Content page Task 1: What is Modernism Task 2: Pre-Raphaelites Task 3: Bauhaus Manifesto Task 4: Unite d’Habitation 1952 Task 5: Notes from Le Corbusier’s Presntation Task 6: Avante Garde Task 7: Illustrated worksheet Task 8: The worksheet 2 Mind map The Plan Task 9: Essay Poster
Refrences https://pixel77.com/art-history-modern-design-art-nouveau/ http://articles.latimes.com/2012/jul/21/entertainment/la-et-cm-world-war-art-20120722 http://mappinggothic.org/person/265 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/may/20/sainte-chapelle-paris-stained-glass-window-restoration-completed http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/m/modernism-and-nature/ http://www.arthistoryarchive.com/arthistory/european/German-Art-Movements-of-the-Early-20th-Century.html http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p003vdc5 https://www.designboom.com/architecture/bauhaus-new-masterhouses-gropius-moholy-nagy-05-29-2014/ http://www.theartstory.org/movement-bauhaus.htm https://www.brainyquote.com/authors/walter_gropius https://www.architonic.com/en/product/tecta-f51-gropius-armchair/1006660 http://art.famsf.org/ludwig-hirschfeld-mack/untitled-plate-i-pg-61-book-staatliches-bauhaus-weimar-1919-1923-walter
What is modernism? Modernism is a major 20th century movement in art, architecture, design and literature even culture and tradition. It represents the formal innovation and self-conscious yearning to improve, and reshape the environment, by combining the history or modernist techniques, methods and ideas to new technology to create new designs, that tend to lean towards abstraction. The world we live in today is largely shaped from modernism. Buildings, chairs, designs created by ideology and aesthetics for example, Ladislav Sutnar tea and mocha set (1929-32).
Origin The origin of modernism explores the pivotal point of history for design and architecture. Thomas Pritchard for instance was an important turning point, creating the first ever cast iron bridge and influencing others after him as cast iron later became a very commonly used material for engineering of bridges and buildings. Spanish architect Antoni Gaudi, also known as “God’s architect” after designing the famous Sagrada Familia. The Sagrada Familia is still under construction 10 years after his death and is estimated to be finished within the next 13 years. It is still half the size that its required to be as the current architects plan to increase its height times two amplitude. Gijs van Hensbergen studied Antoni Gaudi’s life and architectural work and believes the Spanish architect was ahead of his time, “He was a Century Ahead.” This is seen in Antoni’s designs and models of this building. The building was designed as a call to God for the forgiveness of his sins, hence the way the interior appears to be a forest with the pillars built up like trees into the ceiling said to be, “a striking display of Gaudi’s engineering genius.” Gaudi knew that the Sagrada Familia wouldn’t be completed within his life time and after 130 years of construction the inside of the building the interior was the only thing near completion. After dying in 1926 all that was left was the complex models that he created for the architects of today to figure reverse engineer the models to continue on with the construction. This is where Mark Cameron Burry a New Zealand architect that studied at Cambridge realised that Gaudi was ahead of his time as they realised that they required the latest design technology to put together and understand Gaudi’s models after they got broken into pieces in the Spanish civil war as the anarchists invaded the structure. This shows how complex and advanced the “God’s Architect” was reshaping the language of architecture during the time of modernism.
St Philips Cathedral Eugene Emmanuel Viollet le Duc
Modernity and its relationship with modernism
One key person regarding the topic of modernism is Eugene Viollet le Duc who wasn’t only an architect but also a restorer. He had brought back a lot of gothic styled architecture (architecture that includes building high vaults of structure and ornamental features created using medieval techniques and materials in which form followed function) for example the restoration of Sainte-Chapelle in Paris in 1940 and furthermore working alongside and having an impact on Jean Baptiste Antonie Lassus (1807-1857) together restoring the Notre-Dame, Paris as they adopted the “rationalist interpretation of architecture in general and gothic architecture.” Interestingly Eugene also went on to exploring nature and looking at organic structures from vegetation such as leaves and skeletal structures of animals more specifically bat wings which he involved massively in his project of the Assembly Hall. Eugene was sceptical to break with precedent with an urge to constantly find a path between new and old and with the influence of gothic architecture and nature designed his buildings as structures that appeared abstract and revolutionary rather than static and monumental.
