High Modernity

In today's lecture with Nick, we continued the timeline of the modernism movement. The focus was based upon the later years of modernism, following World War 2, as the movement became displaced from Europe to the USA. It was very interesting to see how the ideals of the modernist movement became distorted over time, particularly in the contrast between abstract expressionism, and then later pop art. Abstract expressionism was an example of the high culture, individualised art, whereas pop art was considered low culture. The art work of people such as Andy Warhol, and Roy Lichtenstein, who are known as two of the greats now, was seen as cheap, and commercial. However, despite these differences, it can be seen that the key features of the movement remained the same regardless of the time period. The art was created with the intent of originality and  individuality. 

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This is Tomorrow

The blog task today was look at the piece 'Just what is it that makes today's homes so different, so appealing?' by Richard Hamilton, and create our own modern day version. Immediately when given the task, I thought of a blank, isolated room, filled with screens. To do this i used Photoshop, and simply began filling the empty space with TV screens, however, this idea soon developed into a room full of smart objects. In the modern day, we are all plugged in constantly, whether it be on a phone, a laptop, or a television. This is why in the collage I used the idea of a 'wire hole', insinuating that there are so many objects connected by wire throughout the house, that it is absolutely necessary to have a room dedicated to holding wires and plugs. I really enjoy the subtle details that I used within the piece. Initially, I wanted the room to be entirely closed off, however, I then decided to create a window that looks out into the outside world - the infamous 'Bliss' windows desktop background. I also used the twitter logo to create birds to circulate around the one plant in the room.
 Overall, this was definitely my favourite blog task to date. I found the process, specifically generating and building ideas, extremely fun. I really enjoy that the collage style allows modern commentary to be carried out in a fun, almost satirical manner, allowing the subject matter to be brightened.

'Just what is it that makes today's homes so different, so appealing?', 1956, Richard Hamilton