György Kepes facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
György Kepes
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Kepes in 1982
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| Born | October 4, 1906 Selyp, Kingdom of Hungary
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| Died | December 29, 2001 (aged 95) Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S.
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| Resting place | Mt. Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge, Massachusetts |
| Nationality | Hungarian |
| Education | Royal Academy of Fine Arts |
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Notable work
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Language of Vision |
| Spouse(s) | Juliet Appleby |
| Elected | National Academy of Design |
György Kepes (born October 4, 1906 – died December 29, 2001) was a talented artist from Hungary. He was a painter, photographer, and designer. He also taught art and wrote about art theory.
In 1937, he moved to the United States. There, he taught design at the New Bauhaus in Chicago. Later, in 1967, he started the Center for Advanced Visual Studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He taught there until he retired in 1974.
Contents
Early Life and Art Beginnings
Kepes was born in a place called Selyp, in Hungary. When he was 18, he went to the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Budapest. He studied painting there for four years.
During this time, he was inspired by an artist named Lajos Kassak. Kepes wanted to use his art to help people. He especially cared about improving the lives of farmers in Hungary.
Moving to Berlin and London
For a while, Kepes stopped painting. He started working with filmmaking instead. In 1930, he moved to Berlin, Germany. He designed things for books, art shows, and theater stages.
Around this time, he designed the cover for a famous book. It was called Film as Art by Rudolf Arnheim. This was one of the first books about how films work as an art form.
In Berlin, Kepes joined the design studio of László Moholy-Nagy. Moholy-Nagy was a Hungarian photographer who had taught at the famous Bauhaus art school. In 1936, Moholy-Nagy moved his studio to London, England, and Kepes went with him.
The New Bauhaus School
Moving to London brought something special into Kepes's life. He met his future wife, Juliet Appleby, who was also an artist. They met by chance and soon started dating.
The next year, Moholy-Nagy became the director of a new art school in Chicago. He called it the New Bauhaus. Kepes was invited to teach there. He was in charge of teaching about light and color. Kepes asked Juliet to join him in Chicago.
From 1937 to 1943, Kepes taught at the New Bauhaus (which later became the Institute of Design). He developed his ideas about design. He thought a lot about how shapes and forms relate to their purpose. He also focused on what he called the "education of vision." This meant teaching people how to truly see and understand visual things.
Kepes later taught at Brooklyn College. There, he taught graphic artists like Saul Bass.
Language of Vision Book
In 1944, Kepes published a very important book called Language of Vision. It was about design and how to teach it. Many colleges used it as a textbook for years.
The book explained that "Visual communication is universal." This means that pictures and designs can be understood by anyone. They don't need a specific language or words. Kepes believed that visual arts are a great way to learn.
During World War II, Kepes also helped the U.S. Army. He gave advice on how to use camouflage to hide things. He saw Chicago from the air and used this experience in his book. He wrote about how nature uses camouflage to hide animals from their enemies.
Working at MIT
In 1947, Kepes was invited to teach at the School of Architecture and Planning at MIT. He started a program there for visual design. This program later became the Center for Advanced Visual Studies around 1968. He was the director of this center until 1972.
While at MIT, Kepes met many different artists, designers, architects, and scientists. Some of these included Pietro Belluschi, Norbert Wiener, and Buckminster Fuller.
Kepes's own art became more abstract. He also became very interested in new scientific images. These images were often "abstract" too. They were made using new technologies. In 1956, he created a unique book called The New Landscape in Art and Science. In this book, he put modern artworks next to scientific images. These scientific images were made with tools like x-ray machines, electron microscopes, and telescopes.
Kepes's ideas about how we see things were very important. His teaching greatly influenced students at MIT. These students studied architecture, planning, and visual art.
György Kepes and his wife, Juliet Appleby Kepes, are remembered at Mt. Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Kepes passed away in 2001.
Vision + Value Book Series
From 1965 to 1966, Kepes put together a series of six books. They were called the Vision + Value Series. Each book had essays from many famous artists, designers, architects, and scientists.
The books covered many interesting topics. Some of their titles were: The Education of Vision, Structure in Art and Science, and Sign, Image, Symbol.
Kepes also wrote other important books. These include Graphic Forms: Art as Related to the Book (1949) and Arts of Environment (1972). He was also a very active painter and photographer. His artworks are in many major art collections.
To honor his achievements, there is a Kepes Visual Centre in Eger, Hungary. In 1973, he became an Associate member of the National Academy of Design. He became a full member in 1978.
Writings
- Language of Vision. Chicago: Paul Theobald, 1944. Reissued: New York: Dover Publications, 1995. ISBN: 0-486-28650-9.
- Graphic Forms: The Arts as Related to the Book. Cambridge MA: Harvard University Press, 1949.
- The New Landscape in Art and Science. Chicago: Paul Theobald, 1956.
- Vision + Value Series, including The Education of Vision. Structure in Art and Science. The Nature and Art of Motion. Module, Symmetry, Proportion, Rhythm. Sign, Image, Symbol. The Man-Made Object. New York: George Braziller, 1965–66.
- The Visual Arts Today. Wesleyan University Press, 1966.
- The Lost Pageantry of Nature. Artscanada, pages 33–39, Dec 1968.
- Arts of Environment. New York: George Braziller, 1972.
- György Kepes: The MIT Years 1945–77. Cambridge MA: MIT Press, 1978.
- György Kepes, Lucian Bernard, and Ivan Chermayeff. The 60th Art Directors Annual. New York: ADC Publications, 1981
See also
- Rudolf Arnheim
- László Moholy-Nagy
- Kevin A. Lynch
- IIT Institute of Design
