Dear Klaus and Eduardo,
I think that the phrase “the art of delineating objects” goes all the way back to the 1568 definition of 'disegno' by Giorgio Vasari in his treatise On Technique. Here the term is used to refer to the drawing of the form of objects, so that the proportions could be observed "before they were filled with color or light and shadow effects” (e.g. line drawings).
Vasari’s work was a survey of the manual activities of art from a professional (e.g. as in earning a living) perspective. He described design as “the parent of the three arts of architecture, sculpture and painting” and also as the depiction, through drawing of concepts and ideas originating in the intellect.
This is partly supported by the existing of so-called ‘prospectuses' which artists used to negotiate with their patrons the final look and contents of a painting. See: McGrawth, Thomas, Color and the Exchange of Ideas between Patron and Artist in Renaissance Italy”, The Art Bulletin, June 2000, VOL LXXXII, No. 2, 298-308.
This detail was published in my dissertation, Art, Fact, and Artefact Production, Design Research and Multidisciplinary Collaboration, Ilmari Design Publications, University of Art and Design Finland Helsinki,2000, 28-32. (There is some discussion about Simon’s work in this chapter as well.)
Rather than Academia, the whole dissertation, including the online Open digital archive that I produced with it, Raisio Archeology Archive, is online at: http://sysrep.aalto.fi/mulli2015/
The archive itself features a new interface designed by Lisha Dai and implemented by Jyrki Messo.
BR. Lily
**************************************
Professor Lily Díaz-Kommonen
Head of Research
Department of Media
Aalto University, School of Arts,
Design and Architecture
[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>
On 27 Jan 2016, at 21:15, Klaus Krippendorff <[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>> wrote:
dear eduardo,
i don't think you can equate the 19th century phrase "the art of delineating objects" with "actions that change an existing situations into preferred ones."
i don't know if syllabi of what was taught at the normal school on london survived, but whatever little i read, this meant sketching, rendering, making drawings. the actions needed to produce something were not delineated by designers who probably had no clue of how their sketches were acted upon.
this is why i think the abilities of the early designers merely served producers who began to define the design profession similar to draftsmen. i content this fueled the simultaneous arts and crafts movement opposed to the division of designers and producers, promoting creative craftspeople instead.
i believe that focusing on "actions" is a level of abstraction that was not too common 200 years ago. you can prove me wrong, of course.
klaus
-----Original Message-----
From: PhD-Design - This list is for discussion of PhD studies and related research in Design [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Eduardo corte-real
Sent: Wednesday, January 27, 2016 11:26 AM
To: [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: Simon's glory
Dear Friends,
I’m sorry again. I found a facsimile of Webster’s 1828 dictionary and it is even more clarifying. (I’m sure that our American colleagues may confirm this in the original if they rush to their magnificent library):
"DESI'GN, V. t. desi'ne. [L. designo; de and signo, to seal or stamp, that is, to set or throw; Sp. designar, diseñar; It. desig- nare, disegnare ; Fr. designer, dessiner.]"
The rest is the same.
For the noun, Webster states: DESI'GN, n. [Fr. dessein.]
And further more he clarifies the gerund: Designing n. The art of delineating objects Berkeley
The Art of DELINEATING objects...
This would mean that: Everyone that Devises courses of action aimed at changing existing situations into preferred ones was performing the art of delineating objects?
But do not dismay. Down in the page we can find that a DESIGNER is (was) "One who designs, marks out or plans; one who frames a scheme or project; a contriver” But… what about the preferred ones? Don’t worry, the second meaning is: “one who plots; one who lays a scheme; in an ill sense” !!!!!
So, in 1828 someone who devised courses of action aimed at changing existing situations into preferred ones (and if designated as designer) was , I must say this, a scoundrel.
