History of Design

I am taking a class at UMass, Amherst entitled the History of Design taught by Miguel Romero...Before starting the class, I couldn't help but fear that I would be plunged back into an undergraduate environment studying facts, dates, and names...

I was quickly jolted into an array of my fears and dreams mixed together, shoved into my mouth, where I quickly chewed them up and vomited them back out in hopes that I would have another chance to see what I had been force fed. Luckily, I didn't have to re-eat the material I had previously spewed out, instead I was offered another host of information equally jolting, bitter, and exquisite. This time, however, I am able to pick and choose what I swallow, what I vomit out, and what I save for later.

Finding what images, facts, and fables are most intriguing will ultimately allow me to engage the material in a way that both stimulates my intellect and my creativity while re-enforcing the importance of experiencing visually and physically as much stimuli as is beyond physically possible in any given 75 minutes.

Here are just a few of those things that I found appetizing today...

Bramante


St. Peters Ground Plan...

I specifically like the ground plan for its symmetry, cross-like nature, and depth (I feel like I could place a magnifying glass on this image and continue on infinitely to another layer of crosses, squares, and circles). What a treat!!!


Encyclopedia Britannica's Tempietto, San Pietro in Montorio, Rome

This image represents a wonderfully theatrical lighting challenge...how do you illuminate the most important element of the structure, what is that element, or does that depend on the beholder and if so, then from which direction is the beholder beholding the structure???

Grunewald


Isenheim Crucifixion

My God look at that body! His body, limbs, fingers, toes, knees, sinews, bones and flesh are twisted, stretched, pierced, and broken!!! This image creates such a vibrant and powerful reflection upon the excruciating pain that was inflicted upon victims of crucifixion. Never before in my life have I seen an image of Christ so utterly broken, emaciated, and dead, yet so full of life. Please take a moment and cherish this artists work. View more of his pieces and stand in awe at the beauty of mannerism in his scenes and characters! (each emphasizes and epitomizes humanity)

Breughel


Spreekwoorden (De Blauwe Huik) Proverbs (aka Blue Cloak), 1559

Please, take a minute or two or ten to look closely at the image above. Click on it too and it will take you to a much larger version where you may break down the myriad of scenes represented in this work of art. What it might have been like to take this conglomeration of episodes, events, and scenarios and render them into such lifelike and emotional characters. What is more...what it would be like to take just a handful of these and recreate them for the live theatre. All happening at the same time, within, upon, and beneath each other. What a feast this man has given us to observe!!!

Here is more...I can't possibly breakdown a single work from all of these artists in one night let alone in one week..."breakdown"...I hardly did that...more like mention uncerimoniously my own brief thoughts on the images.

Tintoretto
Parmigianino
Bronzino
Bosch
Durer
Altdorfer
Fiorentino
Clouet
Cellini
Goujon
da Bologna
Titian
Veronese
Sofonisba Anguisola
Artemisia Gentilleschi