purcc 2012 - University of the Pacific

Senior Art & Design Show – Artist Statements
A Modern Day Twist
Allison Colberg
Faculty Mentor: Marie Lee
Avant Garde art of the 20 th century was considered the
hallmark of modernism, innovation, and experimentation.
Artists during this time broke down traditional ideas of
design and pushed the boundaries of what was culturally
and artistically accepted. I designed six different
advertisements, each one based on and inspired by an Avant
Garde artist of the mid 1900s.
I researched and drew inspiration from Piet Zwart, Andre
Breton, A.M. Cassandre, Jan Tchichold, Marinetti, and
Pablo Picasso, and sought to design my advertisements as
these designers would if they had lived and worked in
modern times. The artistic movements with which these
artists were associated were Berlin Dada, the Bauhaus,
Futurism, Cubism, and De Stijl.
I began my project researching elements of each movement,
current events prominent in society, and issues each
designer sought to highlight and explore in his work. I
chose to advertise subjects based on what was relevant
during the time and what concerned them the most, and I
sought out topics in modern day society which best
paralleled these concerns.
For example, I chose the video game Guitar Hero as the
subject matter for one of my advertisements, because
Futurism — the artistic movement I was representing —
was focused on technology, noise, chaos, and intensity. I
felt that Guitar Hero embodied those themes well in today’s
world.
Even the materials I used complied with the spirit and ideals
of Avant Garde: I worked with sheets of clear Plexiglas,
small hardware pieces, and metal tubing. These materials
not only produced a sturdy, stable finished product, but also
gave my advertisements an industrial-looking finish.
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