The Development in Modern Furniture Design - Assignment Example

Details Q1. The Development in Furniture Design The design of furniture has developed over the years with each generation having a different kind of design from the previous depending on the current trend. Archaeological research indicates that Neolithic people or ancient used stones to construct seats, beds, shelves, dressers and cupboard. Ancient furniture from the 8th century majorly included table and serving stands (David, 2011). During the colonial period, most of the furniture arrived along with the first immigrant. The pieces of furniture in this period were generally sturdy and heavily curved with most of them having bun feet and turned legs. The earliest American piece of furniture is a chest that was constructed by Nicholas Disbrowe around 1660. It uncompromising rectangular and distinctively carved frame and panel construction has been accepted and recognized as a distinct American style. Aesthetics In the eighteenth century, the design of furniture began to develop very rapidly, although there were some styles that belonged to distinct countries such as the Louis Quinze in French and the Palladianism in Great Britain. Although separate, all the 18th –century furniture, whether American, French, or British shared a similar style in their construction. The19th century was marked with industrial revolution that come along with profound changes in society. Modern furniture refers to those furniture that were designed and produced from late nineteenth century to the current design that has been influenced by modernism (David, 2011).. After the World War II the ideal of commodification, practicality of materials and excess cutting greatly influenced the aesthetic of the design of furniture. Furniture design and forms developed from the previous ones that were visually heavy to the ones that were visually light. This shift from decorative to a minimalist principle of design was majorly due to the introduction of new and more advanced technology that was used in the construction of the furniture, the changes in philosophy and the influence of architectural principles. Materials Archaeological research indicates that Neolithic people or ancient used stones to construct seats, beds, shelves, dressers and cupboard. Furniture’s that were made in the middle age era was mostly oak, heavy and ornamented (David 194). At the beginning of the modernism era, glided or dark carved wood and patterns that were richly fabricated gave way to the geometry of polished metal and glittering simplicity. In the modern design, the use of materials such as steel, course plastic and molded plywood are formative in the making of the new design (David, 2011). The adoption of the innovative methods and new material in furniture design produce a certain trend in the discipline of art and technology. Examples of Furniture Design. Some of the iconic examples of modern furniture include a Gerrit Rietveld’s Red Blue Armchair which were created in the early 90’s. Originally they were stained black (David 304). The main intension of Rietveld was to come up with a design of furniture that could be mass produced cheaply. The most iconic furniture design of all time is that of Marcel Wassily. It was known as the Model B3 chair. This piece of chair is iconic because it introduces an elegant yet simple and light-weight materials for the domestic use. The most recent design of furniture that still trend in the industry is the construction of a recliner. A recliner is a sofa bed or an Armchair that reclaims when the occupant lowers the chair back or raises it in front. It has a back rest that can be tilted back a footrest that can be extended by a means of a lever on the side of the chair or automatically extended when the back is reclined. Modern recliners have a lumbar support, an adjustable head rest and an independent footstool that adjust with the angle of the leg and weight of the user to maximize comfort. Presently, furniture designers continue to evolve the design. They are still in search of new material that will be used to produce new forms of that will employ the principle of both lightness and simplicity (Daniel 264). Q2. Development in Textile The major function of textile designers is to come up with designs which are used in interior décor and clothing. Textile has been a fundamental part of human life since the introduction of human civilization. The materials and methods that have been used to make textile have enormously expanded while its function have pretty much remained the same. The main type of textile included the satin weave, plain weave and twill, there is however a very small difference between modern and ancient textile. The design and art of textile include those materials which are used to decorate and embellish textile. The simplest art of textile is felting. It involves the matting of animal fiber together using moisture and heat. In the past, and even currently, designing and fabrication of textile begun with twisting and plying of fiber to make yarn or thread. The year is then looped, woven, braided and knotted to make a flexible cloth or fabric which is then used to make soft furnishing and clothing (David 456). Materials The materials and methods that have been used to make textile have enormously expanded while its function