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 two manifestos from avant-garde designers from the early 20th century. F.T. Marinetti, Manifesto of Futurism; and Aleksandr Rodchenko, Who We Are: Manifesto of the Constructivist Group are found in our main text Graphic Design Theory: Readings From the Field by Helen Armstrong on pages 19-24.
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. Check out some additional Manifestos on The Art History Project.
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
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 & enable Hypothesis.
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.
If the reading link above doesn’t automatically open Hypothesis, use the Paste a Link feature. Login to your account and select our group COMD Theory Fall2023 Group (IMPORTANT!) from the dropdown to make sure your annotations and highlights will be recorded in the group. See Using Hypothesis for details.
2. Consider these questions.
Here are the questions to which you should respond in your reading response:
- What political events were happening during the time and place that these manifestos were written? How did those events influence the authors’ beliefs?
- Consider if and how these manifestos addressed the concepts of authorship/ownership, universal systems of communication, and social/political engagement.
- Which elements of these texts remain relevant for the present, and which elements are problematic?
3. Read & Annotate.
Consider the questions/prompts listed above. Start to formulate the answers to these questions while you practice close reading with annotations. Share at least 3 annotations in the Hypothesis group, including your questions, definitions, and ideas with your classmates. See Using Hypothesis for details.
Add the tags: Avant-Garde Manifestos and Reading Response 2 to your annotations.
4. Draft your Reading Response.
Write a draft of your 200-word response in your Writing Portfolio. Check for grammar/spelling errors using Google Docs spell-grammar check or Grammarly. Use the word count tool too. Add a numbered or bulleted list of links to at least (3) of your Hypothesis annotations. In Hypothesis, select the Share icon and copy the URL. (see Using Hypothesis > Share)
Use links to 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.
5. Add your Reading Response in a comment.
When ready, add a comment at the bottom of this post. Paste your reading response from your Writing Portfolio into the comment box. Adjust any formatting issues that may have occurred while pasting.
Resources
More info
- Tutorials > Using Hypothesis
- Assignments > Writing Portfolio
- OpenLab Help > Commenting on a Site
Texts
- Graphic Design Theory: Readings From the Field by Helen Armstrong on pages 19-24 from DesignOpenData
This article speaks on how Avant-Garde designers weren’t scared to push the boundaries of their work. They had guts and most importantly passion. They moved away from the traditional easel and shared their art in other ways. The text speaks on their exploration of “asymmetrical layout, activated white space, serial design, geometric typefaces, minimalism, hierarchy, functionalism, and universality” which helped sparked some of the most impactful art movements. One artist among the many was F.T. Marinetti. He was a poet before he embarked on his designs. His “Manifesto of Futurism” was the start of his move to “Graphic Design”. When it comes to his manifesto you can really pick out a couple of lines that are scaringly accurate to the world of today. One common theme you can grasp from the manifesto is the fear in the job of the designer. One line specifically that conveys this is “A racing car whose hood is adorned with great pipes, like serpents of explosive breath—a roaring car that seems to ride on grapeshot—is more beautiful than the Victory of Samothrace”. It shows how something as beautiful as the Victory of Samothrace will always be stepped over when it comes to the technological advancement of mankind.
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Art movements are often prompted by a need for change, a rejection of the old to make way for something new. And oftentimes the change is sparked by complex political climates and social upheavals. So was the case in early twentieth century Italy, a nation that was being left in the past, on the brink of war, and in civil disorder. Designer and poet, F.T. Marinetti made a public declaration to artists with the Manifesto of Futurism. He wanted a new artistic Italian society, one that was fortified, unified, and embraced industrialization. Marinetti also called for war and violence in the removal of museums and libraries as they were hosts of old traditions and culture. Fast forward almost two decades later, the Russian Constructivist Manifesto was born. Following the Russian Revolution in 1917, the country was under a social and political evolution. Constructivist artists wanted to connect art with life, to make the artist the constructor. This would be accomplished by making art more practical and to work with technology.
The idea of welcoming technology in both manifestos is extremely relevant today, it is almost imperative for current designers to work with some form of digital technology. However, the rejection of old art traditions can be problematic. I think to be a well rounded designer you need to be knowledgeable or at least aware of design history. As well as find ways to channel back to the old way of doing things to fully understand how far we’ve come.
*I wanted to add some thoughts around designers needing to know their history. I think it allows us to develop our own styles and also give us something to relate to. For me that act of learning has been partially made up of my own efforts to find narratives that may not be in mainstream design history.
