kingy graphic design history: LUKE: Ruth Reeves

Monday, May 3, 2010

LUKE: Ruth Reeves

Reeves, Ruth, b. 1892 d. 1966
A designer, craftsman, painter and teacher, Ruth Reeves was known for textile designs and wall hangings including for the children's room of the public library in Mount Vernon, New York; the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, England; and especially for her work at Radio City Music Hall in New York. In that project, she was commissioned by textile designer, Donald Deskey, to create a "vast carpet that would cover the grand lobby, staircase, and three mezzanines---and be symboli
In Ruth Reeves 'Manhattan' textile, the symbols of modern New York - the towers, the ships, the planes and bridges - collide in a Cubist collage that evoke the dynamism and energy of the city.

Reeves learnt the principles of Cubism from Fernand Léger with whom she studied in Parisher designs were influenced by modern developments in France like Cubism.Lewis Mumford called her wall hangings and dresses inspired by traditional Guatemalan designs shown in 1935 "probably the most interesting work any designer has offered for commercial production today."
In the US Ruth Reeves designed rugs evoking American city life, as well as cubist and geometrical motifs, while Donald Deskey, Gilbert Rohde, Eugene Schoen, and Loma Saarinen all designed rugs for Cranbrook Academy.
Ruth weeves was apart of man

y designers who was using textiles type to create a scheme and a feel of a total scheme.Although the americans chose not to participate in the paris expositionof the 1925's,selected expositions were later shipped from europe to the united states , where they excerted a potato effect on design . In 1932 for examplethe jazzy furnishings of ado city music hall in newyork , which included printed aluminum wallpaper by donald desky ,provided a example of Americane Moderne another producer to the iconic building was ruth reeves who designed the foyer carpet and a large wall tapestry depicting the history of the circus and music hall .
Reeves was one of many designers within the textiles who gathered there experiences aswell as knowledge of cultures to capture movement within there time and blend design in there subject mater.Pushing limitations and constrictions, for appealing textile imagesfor historical course and movement for art.