The 1948 oil painting by Salvador Dali, titled “Elephant,” is a prime example of surrealism in art. The poster features a distorted elephant with elongated legs and a spindly, spider-like body. Crutches hold its long, thin trunk while ants crawl along its spindly legs. The landscape behind the elephant is barren and desolate, with towering rock formations in the distance. Dali’s use of colour is striking, with bold blues and yellows contrasting against the muted browns and greys of the background. The overall effect is both dreamlike and unsettling as if we are witnessing a scene from another world altogether. This painting has become an iconic image in art, inspiring countless imitations and interpretations over the years. It remains a testament to Dali’s unique vision and his enduring influence on modern art.
Design Store
Salvador Dali
The Secret Life of Salvador Dalí (Dover Fine Art, History of Art)
Surrealism Poster Salvador Dali Poster Decorative Painting Canvas Wall Posters And Art Picture Print Modern Family Bedroom Decor Posters 12x18inch(30x45cm)
The Persistence of Memory Famous Painting By Dali T-Shirt
50 Secrets of Magic Craftsmanship (Dover Fine Art, History of Art)
Salvador Dali: In Search of Immortality
Dalí. The Paintings (Bibliotheca Universalis)
The Definitive Dali, A Lifetime Retrospective [VHS]
Hidden Faces
FireDeer Salvador Dali Wave Book Wall Art Surrealism Painting Canvas Print Poster Picture for Living Room Bedroom Home Decor (16x24inch, Wave Book)
Dream Caused by the Flight of a Bee Famous Painting By Dali T-Shirt
Dali: 16 Art Stickers
Huntington Graphics Persistence of Memory by Salvador Dali - Art Print/Poster 11x14 inches
Books | Design History
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Fashion Design from 1900 to 1920 – Focus on Freedom
Fashion Design from 1900 to 1920 – Focus on Freedom. Newfound political independence came newfound fashion freedom. READ MORERead More →
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R. Buckminster Fuller: Pattern-Thinking
R. Buckminster Fuller: Pattern-Thinking is a major reassessment of Fuller’s legacy in the context of design, examining his singular vision of new conceptual models for design and architecture, alongside his ideas on their potentially world-altering consequences. Read More →
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Kazimir Malevich: Suprematism: 34 Drawings (1920) Paperback
A facsimile edition of Kazimir Malevich, SUPREMATISM 34 Drawings, was published in 1990 by Artists Bookworks, accompanied by an introduction to the drawings by Patricia Railing;Read More →
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The Ornamo Book of Finnish Design
The 1962 Ornamo Book of Finnish Design showcases mid-century modernism in Finland, featuring sleek furniture and playful textiles, with light age browning on upper edges.Read More →
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Pop Art – Hardcover – Coffee Table Book
Pop Art emerged in the 1960s as a revolt against mainstream art and culture, focusing on materialism, celebrity, and media issues. It used mass-market sources and mechanized techniques, challenging the establishment and reducing artist roles.Read More →
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Herbert Bayer: The Bauhaus Legacy | Hardcover
The Bauhaus is still regarded as the nucleus of the early 20th-century German avant-garde, and Herbert Bayer practised its principles in the United States. It was founded in 1919 and had a profound impact on Europe and the United States. Bayer believed in the importance of the “total artist” moving between private, autonomous expression and…
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Neon Lighting – Dictionary – Design Term
Neon Lighting. Semiflexible, hollow tubes of clear acrylic with small bulbs inside that can be connected to light up all at once or sequentially to produce a “chasing” effect. It’s also known as disco lighting, and it’s given homeowners new illumination alternatives. Lights designers consider neon lighting to be an art form.Read More →
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“International Style” Architecture of the Modern Movement
Alfred H. Barr Jr. coined the term in 1931 in conjunction with Philip Johnson and Henry-Russell Hitchcock’s 1932 “Modern Architecture: International Exhibition” (along with the accompanying book International Style: Architecture Since 1922) at the New York Museum of Modern Art, where Barr was director.Read More →
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Jugendstil: An Exploration of an Artistic Style
Jugendstil, an artistic style that originated around the mid-1890s in Germany and persisted throughout the first decade of the 20th century. READ MORRead More →
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Mission Furniture – Design Dictionary Term
The term mission furniture was first popularized by Joseph P. McHugh of New York, a furniture manufacturer and retailer. The word mission references the Spanish missions throughout colonial California. The style became increasingly popular following the 1901 Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo.Read More →
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Taylorism Search for Industrial Efficiency or Robotism?