have pretty much remained the same. Textile can be made from many materials. These materials come from four main sources that include: animal such as silk and wool, mineral such as asbestos and glass fiber, plant such as cotton, jute and flax and synthetic such as polyester, acrylic and nylon. Synthetic fiber such as nylon were invented during the 20th century and they have been since added to the many natural fibers. During the industrial revolution, the mechanization of fabric was done by machines that were powered by steam engines and waterwheels. The production of textile then shifted from small cottage based production to mass production on assembly line organization. However, the production of clothing on the other hand continued to be made by hand (David 206). Sewing machines emerged during the 19th century thus streamlining the production of cloths. The design of textile. Textile design is basically the process of creating designs for knitted, woven or printed fabric. Sewing needle have be said to have begun hundred thousand year ago. The design and art of textile include those materials which are used to decorate and embellish textile. The simplest art of textile is felting. It involves the matting of animal fiber together using moisture and heat. In the past, and even currently, designing and fabrication of textile begun with twisting and plying of fiber to make yarn or thread. The year is then looped, woven, braided and knotted to make a flexible cloth or fabric which is then used to make soft furnishing and clothing (David 456). The design and art of textile include those materials which are used to decorate and embellish textile. The simplest art of textile is felting. It involves the matting of animal fiber together using moisture and heat. In the past, and even currently, designing and fabrication of textile begun with twisting and plying of fiber to make yarn or thread. The year is then looped, woven, braided and knotted to make a flexible cloth or fabric which is then used to make soft furnishing and clothing (David 456). Q3. Development in illustration An illustration is a depiction or visualization made by a particular artist, such as, a drawing, sketch, photograph, or other kinds of images of things, remembered or imagined, using a graphical representation (David, 2011). The main aim of an illustration is to decorate or elucidate a story, a poem, or a given piece of textual information by providing a visual representation of something that has been described in a text. The seventeenth and eighteenth century is a time in the illustration history as engraving, lithography and etching allowed for a speedier process and the ability to reach out to more audience. Britain nurtured the talent of many world-renowned illustrators like William Blake, who is best known for his religious engravings; George Cruickshank, who created the illustrations for Charles Dickens’ books and William Hogarth, who concentrated on socio-satirical themes (William, 1982). Around the fifteenth century books that were illustrated with wood cut were available. The major process that was used in making of illustrations during the sixteenth and the seventeenth century were majorly etching and engraving (William 5).The early 1900s was considered the golden age of illustration with multiple works appearing in magazines and books, both in America and Europe. Walter Crane was one of the front liners of the golden age with his traditional romantic illustrations influenced by the Pre-Raphaelites. The mysterious stories by the Grimm brothers were also heavily illustrated by the hand of Arthur Rackman with dark images (William, 1982). The American illustration was majorly developed by scholars at the Brandywine School illustrators who created works of adventure or romantic themes. They studied under Howard Pyle. During the world war, the major works of most illustrators was centered on propaganda posters and flyers. In the 1950s the Push Pin studio were founded by, Milton Glaser, Seymour Chwast, Edward Sorel and Reynolds Ruffins. The collective are the most popular graphic design and illustration studios in Europe and the world that has influenced multiple of artists and has also contributed to the Illustration design field with its bi-monthly publication, Push Pin Graphic, which ran from 1950 to 1981. The 20th century was a bad period for illustration, however, the constant evolution of computers and the introduction of software like Photoshop InDesign and Illustrator have allowed the re-invention of illustration. Today there is a growing interest in admiring and collecting of the original art work that was used as illustrations magazines, blogs, posters and books. However, possibly due to the massive growth of graphic novels and video game industries, as well as the current shift value of illustrations in most magazines over photography, illustration is becoming a popular, profitable and valued form of art that can acquire a huge market than graphic novels and video games (David, 2011). References David, R. 2011. History of Modern Design. New Jersey: Prentice Hall. Daniel, K. 2012. The history of Modern Furniture Design. New York. Museum of Decorative Arts. William, M, 1982. “British Arts and Craft”. SendSpace. 61, 199-211. Viewed on 13th Feb 2015. http://www.sendspace.com/filegroup/CmpcN0KX992J8e3oM9 Read More