Task 1.4 - Glossary of terms (25/25)

1. Bauhaus - (1919-1933) The first Bauhaus school was founded in Germany in 1919 by Walter Gropius. Bauhaus consisted of fine arts elements and design education. Students following the Bauhaus theory " entered specialized workshops, which included metalworking, cabinetmaking, weaving, pottery, typography, and wall painting."( The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000-2013) This school was found in three cities; Weimar, Dessau and Berlin. (Each built respectively)

Bauhaus school of Art - Germany

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2014. The Bauhaus, 1919–1933 [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/bauh/hd_bauh.htm. [Accessed 22 April 2014].

OpenBuildings, 2014. Bauhaus [ONLINE] Available at: http://openbuildings.com/buildings/bauhaus-profile-2572. [Accessed 22 April 2014].

2. Clay Bullae -  (8000-3100 B.C.E Mesopotamia) 

When civilizations evolved and society started trading goods, it was important to find a way to record transactions. Therefore small clay tokens were customized into various shapes to represent objects (mostly grain, sheep and oil).

These clay tokens were stored in "ball-shaped envelopes, bullae, which were impressed on the outside with the shapes of the tokens found within. " (Designhistory, 2011)

This was not a writing system but an accounting method. Afterwards, civilizations felt the need for writing - "graphically recording spoken language. " (Designhistory, 2011)

Development of Writing , 2014. Clay Bullae. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.designhistory.org/Handwriting_pages/EarlyWriting.html. [Accessed 21 April 2014].

3. Cubism -  (Early twentieth century) This was one of the most influential art styles and was created by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque. Influences on this style included Primitivism and non-Western sources. Cubist painters reduced objects into geometric forms "cubes" and figures were dissected into small facets. Landscapes were rare since "their favorite motifs were still lifes with musical instruments, bottles, pitchers, glasses, newspapers..." (The Metropolitan Museum of Art 2000 - 2013) 

Violin and Playing Cards, 1913, Juan Gris

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2014. Cubism. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/cube/hd_cube.htm. [Accessed 22 April 2014].

4. Cursive - Cursive scripts were rapidly written since the letters were joined together. In Arabic and Latin many letters were connected with a single pen stroke. In Roman cursive, letters are not connected like other versions of cursive.    

Roman Cursive

English cursive and cursive Arabic.

Wikipedia, 2014. Cursive [ONLINE] Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cursive. [Accessed 22 April 2014].

Dictionary Definition, 2014. Cursive [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/cursive. [Accessed 22 April 2014].

DeStijl colours

5. DeStijl - (1917-1931) This group 'The Style' created ideal harmony to the destruction that was brought by war (WW1). The key figures were Theo van Doesburg, Gerrit Rietveld and Piet Mondrian. This style was simplistic and abstract, both in architecture and painting. Rules of the Destijl also included asymmetric compositions and sans serif typography.

Abduzeedo Design Inspiration, 2014. De Stijl Influence [ONLINE] Available at: http://abduzeedo.com/de-stijl-influence. [Accessed 22 April 2014].

Graphic Design History, 2014. Russian Typographic Revolution. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.designhistory.org/Avant_Garde_pages/DeStijl.html. [Accessed 22 April 2014].

6. English Half - Uncials - (Eighth century) This is a more slanted and condensed version of the uncial writing. Irish and English uncials evolved to the Carolingian Handwriting Reform.

Graphic Design History, 2014. Uncials and Half Uncials. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.designhistory.org/Handwriting_pages/Uncials.html. [Accessed 21 April 2014].

7. Epigraphy - The study of inscriptions/writing such as ancient handwriting, usually on stone, metal or marble. For example the Petroglyphs in Wadi Rum - Jordan (as shown in the picture). Epigraphy can also be referred to as the early history of the alphabet. Since early inscriptions were often nonprofessional, one can notice that they had irregular cuttings but this changed by time. 

Petroglyphs in Wadi Rum

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2014. epigraphy  [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/189962/epigraphy/58798/The-use-of-inscriptions. [Accessed 12 February 2014].

8. Futhark -  (200 CE - 1600 CE) The word 'Futhark' is composed from the first six letters of the Runic alphabet. The word 'alphabet' itself is also composed from the first two letters of the Greek alphabet; alpha, betha. The Runic alphabet consists of 24 letters, 18 consonants and 6 vowels as shown in the image.

 

Ancient Scripts, 2014.  Futhark. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.ancientscripts.com/futhark.html. [Accessed 22 April 2014].

9. Half - Uncials - (Seventh - Ninth century) Unlike Roman half-uncials, this type of writing wasn't as comfortable and  standard. Half Uncials were written with a horizontal pen nib. Christian missionaries imported the Irish Half Uncial into Ireland. (An Irish variant example can be seen in the Book of Kells).

