ESSAY

Choosing a particular period from the 1800 to the present, in what ways has art or design responded to the changing social and cultural forces of that period?

During the 1960s, and blossoming into the 1970s, something called a counter-culture became prevalent in the USA, that soon spread throughout Western Europe. The term counter-culture is used to describe the norms and values of a particular group that oppose those of mainstream society at that particular moment in time. Throughout these decades, the conventional social norms that the youth culture, mainly made up of the white working and lower-middle classes, opted to reject included capitalism, the cultural principles of their parents and the original support that emerged for the Vietnam War. From this, interest turned towards social issues, such as gay rights, and away from social conventions. This rejection of the mainstream soon took a hold of music, art, lifestyle and appearance. 

Out of this counter-culture came an unmistakable influence on identity and design. As noted by Jobling and Crowley ‘the most self-consciously visible appearance of this phenomenon were the ‘mods’, who emerged in Britain in 1962’ [1] Youth culture during the 1960s began to be taken over by this metropolitan movement, which flourished in Britain. Working-class and lower-middle-class teenagers were really taken in by this modernist culture that sought to gain identity and rebel against conventional behaviour. These young people began to adopt a completely different sense of style to what was usually seen in big cities such as London. Influences came from far and wide – Italy and France in particular. They adopted ‘roman hairstyles, lightweight shiny suits, narrow ties and Vespa scooters’ [2] that were said to denounce consumerism and the way in which fashion was dictated by others. Their impact on fashion also impacted art. It was the Mods who “first popularised the simple geometric shapes typical of the 1960s”. [3]

Mod influence on art stemmed particularly from customisation. ‘Customising of existing styles, symbols and artefacts became the hallmark of youth culture during the 1960s, a way of both ascribing a personal signature to something and of asserting creative autonomy as a consumer.’ [4] A fine example of this is through the use of the Union Jack, which appeared everywhere, from within the home, to the wardrobes of the Mods. Pete Townshend, of The Who, famously wore a jacket made entirely from fabric in the style of the British flag. 

By about 1965, Pop and Op art were the main focus of Mod culture, with the Union Jack signifying this. An evolution in design began, and the Op pattern, which simulated movement, began appearing everywhere. These designs featured primarily on dresses that had been created by the Scott Paper Company. They were known as the Paper Capers, and as the name suggests they were indeed made from paper, they were also extremely popular. They were said to capture the ‘vibrant, youthful, optimistic and consumerist zeitgeist’ of the 1960s. As well as this, Warhol prints also donned everything imaginable, most notably on Yves Saint Laurent’s Mondrian shift dress, that was featured on French Vogue’s front cover in ’65. It soon got the point where Mod style ‘came to refer to several distinctive styles, being essentially an umbrella term used to cover everything which contributed to the myth of the “Swinging London” ‘. [5]

Another subculture that managed to spring from the animosities of the 60s, primarily within the USA, was he Hippie movement, which became a prominent form of “alternative society”. It was a counter-culture that consisted of individuals whom hoped for Utopian lifestyles. “In LA, they called themselves freaks; in San Francisco, they were hippies; in New York, they were the underground.” [6] They were well-known for dabbling in drugs, such as LSD, as well as being influenced by certain oriental philosophies. The Hippies wanted peace - they wanted an end to both the Vietnam War and the materialistic ways that society was stuck in. It marked a time for change and experimentation. 

An eighteen year old hippy girl gave a general overview of her beliefs in the June 1969 edition of Rave magazine. She believed ‘that paintings should come under the National Health, that money should never have been invented and that any form of work makes for dull people.’  This is the time when psychedelic art really began to flourish, it became a reflection of the drug LSD, creating a big impact on album cover art and posters designed for the music industry. Jay Stevens claimed “According to the hippies, LSD was the glue that held the Haight together. It was the hippie sacrament, a mind detergent capable of washing away years of social programming, a re-imprinting device, a consciousness-expander, a tool that would push us up the evolutionary ladder.” [7] The Haight, also known as Haight-Ashbury in San Francisco, became a prime area to live, with a rising drug culture and a love for psychedelic rock music such as The Grateful Dead. It was to become a symbol of counter-culture. The Fillmore posters in particular, produced for a music venue also in San Francisco, are an extremely reflective example of the work was becoming visible at this time. 

