In the early 20th century, cubism arose as a form of art pioneered by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque. It was a style that used geometric shapes, collage, and interlocking planes in order to create a multi-viewpoint perspective. Credited as the first abstract style of modern art, cubism revolutionized painting and sculpture (6). In the 1940s, cubism surprisingly influenced the camouflage of boats and planes during World War II, as the military worked on ways to keep their transportation from being spotted.
A form known as “Dazzle” camouflage was first used on British merchant ships in World War I, but continued to be used throughout World War II. The idea was to paint the ships with cubist patterns that created a floating optical illusion (2). This tactic was used in an effort to protect the ships from German submarine boats that attacked and sunk many merchant boats. This form of camouflage made it difficult to tell the size, shape, and type of ships for submarines. Dazzle ships were hard for the enemy to know how far away the vessel was, the direction it was going, and at what speed: therefore making it harder to target their ship (5). The pattern was complex and made up of contrasting colors and shapes, utilizing the cubist style of art in a military environment.
The military began to call upon artists to help with practical camouflage, such as László Moholy-Nagy. This artist was known for using cubism and constructivism in his art, manipulating the perspectives of his sculptures and paintings by using moving parts, patterns, and shadows (1). He took these ideas and applied them to military camouflage, creating cloths that hid large areas of land and utilizing paint patterns that concealed objects such as propane tanks (7). The article, "Materials for the Camoufleur," depicts various techniques and methods of achieving camouflage used my Laśzló Moholy-Nagy. Soon after his work with the military, Moholy-Nagy started working for the mayor and actually started an art school that became responsible for creating military camouflage. As the military found use for the art-deco style, cubism became a vital part of disguise during World War II. |
Sources:
1. Ed. Michael Berenbaum and Fred Skolnik. Encyclopaedia Judaica Vol. 14. 2nd ed. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2007. p419-420.
2. "Ahoy, Frank Stella." Dazzle Camouflage, accessed October 6, 2014, http://communedesign.tumblr.com/post/43766102601/ahoy-frank-stella
3."Dazzle Ships." The Public Domain Review, accessed October 6, 2014, http://publicdomainreview.org/collections/dazzle-ships/
4. "Architecture in Uniform." Places Journal, accessed October 6, 2014 https://placesjournal.org/article/architecture-in-uniform/
5. Edward Wadsworth, "Dazzle-ships in Drydock at Liverpool" The Journal of the American Medical School, UNC University Library, April 9, 2014, accessed September 6, 2014
http://vb3lk7eb4t.search.serialssolutions.com/?ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&ctx_enc=info%3Aofi%2Fenc%3AUTF-8&rfr_id=info:sid/summon.serialssolutions.com&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:journal&rft.genre=article&rft.atitle=Dazzle-ships+in+Drydock+at+Liverpool&rft.jtitle=JAMA-JOURNAL+OF+THE+AMERICAN+MEDICAL+ASSOCIATION&rft.au=Cole%2C+TB&rft.date=2014-04-09&rft.pub=AMER+MEDICAL+ASSOC&rft.issn=0098-7484&rft.eissn=1538-3598&rft.volume=311&rft.issue=14&rft.spage=1382&rft.epage=1383&rft.externalDBID=n%2Fa&rft.externalDocID=000333935000001
6. Oxford Reference, "Cubism," Oxford Encyclopedia of the Modern World, UNC University Library, 2008, accessed October 6, 2014
http://vb3lk7eb4t.search.serialssolutions.com/?ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&ctx_enc=info%3Aofi%2Fenc%3AUTF-8&rfr_id=info:sid/summon.serialssolutions.com&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:book&rft.genre=book%20item&rft.title=Oxford+Encyclopedia+of+the+Modern+World&rft.atitle=Cubism&rft.date=2008-01-01&rft.pub=Oxford+University+Press&rft.isbn=9780195176322&rft_id=info:doi/10.1093%2Facref%2F9780195176322.013.0391&rft.externalDocID=10_1093_acref_9780195176322_013_0391
7. Roy Barrens, interview by Roman Morse, 99% invisible, November 5, 2012
1. Ed. Michael Berenbaum and Fred Skolnik. Encyclopaedia Judaica Vol. 14. 2nd ed. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2007. p419-420.
2. "Ahoy, Frank Stella." Dazzle Camouflage, accessed October 6, 2014, http://communedesign.tumblr.com/post/43766102601/ahoy-frank-stella
3."Dazzle Ships." The Public Domain Review, accessed October 6, 2014, http://publicdomainreview.org/collections/dazzle-ships/
4. "Architecture in Uniform." Places Journal, accessed October 6, 2014 https://placesjournal.org/article/architecture-in-uniform/
5. Edward Wadsworth, "Dazzle-ships in Drydock at Liverpool" The Journal of the American Medical School, UNC University Library, April 9, 2014, accessed September 6, 2014
http://vb3lk7eb4t.search.serialssolutions.com/?ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&ctx_enc=info%3Aofi%2Fenc%3AUTF-8&rfr_id=info:sid/summon.serialssolutions.com&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:journal&rft.genre=article&rft.atitle=Dazzle-ships+in+Drydock+at+Liverpool&rft.jtitle=JAMA-JOURNAL+OF+THE+AMERICAN+MEDICAL+ASSOCIATION&rft.au=Cole%2C+TB&rft.date=2014-04-09&rft.pub=AMER+MEDICAL+ASSOC&rft.issn=0098-7484&rft.eissn=1538-3598&rft.volume=311&rft.issue=14&rft.spage=1382&rft.epage=1383&rft.externalDBID=n%2Fa&rft.externalDocID=000333935000001
6. Oxford Reference, "Cubism," Oxford Encyclopedia of the Modern World, UNC University Library, 2008, accessed October 6, 2014
http://vb3lk7eb4t.search.serialssolutions.com/?ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&ctx_enc=info%3Aofi%2Fenc%3AUTF-8&rfr_id=info:sid/summon.serialssolutions.com&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:book&rft.genre=book%20item&rft.title=Oxford+Encyclopedia+of+the+Modern+World&rft.atitle=Cubism&rft.date=2008-01-01&rft.pub=Oxford+University+Press&rft.isbn=9780195176322&rft_id=info:doi/10.1093%2Facref%2F9780195176322.013.0391&rft.externalDocID=10_1093_acref_9780195176322_013_0391
7. Roy Barrens, interview by Roman Morse, 99% invisible, November 5, 2012