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How Is Philip Johnson Post Modernism

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The contradictory life and changing allegiances of Philip Johnson

This essay will critically discuss the development of Post Modernism as a reaction to Modernism and the growth of the architectural style as an individual movement.
The objective of this essay will be to indicate an understanding of the formal characteristics of the architecture and design of Post Modernism as well as the affect that the architect, Philip Johnson had on this movement. It will also indicate an understanding of how Post Modernism was influenced and shaped by the political, economic and social beliefs of the time. Post Modernism architecture originated as an international style in America around the 1960’s to 1970’s and quickly spread throughout the rest of the world. The goal of the Post Modernism movement was that it was a reaction against Modernism and rejected the modernist desire for …show more content…

In architecture and interior design, Post modernism can be defined as the re-emergence of surface ornamentation that relied heavily on historical decorative forms and made use of curvilinear lines and angles throughout the design. Post modernism was concerned with the ornamentation, symbolism, technology and the combination of present and past architectural style to create a brand new style in its entirety (Jarzombek, 1999: 489).

Philip Johnson, has played an irreplaceable role in the development of Modernism and Post Modernism architecture during the past century. Modernism was innovated and pioneered by architects such as Le Corbusier, Frank Lloyd Wright, Mies van der Rohe and Walter Gropius, and Philip Johnson was its director of public relations. He can be seen as the person responsible for bringing the Modernism fascination to America and played a key role in the contextual acceptance of it by its mainstream culture (Blake, 1996:

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