Features of this period included the surreal, paisley patterns with contrasting colours, repetition and the use of hand-drawn lettering, which was both diverse and unconstrained.  Letraset was mainly used during the 70s, becoming quite a  prominent characteristic of Type Setting in this decade. There was a kaleidoscopic feel to most designs, with the morphing of objects and shapes, which adorned posters, various publications and record sleeves. One publication reflective of these aspects of 70s design was a member of the Underground Press - OZ magazine. After it’s first failed attempt, OZ magazine, a satyrical humour magazine from Australia, became the prime representative of psychedelia. It displayed work by the likes of Robert Crumb, who’s ‘artwork echos the wild and crazy trips he experienced first-hand in San Francisco’. [8] Crumb’s work also ended up being part of one of the several obscenity trials the magazine managed to get itself involved in. In an attempt to appeal to the rebelling youth of the time, the May 1970 issue invited secondary school pupils to edit and take part in their publication, which was to be aptly titled “Schoolkids OZ”. Crumb’s Rupert Bear was turned into a collage that showed the innocent childhood character in an obscene and x-rated manner. 

Ken Johnson, an art critic for The New York Times, talks of how LSD and marijuana, that was regularly experimented with by the counter-culture, had such a great impact on art during these decades. He looks at the work of Robert crumb and describes it as ‘so explicitly sexual, even almost pornographic, often very violent, often very open about impolite attitudes about sex and class and race.’ [9]  Johnson sees this time as a ‘psychedelic revolution’, a culture that changed the whole direction that art was going in. In his book ‘Are You Experienced?: How Psychedelic Consciousness Transformed Modern Art’ he quotes artist Deborah Kass ‘she tripped on LSD almost every week and she said she felt it was her “moral duty as an artist to take the trip.”[10] The sampling of these drugs can be seen through music also, for example Bob Dylan and The Beatles. The psychedelics became part of this underground world created by an alternative society.

To conclude, the counter-culture of the 60s and 70s grew so much that it managed to take hold of an entire generation. A possible revolution had occurred in regards to the perception of art and also the way in which people produced it. A rejection of the conventional and support for the individual led to a whole new world of art, phrases and style, which are still seen in today’s society. Work produced during these decades countered what was originally viewed as accepted forms of art. The introduction of LSD and Marijuana, substances that were vastly and continuously being experimented with by certain subcultures of this time, became a pinpoint factor in creating new artistic styles. It became all about the experience and how an individual perceived the world around them. They managed to alter a person’s cognition. Psychedelic art, which was primarily a product of hallucinogenics, such as that mentioned above, is still believed to be going strong. This view is taken on by art critic Ken Johnson who believes ‘there’s been kind of a resurgence. This whole psychedelic thing is still part of our culture. It’s not over.’[11]  Pop Art, on the other hand, is now seen to be ‘commonly reduced’ [12] in the Western world of today. It is no longer wholly viewed as a representation of counter-culture - ‘once branded as immoral, anarchistic, and revolutionary, the counter-culture of the 1960s [Pop Art] is now playfully imitated.’ [13] 

1. Jobling, P. and Crowley, D. (1997) “Graphic Design: Reproduction and representation since 1800 (Studies in Design)” Manchester University Press, pp211

2. Thorne, T. (1993), “Fads, From Acid House, Fashions to Zoot Suit and Cults”, London, Bloomsbury Publishing, pp184

3. V&A, 2011, History of 1960s Fashion and Textiles [online], available at: htttp://www.vam.ac.uk.vastatic/microsites/1211_sixties/history_page.htm [accessed 16th January 2012]

4. Thorne, T. (1993), “Fads, From Acid House, Fashions to Zoot Suit and Cults”, London, Bloomsbury Publishing, pp184

5. Hall, S. and Jefferson, T. (2007) “Resistance Through Rituals: Youth Subcultures in Post-War Britain (Cultural Studies Birmingham)”, Second Edition, Routledge, pp71

6. Underground Arts Special, Miles, B. (2011) “Spirit of the Underground: the 60s Rebel” [online] available at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2011/jan/30/underground-arts-60s-rebel-counterculture [accessed 20th January 2012]

