If we go deeper in design history we can notice that many of the styles, techniques and visual languages we see today are inspired by avant-garde art movements. They were so important for breaking rules, exploration, imagination, that they are still reference for designers from all over the world. That’s what we are going to see in this article of our historical series, again based on the Design History.
Art Nouveau
Previous to the Art Nouveau movement, the Arts & Crafts was introduced to Europe in 1884, but did not spread to the world like Art Nouveau did. Anyway, the Art Nouveau was the first popular art movement of the 20th century, going contrary to the previous styles. It was marked by organic curves and ornaments expressed mainly in decoration and architecture. The style inspires artists all around the world until nowadays.
Art Nouveau Organic
The Art Nouveau split into two styles – organic and geometric. Countries like France, Belgium, Italy, Spain and the United States adopted the organic style. Some of the important artists of this style were:
Victor Horta
Henry Van de Velde
Aubrey Beardsley
Candace Wheeler
Art Nouveau Geometric
Other countries, such as Scotland and Austria adopted the Geometric style, which would later be basis for the 20th century design with its abstraction and reductionism. Important names of Art Nouveau Geometric:
Margaret McDonald
Charles Rennie Mackintosh
Wiener Werkstätte
The Wiener Werkstäte (Vienna Workshops) was funded by 1903 as an association of artists working to create well designed pieces accessible for anyone, against the massive industrial production, in the spirit of the Arts & Crafts movement. The design style was influenced by artists as Rennie Mackintosh, Hoffman and Moser.
Deutsche Werkbund
The Deutsche Werkbund was an association of German artists and designers formed in 1907 that was created with the intention to produce high quality products competing against the British and American markets. They would later contribute to the Bauhaus creation.
Peter Behrens
Behrens was an architect, artist, typographer and designer, pioneer in modern industrial design. Mies van der Rohe and Walter Gropius studied with basis on Behrens teachings. He would later become AEG’s artistic director.
AEG – Allgemeine Elektricitäts-Gesellschaft)
As AEG’s artistic director, Peter Behrens managed all the design aspects of the company. He created a program of “standardization”, which was one of the first examples of corporate identity, using logos, advertising material, publications, etc.
Kazimar Malevitch
Malevitch introduced in 1915 a style called Suprematism, with abstract and geometric elements. Also in 1915 he made his first manifesto From Cubism to Suprematism.
El Lissitzky
In 1919 the designer Lazar Markovich Lissitzky met and was inspired by Malevitch’s style. El Lissintzky produced in 1920 the famous poster Beat the Whites with the Red Wedge and later developed his own variant of Suprematism, the Proun. The “Project for the Affirmation of the New” explored 3D elements and abstractions. His art was an expression of his beliefs about politics and social matters. His work marked the beginning of a new graphic art, specially after the narrative The Story of Two Squares.
Russian Constructivist Style
The main aspect of the Russian Constructivism was the use of arts for social concerns. Esthetically, it was marked by strong colors and typography, dynamic texts and geometrical shapes, including, later, photomontages. Again, El Lissitzky had a great importance as inspiration for other artists.
Futurism
This art movement happened originated in Italy, where it has concentrated. Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, an Italian poet, can be considered futurism’s father. He was the first person to make a futurism manifesto, which called “Manifesto del futurismo”, in 1909. It was marked by a despise for traditions, full of dynamism, technology and strength. The style exalted aspects of the modern life and exclude everything that was “past”. The industrial changes were seen as the triumph of the man over the nature.
DeStijl
Also called neoplasticism, the DeStijl was a Dutch artistic movement marked by straight angles, use of primary colors plus black and white. It was funded in 1917 by Theo van Doesburg and Piet Mondrian and last for 14 years.
Now we know a little more about these important art movements and you should check these reference/further information links:
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Excellent article.
Thank you for the information!
Greeetings…i am an Independent Artist and Geometry/Maths has been my greatest inspiration…consequently my work is very contrived…designed…calculated…articulated with examples of fractals, permutations, mandalas, kolams, matrixs, mazes, puzzles, enigmas…all the sort of stuff that is not very fashionable these days…may the Mathematical-God be with you…best regards pete mcclure.
@Peter Great site you have, luv your work. I find quite interest the Mathematical-God concept, the universe as designed product of a universal conscience.
Great collection of Avant-Garde visuals and great article.
Thanks for bringing these to my attention, gotta get me some of those Weiner Werkstätte knives and forks, awesome! DeStijl has always been a big inspiration to me.
@rory I agree with you on that big time. Love DeStijl as well, it always feels so contemporary.
Hi it’s me again…the media so is fixated with all this hyped-up contemporary crappola masquerading as art that it would not recognise “Real Art” if it hit them in the face…that Hirst Scull is the biggest piece of Kitsch in the History of Art…it’s a good business if you can break into market and if you have the resources to destroy The Cartels…but don’t under-estimate the intelligence of ordinary people…Real Art has NOTHING to do with money!
I am much more impressed with the truly Great Art made from “mud”…otherwise referred to as ceramics…in Japan their master potters are more highly revered than flash in the pan artistes…and what about: mandalas, talismans, kolams, yantras, Islamic-art, Celtic-art…the list goes on & on…let us see more of Folk-Art & have a ModernDayRennaisance…Amen
Wonderful collection. No doubt, people before are more artistic than people now. They express their most creative side in their master piece.
@peter Hi mate! thanks for coming back! well that hirst scull has its name very deserved! “For the love of God!” that is perfect for the “Paris Hilton” era. I am agree with with about the money, not only with are, with everything that has to do with passion! money is not on the equation, if you get it is as result. Not as an objective.
thank you for compiling these information! Really helps me with my projects.
[...] Avant-Garde Art Movements in the 20th Century [...]
[...] Avant-Garde Art Movements in the 20th Century [...]
Hi, you refer to a logo: ‘Wiener Werkstätte’ but your text says ‘Weiner Werkstätte’ – I just wanted to let you know that the German word ‘Weiner’ could refer to a person who cries (a cryer, if there was such a word?) but ‘Wiener’ is the correct spelling. That would be a person from Vienna (Wien), or anything else to do with Vienna (adjective) or, in some parts of the world, a hot dog – a Frankfurter (just thought I’d throw that in for a laugh. Honest truth though!). The hot dog is not known as a Wiener in Vienna though, funny that! I think they might call it a Frankfurter… (Whereas people in Frankfurt don’t call it that, but I digress severely…)
Just thought I should let you know. Please feel free to delete my comment, it is quite nit-picking after all, but I would be delighted if you could correct the typos. I see them everywhere, you’re not the only one.
All the best!
Very interesting article, I enjoyed it.
I don’t have time for Frankfurters or Vienal Snitzal…i am a vegetarian and i admiit to being prejudiced…i know what i like and like all Individuals i am a master of “what i know”…i would never join a club that would let the likes of me in…true exclusivity is the “numero uno”…one of a kind…
I am not alone
I am sharing my house with…
A giant spider
Have a nice day…pete mcclure.
@giselle Thank you for telling us! It was a mistyping. The article has been updated. ;-)
Very glad to have been able to help. There’s just one more typo in the link to The Wiener Werkstätte now (it says ‘Weirner’ right now).
Great article! & lovely pics too!
As an 86 year old ex docent, it is a great treat to see these early expressions of modern art. I grew up appreciating non-objective paintings, but did not know other phases until later.