HISTORY
OF MODERN ARCHITECTURE
ARC4010 THOMAS ROWNTREE S17108168
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CONTENTS TASK 1 : What is modernsim?
Page 3
TASK 2 : The Bauhaus movement
Page 4
TASK 3 : The Pre-Raphealite movement
Page 5
St Phillip’s Cathedral
Page 6
TASK 4 : Candigarh presentation
Pages 7 - 11
TASK 5 : Manifesto and the Avant Garde
Pages 12 & 13
TASK 6 : Preparing for essay
Pages 14 & 15
TASK 7 : Healthy body culture TASK 8 : Essay planning
Page 16 Pages 17 - 20
TASK 9 : Essay poster
Page 21
BIBLIOGRAPHY/REFERENCING
Page 22
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MODERNISM What is modernim? Modernism is a word that is undoubtedly hard to define as it is a concept that has influenced such a wide range of movements. It was wholly interested in the transition of change and developing old things into new during the 1900’s to the 20th century. Bruno Mathson, Vistol (easy chair), 1933/36
It has influenced creative forms such as art, music, dance, literature, architecture and politics. Modernism is a term that can be thought of as referring to the philosophy of modern art and also describes the art produced during that period of time. One idea of Modernism is clear is that is rejects tradition. It was an attempt to find new ways of capturing experience and identity.
Katarzyna Kobro, Spatial composition, 1928
Even to this day, we live in a world that is created by the ideas presented by the concept of Modernism. Our homes, furniture, graphics that surround us and even the bed we sleep in, have all been designed in a certain way due to the concept of Modernism.
Articles, books and magazines have the tendency to include references to the term modernism without giving a definition to the concept. This leads the reader to feel confused about the text and leaves the work open to interpretations. However, with a commonly used phrase that has been lodged into the world of design, it seems irrational that there is no finite definition and reasoning to such a cultural concept. The great First World War was a defining factor that sparked the beginning of modernism due to the profound shock and destruction to the world. The war itself is what initiated this change in tradition and the passion towards experimenting and pushing the boundaries.
Johannes Molzahn, poster for Wohnung und Werkroum, 1927
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BAUHAUS WALTER GROPIUS
BAUHAUS BUILDING DESSAU, GERMANY 1925-6
This building has become a landmark in modern design and typically displays what the Bauhaus movement is trying to achieve. The building has been designed so that each wall does not connect and are split apart by different elements. The building has since been given the status of one of the most influential art schools in the 20th century.
MARCEL BREUER
CLUB CHAIR (MODEL B3) (THE WESSLY CHAIR) 1925
What I like about this chair is the use of minimal material to produce a piece of furniture which is fully functional. It is extremely lightweight and easily accessible. It is a typical design that has since made the Bauhaus famous. The chair was made out of tubular steel which follows the Bauhaus idea of combining all crafts such as architecture, art and geometric design and bringing them all together to be mass produced. The aim was to adapt to the new machine era.
LASZLO MOHOLY-NAGY
CLUB CHAIR (MODEL B3) (THE WESSLY CHAIR) 1925
I personally like this painting due to its sharp and clear lines, which are distinctly separated from one and other due to lighting and colour. From 1921 onwards Moholy-Nagy started to create artwork which were stripped from references. He aimed to explore colour, space, light and transparency. The impact of Moholu-Nagy on the Bauhaus movement is that he redefined it as a meeting-place for arts and the industry.
PHILIPPE STARCK MASTERS CHAIR
This chair is a contemporary chair that is being sold in the current market. It has been designed by Philippe Starck who is French designer. I feel this chair has visual links to the Club Chair by Marcel Breuer due to its minimal use of materials. The shape of the chair legs are shaped similarly to the Club Chair and therefore look as if they follow a similar manifesto.
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PRE-RAPHAELITE
The Pre-Raphaelites were a collective of Victorian poets, painters, illustrators and designers founded in 1848. The main members of the group go by the names of William Holman Hunt, John Everett Millias and Dante Gabriel Rossetti. The group were inspired by a theorist called John Ruskin, who had a passion towards nature. They believed in art with maximum realism and became a popular genre of painting at the time. The group opposed the dominance of the British Royal Academy and were inspired by the “pre-raphaelite’ period, the centuries preceding the Italian High Renaissance.
PRE-RAPHAELITE BROTHERHOOD
There then became seven members in the group and called themselves the ‘Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood’. They were inspired by Italian art of the 14th and 15th centuries and the name Pre-Raphaelite expressed their admiration of nature. The Brotherhood lasted just short of 5 years but their influence on painting in Britain was profound.
