ZIKAI CHEN- September 23

After the industrial revolution, the development of large-scale production, division of labor and commerce appeared, and the old way of life began to collapse. But people have not made new rational thinking about this new way of life. However, it has also inspired some avant-garde artists.  Like Marinetti has summed up in his “Futurist Manifesto” , the basic principles of futurism, including an aversion to old ideas, especially aversion to old political and artistic traditions. Marinetti expressed their enthusiasm for futurists in the eyes of speed, technology, and violence, such as cars, airplanes, industrial cities, because these are the symbols that symbolize the advancement of human technology and human conquering nature. After reading These authors manifestos, I realized Art as a cultural phenomenon, its changes reflect the material production and scientific and technological level of the times, and also reflect the status of certain social ideology, and have a close relationship with the political economy, culture, art and other aspects of society.

From these manifestos, I got a sense of these artist’s visions of how they anticipate the art and design that would follow. It seems to me that they expect to establish a new alliance of design and art. From the beginning of industrial civilization, industrial design and artistic creation have been artificially divided into independent professions and fields. However, they want to merge the two, They wanted Art to be no longer an abstract philosophy but as a concrete feeling. It is no longer just a kind of repetition, but a kind of creation. This is a new alliance of technology and art in design.

I feel the only place where these artists ideology intersects is futurism and constructivism in this period tried to define the form and function of aesthetics under the conditions of industrial culture. There is no direct connection between these two developments, but the terms and concepts used in both are strikingly similar. Industrial design and art have come together in many ways. Emphasizing the social role of art, eager for an ideal form that reflects the rapidly changing external world spirit. Industrial products that were not previously elegant have become the subject of painting and sculpture. The design gradually freed from the imprisonment of classical art and reflected the characteristics of industrial products. This period, futurism, etc. have all contributed to the development of modern design. Art is given to their own rationality. People no longer regard industrial design as a rude force that must be controlled but as a port of the ideal world.

The artist’s idea does diverge, in their manifestos, Marinetti denied the classical art, He thinks it is pedantic and should be Totally negated. They advocating speed, technology, movement, and violence. It feels to me that Marinetti is denying classical art for the sake of denying. However, El Lissitzky and the authors of “Manifesto of the Constructivist Group” think that art and design should serve the public and society, rather than fulfilling one’s spiritual satisfaction, as classical art has no practical function.