Kem (Karl Emmanuel Martin) Weber American (born Germany), 1889–1963
“Skyscraper” night table, 1928–1929
Mirror, burl walnut, glass, painted and silvered wood, chrome-plated metal, cedar
The Modernism Collection, Minneapolis Institute of Art
photograph by ©versluis 2015
Modes and Manners
Thursday, July 30, 2015
“Streamline Moderne” — Kem Weber’s style
Thursday, July 23, 2015
Carl Milles: “The Vision of Peace” at the Saint Paul City Hall – Ramsey County Courthouse
The Vision of Peace (God of Peace)
Memorial Hall, Saint Paul City Hall / Ramsey County Courthouse
View from the third floor. All photographs ©versluis 2015
Sculptor: Carl Milles
Material: Mexican Onyx
Height: 36 feet, Weight: 60 tons
For Native Americans the ascending smoke from a ceremonial fire or the peace pipe signify prayers being lifted up. The following is from the label/didactics that identifies the monument:
This statue depicts five Native Americans [at the base] in a spiritual ceremony with their sacred pipes. From the smoke arises a Vision of Peace. One hand of the statue holds the sacred pipe, the other extends in a gesture of friendship—symbolic of the idea that with meeting and understanding comes the hope for world peace.
The figure [unnoticeably] rotates 132 degrees on its base (66 degrees in each direction).
Building dedicated in 1932
Building Architects: Holabird and Root
Construction: Ellerbe & Company
The left-handed God of Peace (right-handed in final version)
Plaster maquette made to scale by Carl Milles, 1930
The first three designs were not accepted. The image above is the fourth maquette submitted, which was finally approved by the commission.
From the collection of the Minnesota Museum of Art Read More......
Saturday, July 18, 2015
Henry Dreyfuss: design based on human factors
Design by Henry Dreyfuss (American, 1904–1972)
Drawing by Alvin R. Tilley (American, 1914–1993)
Designer Henry Dreyfuss’s suggestions for functional industrial design were
based on human factors and ergonomics. As the graphic above indicates Dreyfuss carefully studied the proportions found in the human body when correlating product design and the user experience. The image above is
taken from the exhibition Revealing the Body: The Art of Anatomy currently at the Minneapolis Institute of Art.
The label for this piece states:
Three Basic Human Body Types—Profile, 1966Read More......
Black marker over graphite on gray linen
Anthropometry: in Greek, the word means the measure of man, but not only—it is the foundation of an entire philosophy that connects the human body, its proportions and movements, with the social and natural environment, and ultimately with the Universe. Henry Dreyfuss, the prominent American industrial designer, used the proportions of the body as a point off departure for his creations—for instance, he created the “Princess” telephone to fit the hands of teenage girls. His principles are deeply rooted in the core of 15th-century Renaissance thought—man is the measure of all things.
Wednesday, July 15, 2015
Dürer’s systems
Albrecht Dürer (German, 1471–1528)
Dürer’s suggestions for classical proportions in visual design were based on the ratios he found in the human body. The image above is taken from the exhibition Revealing the Body: The Art of Anatomy currently at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. The label for this piece states:
Hjerin sind begriffen vier Bücher von menschlichen ProportionRead More......
(Four books on human proportion)
Nürenberg: Hieronymus Formschneyder, 1528
Dürer’s systems were mathematical: Single parts of the body were measured and a ratio obtained, relating each of them to the total height. Another method was to divide the figure’s height into six parts, which could be used as modules for the construction of the whole being. Dürer’s manuscripts, published only after his death, set a trend and were imitated throughout the 16th century.
Friday, July 10, 2015
Speed and motion: a Piet Zwart photograph
Piet (Pieter) Zwart (Dutch, 1885-1977)
Locomotie, 1928
Gelatin silver print
This is just one of the wonderful photographic prints in the 100+ photography exhibition at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. The show is one of the events which commemorates the 100th anniversary of the MIA this year.
Thursday, July 9, 2015
Alvar Aalto’s “Paimio” chair: a chair with just the essential parts
Alvar Aalto (Finnish, 1898-1976)
“Paimio” chair, c. 1932
Laminated birch, bent plywood
Collection of the Minneapolis Art Institute
The following information is taken from the MIA exhibition label:
“A Finnish architect and designer, Alvar Aalto is best known today for his furniture design. This chair, one of his earliest designs, was made for the Paimio Tuberculosis Sanatorium in southwest Finland, constructed between 1929 and 1937. Using laminated birch, a material previously used only in the construction of skis, Aalto produced a chair that was extremely strong, comfortable and attractive, and could be cheaply and easily manufactured.” Read More......
Frank Gehry’s Fish Lamp
Frank Gehry (American, born Canada, 1929)
Fish Lamp, c. 1985
wood and Formica chips / pieces
Collection of the Frederick R.
Weisman Art Museum, Minneapolis
Photography by versluis ©2015.
The illuminated primordial fish with fascinatingly detailed Formica scales.
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