Credit value: 10
1
Contextual
references in
art and design
150 years ago art and design students, in order to
learn, had to copy exactly the work of famous artists.
From this way of working, they learned how to draw,
paint and sculpt as well as to make jewellery, furniture
and buildings. You don’t have to do that anymore but
you are expected to find out about the work of other
artists from the past and the present. You’ll find out how
materials have been used, and how artists have used
information from the world around them for inspiration.
This unit will introduce you to key movements in art and design and
how artists responded to what was going on in their time. Finding
the answers to how society changed because of new ideas in
science and manufacturing and how life changed because of world
wars can all be discovered by studying art and design.
If you look at how artists worked at the start of the last century you’ll
find out that they were influenced by the technology that was being
invented then. For example, paintings and sculptures reflected the
discovery of speed through the invention of cars and planes.
Fast forward to artists of the last 40 years and you can discover how
Pop, Rock and Punk music changed fashion and graphic design
forever. By knowing about contextual references in art and design
you will find out how the past links with the work of artists today.
movement
abstract art
realism
historical art
Learning outcomes
After completing this unit you should:
1 know the influences of historical and
contemporary art and design developments
2 be able to use historical and contemporary
references to support research and development
of own response
3 be able to present information about the work
studied in an appropriate format
1
Credit value: 10
15
Working
with digital
art and
design briefs
When you are working with digital art and
design briefs you will be exploring the
potential of using digital techniques to create
art and design work. This may involve using a
mixture of traditional and digital techniques.
Artists and designers working in digital media need
to be flexible and able to work in different ways. The
ever-increasing potential of the digital environment
means they have to continually adapt and refine their
work and be aware of new directions made available
by technology. On page 217 is an example of a digital
artist and designer who works in different ways.
digital illustration
photographic-based work
digital-based fine art
online publications
websites
blogs
vlogs
animatics
animation
Learning outcomes
After completing this unit you should:
1 be able to create visual material using digital
technology
2 be able to plan and develop ideas for a digital
art and design brief
3 understand the successful characteristics and
quality of digital art and design work
215
Preparing and
making skills
The skill of preparing and making is an essential
part of every artist’s and designer’s job and
because of this it is covered within all 18 units. It
includes being able to develop new ideas, make
use of specialist techniques and processes and
experiment with media.
Developing ideas is completed at the beginning of
assignments. It’s about taking a given starting point on a
design journey in order to come up with a range of ideas.
Many small changes are made to the original idea along
the journey in order to end up with lots of alternatives. It is
often a good idea to work quickly at this stage so that you
have more ideas to select from rather than less!
Experimenting could involve exploring different colour
combinations, or working at different scales, or working
with different media, techniques or processes. Artists and
designers develop their ideas in different ways in order to
produce an original design. A selection of the elements
that can be changed and altered are listed on the right.
Selected ideas will need to be refined and the final piece
needs to be made carefully and accurately.
This section you give you ideas and examples of how to
meet the pass, merit and distinction criteria in Units 1–5
and suggest ways to further develop and extend your
ideas.
colour palettes
styles of lettering
materials
scale and proportion
composition
media
placement of imagery
patterns
surfaces
119
BTEC’s own resources
1. Know the influences of
historical and contemporary art
and design developments
Can you
Warm up
connect
Punk Rock
with Marie
Antoinette?
Dame Vivienne Westwood is a fashion designer who invented Punk Rock
fashions in the 1970s. Clothes were often offensive printed slogans on torn
fabrics which were pinned together again with safety pins. Twenty years
later, Westwood started to look at paintings of wealthy people such as
Marie Antoinette (1755–1793) to inspire her work.
Look at portraits of wealthy women from 1600 to 1850 and at Westwood’s
work from the late 1980s onwards. Compare this example of a Westwood
top with the painting that inspired it. Discuss the common points.
Discuss the points that are common to the paintings and Westwood’s
fashions. See the Wallace Collection on Hotlinks.
This Westwood article of clothing has been
photographically printed with a detail from
François Boucher’s Daphnis and Chloë (1743–5) in
the Wallace Collection, London
4
Boucher’s Daphnis and
Chloë (1743–5) in the Wallace
Collection, London
BTEC’s own resources
Key term
Surrealism
Surreal – sur-real means unreal,
something which is bizarre or relates
to surrealism
Surrealism grew out of Dadaism as artists began to react to the political
and philosophical thoughts of the time. Surrealist artists made ‘automatic’
drawings and tried to illustrate what was happening in their unconscious
minds. During the early 1920s scientific theories about how the mind worked
were beginning to develop. Practitioners
such as Sigmund Freud invented
psychoanalysis and artists were keen to
reflect these theories in their work. From
the 1920s the Surrealist movement spread
around the globe, affecting painting,
photography, drawing, sculpture, film,
poetry, writing and music.
In what ways was Dali’s preoccupation
with the unconscious mind reflected
in this painting?
