|
|
|
|
|
|
Resources |
|
|
|
Alexey Brodovitch: Modern Master of Magazine Design
| Article
# : |
17208 |
|
|
Section : |
THE ARTS
|
| Issue
Date : |
2 / 1990 |
1,574 Words |
| Author
: |
Eric Gibson
Eric Gibson, art critic for the Washington Times, last wrote
on Henry Ossewa Tanner in the September 1991 issue of The
World & I. |
Near the beginning of Andy Grundberg's monograph on the late Alexey Brodovitch the author observes, "He was successful in attracting attention to the page without attracting attention to himself."
Although Grundberg does not intend it so, this might well stand as a summary of the defining difference between the present moment and an earlier time in all creative endeavors, not simply that of graphic design. It is the kind of observation that does more than characterize a man, it sums up an era. Brodovitch (1898-1971) belonged to an age in which the guiding principle, albeit an unspoken one, was "the extinction of personality." The term comes from T.S. Eliot's famous essay, "Tradition and the Individual Talent," and what he is describing is the need for the poet to subordinate all ego to the task of mastering his craft.
At the time Eliot wrote those lines, that sort of attitude was the norm among creative individuals of all varieties, not just poets. The idea was simply to be able to do your work; success was making a living at it. In the case of artists, exhibiting was desired, but it was also something that happened well along in life - not the day after graduating from art school. Above all, it was the individual's work that counted the most. There was never any question - not on the part of the artist, anyway - of allowing one's public persona to compete with one's work in the marketplace for public attention.
Change in Climate
What a different climate we live in today! Arguably since the day in 1949 when Life magazine catapulted Jackson
... (1996 of 9398 Characters)
Read Full Article
|
|