His 1911 book Principles of Scientific Management outlined these concepts, and they have influenced various aspects of design, including labour-saving kitchens and more ergonomic household equipment. These included the writings of fellow American Christine Frederick, who published Scientific Management in the Home in 1915, and Lillian Gilbreth’s assessments of domestic efficiency for the Brooklyn Gas…
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Dada Art Movement – Making Mischief
As a designer, I am passionate about the history of art and their influence on ‘visual design.’ In art history, Dada is the artistic movement that preceded Surrealism, it began in Zurich, Switzerland, in 1916 by a group of mostly painters and painters. Dada artworks challenged the preconceived notions of what art meant. Many Dadaists felt…
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Cassone – the marriage chest
A cassone is a big decorated chest that was made in Italy between the 14th and 16th centuries. In 1472, a Florentine merchant married a young noblewoman named Vaggia Nerli. Cassoni were put on display in the most important and well-furnished room in the palace.Read More →
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Anchor Blocks – 19th Century construction toy
Anchor Blocks were a German system of building blocks that were popular as a children’s construction toy in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, notably in Europe. Dr F. Ad. Richter in Rudolstadt, Germany, began developing and manufacturing the system in 1879. The concept was based on the FROEBEL block system, which significantly impacted…
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Ideal Home Exhibition (est. 1908) Aspirational British Design
The Daily Mail newspaper sponsored the Ideal Home Exhibition (from 1908). These shows provide an insight into popular taste and aspiration across all facets of domestic design and organisation in Britain.Read More →
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Design History – 40s & 50s the age of the Graphic Designer
The 1940s and 1950s the age of the Graphic Designer. Designers, illustrators, and artists used their talents to disseminate information.Read More →
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Japan Advertising Artists Club pioneer of Japanese Graphic Design
In the 1960s, the JAAC’s philosophy came under fire for being overly reliant on exhibitions as a platform for innovative ideas. Furthermore, during the turbulent 1960s, a perceived emphasis on aesthetics at the expense of social significance, combined with allegations of elitism, led to the organisation’s disbandment in 1970.Read More →
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The Chevron pattern – a Popular motif for Designers
The word chevron comes from the French word chevron, which means rafter or gable. Although there is no definition to prevent freedom in its shape, the chevron’s angle is most commonly between 60 and 70 degrees. Read More →
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Honiton Lace the beauty of complex patterns
Honiton lace is a type of bobbin lace made in Honiton, Devon, in the United Kingdom. Its ornate motifs and complex patterns are created separately, before being sewn into a net ground. Common motifs include daisies, roses, shamrocks, ivy leaves, lilies, camellias, convolvulus, poppies, briony, antwerp diamonds, trefoils, ferns, and acorns.Read More →
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Design in Scandinavia travelling exhibition, 1954 – 1957
Brilliant examples of contemporary home furnishings were shown from Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden and exposed Americans to Scandinavian design, inspiring a shift towards mid-century design.Read More →
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Jaeger 🏴 clothes are not just fashion but function & lifestyle
During the twentieth century, a movement arose that advocated for clothing to be worn as part of a sensible, healthy lifestyle rather than only for fashion. These concepts sprang from the work of nineteenth-century fashion reformers, in the same way, that English writer Edward Carpenter popularised the open-toed leather sandal for men. Read More →
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Post-Impressionism – a concise guide
Post-Impressionism (sometimes called Postimpressionism) was a significant French art trend that evolved between 1886 and 1905. Paul Cézanne, Paul Gauguin, Vincent van Gogh, and Georges Seurat led the movement. Post-Impressionism was a reaction to Impressionism’s naturalistic light and colour. Post-Impressionism covers the work of Les Nabis, Neo-Impressionism, Symbolism, Cloisonnism, the Pont-Aven School, and Synthetism.Read More…
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Amen Glasses – what are they?
