POST 05: The Emergence of Modernism

A lot has changed, during the 1900's due to many significant events that now shapes the world of today. In the world of art and design, many movements rose in the late 1800's and still continued to do so in the 1900's. World War I (1914-1918) changed the way of how architects and people in general see the world and get a chance to redesign the cities. However, before the war begun, Art Nouveau and the Prairie Style movement influences what we call now Modernism. There was also the appearance of new technologies such as skyscrapers, new methods of transports with the train and automobiles, etcetera, which explains the embrace and support for industrial design.

The modern movement had four major pioneers that were all architects, which are Frank Lloyd Wright, Walter Gropius, Mies Van der Rohe and Le Corbusier. It is interesting to see that all four of them, while contributing to modernism were somehow indirectly influenced by the previous art movements such as Art Nouveau, because once again there is the clear rejection of ornamentation and a rejection of the past and historical design. Plus it is known that Frank Lloyd Wright, who is considered to be the first pioneer who contributed to modernism was mentored by the Art Nouveau American architect Louis Henry Sullivan.

It is also interesting to note that modernity emerged and got a chance to develop more through a lot of economical and political turbulances. As mentioned before, when World War I ended, it was a chance to rebuilt and even though nations weren't necessarily stable, a modern movement saw the day between the World Wars with the International Style. Indeed, the International Style movement emerged in the 1920s and the 1930s. It is considered to be "the style of architecture that emerged in Holland, France, and Germany after World War I and spread throughout the world, becoming the dominant architectural style until the 1970s. The style is characterized by an emphasis on volume over mass, the use of lightweight, mass-produced, industrial materials, rejection of all ornament and color, repetitive modular forms, and the use of flat surfaces, typically alternating with areas of glass."

Through what I've learned, I appreciate this movement on how the architecture, especially in interiors with the furniture promotes simplicity, clean lines and shows that functionality really ruled the design of those spaces.

Interior of the Farnsworth House, Mies Van der Rohe.

The Johnson Wax Company by Frank Lloyd Wright.

Current Applications:

 

Fitzroy North Home by Zunica Interior Architecture & Design.

Chaise longue FT33 by Francois Turpin, 2018.

ONE STEP FURTHER

Le Corbusier, born Charles-Édouard Jeanneret (Oct 06, 1887 - Aug 27, 1965), is a Swiss- French architect, designer and urban planner. What is really interesting about him is that he did not a formal architecture training, but still managed to be one of the most influential figures of architecture and interior design of all times. Le Corbusier(a pseudonym he chose to reinvent himself by tweeking his maternal grandfather's name:" Lecorbesier"), liked to incorporate new/modern techniques, "weightlessness combined with solidity, the juxtaposition of different kinds of materials" and of course the concept of functionalism.

Villa Savoye.

Villa Ozenfant by Le Corbusier, 1922. It is his first work that was built in Paris.