Historically derivative styles

"Retro" redirects here. For other uses, see Retro (disambiguation)

Retro style is imitative or consciously derivative of lifestyles, trends, or art forms from history, including in music, modes, fashions, or attitudes. In popular culture, the "nostalgia cycle" is typically for the two decades that begin 20–30 years ago.[1]

Definition

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The term retro has been in use since 1972 to describe[2] on the one hand, new artifacts that self-consciously refer to particular modes, motifs, techniques, and materials of the past.[3] But on the other hand, many people use the term to categorize styles that have been created in the past.[4] Retro style refers to new things that display characteristics of the past. Unlike the historicism of the Romantic generations, it is mostly the recent past that retro seeks to recapitulate, focusing on the products, fashions, and artistic styles produced since the Industrial Revolution, the successive styles of Modernity.[5] The English word retro derives from the Latin prefix retro, meaning backwards, or in past times.

In France, the word rétro, an abbreviation for rétrospectif,[6] gained cultural currency with reevaluations of Charles de Gaulle and France's role in World War II. The French mode rétro of the 1970s reappraised in film and novels the conduct of French civilians during the Nazi occupation. The term rétro was soon applied to nostalgic French fashions that recalled the same period.[7]

Shortly thereafter retro was introduced into English by the fashion and culture press, where it suggests a rather cynical revival of older but relatively recent fashions.[8] In Simulacra and Simulation, French theorist Jean Baudrillard describes retro as a demythologization of the past, distancing the present from the big ideas that drove the modern age.[9]

Most commonly retro is used to describe objects and attitudes from the recent past that never seem modern.[10] It suggests a fundamental shift in the way we relate to the past. Different from more traditional forms of revivalism, "retro" suggests a half ironic, half longing consideration of the recent past; it has been called an "unsentimental nostalgia",[11] recalling modern forms that are no longer current. The concept of nostalgia is linked to retro, but the bittersweet desire for things, persons, and situations of the past has an ironic stance in retro style. Retro shows nostalgia with a dose of cynicism and detachment.[12] The desire to capture something from the past and evoke nostalgia is fuelled by dissatisfaction with the present.[13]

Types

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Since the 1980s the implications of the word retro have been expanding[14] in the application to different mediums. Several fields have adopted the term from the design field.

Objects

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Until the 1960s, interiors were often decorated with antiques. During the 1960s in London, shops started selling pieces of second-hand furniture. These shops differed from the previous antique shops because they sold daily life objects from the recent past. These objects used to be seen as junk: Victorian enamel signs, stuffed bears, old furniture painted with union jacks, bowler hats etc. A new way of producing and consuming the past emerged and a broader range of objects from the recent past was used for new designs.[15]

Before the word retro came into use in the 1970s, the practice of adopting old styles for new designs was already common. Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, designers borrowed from the past, for example, classicistic style.[3] The difference is that since the 1960s, people started to refer to the recent past.

In the 1980s, design history emerged as a discipline and several histories of design were published. The access to these overviews and the ability to experiment with computer design programs has caused an increase of retro designed objects in the last decades.[16]

Interior design

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Interior design magazines often show retro style as an interior decoration of mixed styles and objects from the past, second hand and new. For example, 1970s patterned wallpapers, combined with second-hand furniture also from the 1970s, the 1960s, or 1950s. The value of old artifacts has increased, because the objects used to be considered old-fashioned and every day.[4] In this case ‘retro’ indicates a value, which is also partly why today's retailers produce new objects in an old style.

Graphic design, typography, and packaging

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Long before the use of the word retro, graphic design made reference to earlier graphic characteristics. William Morris can be seen as an example: for book design and other purposes he adopted Medieval production and stylistic models in 1891.[17] Furthermore, in the beginning of the twentieth century, Gothic, Baroque and Rococo motifs were used for new products.[18]

In typography, classicism has always been an influence and throughout the 20th century, and in early woodcut printing as well. The introduction of the technique of photocomposition in the 1960s allowed typographers greater flexibility in the selection and arrangement of type styles and sizes. For example, psychedelic typefaces were developed, gaining inspiration from Art Nouveau and other cultures.[19] Historicist styles are also used in the promotion and packaging of food and household products, referring to childhood memories and domestic nostalgic ideals.[20]

In logo designing, retro logos[21] have been highlighted. Brands have incorporated retro logo designs to highlight their brand's voice and message: clean, classic, and reminiscent of the recent past.