Here’s an Adobe Express blog post titled Black Graphic Design History: Influence and Impact. It gives some context to Black graphic design history and it showcases work by Aaron Douglas (one of my favorite artists).
During the time when these manifestos were written, there was mass change occurring around the world. Industrialization, technological advancements, and world war were some of the things that influenced changes that created the world that we live in today. During the time of these manifestos, people within the design industry took advantage to also create a change. They used manifestos, posters, books, magazines, and typefaces to influence large groups of people. This created a new visual vocabulary. They disliked the old look of symmetry and were looking for something very different. They were influenced by the machine, a new technology, because of its sleekness, functionality, efficiency, and power. They were looking for new visual forms that would fit the new world. They created things we use today like asymmetrical layout, activated white space, serial design, geometric typefaces, minimalism, hierarchy, functionalism, and universality. They created movements that built the foundation of the modern graphic design industry. These movements by the Avant-Garde made designers like F.T. Marinetti start to break the rules. They began to manipulate the standard design and created new styles that better fit their needs, in this case, typography. In terms of the concept of ownership, the Manifesto of Futurism explained how designers should use their skills to create a movement of speed. Not looking back at all to the past. “What we want is to break down the mysterious doors of the Impossible.” For universal systems of communication, The manifesto “Who we are” explains how artists are not only artists. They Are “constructors today”. This manifesto explains how because of artists’ discoveries, this is why we have the technology today. “we organize technology, we discovered, propagate, clean out, merge.” For social/political engagement, Marinetti compares the fast industrialization happening within the car industry to what they do as designers. “We say that the world’s magnificence has been enriched by a new beauty: the beauty of speed.” What remains relevant from these texts is the overall message of seeing yourself as more than just an artist. The goal of these manifestos was to influence the designers to think of themselves differently and to spark innovation within the design industry. We see this today where more designers are now leaving the commercial business and joining the “design for change” movement. Instead of creating posters for Pepsi, you’re designing posters for communities, groups, and organizations that are looking for social change in the world. It gives actual meaning and purpose to the artist, their work, and their valuable time. The main problem with these manifestos is they make it seem that designers were the only reason change occurred. Although design and the art industry definitely contributed greatly in these historical times, they were not the only ones involved. There were still people working hard labor jobs to gather the physical resources to create the new products. There were also political things that occurred around the world that allowed for these advancements to happen. Although this type of language was used to really persuade designers, it also discredits the hard work of others who aren’t designers or artists.
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Art manifestos are created usually when Wars or an event affects a large number of people. These movements are used to spread the news of what’s happening or how the artists feel about the situation. Artists believed that in order for work to be a masterpiece, there must be effort put into it. Marinetti broke apart typography to show aggression and noise in his art. In the past, materials that were used a lot were paper, brushes, water, paints, and other materials artists created. In today’s world, it’s all about technology, but before using technology, people had to build and create it. Artists and constructors skills were put together and artists could create art with any type of technology they preferred, for example, phones, tablets, computers, and printers. Just like in the first reading response, artists view old art as overrated and disgraceful to society. In the article, he talked about wanting to destroy and remove museums and libraries that show old art. The elements of these texts that remain relevant today are that technology is what artists will mostly be using. The problematic part is the views on old art. I believe that old art is important to help us learn about the past. Just like in picture books where the kids are learning the language of colors and shapes, the arts in the past teach us what happened in the past especially if some people are more of a visual learner.
Everyone can have different manifestos. Designers use their skills to create ideas to solve problems that they or the world is facing. Just like before technology, it needed to be created before using. Ideas had to be created before being able to solve a problem.
“…but we, Artists yesterday constructors today…” People are not only artists but they are also the designers. Before they make something, they have to create an idea to solve it.
Manifesto derived from the Italian word manifesto, itself derived from the Latin manifestum, meaning clear or conspicuous, Its first recorded use in English is from 1620. A manifesto is a published declaration of the issuer’s intentions, motives, or views, be it an individual, group, political party, or government. The article speaks about avant-garde designers from different times, with different ideals and beliefs in a rapidly changing world. Marinetti expresses an artistic philosophy called Futurism which was a rejection of the past and a celebration of speed, machinery, violence, youth, and industry. The Constructivist Manifesto advocated the use of new materials and photomechanical processes in the creation of collective social knowledge and networks of communication. Both Manifestos speak about the welcoming of new technology and its dangers, as well as rejecting past art and traditions. Though it is good to make way for the future I find it problematic to forget and let go of the past. Neglecting these things can lead to reduced social cohesion and society-wide mental health challenges because an individual’s culture is closely linked with his/her/their sense of identity and belonging to a community. The important thing is that we maintain our cultural identity and remain connected with our ancestors by preserving traditional culture and family values. Keeping our roots alive will ensure that generations to come will learn about their origins, understand their heritage, and keep it close for years to come.