KEY FEATURES
• They rejected the British Royal Academy’s teaching methods and also their preferences for Victorian subjects and styles. Their art was one of the first ‘official’ challenges and has since become a crucial piece of the history of modern art in Britain. • Pre-Raphaelitism supported naturalism and also had preference to natural forms. They studied the details of nature and its belief to its appearance even when it risked showing ugliness. • They turned to the medieval period as a stylistic model as part of their reaction to industrialization negativity. They greatly influenced the development of the Arts and Crafts and Art Nouveau design movements due to their methods of production, stories and medieval styles.
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ST.PHILIPS CATHEDRAL A building that was once a church and is now a cathedral is listed as one of the oldest buildings in the city (built in 1715). The building was once originally the parish church of St Martins but was no longer suitable due to the population and so a new parish church was required. The building was originally designed by Thomas Archer and has now become a very rare example of English Baroque Architecture. Its relation Baroque Architecture is shown due to its essential use of detail, which you can see within the interior of the building. They include dome, volutes, subtle use of concave and complex, giant pilasters, the door surrounds, the oval windows, the rusticated stonework and the balustrade with decorative runs. The building previously dominated the skyline and was a real stand out building when it was first build. The building once stood alone and glowed due to the exposure of sunlight. Since then, the building has lost its domination over the skyline due to the construction of sky high buildings located around it. It is one beautifully crafted building.
MY SKETCH
Its a home for some remarkable treasures including the stain glass windows designed by Edward Burne-Jones. The windows were designed in memory of Miss Emma Villiers Wiles’s brother and went on to be installed in 1885. The windows were looked after and during the Second World War, they were taken down for safe keeping so that they couldn’t be damaged. The windows are known for their vibrancy, life-like figures and their ability to tell a story as well as showing off Burne-Jones’s immense skill and fine craftsmanship of William Morris. The detail in this stained-glass is something that really caught my eye and something that would capture anyone’s attention.
MY SKETCH
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CHANDIGARH PRESENTATION
For this weeks task, we were asked to research the Capitol complex and create a brief presentation. The following pages shows the presentation slides but I would first like to give you some detailed information.
The capitol complex is a city that was designed by Le Corbusier and is located in India. Chandigarh has been designed based on the human body with the Capitol complex clearly defined as a head. The complex includes 3 historical pieces of architecture which are all now labelled as ‘masterpeices’. These buildings go by the names of ‘Secretarait’, the ‘High court’ and the ‘Legislative assembly’, all separated by large pillars. Chandigarh Capital Complex is located in sector-1 of Chandigarh city in India. Chandigarh is the capital of the northern Indian States of Punjab and Haryana. The city is planned on a grid diving up rectangles of neighbourhoods arranged similarly to a garden city. At the centre of the city is the commercial centre and at the ‘head’ of the complex contains the main buildings; The Governor’s Palace, The Parliament building, the palace of justice and the Secretariat.
MASTER PLANNING
Le Corbusier’s plan was on similar lines to Mayer and Novicki’s except the shape was modified from a curving road network to a rectangular shape with a grid iron pattern to aid for the fast traffic roads. The metaphor of A human being was being employed in the plan (the human scale) – the ‘head’ contained the capital complex, the ‘heart’ the commercial centre, and the ‘arms’, which were perpendicular to the main axis, had the academic and leisure facilities. The plan incorporated le Corbusier’s principles of light, space and greenery. What had been named an “urban village” in Mayer’s plan, le Corbusier renamed A “sector”.
HISTORICAL CONTEXT
In 1947, after Punjab was divided in two, it required a new capital as Lahore was now part of Pakistan. The prime minister of India commissioned Le Corbusier to build a new city of Chandigarh as the new capital of Punjab. The Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, assigned the brief for the design and he wanted a city that would be ‘unfettered by the traditions of the past, a symbol of the nations faith in the future’. Corbusier built a large and high court building but along with that, he also built all the major buildings in the city as well as all the door handles in public offices. Today, these buildings are considered modernist masterpieces even though most of them are in a state of neglect.
MATERIALS
The main material used was raw concrete. This was due to it being readily available, cheap and easy for unskilled workers to use. Originally steel was intended to be used however it was not financially viable considering the vast scale of the project. Le Corbusier juxtaposes to raw, exposed concrete by painting the façades various colours from his 63 polychrome architectural (1959) shades. This features on the interior and exterior of the buildings and were hand painted by le Corbusier himself over a period of 14 days.