Fashion design

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In the 2000s and 2010s, there was a revival of pastel and neon colors, stereotypically associated with 1980s and early 1990s fashion (with the 1980s pastel revival being a rebirth of a 1950s trend). Also at this time, late 1980s-style high-waisted mom jeans made a comeback with female hipsters. In the 2010s and 2020s, 1990s fashion has made a comeback: many of the fabrics and patterns ubiquitous in that decade (such as crushed velvet and floral) are popular now, and Dr. Martens, a shoe brand popular in the 1990s, also made a strong comeback in the early 2010s, as 2011–12 was the British company's best-selling season of all time.[22]

Retro art

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The style now called retro art is a genre of pop art which was developed from the 1940s to 1960s, in response to a need for bold, eye-catching graphics that were easy to reproduce on simple presses available at the time in major centres. Retro advertising art has experienced a resurgence in popularity since its style is distinctive from modern computer-generated styling. Contemporary artist Anne Taintor uses retro advertising art as the centerpiece for her ongoing commentary on the modern woman. Specific styling features include analog machine design and vintage television programs.[23]

A famous example of a retro pop-art character is the more generalized form of the Ward Cleaver-styled J. R. "Bob" Dobbs-esque icon which has been widely played off, copied, and parodied.

Media and culture

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Film, music, fashion, and television

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Foreshadowed by the Mothers of Invention album Cruising with Ruben & the Jets in 1968, and the revival and parody group Sha Na Na in 1969, the 1970s and 1980s brought about a 1950s–early 1960s revival with films and television shows such as American Graffiti, M*A*S*H, Grease, Happy Days and Peggy Sue Got Married set in this time period.[24][25]

Retrogaming

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Retrogaming is a pastime which is becoming increasingly popular where individuals play video games on vintage computers or a classic game consoles. What constitutes a vintage or retro machine is sometimes open to debate, but typically, most retro gamers are interested in Commodore 64, Amiga 500, Atari 2600, NES, Sega Genesis/Mega Drive, PlayStation, Nintendo 64, Dreamcast, SNES, and classic Game Boy games and consoles. Emulation often plays a part in retrogaming if the original hardware is unavailable.

Aircraft

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A handful of airlines have chosen to paint a historical livery on a single selected aircraft in their modern fleet, typically as a marketing device or to commemorate an anniversary.[26][27]

See also

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References

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Bibliography

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AIGC and retro style will become an important trend in the concept art design of movies and games in 2024

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This combination can compensate for the “template” and “cheap” sense of AI creation, giving it richer cultural connotations and emotional colors. It will bring a brand new visual experience and open up a new situation for the integration of artificial intelligence and human creativity.

The development of artificial intelligence has made the application of artificial intelligence in the fields of film, television and game design more and more extensive. Artificial intelligence can analyze a large amount of historical data, learn and understand different visual languages and aesthetic styles. On this basis, artificial intelligence can produce brand new and creative design works. These works are AI-generated content. However, these contents often have the risks of “template” and “cheap”, and it is difficult to reflect profound humanistic connotations and rich emotional expression.

Various retro styles in the mid-20th century are also becoming more and more popular in today’s society. These styles simulate the visual effects and aesthetic tastes of the historical period, evoking people’s memories and longing for familiar things. Whether it is the retro futurism of the 1950s, the Chopin style of the 1960s, the neo-mysticism of the 1970s, or the steamwave style of the 1980s, they all contain a wealth of historical and cultural backgrounds.

The combination of AI-generated content and retro style can compensate for each other’s shortcomings and give full play to their respective advantages. Artificial intelligence can learn and analyze historical images and design materials to understand the visual language and expression techniques of different retro styles. On this basis, artificial intelligence can create brand new works with similar visual effects. These works not only have the visual charm of retro style, but also inherit its cultural connotations and emotional elements. At the same time, the intervention of artificial intelligence also makes the works novel and irregular, abandoning the simple imitation.

In the fields of film and games, AI-generated visual effects, character images and environment scenes in the styles of the 1950s to 1980s will be very popular. They combine the rational thinking of artificial intelligence with the humanistic interest of retro style to create a brand new aesthetic experience and cultural connotation. This fusion also means that artificial intelligence will truly enter the humanistic society and achieve in-depth integration with human creativity, achieving new means of communication and creative forms in the new era.

In summary, the combination of AI-generated content and retro style will become an important trend in the concept art of movies and games in 2023. This trend not only brings a brand new experience visually, but also sublimates the application of artificial intelligence from the surface to the depth of culture and achieves fusion with human creativity. It opens a brand new dialogue between the era of artificial intelligence and humanism, and will promote the reform and innovation of the film, game and even the entire cultural industry.