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Section One: Creating the Field discusses the manifestos that described the intentions and outlook for several designers during the 20th century. What they seem to have in common is the notion to challenge, redefine or even embrace certain aspects of the time in which they were experiencing socio-political change and technological advances. For example, in Marinetti’s “Manifesto of Futurism” seems to have a sense of social and corporate detachment as seen through his intense explanation of art existing through those who have a story to tell and the personification of industrial objects. There exists a sense of a refusal of the past into the present. As for the Manifesto of the Constructivist Group, “Who We Are” appears to hold a sense of collective authorship especially as a group that shares a vision for what design should look and feel like to those observing as well as those creating. They strayed away from the rigid and applied their abstract qualities to their work. El Lissitzky’s, “Our Book” explores the concept of dematerialization within design. His argument expresses the idea that the existence of an object is only present during the time it is being created, it is a single event that is never duplicate, only adapted to fit the present or in process of adapting to the future. The concept of universal systems of communication is applied in “Our Book” through the explanation of technological advances influencing how we perceive design as well as how we participate in design. Several topics have been discussed that are presently a part of our present and these are still questions we should be asking ourselves. I find it difficult to see where all of this technology will take us when it comes to design and virtually everything else as machines have been replacing man for some time now although it will never be as unique. I think The Manifesto of the Constructivist Group may be too set on a specific idea and the Manifesto of Futurism may lack the understanding that the past is still applicable in the present and future.
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These are two important manifestos written in the early 20th century.
The first is the Futurist Manifesto by Marinetti. It talks all about embracing change and speed, challenging traditional art and literature, and even glorifying war. Marinetti wanted to break away from old-fashioned ideas and institutions like museums.
The second manifesto is by Aleksandr Rodchenko and his Constructivist group, written during the Soviet Revolution. They shifted from traditional art to being like engineers(constructors). They believed in making art useful and promoting communism.
While some ideas from these manifestos still make sense today, like using innovation and technology, others, like praising war, don’t fit our modern values.
Both of these manifestos played a big role in shaping modern graphic design and art.
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Avant-garde are designers with guts and creativity who do not want to remain in the same status. They want something new to impact and change the society. They don’t follow the traditional rules and comes up with asymmetrical layout and white spaces that seem fresh to the generation. Therefore they create posters, books, and magazines with new elements like experimental typography and typefaces. In the manifesto, we notice that people are usually afraid of changes, especially when the knowledge they learned and authoritativeness are challenged. People who step out and change are the ones who will lead trends in the future. Avant-gardes are passionate, aggressive, and freedom-bringers, rule-breakers that bring people to the brand new generation.
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Nice work, Alice! This is a good overview. Please take another look at the prompts/questions and consider adding a follow up response addressing some of the specifics. Let me know if you have questions.
NOTE: Private response is visible only to instructors and to the post’s author.
In the early 1900s and 1920s, there was a lot of political unrest. A few countries saw their government overthrown, there were many protests. At the same time, there were new technological advances. The author’s writings are influenced by these changes, by the strength of their societies to fight against what they didn’t agree with. Marinetti’s ideologies seem focused on speed. He is telling others to accept innovation, and express themselves truthfully and with force and speed. It feels like a sense of urgency in his writings, maybe like now is the moment for change. In the second manifesto, they are expressing that before they were the ones with innovative ideas, perhaps alluding that that’s all they were, ideas. Now they have the power to make these ideas a reality, by physically creating these things. It also talks about technology and how it is changing the possibilities and the work. These works emphasize the importance of creativity when it comes to bettering their societies. That by not following the “norm”, and by thinking outside of the box, people will gain so much more.
Nice job, Lola! This is a good overview. I’ve added some comments in Hypothesis. Please take another look at the prompts/questions and consider adding a follow up response addressing some of the specifics. Let me know if you have questions.
NOTE: Private response is visible only to instructors and to the post’s author.
The second manifesto is “Who we are: manifesto fo the constructivist group” by Rodchenko, Stepanova and Gan.