Artists to look at include Man Ray (1890–
1977), Meret Oppenheim (1913–1985),
Leonora Carrington (1917–), Roland Penrose
(1900–1984), Lee Miller (1907–1977) and
Salvador Dali (1904–1989). Dali turned
himself into a self-publicist and appeared
on television and directed films. In 1973
Dali met the rock star Alice Cooper and
produced a three-dimensional hologram of
him.
Abstract Expressionism
Jackson Pollock (1912–1956) painted drip
paintings between 1947 and 1956, which
are concerned with rhythm and harmony.
Pollock flicked and dripped paint on to
large boards and canvases as they lay on the
floor. His abstract work was part of Abstract
Expressionism which emerged in America
after the end of the Second World War in
1945. Artists were responding to the horrors
of war as well as to the emerging Cold War
and mass consumerism. Look at the work of
Harold Rosenberg (1906–1978) and Willem
de Kooning (1904–1997) to find out more
and then link these to the work of Andy
Warhol (1928–1987).
What is being expressed in this
painting by Willem de Kooning?
8
Unit 1 Contextual references in art and design
Minimalism
This was an offshoot of modern art that appeared in New York in the
1950s in the shape of sculptures and paintings. Carl Andre (1935–), Donald
Judd (1928–1994) and Tony Smith (1912–1980) are among the best-known
Minimalist artists. Canvases were large and, to many people, looked blank –
just filled with one or two colours. This art was extremely unpopular with the
public because it looked like nothing.
Unexpectedly in the 1980s, Minimalism seemed to be adopted by ordinary
people. Interiors became Minimalist as contents of rooms were either thrown
away or hidden behind floor-to-ceiling cupboards that often were concealed.
Many magazines featured the Minimalist interiors of architects and designers,
which then influenced and inspired other designers. Furniture also became
less fussy. Designers began to adopt industrial materials to make furniture,
and floors were covered with rubber tiles or tamped-down concrete, as you
might find in factories. Of course not everyone went Minimalist, but this
example shows how ideas circulate among artists and designers.
Assessment activity 1.1:
Key movements
P1 M1 D1
List the key movements you are familiar with. Can you put any important events
against these movements?
If you are interested in a specialist pathway, can you answer any of the following
about the key movements you have listed?
• What were the dates of the movement?
• What fashions did women wear?
• What sort of transport was used?
• What materials were used to make furniture?
• How did people communicate?
• What did houses built at the time look like?
• What sort of music did people listen to? P1
Grading tip M1
To achieve a Merit, you need to explain the influences of a variety of
relevant historical and contemporary art and design developments. This
means that your research should be thorough enough to answer this.
Relevant means the ones that you have been guided to look at through
your assignments. Some developments you will have chosen yourself or
have found through your reading.
PLTS
Creative thinkers and
self-managers
Personal learning and thinking
skills are practised when you use
your own initiative to explore
historical and contemporary
references.
Note on a mind map or spider
diagram how artists are linked.
Use the information to give
yourself new directions to explore.
Key term
Contemporary – usually means ‘of
now’ but often means trendy/cutting
edge.
Grading tip D1
To achieve a Distinction, you need to show that you can analyse. This
means that you should read or listen to enough information to show that
you understand how one thing influences another.
9
BTEC’s own resources
Case study: Jamie Reid and the Sex Pistols
Jamie Reid (1947–) broke new design ground with a record cover for the
Sex Pistols. The record was called ‘God Save the Queen’. Why was the
cover of the abum (below) seen as shocking?
How were the letters made and how would you describe the style? Reid’s
work defined the image of Punk Rock, especially in the UK. Reid did this
because, apart from pre-cut letters called transfer
letters (one of the brand names was Letraset), stencil
shapes and ready-made type, most typography
was hand crafted and took skill and time to
produce. At the start of the 20th century artists had
experimented with collage, and Reid’s record cover
echoed their subversive methods.
In the 21st century computer-generated type
makes large numbers of fonts available to
designers, although new fonts still evolve. Today’s
graphic designers use computer applications to
generate ideas, relating images with typefaces to
communicate in exciting ways.
1 Look up the word ‘subversion’ in a dictionary
or on Wikipedia. Can you explain why this
word is used to describe the record cover?
2 Can you identify fonts that relate to periods in
art history?
The cover of the Sex Pistols album God
Save the Queen by Jamie Reid was seen as
shocking when it was released in 1977
3 Can you find artwork that relates the image to
the style of the font?
1.3 Historical art and design developments
Exhibitions have played a prominent role in showcasing the developments in
art and design starting with the Great Exhibition in 1851.
