Compose two styles
Rather than blending two styles into a middle, this assigns them roles: one carries the structure, the other appears as an accent. Where the two fight, it says so before you start.
How to divide the work
- Composition
- Follow De Stijl: Divide the plane with orthogonals; shift the weight off center
- Type
- Set in De Stijl's manner (A rectilinear sans; treat letters as rectangles too), and let Neo-Concrete Art's lettering (Run type across the fold so it resolves only when opened) appear only where you want the eye to catch.
- Material
- Ground in De Stijl's material (White, black, primaries; ration the colored planes); bring in exactly one thing from Neo-Concrete Art (Thin metal or board with hinges tuned to move under the hand's weight).
- Colour
- Build on #f2efe2, #d53225, #1f4b93 and admit one accent from #ece5ce, #d95b37, #315f86.
Where they fight
- De Stijl and Neo-Concrete Art share no intent, so the contrast has to become the subject rather than something to smooth over.
Caution
- De Stijl Not just red-blue-yellow squares. Design the ratios and the asymmetric balance.
- Neo-Concrete Art Read it through the revolt against objectivism and the transformation the viewer's body performs, not as Brazilian geometric abstraction, and note that fragile moving parts go untouched and leave only ornament.
Image prompt
An original image that takes its structure from De Stijl (Style, 1917–1931) and its accent from Neo-Concrete Art (Style, 1959–1966). Structural cues: Vertical and horizontal; Red, blue, yellow; White planes; Asymmetric equilibrium. Accent cues, used sparingly: Movable geometry; Bodily participation; Folds and hinges; Sensuous color and space. Composition: Divide the plane with orthogonals; shift the weight off center. Type and lettering: A rectilinear sans; treat letters as rectangles too. Let one material quality come from the second style: Thin metal or board with hinges tuned to move under the hand's weight. Mood: Trust, Calm, Technology, Play, Exhilaration, Intimacy. Color: build on #f2efe2, #d53225, #1f4b93 with a single accent drawn from #ece5ce, #d95b37, #315f86. Constraints: do not imitate, reference or name any specific artist, studio, brand, character or copyrighted work. Produce an original composition in the general period languages described above.
Related entries
- De Stijl 1917–1931 / Style / Geometric Abstraction
Restricts the vocabulary to vertical, horizontal and primary color, building universal order from balance.
- Neo-Concrete Art 1959–1966 / Style / Brazilian Avant-garde
Releases geometric abstraction from a fixed visual order and opens the work to touching, moving and entering, so that it becomes an experience that changes as the body takes part.
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