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1990s U.S. Pacific Northwest: Design of Art Chantry

Brence, Kristine (2022) 1990s U.S. Pacific Northwest: Design of Art Chantry. Masters thesis, York St John University.

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Abstract

This thesis explores the work of American graphic designer Art Chantry in the context of grunge design. The aim of this thesis is to investigate the ideology, politics and symbols present in Chantry`s designs of album covers and posters. This work evaluates the goals and true nature of Chantry`s designs with their anti-mainstream messages and political protests against 1980s Republican Party, with reference to Mechanical Reproduction methodology by Walter Benjamin. Through such approach, this study investigates and argues that grunge design was a political protest against Republicanism, whilst it understood the importance of capitalism. Most scholarship which addresses grunge design focuses on David Carson and the importance of deconstruction of graphic design rules in grunge. Such scholarship does not investigate the importance of Art Chantry in grunge design or focus on the political protest aspect in his work. However, this study investigates such aspects, and it is evaluating the political factors which contributed to grunge design, focusing on the thematic of Art Chantry design.

The significance of this study lies in the close examination of Art Chantry as the creator and originator of grunge design. It`s significance also lies in the investigation of 1980s political atmosphere in the United States and Chantry`s designs serving as a reaction to it. This study argues in contrast to popular belief that grunge design was politically motivated, and it had continued to do so in a mainstream format. This thesis aim is to investigate connections between punk design of the 1980s and how different grunge design is from it.

Item Type: Thesis (Masters)
Status: Published
Subjects: N Fine Arts > NX Arts in general
School/Department: School of the Arts
URI: https://ray.yorksj.ac.uk/id/eprint/7077

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