Learning from Ludwig Hohlwein

Influence is a good thing.  The richness of cross-pollination, so to speak, adds a dimension of interest to art works and is held in high esteem in the aesthetics of Japan and China .  David Lance Goines, a two-time Berkeley drop-out,  is the creator of bold, colorful graphic designs that harmonize images and words seamlessly. Ludwig Hohlwein (1874-1949) was a German graphic artist whose style  influenced a raft of others before  the American Goines was born in 1945.  Hohlwein;'s work is admired by professionals but less known to the general public.  In 1931, he made a bad choice, becoming a member of the Nazi party and refusing a chance to emigrate to America.  Before that, Hohlwein had invented his own ingenious ways to incorporate words into his posters without overloading the text, a common habit among German designers, whose work appeared in newspapers more than on the walls of buildings.

  Images:
1. Ludwig Hohlwein - 1909, Museum of Modern Art, NYC.
2. David Lance Goines - 1973, San Francisco museum of Fine Arts.
3. David Lance Goines - 1980, San Francisco museum of Fine Arts.
4. Ludwig Hohlwein - 1915, Museum of Applied Culture, Vienna.
5. David Lance Goines - 1986, San Francisco Museum of Fine Arts.
6. Ludwig Hohlwein - 1910, Museum of Applied Cutlure, Vienna.
7. David Lance Goines - 1998, San Francisco Museum of Fine Arts.