Exhibitions
The Great Exhibition, London 1851
‘The Great Exhibition of Works of Industry of All Nations’ brought exhibits of
art, design, technology and industry under the same roof for the first time,
and included work from around the world. Visitors saw some of the latest
ideas in furniture, iron work, china and gold and silverware design, from
12
e
c
a
p
S
Work
Ruth Facey
Unit 2 2D Visual Communication
Jewellery designer
This image is a silver pendant
with milled texture made in 2008. It is one of
the original pieces from my ‘dotted stalk’ collection that
has sprouted all kinds of jewellery. It is a direct influence
from the painting Cliff Top Thrift by Charles Napier c.1935,
at Penlee House Museum and Gallery, Penzance. Thrift is a
flowering grass that grows wild on cliff tops.
My knowledge of historical and contemporary art has informed my
work as a designer. I find it very instructive to observe how artists
have approached their view of subjects and how designers
have responded to demands of functionality and
decoration when making objects.
It is important to observe
how the great periods of art and
design have remained as inspirations
to subsequent generations.
Creative practitioners must filter the
knowledge of historical and contemporary
art to understand its original context and its
current relevance – if any. I use this as a springboard for an individual
response, and to deliver a fresh and original piece of work. In this way my work acknowledges
the examples of others but remains true to the personal style that develops.
Therefore an artist should maintain an interest in the output of other artists, not just from one’s
own discipline but from wider sources. This revitalises ones own perception and understanding
of creative energy and helps to balance these within one’s working life.
Think about it!
• Have you ever produced a piece of work
influenced by someone else’s art?
• What inspires your work?
23
Preparing and
making skills
The skill of preparing and making is an essential
part of every artist’s and designer’s job and
because of this it is covered within all 18 units. It
includes being able to develop new ideas, make
use of specialist techniques and processes and
experiment with media.
Developing ideas is completed at the beginning of
assignments. It’s about taking a given starting point on a
design journey in order to come up with a range of ideas.
Many small changes are made to the original idea along
the journey in order to end up with lots of alternatives. It is
often a good idea to work quickly at this stage so that you
have more ideas to select from rather than less!
Experimenting could involve exploring different colour
combinations, or working at different scales, or working
with different media, techniques or processes. Artists and
designers develop their ideas in different ways in order to
produce an original design. A selection of the elements
that can be changed and altered are listed on the right.
Selected ideas will need to be refined and the final piece
needs to be made carefully and accurately.
This section you give you ideas and examples of how to
meet the pass, merit and distinction criteria in Units 1–5
and suggest ways to further develop and extend your
ideas.
colour palettes
styles of lettering
materials
scale and proportion
composition
media
placement of imagery
patterns
surfaces
119
BTEC’s own resources
Some artists’ and designers’ sketchbooks include all sorts of found imagery,
from packaging to postcards, labels, photographs and found objects, such as
feathers, leaves and shells, which could be used as starting points for future
projects. These are often referred to again and again in their work. Matisse
collected patterned fabrics and would use the same fabric numerous times in
portraits and still-life paintings throughout his life.
124
An example of first thoughts and colour notes
on this page and a preliminary line drawing on
the next page. The artist can make use of these
when completing the final painting.
Preparing and making skills
Sketchbooks come in a variety of sizes and can be very easy to carry around
with you, so that you can add to your ideas all the time. You can draw, write
notes, stick in photographs or pages from magazines as starting points,
research artists, stick in leaflets or postcards from exhibitions and so on.
Sketchbooks can become very individual and an exciting record of each
assignment. It is a good idea to use the front and back of sketchbook pages
and really cram in as many ideas as possible.
125
BTEC’s own resources
Activity: Sketchbooks
Use your sketchbook to gather information and
record the 3D shape and structure of a jug. This
is a great way to work in a sketchbook as you can
build up lots of facts and information to take into a
finished piece later. Try to draw all key details, paying
particular attention to the front, back and sides
so that you can work only from your drawings and
produce a replica of the jug.
Use a double-page spread in your sketchbook so
that your drawings can flow, and start in the top left
corner by writing down the characteristics to identify
what you need to draw. The list below is the ‘menu’
of design features that you will need to work through.
When you start to draw work quickly it is better to
produce lots of drawings than one, so don’t worry
if they are not very accurate to start with. Turn the
jug around and draw it from different viewpoints to
get an understanding of its form. Look at the scale
and shape of the handle and how it is positioned
opposite the spout. Pay attention to how the handle
and spout join on to the jug and to any pattern or
details that go around the outside.
Enjoy this process of finding out about the jug. As
you draw, think about which parts you like the best
– is it the shape of the handle? Or the decoration
around the surface? Focus on these sections
and redraw to ensure you have captured detailed
information.
colour
material
size
shape
patterns used
the shape of the
handle
the shape of
the spout
Working quickly, this artist has begun
to record the 3D shape and decorative
patterns on this ceramic jug
Grading tips
In order to meet the merit and distinction criteria, you will need to record all the key details found on the
jug so that you can demonstrate you have fully explored its structure, independently selected elements to
focus on and produced further detailed studies. You could do this by remembering to write about, as well
as draw, the key details and by working in a range of media.
126