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MANIFESTO AND THE AVANT GARDE
‘FORM OVER FUNCTION’ ‘Form follows function’ is a common saying that is used in most principles of design with function being a priority over the form of the design. In this case, I am looking at the opposite. I have created a poster to demonstrate the idea of ‘Form over function’, which can be explained simply as a design that its form has priority over function.
GRENFELL TOWER
I have taken Grenfell Tower as my example of form over function as this is a highly spoke about building due to the fire that broke out. This building has been designed so that it is aesthetically pleasing for local residents as it is one of the most expensive housing areas in the UK. The tower was built in the 1970’s and was renovated in 2016 with £8.6 million being spent. Throughout this renovation, new cladding was installed and this is a possible reason for the rapid spread of the blaze. The cladding had a metal outer coating and an expanded foam interior. This polyethylene core is less fireproof than other alternatives but a cheaper option. The building also lacked fire alarms, sprinklers and a fire escape. It has only one staircase and the new aluminium facade was a concern. Due to such poor safety features, as the fire broke out, people at the top of the tower couldn’t escape and were trapped. When the fire fighters appeared, they even couldn’t get into the building. The newly renovated cladding is what caused the fire to rise so fast. At least 79 people died.
These are photos of the tower after 2 different times. The image on the left shows the tower when it first sets alight and the second image shows it when it is completely on fire. There is less than a 4 hour gap between these photos.
Safety vs Cost
There has been a massive debate over the choice of materials used in the construction of this building and the further refurbishments. Using fire-resistant materials would have been more expensive and so the government opted for a cheaper option but therefore causing a concern in the safety of the building. The lack of safety within the building was discussed but not dealt with causing a former fire chief to state that “The construction industry appears to be stronger and more powerful than the safety lobby”. Therefore, the speed in which the fire spread could of been avoided and the safety precautions could have been greater if they were willing to spend more money. This means that they had priorities on the form of the building rather than the safety (function) of the tower.
MY MANIFESTO POSTER
This is an image of the Grenfell Tower on fire. I drew half of the photo using pencil and I then merged the drawing together with the photo itself. I have then written ‘Form over function’ down the left hand side of the poster. The word ‘form’ has smoke behind it to represent that the form of the building is what has caused the fire. The word ‘function’ has a nice blue sky behind it to represent that its the function that should have been the main focus and if they had focussed on the function, the fire wouldn’t of spread so fast and people could of escaped the building.
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PREPARING FOR THE ESSAY
Website: http://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/m/modernism Website: https://www.biography.com/people/frank-lloyd-wright-9537511
Name of article/website/book/image, year published and name of author. No end notes needed.
Order of how the information is ordered in your booklet.
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Modernism: The Roots of Modernism. 2017. Modernism: The Roots of Modernism.
The Irish Times. 2017. Out of the wasteland: the first World War and modernism
The Art Story. 2017. Bauhaus Movement, Artists and Major Works | The Art Story
The Bauhaus Movement. 2017. The Bauhaus Movement
Guggenheim. 2018. Form Follows Function
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HEALTHY BODY CULTURE SUN, LIGHT AND THE NAKED BODY
Exposing the naked body to the air became a widespread practice in the inter-war years in the pursuit of Greek beauty. Social nudism began in Germany in the late nineteenth century as an upper-middle-class theme but was very rare in Britain and the United States. ‘More sun! More light! is the cry of our desperate ages’ wrote a female correspondent in a German nudist magazine. Many in the German movement felt that nudism expressed individuality, to aid health and to increase expressibility. Nudist’ believed that the therapeutic power of sunshine gained medical credibility and the so-called sun cure on tuberculosis which, displayed an alternative to surgery and on malnutrition. Rollier’s clinic in Leysin, Switzerland, 1903, incorporated sun balconies where patients could lie in the sun. Jeromir Krejcar’s sanatorium in Slovakia included long balconies for patients to lie in the sun, as well as roof terraces and indoor sun-filled spaces. The Aalto and Krejcar sanatoria were unusually tall buildings situated in non-urban areas, with the aim of maximum sun exposure and in 1928 Walter Gropius had argued that the high-rise building has ‘the biologically important advantages or more sun and light’.
The belief in the importance of light in daily life was translated into design terms by architects. The importance of light being allowed to enter the interior became a fundamental feature of Modernist architecture. ‘Glass architecture’ was then introduced which lets in the light of the sun, the moon and the stars through every possible wall. Le Corbusier called for roof gardens and long windows ‘through which light and air can come flooding in’ and the CIAM urged the establishment of ‘a body of fundamental truths...forming the basis of domestic science’. Light and air curing childhood illness and tuberculosis became something that people believed in and causing an establishment of open-air schools. Johannes Duiker’s open air school in Amsterdam was the most influential in Modernist circles and schools that has over-exposure to the sun were avoided.