7. Hippies, Grider, L. (2008) “Material Culture” [online] available at: http://sites.google.com/site/hippiesfall08per4/material-and-nonmaterial-culture [accessed 17th January 2012]

8. Miles, B. (2006) “200 Trips From The Counter-Culture: Graphics and stories From The Underground Press Syndicate” Thames and Hudson, pp79

9. Modern Art, Grinberg, E. (2011) “How the drugs of the 60s changed art” [online] available at: http://articles.cnn.com/2011-07-15/living/ken.johnson.psychedelic.art_1_psychedelic-modern-art-art-lover?_s=PM:LIVING [accessed 20th January 2012]

10. Johnson, k. (2011) “Are You Experienced? How Psychedelic Consciousness Transformed Modern Art” Prestel USA

11. Modern Art, Grinberg, E. (2011) “How the drugs of the 60s changed art” [online] available at: http://articles.cnn.com/2011-07-15/living/ken.johnson.psychedelic.art_1_psychedelic-modern-art-art-lover?_s=PM:LIVING [accessed 20th January 2012]

12. The 1960s (2011) “The 1960s, Summary and Analysis” [online] available at: http://www.shmoop.com/1960s/culture.html [accessed 20th January 2012]

13. The 1960s (2011) “The 1960s, Summary and Analysis” [online] available at: http://www.shmoop.com/1960s/culture.html [accessed 20th January 2012]

Bibliography

Jobling, P. and Crowley, D. (1997) “Graphic Design: Reproduction and representation since 1800 (Studies in Design)” Manchester University Press

Thorne, T. (1993), “Fads, From Acid House, Fashions to Zoot Suit and Cults”, London, Bloomsbury Publishing

V&A, 2011, History of 1960s Fashion and Textiles [online], available at: htttp://www.vam.ac.uk.vastatic/microsites/1211_sixties/history_page.htm [accessed 16th January 2012]

Hall, S. and Jefferson, T. (2007) “Resistance Through Rituals: Youth Subcultures in Post-War Britain (Cultural Studies Birmingham)”, Second Edition, Routledge

Underground Arts Special, Miles, B. (2011) “Spirit of the Underground: the 60s Rebel” [online] available at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2011/jan/30/underground-arts-60s-rebel-counterculture [accessed 20th January 2012

Hippies, Grider, L. (2008) “Material Culture” [online] available at: http://sites.google.com/site/hippiesfall08per4/material-and-nonmaterial-culture [accessed 17th January 2012]

Miles, B. (2006) “200 Trips From The Counter-Culture: Graphics and stories From The Underground Press Syndicate” Thames and Hudson

Modern Art, Grinberg, E. (2011) “How the drugs of the 60s changed art” [online] available at: http://articles.cnn.com/2011-07-15/living/ken.johnson.psychedelic.art_1_psychedelic-modern-art-art-lover?_s=PM:LIVING [accessed 20th January 2012]

Johnson, k. (2011) “Are You Experienced? How Psychedelic Consciousness Transformed Modern Art” Prestel USA

The 1960s, Anon. (2011) “The 1960s, Summary and Analysis” [online] available at: http://www.shmoop.com/1960s/culture.html [accessed 20th January 2012]

Period Style (2007), Anon. “1960s” [online] available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/homes/design/period_1960s.shtml [accessed 17th January 2012]

Art and Books and Design, Anon. (2009) “60s and 70s Book Graphic Design” [online] available at: http://www.found-nyc.com/blog/2009/01/12/60s-and-70s-book-graphic-design/ [accessed 18th December 2011]

OZ Magazine, Anon. (2012) “OZ Magazine” [online] available at: http://www.vinmag.com/online/online/display/oz-magazine.html [accessed 18th December 2011]

Scanning Around with Gene, Gable, G. (2007) ‘That 70s Type!” [online] available at: http://www.creativepro.com/article/scanning-around-gene-part-1-70s-type [accessed 10th December 2011]

OZ Magazine Covers, Dennis, F. (2011) [online] available at: http://www.felixdennis.com/gallery/oz-covers/ [accessed 10th December 2011]