The re-emergence of the popularity of grid systems, in web and print design, harkens back to the advertising design of Josef Müller-Brockmann. Müller-Brockmann began his career in the 1930′s, perfecting the Swiss Grid System and clearly defining his work as an artform unto itself. More interesting to me is his use of positive and negative space, almost Gestalt-like, with backgrounds and foregrounds melding into one another.
This limited edition Giclee poster by Stuart Tolley is a visual representation of the Bob Marley song I Shot The Sheriff. It shows the relationship between the bass guitar notes and the electric guitar’s treble notes.
Consistently a source of inspiration for me are the woodblock and watercolor prints of Henri Rivière. His lithographic series “Thirty Six Views of the Eiffel Tower,” inspired by Hokusai: 36 Views of Mount Fuji, are an unusually detailed representation of life around Paris during the 1800′s and the building of the Eifel Tower. This series captures a period of time in French culture so precisely and definitively that I consider it historic as well as artistic.
Artist & designer Cristian Zuzunaga, a Barcelona-born artist & designer, captures sheer imagination in his pixelated fabric prints, clothing designs and architecural influenced pixel-pop prints.
I have a passion for, and am intrigued by, textile designs. Their repetitive nature of creation is so similar to techniques found in web background images. Shepard Fairey has an interesting selection of prints based on fabric patterns, including this one called “Japanese Pattern Fabric Set Red/Blk.” Visit the everything-Shepard site to see more.
Shepard Fairey, the artist behind President Obama’s HOPE iconic art, has released a new Obey poster to commemorate the inauguration. Fairey’s critics have detracted from his style of art, where he works from 1940′s, 50′s and 60′s iconic art and works them into his own unique commentaries of the world today. His style reminds me of Andy Warhol’s early pieces and the critics’ remarks were similar .
Fairey’s inaugural art can be found here.