn to the Arts and Crafts Movement (1880 to 1920) where bold black and white woodcut designs inspired by the return of handicraft in graphic design was the mainstay of the day (Megg's 2016) and I found Chapter 10 on the era to be a particularly interesting read. The typography of the period became an art form and some of the early forms of true graphic design that we can even see today.

But again, as in my last post on the Renaissance, other than Kate Greenway's childhood illustrations from the Victorian era (Megg's 2016), there appears to be a lack of reference to the women's mark on graphic design history, especially in regard to typography. When the likes of Frederic Goudy was being recognized for his Venetian and French Renaissance type fonts (Megg's 2016), there was one significant typeface designer and typographer of the Arts and Crafts era that was not represented in Megg's , but did stand out to me during my research; Elizabeth Colwell. 


Font Type by Elizabeth Colwell: Colwell Handletter
Photo credit: http://luc.devroye.org/fonts-51178.html
As mentioned in the article "What does feminist graphic design history in the United States look like?" by , Elizabeth Colwell was a typographer who, as many artists during this pivotal period were, inspired by nature. According to Benbrahim's own research from a design publication (Thompson 1994), Colwell was well known as a graphic designer during this period, in which she "designed bookplates and was known for her lettering and her work as a book designer."

Colwell is most well known for her display typeface, the Colwell Handletter and its italic form that she designed for American Type Founder in 1916, and in traditional female trendsetter form, was known as the only American female type designer during this graphic design period in history (American Type Founders 1923). In addition, in 1913, Alice Rouiller wrote a piece, "The Work of Elizabeth Colwell" for an issue of the The Graphic Arts. This was, apparently the first and only time a woman designer was featured in the magazine. 

Photo credit: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiehpQ1O_ty0gBV4GYaWWw7PLXQHuk6u0KQhy8rcy46Dow7tIs_PvaiSpTXbMkccoRf9RDU-meEJ2V3QwKGhFSvYYfm5-PxjTr9z_eTaWnC1Itxe9F-uPYzKf8QLsGI9LAY7lzfiAPU6SgY/s1600/1913_03+Elizabeth+Colwell+Graphic+Arts+p237.jpg
And like other graphic designers of the Arts and Crafts Movement, Colwell was also a gifted woodcut artist, printmaker, painter, writer and created many works that were appreciated not only during her day,  but also today. I think this is an important exercise in looking beyond the traditional written history and searching for important figures that made significant contributions that are still valuable today, but have yet to be recognized. 
Photo credit: http://www.artnet.com/artists/elizabeth-colwell/two-color-woodcuts-72w2xKdSl9ZvCFamtxnC9A2


Thomson, Ellen Mazur. “Alms for Oblivion: The History of Women in Early American GraphicDesign.” Design Issues 10, no. 2 (1994): 27-48. doi:10.2307/1511627

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

MODULE 10 - Chapters 23 and 24 - Post Modern Design and the Digital Age

 Module 10 - Chapter 23 and 24  Post Modern Design and the Digital Age This week I'm focusing on the wonderful work of LUBA LUKOVA ! Her bright, graphic designs instantly popped out of Megg's (2016) to me.   https://www.artsatl.org/design-catalyst-change-luba-lukova-moda-designing-justice/ Lukova is a Bulgarian born artist living in New York City and uses her graphic design power to initiate social change for good. Her basic design philosophy is "less is more" and to include simple, bold design elements that pop from many backgrounds of bright colors ( www.artsatl.org/design-catalyst-change-luba-lukova-moda-designing-justice ).  Peace - Luba Lukova - 2001 https://www.artsatl.org/design-catalyst-change-luba-lukova-moda-designing-justice/ Her most famous and beloved piece is "Peace", in which graphic of warfare are made up to create the vision of a dove, which represents peace. Her question was, " do we protect peace by creating endless wares? " He...
Post a Comment
Read more

MODULE 2 - REFLECTIONS ON CHAPTERS 1 - 4

MODULE 2 - REFLECTIONS ON CHAPTERS 1 - 4 Meggs' History of Graphic Design (2016) first four chapters details how text and the alphabet has evolved from cave painting pictures to the creation of the alphabet to medieval bound books. Within these chapters was brief discussion of petroglyphs, which I have always had a fascination with.  Petroglyphs are rock carvings or pictographs that early humans used to communicate stories, myths, messages to each other, educate future generations, may have been utilized for religious reasons, etc. They were, however, not considered to be art for the sake of art. So, why am I so intrigued by petroglyphs?      I live in Petersburg, Alaska and on our very own local beach is a series of ancient petroglyphs carved by the local Tlingit tribe into massive boulders that have sat on that very beach for thousands of years. The future generations of these tribal members still live in our community today and many of the traditions that have be...
Post a Comment
Read more

MODULE 6 - EARLY 20th CENTURY GRAPHIC DESIGN

Module 6 - Early 20th Century Graphic Design - Chapters 13 to 15 This week I'm focusing my attention on Hannah Höch, who was born in 1889 and lived in Weimar, Germany during the height of World War I - which had a major influence on her dynamic and groundbreaking style of art.  https://www.crfashionbook.com/culture/a22158013/cr-muse-artist-hannah-hoch/ Höch was a member of the German Dada group, which was considered a  satirical group of artists (established in 1916) that was born from opposition to WWI and conventional art of the period ( https://www.dadart.com/dadaism/dada/022-dada-berlin.html ). Their art frequently made fun of the culture and German society stemming from the current political issues of the day ( https://www.moma.org/artists/2675 ). https://dangerousminds.net/comments/the_mama_the_dadas_the_pioneering_feminist_artwork_of_hannah_hoech Höch's typical art consisted of carefully constructed collages with her medium created from magazines,  fashion publica...
Post a Comment
Read more