David Carson, Grahic Designer

David Carson

I have found myself to be immersed in the world of typography. I have grown quite fond of its art. To actually think that there is much creativity that goes into setting up a magazine article or a newspaper ad has never been much appreciated until now. After studying the works of artists I have noticed the ability the art brings to break boundaries. There are many artists who pick up on this skill and many of whom that is dearly noted and most appreciated is David Carson. Carson began his study at the University of Arizona and later found himself at San Diego State University were he studied Sociology and worked towards BFA. Carson a world-class surfer began his career in the graphic design community as the art director of Transworld Skateboard magazine.

His Design “Don’t Mistake Legibility for Communication” designed date was not given. This design shows off his name given to him in the graphic design community. Being known as the “Father of Grunge”. The thought of grunge art has to do with distortion or a sense of out of order. The art piece in itself gives thought that many viewers don’t appreciate art unless there is some form of “order” but he challenges that thought and rule with this display.

Many of his works among his career were means of inspiration for many designers even today. His skills have earned him many awards that made his work very reputable. Some of the awards that were given are, Best overall design by, Society of Publication Designers of New York, Designer of the Year 1998 and 1999 by, International Center of Photography, Master of Typography by Graphics Magazine, and Cover of the Year by Society of Publication Designers of New York to name a few.

In 1995, David Carson moved to New York were he opened his own studio and worked as a freelance artist. In the span of three years Carson was doing work for major corporations such as Nike, Pepsi, AT&T, Budweiser, and Nike later he found himself embarking on other major campaigns who sought out his design capabilities. Those companies being MTV, Kodak, Toyota and Intel these are to name a slim few.

As he furthered his horizons in typography people began to take notice and artist began to look at Carson for inspiration. He then found his interest in schools though he never fully manifested the idea he began opening studios all over the United States as well as a few over seas. Currently Carson finds himself lecturing inspiration, ideas and his philosophy about typography. Most of his pieces did not include a date as to when he completed them some, not even a title. 

Lambert-Sigisbert Adam, Sculptor

Lambert-Sigisbert Adam

I heavily favored Greek sculpting as a dramatic and highly skilled form of artwork. The ability to form a subject matter in such fine detail as, Nike an ancient Greek sculpture or the well know Disc thrower takes tremendous skill. Of the many Greek sculptors of our past time, I favored the work of Lambert-Sigisbert Adam, known as “the elder”. Lambert was a French sculptor who was involved with the movement of Roman Baroque style to the French Rococo. At the age of thirty-seven, Adam, was elected to the Academy (an academy that officiated the usages of vocabulary and grammar of the French language). Lambert also exhibited a few pieces in the Paris salon such as Neptune and Amphitrite completed in 1737.

Lambert formed many sculptures that became world renown. I became a fan of his artwork because of his subject matter. Being a fan of Greek art, Lambert constructed sculptures that included a massive amount of detail. Of these sculptures my favorite is Neptune. The image you can see depicts an ancient Greek god. This statue of uses marble; shows Neptune looking off with a sense of determination as if he was performing a heroic action of some sort. The waviness of his hair and beard show that this is taking place outside. Perhaps the wind is breaking through his long hair as he is performing this action. The statue portrays a great deal of power being exerted and the viewer can see this subject matter has a great deal of strength, inhuman like. The flow of line quality through out this sculpture and use of fine detail allows one to appreciate this subject matter even more.

Going from the headpiece of Neptune I believe there are a few pieces that made Lambert place himself with the worlds best at the time. His sculpture of Poseidon Calming the Waves” 1757, shows a man at Poseidon’s feet as he steps over him with his trident. This sculpture believed to be a form of inspiration at the time making this artwork notable. Again, Lambert captures an action scene in which this Greek god is shown as having an astonishing amount of power and will. His use of line quality is yet again depicted here.

In conclusion, the quality of Lamberts sculptures entail a great deal of detail and quality during this time period the display of masculinity supremacy was a dominate feature in art work seen at that time.  

Leonardo Da Vinci

Leonardo da Vinci

Leonardo da Vinci is arguably the most talented artist to have ever lived. His diverse skills were simply unmatched during his day and age. His ability to produce work in the aspect of a painting, sculpture, and music to name a few was amazing. As of today many recognize him for his paintings. His most popular is the Mona Lisa as well as the Last Supper. Most of his works happened during the period of 1476-1513. Aside from Leonardo’s artistic ability it is said he “conceptualized a helicopter, a tank, concentrated solar power and a calculator”. Leonardo strongly influenced the High Renaissance movement.

Of his painting the first I will discuss will be the “Last Supper” painted in 1498 A.D.  This painting has depicted a final meal before Christ’s crucifixion. There have been many remakes of this painting. Christ depicted in the middle and his twelve disciples surrounding him. His hands out as if he is a mediator. Also Christ offered bread, which symbolized his body and wine, symbolized his blood. The painting I felt was very uniform all the elements in the painting created a flow. His understanding of perspective and color in this painting allows the viewer to feel as if they are part of the scene.

Believed to be his last painting St. John the Baptist completed in 1536. Depicts one of Christ’s disciples a rather feminine figure. Whose smile may remind you of the Mona Lisa painting.  You may also notice John is pointing up to the heavens. Being one of Christ’s disciples there is a strong religious belief in the after life. All together one might suggest the figure is at ease and is content in salvation. The use of negative space here allows for a stronger image as well as the use of line quality.   

      The last of Leonardo Da Vinci’s paintings I will be discussing is the Vitruvian Man, created around 1487. The drawing is of pen and ink on paper. I love this drawing because it uses the basics in art the shapes, line and symmetry. The drawing acts as a guide for the male body in regards to its motor functions.

In conclusion, Leonardo Da Vinci is one of the most influential artists for times to come. His universal art form has inspired many to study more than one form of art. Many of his paintings are still inspiring. His techniques are also looked back upon and studied.