Cheers,
Eduardo
No dia 26/01/2016, às 23:38, Klaus Krippendorff <[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>> escreveu:
dear eduardo,
you are amazing in your command of historical material.
i wasn't clear whether the phrase " Devising courses of action aimed at changing existing situations into preferred ones" was actually used by the normal school or by a commentator on the school, e.g., by hayden whose letter you cite.
anyhow, i am not surprised that by statistical probability we would find the a phrase like this in some literature.
personally, i think the occurrence of this phrase prior to simon's doesn't disqualify what simon did. i think we should not be hooked too much on a single definition rather what it is being done with it. in simon's case, he wrote a book with detailed implications of his definitions which illustrates what HE had in mind. his book undoubtedly is interesting reading, but to my way of thinking it is limited to a computational conception of design, to solving trivial problems (as opposed to wicked ones), problems that favor engineering solutions not involving human conceptions, which is where my conception of design starts.
klaus
-----Original Message-----
From: PhD-Design - This list is for discussion of PhD studies and
related research in Design [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
Behalf Of Eduardo corte-real
Sent: Tuesday, January 26, 2016 12:01 PM
To: [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Simon's glory
Dear Friends,
In order to establish the final glory of Simon’s “definition” I will start to post some remarkable findings in historical texts.
From History and Philosophy of Art Education, by Stuart MacDonald, first published in 1970:
“In 1837 the Board of Trade established the Normal School of Devising
courses of action aimed at changing existing situations into preferred
ones in Somerset House, Aldwych, in the set of rooms ‘on the right
hand side of the main entrance from the Strand’. These had been
vacated by the Royal Academy in the previous year, when the Academy
was granted rooms in the National Gallery, Trafalgar Square. (73)
(…)
“This pathetic situation did not escape the attention of Haydon, who
took some delight in writing to Poulett Thomson on 28 February 1838:
‘My Dear Sir, I yesterday visited your Government School of Devising
courses of action aimed at changing existing situations into preferred
ones. Oh! Mr Thomson, what an exhibition! Nine poor boys drawing
paltry patterns - no figures, no beautiful forms! and this is the
School of Devising courses of action aimed at changing existing
situations into preferred ones, the Government of Great Britain has
founded in its capital!’” (75)
(…) The Board of Trade eagerly awaited the report of Mr Dyce of
Edinburgh, whom the Council had sent to study the schools of Devising
courses of action aimed at changing existing situations into preferred
ones in France and Germany.” (75) The school which had the highest
reputation in Europe for producing designers (devisers of courses of
action aimed at changing existing situations into preferred ones) was
the Académie des Beaux Arts de Lyon. The academy had six departments,
Painting, Sculpture, Architecture, Ornament, Engraving, and Botany,
the last having a botanical garden provided for it by the
municipality. (…) The distinction between High and Low Art was not
maintained as in Britain; in fact, the students did not decide whether
to enter the fine arts departments or the ornament department until
they had completed a basic course of drawing and painting. Life
drawing was an important part of the course and the life class was
open every evening. The other large school which dealt with devising
courses of action aimed at changing existing situations into preferred
ones was the École Gratuite de Paris, and it had a similar system.
(79)
(…)
The Bavarians ran the system most favored by Dyce. All the primary
schools had classes for outline drawing of geometrical shapes and
simple elements of ornament, the same type of drawing which Dyce was
later to introduce generally in Britain through his Drawing Book. At
this stage ‘embellishment’ such as tone and color were prohibited.
Perspective was also taught. These primary devising courses of action
aimed at changing existing situations into preferred ones classes were
optional and when the pupils who had studied them left, they could
choose one of the thirty secondary gewerbeschulen which existed in
Bavaria for training artisan designers (Devisers of courses of action
aimed at changing existing situations into preferred ones). In the
gewerbeschulen the pupils learnt French, history, geography, natural
philosophy, and chemistry, and continued to draw in severe outline
until they were sufficiently accurate ‘ to devise courses of action
aimed at changing existing situations into preferred ones architecture
very correctly’ and to model with precision. (79-80)
(to be continued)
Eduardo Côrte-Real
-----------------------------------------------------------------
PhD-Design mailing list <[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>> Discussion of PhD
studies and related research in Design Subscribe or Unsubscribe at
https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/phd-design
-----------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------
PhD-Design mailing list <[log in to unmask]> Discussion of PhD
studies and related research in Design Subscribe or Unsubscribe at
https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/phd-design
-----------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------
PhD-Design mailing list <[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>> Discussion of PhD studies and related research in Design Subscribe or Unsubscribe at https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/phd-design
-----------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------
PhD-Design mailing list <[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>>
Discussion of PhD studies and related research in Design
Subscribe or Unsubscribe at https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/phd-design
-----------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------
PhD-Design mailing list <[log in to unmask]>
Discussion of PhD studies and related research in Design
Subscribe or Unsubscribe at https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/phd-design
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|