Graphic Design History, 2014. Uncials and Half Uncials. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.designhistory.org/Handwriting_pages/Uncials.html. [Accessed 21 April 2014].

10. Impressionism - (1874) Monet was one of the founders of Impressionism. It was the breaking away from the traditional approach. Impressionism was also influenced by Japanese woodblock. Since Paris was the centre of artistic activity, several artists visited Paris to acquire knowledge of Impressionism.

Post Impressionism Art Movement - Vincent Van Gogh

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2014. Impressionism [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/imml/hd_imml.htm. [Accessed 12 February 2014].

11. Lintel – This is the horizontal building component which supports the tympanum. It is also found over windows and doors. Such example is the Treasury of Atreus which is found in Greece. This is one of the largest lintels in the world, weighing 120 tons.

West Portal of Autun Cathedral

  

Glossary of Medieval Art and Architecture, 2014. lintel. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.pitt.edu/~medart/menuglossary/lintel.htm. [Accessed 28 March 2014].

An Encyclopedia of Britannica Company, 2014. Lintel. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lintel. [Accessed 28 March 2014].

12. Neoplasticism - (The new plastic art) This art style was named after Piet Mondrian who was a key figure in DeStijl. It was based upon his personal thoughts through Cubism. Neoplasticism consisted of only lines and rectangles which were arranged at right angles. The colours consisted of only primary colours (red,blue,yellow), black and white.

Neoplasticism canvas prints

Graphic Design History, 2014. Russian Typographic Revolution. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.designhistory.org/Avant_Garde_pages/DeStijl.html. [Accessed 22 April 2014].

13. Paleography - This is the study of reading and analyzing ancient handwriting. It starts from interpreting what someone has written at an earlier time. A paleographer must know how to interpret punctuation and letter forms, and also various styles of handwriting. Paleography is essential for historians since it reflects history itself, this can be observed when reading manuscripts. This study can also be used to indicate the movement and concern in earlier societies. 

Example of an old script: The Will of Henry Pilkington. 1619

Medieval Writing, 2014. What is Palaeography?  [ONLINE] Available at: http://medievalwriting.50megs.com/whatis.htm. [Accessed 18 February 2014].

14. Petroglyphs  - Also referred to as rock carvings or picture writing. These were carved or engraved by removing parts of a rock surface. Petroglyphs are similar to petrographs but these were not carved; they were painted on to rocks. Petroglyphs and Petrographs were both done by people who lived in the prehistoric. It is thought that these carvings record significant events such as births.  Such examples are the Petroglyphs of Hawaii Island. One can find various  Hawaiian Petroglyphs scattered throughout the island.

Petroglyphs of Hawaii Island

Many of these petroglyphs are geometric patterns and according to researchers there is a resemblance of different styles of petroglyphs across different countries.

Nordic Bronze Age petroglyph that is carved into the Vitlyckehall stone in western Sweden.

Geology.com, 2014. Petroglyph Photos. [ONLINE] Available at: http://geology.com/articles/petroglyphs/more-petroglyphs.shtml. [Accessed 27 February 2014].

Hawaii, the Big Island, 2014. Petroglyphs of Hawaii Island. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.gohawaii.com/big-island/guidebook/topics/petroglyphs. [Accessed 27 February 2014].

15. Pictographs and Ideographs - Also referred to as pictograms. These pictures are used to display data. Pictographs are the first type of messages found in history.  Afterwards, ideographs were developed which were more complex. These were symbols which represented data. An example of an alphabet which is based on ideographs is the Chinese alphabet.

An early example of a pictograph

Pictograms are still used nowadays. Such can be found in train stations and airports. Some logos are also based on pictograms.

The Sochi 2014 Olympic Games pictogram

History of Typography for graphic designers and graphic artists, 2014. Picture writing. [ONLINE] Available at: http://planetoftheweb.com/components/promos.php?id=174. [Accessed 17 February 2014].

16. Post Impressionism - Mid-1880s to early 1900s. It was developed from Impressionism. This term (Post Impressionism) was invented by Roger Fry who was an English artist and a member of the Bloomsbury Group (a group of English writers/artists). Artists such as Van Gogh, Cezanne and Gauguin sought new techniques for handling vibrant colours.

Art History, 2014. Post-Impressionism. [ONLINE] Available at: http://arthistory.about.com/od/modernarthistory/a/Post-Impressionism-Art-History-101-Basics.htm. [Accessed 12 February 2014].