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ESSAY PLANNING
The previous worksheet has helped me to fully understand how to reference and how to create a bibliography. It has also helped me acknowledge which sources and reading materials I would need. I have chosen the following question: Postmodernism is one of the more challenging and controversial movements in Architecture in contemporary history. Describe its key features and identify the factors within Modernism that led to its emergence. Identify at least one key building which personifies Postmodernism’s key features, describe the context within which this building has been designed.
WHERE TO BEGIN?
THE WORKSHEET 2 a) Write down in your own words what you think the assignment is asking you to do. • The assignment is asking me to explore the key features of postmodernism and reference this to some key buildings within the postmodernism movement. It is asking me to give a summary of postmodernsim as a movement and what influences the movement had. I will also look at what makes postmodernism controversial and what has made it a success. b) What do you already know about the subject matter of the essay? • I already have a good knowlege about postmodernism and some of the key buildings within the movement. Some examples being: Vanna Venturi House, Neue Staatsgalerie and Water pumping station. I also understand that there are controversial buildings such as the Walt Disney World Swan which has been criticised massively. c) What background information do you need to help you to complete this essay? • I need to know the history of the movement and what influences it has. I need to find out why some of the buildings were so controversial and why. Opposing that, I will need to research what the success’s of the movement were and why. I will also need to research whether there is any examples of postmodernism in today’s society. d) How do you think this essay differs from or is similar to other assignments that you are working on at the moment? • This essay is completely different to work that I have currently been working on as it is much more analytical and less practical than the work I have currently been doing. There is a lot more reading involved and a lot of understanding to be done. This assignment will push me and test my ability but I am looking forward to the challenge. e) How are you going to choose your reading material? • I will look to find a range of reading materials to give me enough information to construct an argument and enable me to form a better judgement. My sources will need to be legit and written by professionals so that the information provided is correct.
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ESSAY PLANNING FREE WRITING TASK
Before I started writing my essay or even started planning it, I sat and wrote about my question completely un planned to notify myself which areas I need to research and need to gain knowledge in. This will also help me to understand how to lay the essay out and what the introduction, chapters and conclusion need to include. I gave myself a time scale of 10 minutes for this writing.
Postmodernism is a movement that followed Modernism and ‘reacted’ to the previous movement. Modernism followed the saying that ‘less is more’ which a postmodernist architect called Robert Venturi reacted to by saying that ‘less is a bore’. Venturi then went on to produce a book called ‘Complexity and contradiction in architecture’ which explained Venturi’s passion against the modernist movement and ways to move architecture forward. He stated “I like elements that are hybrid rather than ‘pure’, compromising rather than ‘clean’, distorted rather than ‘straightforward’, ambiguous rather than ‘articulated’”. This typically explained the difference between modernism and postmodernism and how less is a bore. A project that then followed this book was named the Vanna venturi House which was the first postmodernism building. This building typically personifies the postmodern movement due to its hybrid forms and mixture of opposing periods. Projects that followed this have been named a success but there have been controversial projects which have been massively criticised. From this exercise, I have learned that I have a very vague understanding of Postmodernism and not information for me to create a 2000 word essay out of. I will therefore, have to do plenty of research to fully understand the movement and the key buildings that made the movement a success and also the buildings that got criticised. By gathering more information, I will be able to construct opposing opinions and therefore create a thorough argument.
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MIND MAP TASK Argument: Influences/reacting to modernism Evidence/Analysis: ‘Less is a bore’ Clean and simple lines boring The more the better Complexity is key Architects
Argument: Criticism that post modernsim faced and why. What did people not like and what was controversial.
Background information on Postmodernism. • What is it? • Features of it
Evidence/Analysis: • Michael Graves, The Portland Building • Phillip Johnson and John Burgee, AT&T building • The walt disney world swan
INTRODUCTION
PARA 1 Reacting to modernism
PARA 3 Criticism towards Postmodernism.
TITLE: Question 1 - Is Postmodernism still a current movement in todays design scene?
PARA 2 Key projects and their features. How this shaped Postmodernism New openings? Argument: Key projects & how this shaped postmodernism Evidence/Analysis: • Vanna Venturi House • Neue Staatsgalerie • Water pumping station Deconstructivism • Gehry residence, Frank Gehry
PARA 4 Do I like postermodernsim? Why? Should I? CONCLUSION
Evidence of postmodernism in todays current design scene. • Summarise arguments • Create a conclusion
Argument: Do I like postmodernism as a movement? Why? Evidence/Analysis: Examples to explain my reasoning What dont I like about the movement and what features do I dislike and like?
