Assignment: History of Modern Design: 1850 - Present

Read the following pages in the textbook and answer the questions below: pgs. 478 - 479; and pgs. 596 -605 up to "Design for Industry".

As before, type your answers, and include the numbers/letters of the questions with your answers.

1. In the "Responses to Industrialization" section (Chapter 18, "North America"), according to the author:

a) What were the Arts & Crafts and Aesthetic Movements (both) reacting to in "everyday life" at this time?

b) How did each of these two movements respond to this aspect of life with a slightly different emphasis, according to the unique focus of each movement?

2. What does the author cite as a symbol of the Aesthetic Movement, and why, specifically, was this an appropriate symbol for this movement? (Think of it analytically: look at its morphology, composition, kind of content or expression, etc., as we do in class.)

3. In the "Europe and North America 1900-1945" section of Chapter 23, the authors discuss the "plural picture" of "rich diversity" in approaches to design in this period. Which of the key design terms we have been using in class would you say describes all 3 of the tendencies discussed here - the Beaux Arts, Louis and ‘Period' movements or styles? Use as many of the terms from the lectures of the last two weeks as you think definitely apply. (Don't panic; we'll go over the terms referred to a little bit on Monday.)

4. Write a sentence or two describing each of two possible independent research paper topics. This is a guess on your part and may change. (On Monday, we will go over possible topic types a bit more in class, but make your best guess at a topic first and jot it down on paper for yourself, so that Monday's class will be more helpful to you.)