Overview

A manifesto is a declaration of intent — often the intent to bring radical change to the world. Throughout history, many art movements have written manifestos, and it’s always a sign that things have gotten real.

OBELISK – Art Manifestos Defining new realities

Our next reading assignment starts us off with three essays / manifestos from avant-garde designers from the early 20th century. F.T. Marinetti, “Manifesto of Futurism”; Aleksandr Rodchenko, “Who We Are: Manifesto of the Constructivist Group”; and El Lissitzky, “Our Book” are found in our main text Graphic Design Theory: Readings From the Field by Helen Armstrong on pages 19-31. 

The readings in this section look at the design movements of early 20th century. Exploring issues of form and function, these designers aimed to supplant previous conventions and build new world orders. Consider how political and economic power can be expressed through graphic design and how mass communication can influence society.

As you’ve learned from the History of Graphic Design refresher, these designers lived in a world engulfed in rapid change— industrialization, technological upheaval, world war. The writers of these manifestos sought order and meaning through design. The manifesto itself was a way for avant-garde artists to publicly declare their often radical political views. More about manifestos here!

Key Themes and Takeaways

F.T. Marinetti, “Manifesto of Futurism” 1909

Marinetti, along with a group of young Italian artists, composed this manifesto to declare their ambitions, in opposition to the traditional values dominating Italian art and culture of the time.

  • The introductory paragraphs contain allusions to traditional, mythological imagery with references to the latest machine technologies.
  • The narrative of this introductory portion portrays the Futurists as both heroic and machismo
  • Machinery is portrayed as both dangerous and thrilling
  • The 11 point manifesto lists the values and ideals that the group will celebrate, including courage, aggression, speed and violence
  • The closing paragraphs emphasize the Modernist idea of rejecting past art movements in favor of progress

 Aleksandr Rodchenko, Varvara Stepanova, Aleksei Gan, “Who We Are: Manifesto of the Constructivist Group” 1922

The Russian Revolution of 1917 offered hope for a new society in which workers would replace the aristocracy as the ruling class. The Constructivists, led by Aleksandr Rodchenko envisioned a new form of art that would replace traditional painting and sculpture with new forms of mass-produced graphics and engineered objects. Who We Are is one of many manifestos to emerge from this group.

  • This fragmentary text enumerates the areas of life in which Constructivists will be involved
  • The authors reject being labeled as ‘artists’ in favor of the designation ‘constructor’
  • Technology is seen as both a tool and the ‘mortal enemy of art’
  • Geometrical forms are a necessary component for expressive art and everyday objects

El Lissitzky, “Our Book” 1926

Russian artist El Lissitzky played a critical role in connecting European avant-garde movements of the early 20th century. His essay considers some of the new technologies and visual strategies that artists could use to communicate their ideas both to international colleagues and to mass audiences at home.

  • Technical innovations in the arts immediately produce the highest achievements possible
  • New technologies led to the “dematerialization” of art
  • The book form is altered by technological inventions and by innovations in communication systems
  • Collaboration between painters and poets to create new book forms offers many possibilities for educating the masses
  • While the cinema and illustrated magazines add to social development, book artists must keep pace by developing new forms that will sharpen the optic nerve

Due Date(s)

  • Your reading response is due the day before the next session.

Instructions

Following the instructions below, read and annotate the text with your classmates in our Hypothesis group. After reading and annotating the text, create a rough draft of your response in your Research Journal. Your response should be about 200 words and checked for spelling and grammar errors. Lastly, create a new post and publish your response.

1. Open the reading.

In a new tab open the text Armstrong, Helen. Graphic Design Theory: Readings From the Field, Princeton Architectural Press, 2009. Navigate to pages 19-31.

2. Enable Hypothesis

The reading link above will automatically open Hypothesis. Login to your account and select our Hypothesis group (IMPORTANT!) from the dropdown to make sure your annotations and highlights will be recorded in the group. See Using Hypothesis for details.

3. Consider these questions.

Here are the questions to which you should respond in your reading response:

  • Consider if and how these manifestos addressed the concepts of authorship/ownership, universal systems of communication, and social/political engagement.
  • What common views do these artists/designers share, and where might they disagree?
  • Which elements of these texts remain relevant for the present, and which elements are problematic? 
  • How has the communication process changed since the early 20th Century, specifically with regard to “feedback” and “noise”?

4. Read & Annotate.

Consider the questions/prompts listed above. Start to formulate the answers to these prompts while you practice close reading with annotations. This will be part of your grade. Share at least 3 annotations in the Hypothesis group, including your questions, definitions, and ideas with your classmates. Add the tags: Avant-Garde Manifestos and Reading Response 3 to your annotations.

5. Draft your Reading Response.

In your Research Journal, write a draft of your 200-word response. Check for grammar and spelling errors. Use the word count tool. In your Research Journal, write a draft of your 200-word response. Be sure to summarize the questions above, so your reader has some context. Check for grammar and spelling errors. Use the word count tool. Use the Grammarly app or something similar to improve the clarity of your writing.

Use visual examples to supplement your reading response. Consider looking back at the Learning Graphic Design History videos or the AIGA Archive to see if there are historical examples that will help support your ideas.

6. Post your Reading Response.

When ready, create a new post titled “Reading Response 3 – YourInitials.”

At the top of the post copy and paste the following: F.T. Marinetti, “Manifesto of Futurism”; Aleksandr Rodchenko, “Who We Are: Manifesto of the Constructivist Group”; and El Lissitzky, “Our Book”, Graphic Design Theory: Readings From the Field by Helen Armstrong, pages 19-31. 

  • Copy and paste the questions/prompts listed above or summarize for context.
  • Paste your reading response from your Research Journal.
  • Add links to your annotations in the Hypothesis group at the bottom of your post.
  • Always add links and attribution for any images that you use in your post.
  • Adjust any formatting issues that may have occurred while pasting.
  • Here is an example Reading Response post for reference.

Please be sure to add the following title, category, and tags to your posts. For help with adding Categories and Tags, see OpenLab Help.

  • TITLE: Reading Response 3 – Your Initials
  • CATEGORY: Reading Responses
  • TAG: Reading Response #3
  • TAG: Your Name

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