Modernity begins in the late 19th century to early 20th century. Modernity was described by Marshall Berman an American philosopher and Marxist humanist writer as the “maelstrom of modern life.” This notion of a vicious whirlpool that goes around in a circle between the modernist designs of the past and the current scientific technological and societal changes. The power to discover all life possibilities using the experience of time and space and utilizing new technology alongside past methods and recent techniques to create a more modern value to buildings. Neglecting the past history of architecture means losing all the social value of architecture and people have attempted to disconnect from the history of modernism and they have lost out on architectural tradition which brings about pleasure comfort and a sense of place. Hence it is important to encompass past infrastructure, methods, techniques with new technology as well as formal and informal designs to vision and value new strategies. In a sense adapting technology of material, structure, and, infrastructure to the physical and intellectual value of the past.
Arts movement Described by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, “Not just phenomenon of our time and country but rather a part of movement which is across the whole world.” Many movements internationally for example Germany, Berlin during the early 20th century 1900-45. Germany went through two world wars and this brought about a long list of technical and cultural changes and different styles. Der Ring is an example of expressionist architecture, as the building is a “figure self-contained without a head” with a more functionalist approach as the architects where looking to find new ways of building exploring features of industry more. Another interesting arts movement in the Great Berlin Exhibition is the Arbeitsrat fur Kunst (Workers Council for Art) who believe that allowing members of the public to join and help with the project would allow free flowing ideas presenting a more abstract presentation of their ideas. Two major pieces include “Ausstellung für unbekannte Arkitekten” (Exhibition for unknown architects) Berlin un Weimar, and 1919 “Neues Bauen” (New building), Berlin, 1920. There were many other art movements including the US going to south America and south Africa.
Stained glass windows designed by Pre Raphaelites artist Sir Edward Burne Jones, manufactured by the firm of William Morris & Co, installed between 18851897. Artist Edward Burne Jones, risked his education as a exeter angelican clergyman to become and artist. His work at Birmingham Cthedral shows his fantastic Pre raphalites work using an array of colours alongside his late stlye ( elongated bodies with small heads in relation to body length) to convey deep emotions. This design is divided into halves horizontally purposefully to present seperation of heaven from earth in each individual window. Tking the form of the stories of the life of jesus, Burne Jones’s designs present the dazzling beauty of the human face, not to mention the great variety of redhues and skilled use of lead work to create perspective.
Pre Raphaelites are interesting as they present a story through the way faith is integrated in the body language and facial expressions of each character. this makes the viewer take time to reflect as they place themselves in the scene unorder to get a better understanding of G od’s stories.
Walter Gropius
Bauhaus
Unité D’Habitation By Le Corbusier Marseille, France
“The Bauhaus strives to bring together all creative effort into one whole, to reunify all the disciplines of practical art - sculpture, painting, handicrafts, and crafts - as inseparable components of a new architecture.” Bauhaus had a major impact on Europe and the united states bearing in mind it was the most influencial school of art in the 20th century, shaped by different art movement for example Avante Garde and De stijl in the 19th and 20th. With the aim to create reform the world where decoration and montumental structures arent asscoiated with each other. The did this by creating a unity between different components of arts and crafts such as painting, sculpting and architecture .
F51 Gropius-armchair
bauhaus masterhouses by walter gropius restored in dessau The Bauhaus school of art in Dessau which reopeened in 16th 2014 was reinterpretted by german practice BFM architekten.
Untitled, Plate I, pg. 61, in the book Staatliches Bauhaus Weimar, 1919 1923 by Walter Gropius (Munich: Bauhausverlag, 1923)
Orthographic drawings
Interior...
Site plan
Apartment section & general floor plan
Section plan
Interior
Exterior
Elevations
History of the building • Located in Marseille, France • Client : The state • Construction finished in 1952 • The idea of the design was that it must be low-cost and quick to build, which was hard considering the work of Le Corbusier • As the state was his client, the possibilities for the design were endless as long as he met price requirements • Le Corbusier’s inspiration behind the design was from his visit to the ‘Chartreuse of Ema’ in Tuscany in 1907 • The Unité d’ habitation was built due to a high demand for housing after world war II – it contains 337 apartments arranged over 12 floors • The design was built as a resident housing for families who didn’t have shelter after there were bombings in France.