‘Amen’ glasses gained their name from the Jacobite verses engraved on them, which invariably end with the word Amen.Read More →
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Hermann Gretsch (1895 – 1950) designer for Arzberg
Hermann Gretsch was a German architect, engineer and product designer. In the 1930s, Gretsch worked for the Porzellanfabrik Arzberg.Read More →
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Design History – 40s & 50s the age of the Graphic Designer
The 1940s and 1950s the age of the Graphic Designer. Designers, illustrators, and artists used their talents to disseminate information.Read More →
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Formes Utiles – French Organisation and Exhibitions
In 1949, Formes Utiles became an independent association of UAM (Union des Artistes Modernes) through the influence of René Herbst and Charlotte Perriand and its first exhibition held at Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris. Its theoretician was architect André Hermant.Read More →
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Silver and twentieth-century design
The impact of silver metal technology has driven the development of modern furnishings throughout the 20th century. The transformation of a chair into a sculptural statement, for example. Interior metal objects have not always been at the forefront of modern design within a multi-function. With the emphasis on warmth and comfort in the home, the…
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William Caxton (1422 – 1491) Father of English Printing
William Caxton learned about the mystery of printing in the Low Countries, and it was in Bruges that he translated a French work, ” The Tales of Troy, ” through his printing press.Read More →
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Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths
The Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths, also known as the Goldsmiths’ Company, is one of London’s Great Twelve Livery Companies. It is correctly known as The Wardens and Commonalty of the Mystery of Goldsmiths of the City of London. The Company’s headquarters are located in the City of London’s Goldsmiths’ Hall. Read More →
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Aldus Manuitius (1449 – 1515) – pioneer of printing
The type in which this sentence is written is called “italic”. Aldus Manutius the man who invented it died almost 500 years ago and his type is still in use. Today publishing a manuscript is almost instantaneous, a new best seller can be placed on Amazon and I can buy a copy minutes later. To look at…
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The 40s and 50s – On the Road with Design
The exaggerated style was an essential look. The gleaming chrome fins conveyed speed. A car that was higher in the front than the back did the same. The quality of the car’s face — two headlamps for the eyes, a grill for the nose, and a fender for the mouth – was frequently highlighted. This…
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Paris and Art in 1950s – influence on design
Paris, newly liberated from the German occupation, sprung to life during the 1950s as a centre for all modes of artistic endeavour, most notably in fine art, literature, and music. Its association with romantic literary figures such as Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, and Roland Barthes made the city incredibly appealing to every serious-minded man…
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The Schloss Blühnbach castle in Austria
Schloss Blühnbach is a hunting castle in the Austrian Alps dated from the 17th century. It was extended in 1911 by Archduke Francis Ferdinand; it also includes his art and antiques.Read More →
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A Century of Progress International Exposition – Chicago 1933 – 1934
An exhibition summary noted that the nation, “then still mired in the malaise of the Great Depression, could glimpse a happier not-too-distant future, all driven by innovation in science and technology.” Fair visitors saw the new wonders in rail travel, cars, architecture, and robots that smoke cigarettes. The Fair “emphasised technology and progress, a utopia,…
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Vorticism British Art Movement – 1914 – 1918
Vorticist painting merged cubist reality fragmentation with hard-edged imagery taken from machines and urban environments. It was essentially a British version of futurism, albeit with ideological distinctions. Lewis was a staunch opponent of the futurists. Lawrence Atkinson, Jessica Dismorr, Cuthbert Hamilton, William Roberts, Helen Saunders, Edward Wadsworth, and the sculptors’ Sir Jacob Epstein and Henri…
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Pre-Raphaelites Brotherhood – British Artists Group
The Pre-Raphaelites were a group of British artists. Dante Gabriel Rossetti and Edward Burne-Jones led the Pre-Raphaelite brotherhood from 1848. Read More →
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The Wit and Humour of the Gibigiana Table Lamp
