Circle Square Triangle – Modular Printing
The first quarter of the twentieth century witnessed an artistic revolution without equal in the history of art. Looking specifically at the works generated in the few years leading up to the First World War, the principles of modern art, architecture and design then established impact upon the manner in which we experience, approach and live our lives today.
In 1923 Wassily Kandinsky circulated a questionnaire within the Bauhaus, asking respondents to select and paint a triangle, square, and circle using only one of three primary colours. The findings of this basic process would help inform colour theory and go on to define approaches to design thinking – impacting thereafter across the disciplines of fashion, graphic communication and architecture.
The three basic shapes, used in Kandinsky’s experiment either applied singularly, repeatedly or in sequence can be seen on some of the earliest artefacts relating to human existence. These include ceramics, textiles, buildings and approaches to urban design. Geometric forms employed to decorate, punctuate and inform structure and space.