17. Red Blue Chair - This was designed by Gerrit Rietveld in 1918. It was made of unstained wood and painted five years later with the 'Destijl palette' - primary colours , black and white. This chair was considered for mass production in standard sizes. Bright colours were added by the architect Bart van der Leck. This chair was borrowed to the Deft University of Technology when a fire destroyed the building but the chair was saved. Nowadays it is found in Auckland, New Zealand.

Graphic Design History, 2014. Russian Typographic Revolution. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.designhistory.org/Avant_Garde_pages/DeStijl.html. [Accessed 22 April 2014].

18. Rococo - (also called 'Late Baroque') This style originated in France around 1720 but it was soon adopted in Germany and Austria. Characteristics of this style include: elegance, lightness and curving. The style was asymmetrical while the predominant colours were ivory white and gold.

A room decorated in the Rococo style, Nymphenburg palace, near Munich.

Rococo was then replaced by the Neoclassic style in the late eighteenth century.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2014. Rococo style (design) [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/506448/Rococo-style. [Accessed 21 April 2014].

19. Roman Uncials - (Fourth century) Roman letters became more rounded and with less strokes therefore, were written faster. This style was borrowed from the Greeks and named it uncials (uncia - Roman inch in height). Even though this style changed and evolved by time, the name still persisted and the Roman Half - Uncials was later created.

Graphic Design History, 2014. Uncials and Half Uncials. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.designhistory.org/Handwriting_pages/Uncials.html. [Accessed 21 April 2014].

20. Roman Half-Uncials - (Sixth century) This style was much easier and faster to write than the uncial style. It was "written between four guidelines allowing for the development of ascenders and descenders."(Designhostory, 2011) Uncials and half uncials were also known as church letters and both were used for designs within ceremonies or religious celebrations. In the next centuries similar lettering was created (Half Uncials and English Half Uncials).

Graphic Design History, 2014. Uncials and Half Uncials. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.designhistory.org/Handwriting_pages/Uncials.html. [Accessed 21 April 2014].

21. Serif - This refers to the small line which is attached to the end of a letter (shown in the picture). It all started from the Egyptian hieroglyphs, which from it, originated the Phoenician alphabet and later the Latin/Roman alphabet. There are various types of serifs such as the Old Style (1465), Transitional Style (mid-18th century), Modern(late 18th century) and Slab serif(1800). On the contrary a font without serifs is called sans serif (sans in French means "without").

Serif, 2014. Serif. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.princeton.edu/~achaney/tmve/wiki100k/docs/Serif.html.  [Accessed 15 February 2014].

22. Spencerian script - (1850-1925) This type of script was used in the United States and was the standard writing for businessman. It was developed by Platt Rogers Spencer in 1840 and started being taught in schools. The Spencerian script remained until the 1920's, since the typewriter started being used for businesses, therefore this script became  extinct.

Spencerian script example - 1884

Spencerian Script, 2014.  American Cursive. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.spencerian.com/. [Accessed 22 April 2014].

23. Times New Roman - This font got its name from the British newspaper , the Times of London. The font was created in 1929 by Stanley Morison and Victor Lardent (drew letterforms). Although Morison hired Lardent, they both worked for the Times newspaper.  The font has a serif typeface and it  was designed for a newspaper which makes it narrower than most other fonts.

Typography for Lawyers, 2014. A Brief History of Times New Roman [ONLINE] Available at: http://typographyforlawyers.com/a-brief-history-of-times-new-roman.html. [Accessed 12 February 2014]. 

24. Tympanum – This refers to the semi-circular arch which is situated over an entrance.  A tympanum often contains imagery from Romanesque and Gothic periods. Romanesque tympanums are more rounded while Gothic tympanums have a more vertical shape and pointed at the top.

The late Romanesque tympanum of Vézelay Abbey,Burgundy, France, dating from the 1130s

Personal thought: In this sculpture one can notice that the main figure is in the middle while the less important are on the side. There are also figures at the bottom which makes them even less important than the rest. The middle figure is also larger compared to the others and has his arms wide open to show that he is in control.

Glossary of Medieval Art and Architecture, 2014. Tympanum. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.pitt.edu/~medart/menuglossary/tympanum.htm. [Accessed 28 March 2014].

25. Volvelle - This medieval instrument was used to calculate the motion of the Moon in relation to that of the sun. The first known Volvelle was created by Matthew Paris(Benedictine Monk) in 1250 (shown in the picture). He got inspired from the circular charts that appeared in the abbey's books. A Volvelle consists of circular paper discs which function as a circular calculator. These represent the dates of the phases of the Moon.

The First known Volvelle by Matthew Paris 1250

Pinterest, 2014. Volvelle. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.pinterest.com/astroshop/volvelle/. [Accessed 12 February 2014].