Unless you've been living under a rock, I'm sure you're familiar with the "Keep Calm and Carry On" poster that seems to appear on every home decor blog, website, magazine and trendy restaurant (hello Cascade Room).
This poster, dating from World War II England, has brought along with it an increasing trend in print art and design: text, but most specifically motivational and sentimental phrases. Is it the rise in DIY decorating and art that has spawned this trend or the surging interest in and popularity of typography? Or maybe the renewed interest in all things 'vintage'. Whatever it is these posters like these are everywhere
This poster, dating from World War II England, has brought along with it an increasing trend in print art and design: text, but most specifically motivational and sentimental phrases. Is it the rise in DIY decorating and art that has spawned this trend or the surging interest in and popularity of typography? Or maybe the renewed interest in all things 'vintage'. Whatever it is these posters like these are everywhere
Trey Speegle described his use of text: "I use found words and images to create work with, hopefully, multiple layers of meaning. The picture plane, interuppted by the lettering, reveals the underlying architecture and the tension between the two."
I don't know about you but I have mixed feelings about the whole thing nor do I need a reminder on my living room wall that "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade" or a similar sentiment. It seems like as soon as something becomes trendy I head in the other direction.
Would love to hear what your thoughts are...What do you think about text in prints?
I really like some of them, but am definitely over the "Keep calm and carry on" posters. I also prefer the ones that aren't pithy life mottos, like the lemon one.
ReplyDeleteI like text in art.... But I kind of feel like it looks like elevated home decor, right? I LOVE the keep calm one though and I lobbied my man for a week to try to get him to give in on buying a huge and expensive rug of it. He did not give in.
ReplyDeleteI'm so over the "keep calm" posters too. I think they have saturated the market. It's funny how something can get some popular and just appear everywhere. But yeah I agree, text in art is more home decor than fine art. But when it comes to prints like these it's purely for decoration sake. Besides riding the wave of a trend, these artists aren't contributing much.
ReplyDeleteGood thing you didn't invest in that rug, I have a feeling this trend is on the way out.