The early 20th century was a time ripe with political, social, and technological upheaval. Avant-garde designers lived through and responded to World War I. Because of the chaos and destruction that ensued their response was a desire for change and order, and to create a new universal visual language. The industrialization of technology created a new emphasis on the machine, inspired by power, precision and speed and the rejection of unnecessary ornamentation.
In addition to these themes the Avant-garde movement sought to change more traditional ideas of authorship and ownership, embracing mass communication and collaborative approaches to art and design. This change mirrored that of the industrial revolution, where before things were created on a small scale by individual craftsmen, products were now being created in factories by machines and assembly lines. The output of the industrial revolution almost exactly mirrors this collaborative mass production style that falls in line with Avant-garde’s concepts of authorship. They placed a greater emphasis on the collective than the individual.
The Avant-Garde movement is still relevant today in its emphasis on revolutionizing systems, embracing new technologies, experimentation, and challenging established norms. These ideas are imperative to designers today as our technological landscape becomes redefined we must evolve with it to survive. Questioning established norms is a practice that will always be relevant, and it is a value that inspires innovation. That being said, the Avant-garde’s endorsement of fascism is deeply problematic, as is their dismissal of all cultural establishments like museums and libraries. These values are in direct opposition with current ethical and cultural standards.
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During the time these manifestos were being written, the Soviet Revolution was happening in Europe. There were political and social changes happening, there was also political corruption going on. This led to these artists and writers wanting to speak out and shed light on the things that were affecting them and everyday people. I think it also influenced their beliefs because seeing all of the corruption and destruction of their country happening they probably didn’t see any hope of growth or positive change. So they could have been in the mindset to tear everything to the ground and rebuild with a completely new perspective or mindset. I do think the manifestos address ideas of social/ political engagement, they acknowledge the social/political changes that were happening at the time and how they plan to adapt to those changes through their work. It was also interesting that some of the manifestos were written as a collective ideology; for example, Who We Are says it’s a “constructivist group.” They all are working together and have shared beliefs on the topic, and their work probably all touched on those similar ideas; they might have similarities in their actual pieces because of this.
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At the beginning of the twentieth century Designers confronted their society through design. Surrounded by chaos, industrialization, technological upheaval, world war they sought order and meaning. The events of the world war forced them to find means to communicate with everyone in the public and even changed some designers drastically. “Marinetti was a showman, a scoundrel, and a fascist, but he matters today. Mainly out of economy and convenience, he used print to communicate with the masses posters, books, flyers. He bent and twisted typography to better suit his poetry and his overall message of noise, speed, and aggression. In the end, the concrete, visual nature of type stood at the forefront of his work, exposed. He challenges us even now to embrace the future in his words, to “exalt” in the “punch and the slap,” to believe that entirely new forms are not only possible but imminent.” Page 20, sentence 3-8, this is an example of an artist changing his form of design to the more modern version in order to adapt to the situation at the time. These manifestations show us different varieties of ownership by making the artist or designer create their own way of communicating to the public without being similar to anything that has yet been created and creating a single language for everyone while yet being unique and different but understood by many. I believe the most relevant part of this reading is when F.T. Marinetti challenges us to embrace the future and be constantly evolving in our art of expressionism but his art can also be problematic because in his MANIFESTO OF FUTURISM he stated “ We will glorify war—the world’s only hygiene—militarism, patriotism, the destructive gesture of freedom-bringers, beautiful ideas worth dying for, and scorn for woman.” which is problematic because it glorifies geocide.
The Constructivist movement emerged from the chaos of World War I, aspiring to forge a world characterized by universality, functionality, and responsiveness to contemporary needs. Designers sought to harmonize the structured, utilitarian essence of technology with the realm of art. Amid this push for a collective approach, there existed a concurrent emphasis on the power of the individual.
In the Manifesto of Futurism, the phrase “We want to hymn the man at the wheel, who hurls the lance of his spirit across the Earth, along the circle of its orbit,” poeticizes the belief in each person’s potential to propel the world towards its future. Today, the accessibility of powerful technology to most individuals, amplified by the advent of AI, signifies a heightened ability to shape the future. However, this has led to an overflow of unique ideas, making it challenging to stand out even with novel concepts.
El Lissitzky and his contemporaries championed collective authorship, aiming to establish a universal language in art and design that transcended cultural and linguistic barriers. This pursuit toward both individualism and the creation of a universal language enabled a pathway to distinctiveness while ensuring comprehensibility. This synergy allowed individuals to carve their identity within a framework of shared understanding, facilitating both innovation and connectivity in a rapidly evolving landscape
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