Conceptual Image

Armando Testa Poster for Pirelli 1954

After world war one, graphic designers saw that traditional illustration did not satisfy the needs of people at that time. In consequence, artists changed the way of expressing the desired message, reflecting the developments of the machine and their advanced visual ideas. A similar thing happened after world war two, were there were great advancements in conceptual image. Ideas and concepts were incorporated within an image itself. Artists at the time were inspired from cubism, surrealism, expressionism, fauvism as well as pop art. Perhaps two of the most important artists at the time were the New York artists Seymour Chwast and Milton Glaser. 

Chwast and Glaser also worked with Reynold Ruffins and Edward Sorel forming Push-Pin studios. After a while however, Ruffins  left in order to become a well-known children`s book illustrator. Sorel did some freelancing and later on became one of the most important and influential political satirist at the time. Chwast and Glaser continued with their partnership for twenty years. Glaser eventually left and started producing a variety of work, from corporate and environmental design to magazines.  Both Glaser and Chwast utilized art and design from various periods such as cartoon strips and renaissance paintings, and incorporated them in their work reshaping them in original and innovative forms. 

Seymour Chwast

Milton Glaser

Milton Glaser Record Album cover for
The Sound of Harlem 1964

Glaser liked to experiment with different techniques and designs. Around the 1960`s his style made use of flat shapes with thin black lines and colours applied from adhesive colour films. This orderly approach reflected greatly the simplified images of comic books and the flowing drawings of art nouveau. Furthermore, the colours give a resemblance to the Japanese prints and the cutouts of Matisse. When one looks at Glaser`s record album cover one can also see a curious resemblance to Henri De Toulouse-Lautrec`s Dance at the Moulin Rouge. One of the most well known works by Glaser is his album cover for Bob Dylan.This poster features a silhouette of a person. The figure`s hair is very stylized and is made from various colours. One can note influences from the artist Matisse and Japanese prints. In addition the hair is majorly influenced from art nouveau. Little typography is used and this only features at the bottom. The type used is also somewhat expressive. Other works by Glaser include ‘Mozart sneezes’ and the logo for the New York State which still features on various shirts today.

Mozart Sneezes

Bob Dylan Poster 1967

The threepenny Opera album cover 1975

Chwast`s designs were very playful. He combined images and text in such a way so as to give a resemblance to German expressionist woodcut with primitive art coloring. Furthermore, Chwast`s work is very flat. In his album cover for ‘The Threepenny Opera’ various influences can be seen; the woodcuts of the German expressionists, the surrealist representation of the subject as well as colours influenced from primitive art. Typography is found on top of the figure as well as on the left side of the cover. The vibrant colours that are used in this poster reflect the singer`s powerful voice. 

f I personally find Glaser`s work the most interesting. I love how he even played around with movement in Mozart Sneezes as well as the various colours in Bob Dylan`s Poster in 1967. I find it very interesting how he creates a balance between the colours and the silhouette of the figure. There is also a sort of movement in the hair through the curved lines which in my opinion makes it an astonishing work.

References:

Philip B. Meggs, 2011. Meggs' History of Graphic Design. 5 Edition. Wiley.