Litzy Rodriguez

MAT 135
Fall 2019

European Avant-Garde

The modern manifesto came in a grandiose form upon the artistic expression and revelations
of the upcoming artists. Design at the time of the 1900’s the traditions and set standards for
design had become something which was looked down upon, It became rejected. The desire for
something fresh and never before seen had become dominant in the world at the time. Filipo
Marinetti took matters into his own ambitious hands alongside others at this task in 1909,
specifically in Paris. He took upon himself and a group of designers who would decidedly call
themselves the “​Futurists”​, these men craved changes— as soon as possible. The goal of their
gathering was to celebrate and bring forth the new coming, and commencing of the new
industrial society, which rightfully encompassed, war, machines, speed, and revolution above
all. With this in mind, the Futurists were to set a new staple in the world. Chaotic and often
communicative works began to take light thanks to the flight of their purpose. Marinetti wanted
nothing to do whatsoever with society but aimed something more— a ravenous change. The
Futurists’ work treated words and type as a form of painting for the canvas, making it often
illegible, along with collages that pieced together all aspects of basic art. This marking their
works as a rebellious movement that encouraged violent changes in the artistic medium, until
the demise of the Futurists movement came in 1918. The pacifists of the timeline came to play
at what would be 1915, encompassing the Dada movement, who were against the war and
focused mainly upon nonsense, irrationality, and intuition. The goal of this work was to erase, or
shock those of the middle classes and socialites, they lived to create ​“Anti-Art” ​with nonsensical
pieces. As the movement came along to an ever dying end, those associated with it shifted
along towards ideas of modernism or surrealism. More of these designers were executed in
Hitler’s concentration camps, simply being categorized as ​“degenerate artists”.​ Both of these
groups of designers had a motor which drove them into the rebellion of their own way,
developing it along through their own works, each unique in their simplistic forms. For at the
time were limited with typefaces that we’re simple and geometric shapes, colors were those on
the primary area. These forms and designs influenced the upcoming generations of designers
by their everlasting modernistic styles as they have stood the test of time and proved how with
their intents on allowing future generations a glimpse of the world at their time.