Building function and spatial layout • The main function of this building is to house a large number of people (roughly 1600 residents) because after World War 2 the need for housing was at an unprecedented high. • This was the first of a new housing project series for Le Corbusier that focused on communal living for all the inhabitants to shop, play, live and come together in what he described as a “vertical garden city”. • Communal aspects do not occur within the building; rather they are placed on the roof where there is a garden terrace that has a racetrack, gym and a shallow pool. Spatial Layout • One of the most important aspects of the building is the spatial organisation of the residential units. Unlike most housing projects that have a “double-stacked” corridor, Corbusier designed the units to span from each side of the building, as well as having a double height living space reducing the number of required corridors to one every three floors. • By narrowing the units and allowing for a double height space, Corbusier was capable of efficiently placing more units (apartments) in the building.
Materials and construction Reinforced beton-brut concrete – a rough cast concrete, is what is used for the construction of Unité d'Habitation. The reason for this material being used is because post-war, this was the least costly material. The Unité d'Habitation represents an iconic time in history as it was built after the war. The concrete used could be interpreted as representing the state of life after the war, rough and worn. The structure itself is built by using concrete reinforced pile foundations, allowing the building to start its formation with reinforced concrete stilts. By using pile foundations, a large ground level can then be built on top. In addition, the construction of the building shows that there is an access corridor at three levels. Furthermore, Corbusier mainly uses reinforced concrete and glass within the interior and exterior.
Link to Le Corbusier’s idea of new architecture Pilots and the roof garden are two of the five points regarding a new architecture used by Le Corbusier for the Unité d’ Habitation at Marseille a modernist residential housing design principle. As well as the way immediate post war building conditions and designs created using new technology. Pilots Columns supporting the ground level to allow the building to connect with features such as gardens or parking space and allow space for creating areas of circulation. The actual ground beneath the pilots which suspend the physical structure into space other than capturing the intimacy of the analogous area in the pavilion has the sole purpose of making an area for circulation. On the roof terrace there is also a hollow version of the pilots below which raises the architectural volume creating room for more circulation underneath. The roof Terrace One major domain of the Unité d’ habitation is the roof terrace a new level of ground in the air. This idea of the garden being elevated to the structure and having it as a communal area for people to sit, relax, and enjoy their time as their children play.
References: http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/image/6434052-3x2-700x467.jpg - Exterior image.
http://acidadebranca.tumblr.com/post/105954534259/procrete-the-construction-of-unite - Building under construction image. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/401101910551726964/ - Building under construction image. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/403987029052036346/ - Building under construction image. http://www.archdaily.com/85971/ad-classics-unite-d-habitation-le-corbusier - Construction and materials. http://www.bbc.co.uk/culture/story/20130423-design-icon-or-concrete-horror - History Information. http://www.fondationlecorbusier.fr/corbuweb/morpheus.aspx?sysId=13&IrisObjectId=5234&sysLanguage=enen&itemPos=58&itemCount=78&sysParentId=64&sysParentName=home - History information. https://i.pinimg.com/originals/ae/da/e1/aedae1f067d166e8e7c427cacdbb3a60.png - History image. https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/09/Unite-d-Habitation-by-Le-Corbusier_Foundation-Le-Corbusier_dezeen_468_0_1000.jpg -Floor plan image. https://www.archdaily.com/85971/ad-classics-unite-d-habitation-le-corbusier/5037e7f428ba0d599b0003b7-ad-classics-unite-d-habitation-le-corbusier-siteplan - Site plan image. https://en.wikiarquitectura.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Uhm2.jpg - Section image. https://www.dezeen.com/2014/09/15/le-corbusier-unite-d-habitation-cite-radieuse-marseille-brutalist-architecture/ - Exterior image. https://www.dezeen.com/2014/09/15/le-corbusier-unite-d-habitation-cite-radieuse-marseille-brutalist-architecture/ - Pilot image. https://misfitsarchitecture.com/tag/unite-dhabitation-marseilles/ - Elevations. https://theartstack.com/artist/le-corbusier/unite-d-habitation-marse-4 - Interior image.