Grand Theory : Modernism Toronto City Hall

Though the start of the modernisation may trace back to the beginning of Industrial Revolution. “Modernism in the design world did not exist in a fully developed form, until well after First World War.” (Wilk, 2006) Causing the great loss of lives and other countless damage to the world, it reshaped many people’s way of thinking the world. With the inspiration of early avant-garde movement, the modernism began to emerge advocating an utopian future and shared certain core principles by various styles of modernists: rejecting the past and applied ornament; forms follow function, a preference for

However, Art Deco was focused more on angular, geometric shapes, abstract patterns and a slick technological look (Striner 23). The main goal of the Art Deco movement was to “[serve] as an important channel between radical and traditionalist design responses to twentieth-century challenges” (Striner 21). With the constant changes happening in society it was hard to find a balance, and the Art Deco movement was an attempt to find that balance between traditionalism and modernism (Striner 24). Traditionalists were typically conservative, religious people from rural areas. They wanted to preserve their traditional and religious values (Lüsted 12). Modernists however, embraced the social change and advocated new ideologies, such as, liberalism, the sexual revolution, atheism, evolution, and socialism. Modernists were typically young, urban people who rejected traditional restrictions and values, especially those surrounding gender roles (Lüsted 12). In Fitzgerald’s novel the traditionalists are represented by the people of East Egg like Tom and Daisy Buchanan who come from money and do not really have to work in order to be successful. The modernists are represented by the people of West Egg such as Jay Gatsby and Nick Carraway who did not necessarily come from a lot of money and had to work in order to become successful. They are the people who have dreams and have to work hard in order to achieve those dreams. Much like how the traditionalists frequently did not see eye

Modernism started in the 1900’s in America, it was a time in which the homeland had meaningful changes. Although it may have not been for the best, it still had a part in our society. Willa Cather wrote Neighbour Rosicky. In this short story it lets us envision how modernism has occurred. Modernism is “ limitation accorded with the modernist sense that “truth” does not exist objectively but is the product of the mind’s interaction with reality.” In this story, Willa Cather does not explain how or what will happen in the story with each character. We will see how Rosicky will not give up his hard working skills to keep providing for his family.

In the public square north of Wellington Street one is enclosed by 4 towers. Two are Miesian creations while the other two are the most faithful reproductions by Bregman and Hammond. The four stylistically identical towers have a synergic effect on one another. The repetition which is obvious in their façades extends into the cityscape. While there are hundreds of international styles towers spread throughout the world this is the only place where one is encircled by 4 Miesian towers. The repetition seems to affect everything in the street. Traffic seems more regular, the trees seem to conform to a hidden order related to the buildings, and everything around seems in perfect sync. It briefly feels like a perfect modernist utopia before being pulled back into reality by the acoustic cacophony of city life. This unique feature of the TD Centre is something refreshing which transports the viewer to the dreams of the modernists: Mies’ glass towers or Corb’s City of Three Million. Walking through the complex this feeling persists. The views towards the towers from within the Banking Pavilion can pretty much serve as frames for the architectural movement that is modernism. This initial feeling is only reinforced by delving deeper into the specific buildings.

Christopher Crouch wrote “Modernism in Art, Design and Architecture” in 1999, in order to acquaint his audience to the concepts of Modernism and the Post-Modern evolution, through a concise and captivating argument, which effectively ties to the advancement of contemporary visual culture, and to the socio-political conditions in which it is composed of. Crouch investigates the diverse ways in which visual culture emulates its conceptual and physical provenance in elite, mass, and cultural practices.

People were searching for restoration in the aftershock of World War II. The modernists in this period were trying to find a way to resuscitate themselves in a tragic environment. There was a viewpoint that the individual had to discover a new style of connecting to humanity in a different way.

The class visit to the Museum of Modern Art allowed myself to understand and visualize what the work of Modernism really pertains to. As I was entering the Modernism Art exhibit or the first time, I was excited yet uncertain of the paintings and works of art I would come across. After exploring around, reading the information panels, and asking questions, I attempted to learn and educate myself on the Modernist art movement. The purpose of the modernist period for artists was to provide new meaning, illuminate the world in a different way, and to show different relationships within the world. Modernism art isn’t necessarily a rejection of the past as much as trying to make meaning of the past that existed in the nineteenth century and sought

Modern architecture is a term referred to the architecture style influenced by modernism movements at the beginning of the 20th century. Modernism has disseminated from Europe to Australia by migration of European and travelling Australian architects. Consequently, buildings carried with modernism started to appear in Melbourne.

Modernist architecture applies to a group of styles that emerged early in the 20th century and continued as a dominant architectural style well into the 1960s.

When looking at the effects of technology and design on the modernisation of Melbourne during the interwar period of 1919-1939, you are able to capture a lot about how Australian design advanced largely through such a small time frame. “Modern is the aspect in which you take in the present time, to look forward into the future, and not look back” (2014, ilearn). It is where designers are able to explore new ideas rather than continuing on with the ones from the past. However modernism may have many meanings, but it largely expresses the design movement within the 20th century, in how aspects of design has been influenced by many cultures and these ideas have then been brought into consideration when the designer embarks on their own design journey.

title the challenges critics meet in their attempts to formulate a coherent theoretical modernist model, though the quintessential modernist works –even at the time of this 1987 article – are over sixty years old. Indeed, the sheer number of scholarly books and articles that discuss or contribute to the debate surrounding the definition of modernism indicates the extent to which modernism is a term whose only non-contentious consensus is that it its meaning is fraught with ambiguity. Susan Stanford Friedman’s contribution to the debate summarizes the theoretical crises thus:

Styles of architectural design are always changing. As time progresses, new advancements are being made to accommodate a mass society and create a utopian design that will provide for the best possible living standards. The main qualities expressed in modern buildings are how they strive to replicate the goals and ambitions of their architects and patrons in a way beneficial to society as a whole. Modernism is a term that was invented in response to the architectural movement starting around the early 20th century to explain the dramatic changes in both technology and society. It was mainly in response to the industrial revolution which created urban cities changing the way people lived and worked. Modern architecture began to experiment with more modern concepts with buildings adoption more of a machine aesthetic by adding industrially-produced materials. The grand theater Großes Schauspielhaus utilizes the style of modernism to create a building for the people incorporating new technologies to design a space befitting the changing attitudes of early 20th century German society.

Now what our parents have taught us all in our early childhood is not to believe everything we are told... I know, you too believed everything you were told. According to Wikipedia, modernism is:

Modernism as a movement is an artistic reaction to the conventional art and literature of mid- to late 19th century. World War I introduced advanced technology and the introduction of industrialisation provoked Modernist writers to express their concerns about the changing society and the complexities it of through their works. Urban alienation, the meaning of life as well as inner psychological perspectives are some issues explored through the experimentation of new literary techniques as the progression from the Realism and Romanticism of the 19th

The Modernist Period was first a reaction against the previous Victorian culture. Intellectuals and artists of the 20th century believed that the previous era’s way of doing things was a cultural dead end and they wanted to break away from traditions.