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ESSAY PLANNING 5 PARAGRAPH ESSAY
Main “response” to question, introductory idea and flagging up topics to be covered: Throughout this assignment, Postmodernism will be analysed as a movement, looking at its success’, controversial projects and whether postmodernism is still a movement in today’s design scene. I will also look to give my own opinion on the subject and explain why I like the movement or dislike it.
TOPIC 1
TOPIC 2
TOPIC 3
Introduce – Proof – Discussion - Point
Introduce – Proof – Discussion - Point
Introduce – Proof – Discussion - Point
Postmodernism’s reaction to modernism - ‘less is a bore’. Looking at the key projects that caused postmodernism to take off as a movement. Vanna Venturi House, Neue Staatsgalerie, Water pumping station. These buildings were success’ and have become famous for their features. Colour was a big feature and combining opposing periods was something that postmodernism personified.
Postmodernism faced a lot of criticism and some projects were slated and very controversial. Michael Graves, The Portland Building, Phillip Johnson and John Burgee, AT&T building, The Walt Disney World swan are all examples of buildings that received criticism. Materials that were used and why these weren’t successful and why the designs of the buildings were so controversial.
My opinion on the movement. I personally do not like the features of the movement as I am a fan of modernism. I prefer the idea that ‘less is more’ and I am a fan of clean and sharp lines. I feel like these techniques are much more aesthetically pleasing and easy on the eye. Discuss whether postmodernsim is a movement in today’s society and why it is or not.
Re-state main arguments and points Brief description of postmodernism as a movement and its reaction to modernism. Sum up the points on why postmodernism was a success and show evidence. Summarise why it got criticised and which projects were controversial. State whether it is still a movement in today’s design scene and examples that show this.
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POSTMODERNISM
Postmodernism Introduction What I am going to include in the essay: • Summary of the movement • Explain what postmdernism is • What its main features are Context Postmodernism is a movement that followed Modernism and ‘reacted’ to the previous movement. Modernism followed the saying that ‘less is more’ which a postmodernist architect called Robert Venturi reacted to by saying that ‘less is a bore’. Venturi then went on to produce a book called ‘Complexity and contradiction in architecture’ which explained Venturi’s passion against the modernist movement and ways to move architecture forward. Vanna Ventrui house was a project that has become a great success and has been known to have been an inspirational project for further postmodernism work. What are the features of this building and what made it so great? Main body of text Key projects that made the movement a success and a failure. Why did The Walt Disney World Swan receive so much criticism and what features of it were so disliked? Materials that were used and why these weren’t successful and why the designs of the buildings were so controversial. My opinion on the movement and explain why I dislike it or like it. Conclusion Answer the question. Is postmodernism still a movement in today’s design scene? Give evidence to whether it is or not.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY / REFERENCING
The Irish Times. 2017. Out of the wasteland: the first World War and modernism Wilk, C. 2006, Modernism: designing a new world, 1914-1939, V&A, London. Modernism: The Roots of Modernism. 2017. Modernism: The Roots of Modernism. The Art Story. 2017. Bauhaus Movement, Artists and Major Works | The Art Story The Bauhaus Movement. 2017. The Bauhaus Movement László Moholy-Nagy - iconofgraphics.com. 2017. László Moholy-Nagy - iconofgraphics.com. Omer Tiroche. 2017. Le Corbusier - Omer Tiroche Highsnobiety. 2018. Postmodern Architecture in 10 Buildings | Highsnobiety BBC News. 2018. London fire: A visual guide to what happened at Grenfell Tower Guggenheim. 2018. Form Follows Function David D. Kirkpatrick, Danny Hakim and James Glanz. 2018. Why Grenfell Tower Burned: Regulators Put Cost Before Safety - The New York Times The Art Story. 2018. The Pre-Raphaelite Movement Movement, Artists and Major Works | The Art Story. Pinterest. 2018. Résultats de recherche d’images pour « sanatorium de paimio » | Alvar Aalto | Pinterest | Alvar aalto and Architecture Wilk (2006), Cahpter 7: Healthy Body Culture Encyclopedia Britannica. 2018. Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood | Britannica.com YouTube. 2018. [36] Barcelona Pavilion | Ludwig Mies van der Rohe - YouTube Tate. 2018. Pre-Raphaelite – Art Term | Tate .