Castiglioni’s approach to design is characterised by wit and humour, which is portrayed here by a shape that resembles an animal or bird. The Gibigiana is a table light that may be adjusted. It includes a dimmer and produces reflected light. Read More →
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“Just in time” design concept
Just in time” design concept, this practice became an increasingly important aspect of economic manufacturing and distribution. The ability to link sales data from retail outlets and checkout terminals with centralised corporate manufacturing and distribution systems ‘just in time’ eliminated the need for manufacturer-retailers like Benetton, an Italian clothing company, to keep large amounts of…
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Linoleum created as an inexpensive floor covering
Frederick Walton invented linoleum in Britain in 1860. Walton coated flax cloth with a combination of gum, cork dust, resin and linseed oil in search of a cheap floor covering. An amalgamation of the Latin Linum (‘flax’) and oleum (‘oil’) formed the word linoleum.Read More →
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Surrealism – Art & Design Term
Surrealism was one of the most influential and disruptive trends of the twentieth century, flourishing especially in the 1920s and 1930s and offering a radical contrast to Cubism’s rational and formal features. It emphasised the positive rather than the nihilistic, unlike Dada, from which it derived in many aspects. Surrealism aimed to gain access to…
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ISOTYPE – International System of Typographic Picture Education
ISOTYPE was created as a mechanism of communicating statistics using graphic symbols. It was an essential part of Otto Neurath’s (1882–1945) worldwide graphic language, which he created in Vienna following World War I. Originally known as the Vienna Method of Pictorial Statistics, ISOTYPE was created to make complex statistical information about housing, health, education, and…
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Baroque – Art Term
The Catholic Counter-Reformation is closely related with Baroque, which peaked in Rome around 1630–1680. Despite its origins in Rome, the Baroque style influenced people all around Europe. Its rapid pace, striking realism (giving spectators the feeling that they were watching an actual event), and direct emotional appeal were perfectly suited to announcing the Catholic Church’s…
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The Exposition Internationale des Arts et Techniques dans la Vie Moderne 1937
From 25 May to 25 November 1937, the Exposition Internationale des Arts et Techniques dans la Vie Moderne (International Art and Technology Exhibition in Modern Life) was held in Paris, France. Both the Palais de Chaillot, which houses the Musée de l’Homme and the Palais de Tokyo, which houses the Musée d’Art Moderne de la…
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What was the Society of Industrial Artists in Britain?
The origins of the CSD lay in the creation in 1930 of the Society of Industrial Artists (SIA) in Britain, when the public debate was concerned with the nature and definition of both the designer and the design profession. Read More →
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British Studio Ceramics a Short History
In Britain, the backlash against the highly ornamented machine-made ceramics that were fashionable in the late 1800s gathered steam. Art potteries were founded by a group of creative craftspeople who William Morris inspired.Read More →
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Fashion and Freedom during the 70s and 80s
The 1970s and 1980s were a decade of extremes in fashion. In other creative sectors, as people pushed the boundaries of freedom of speech, styles altered regularly.Read More →
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Olivetti Design Standard-bearer
Olivetti is an Italian office machinery and furniture firm, located in Ivrea, Northern Italy. For a large part of itsRead More →
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Mid-Century Modernism – Fresh Optimism in Design
Designers were motivated by a fresh optimism after WWII and the new materials, production techniques, and colours arriving in unique shapes. In more inexpensive and easily mass-produced designs, a more relaxed, fleshed-out style of Modernism began to develop.Read More →
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Gothenburg, Sweden Exhibition (1923)
The Gothenburg Tercentennial Jubilee Exhibition (Swedish Jubileumsutställningen I Göteborg) was a world fair held in Gothenburg, Sweden in 1923, marking the 300th anniversary of the city’s establishment. The fair, which opened on 8 May, lasted until 30 September.Read More →
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Neue Sachlichkeit – Design Term
Neue Sachlichkeit was a term coined in 1923 by Gustav Hartlaub, director of the Kunsthalle, Mannheim, as the title of an exhibition he organised to demonstrate the progress of post-war painting in Germany.Read More →
