Modernist Architecture During The 19th Century

Architecture in the 1950s was representative of the conformity caused by the Cold War. McCarthyism and the Red Scare were some of the major sources of this conformity. McCarthyism was the persecution of innocent people assumed to be communist and the forced conformity that the practice aroused in American public life. As the government grew more and more concerned with the development of communism in the United States, the country became extremely against communism and with the help of John McCarthy, the government set out on a mission to find all the communists hiding in the depths of America; many people were questioned and hundreds were either killed or exiled, even those that were wrongly convicted. With the threat of being removed from

The architecture of the 1920s was very elaborate and strongly influenced by European movements. Soaring business profits and higher wages allowed American to afford more expensive architecture (“The Great Depression (1920–1940"). The indoor architecture included walls that tended to be one color with a glossy finish; floors were typically linoleum or vinyl, usually patterned. The fire places were bold and stepped. Also, chrome and etched glass became popular with much of the architecture ("Period Style- 1920s"). For example, in the novel The Great Gatsby, Nick states "… with a tower on one side, spanking new under a thin beard of raw ivy, and a marble swimming pool, and more that forty acres of lawn and garden" (Fitzgerald 5). In addition to

An architect’s intention on how his or her design is to be viewed can be misconstrued in a variety of different ways. For example, dissecting the compositional and formal design of a building, with or without knowledge of the architect’s actual intent, is completely up to the interpretation of the person or persons researching or viewing the design. In my own research about the compositional and formal design of the Margaret Esherick House, designed by Louis Kahn, I have come to realize, with the help of scholarly resources, the direct intention of Louis Kahn’s design; in which this paper will come to analyze and explain. While compiling research about the Esherick house, I came across a very informative book, The Houses of Louis Kahn, written by George H. Marcus and William Whitaker. The Houses of Louis

Behind every building, there is an idea. No architect can deny that both Frank Lloyd Wright and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe developed and introduced a style of architecture that has left a lasting influence on design and concept. Their philosophy of modernism has similarities that can be seen throughout the design of their structures, however, their, contrasting views of modernism is distinguishable in Wright’s Falling Water and Mies’ Farnsworth house. Their choices of the building site, material, and idea behind the structures separate the two architects and their philosophies.

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

Question 1. Choose an architect or practice whose work is covered by or relevant to this course and discuss critically one or more of their design projects or drawings or urban proposals as precedent case-studies. Selectively situate this work in relation to their body of work, and against the practices and concerns of the period. Focus on the architectural qualities of a specific key aspect of the design of the projects. Selectively consider how they might relate to the historical situation, cultural values, theoretical concerns and design practices of the time. This may involve a selective analysis of compositional design practices, material fabrication production and the experiential reception of built outcomes of the projects.

In this essay I am aim to explore Pugin’s dissent from tradition through his ideas, inspiration, and his most important works and their meaning. To dissent from tradition is to defy a stultifying tradition or convention, which leads to new, daring styles (Richardson, McKellar, Woods, 2008, p.109). The ‘traditional’ architectural style in the early 19th Century, in Great Britain was classicism, inspired by ancient Greece and associated with democracy as well as with the French revolution (Richardson, McKellar, Woods, 2008, p. 112). Pugin, called this classical style ‘the new square style’ (Figure 4.7, in Richardson, McKellar, Woods, 2008, p.123) and argued that it lacked authenticity of Great Britain (Richardson, McKellar, Woods, 2008, p.

Modernist approach as almost completely dominated the Western world for the past decade; a great example is the building of the new Toronto City hall. Its futuristic a design with all glass and a lower chamber the size of a large dish has amazed many.

In Corbusier’s architecture he sought to refine the buildings to a perfect standard in with the aim of benefiting society on whole. Corbusier firmly believed in the power of architecture to effect the lives of people, in his collection of essays on modern architecture titled Vers une architecture (Toward[s] an Architecture) Corbusier claims architecture to be “A product of happy peoples and a thing which in itself produces happy peoples.” Through his publication of L’Espirit Nouveau, and through his works as an architect and artist Corbusier implemented the orderly, rational and logical aesthetics that he believed would lead towards a better world for his adopted nation of France, and the world, addressing issues of the time such as housing.

Writers, painters, and other artists produced some of the greatest work in the nation's history. During the 1920s, the main styles of architecture that emerged were Art Deco and Modern architecture. The Art Deco development began in Paris, however rapidly spread around Europe and over to America. The style was created at Bauhaus, a school in Germany that got to be acclaimed for its approach to the motif.

During the same time period, Adolf Loos, a modern architect, was formulating his own anti-ornament theories which eventually cumulated into an essay he wrote in 1913 titled Crime and Ornament. In the essay, Loos argues that ornament and all surface decoration are completely unnecessary and that it is the waste of “human labor, money, and materials.” In fact, he would be appalled by a piece like the Lady’s Writing Table and Chair since he believe that the physical materials should be celebrated for what they are and not covered in superfluous add-ons. Loos did acknowledge the fact that ornament had purpose and value in the past, but his belief was that those who are “cultured” in modern society prefer simplicity and have no need for decoration. This modernist ideal is exactly what Codman rejected when he built the Lady’s Writing Table and Chair. Instead, his beliefs are more similar to that of Owen Jones. Jones was a world traveler who was fascinated with the array of ornaments he encountered on his trips. Thusly, he published The Grammar of Ornament in 1856 which was essentially an encyclopedia containing patterns, contrast and color harmonies, which he believed were the best examples of decorations from other cultures and periods. Codman uses the same appropriation of patterns Jones emphasized. Through collecting influence from other cultures and

As a concept 1920s and 1930s Art Deco architecture was particularly hard to define. It can be referred to as a decorative style that was new and innovative, as well as one that drew heavily on influences of the past. A closer look shows a bit of everything, Art Deco was able to take almost every movement, compress and reimagine them into a unity of their individual traits. The one thing that persists in all Art Deco architecture was its ability to usher in an era of new materials that were developed specifically for the decorative arts, interior decoration, and exterior building construction. Materials such as concrete, steel framing, terra cotta, flexwood, wood veneers, metal-steel framing, plate glass, and glass blocks proved to be exceedingly versatile within this style. While new materials such as stainless steel and

Although, most post-modernist architects had been associated with modern architects in terms of training during the twentieth century, they refused most their teachers ideas. In addition, today's architects cannot deny the modern architecture ways of designing any building. Their design, for instance, has many philosophical meaning such as constructional, environmental, sociological, commercial and metaphorical meaning.

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.

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.