Blog Post 11 Modernism: Style and Substance

Examples of Art Deco influencing architectuPicture Source: http://www.casasugar.com/Art-Deco-548440re

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Villa Savoye showing all five rules of modern architecture by Le Corbusier

The rise of modernism has evolved over time.  Different movements taking place progressed its dominance into what we see in today's architecture and mainstream.  Rules have been made and broken and after viewing the different movements and the buildings and objects that were apart of these particular styles, people have been  always craving and wanting something new, but it really is something old but transformed and reinterpreted differently.  Kind of like fashion trends, and the saying that if you hold onto something long enough, eventually it will come back as a reformed trend or revived.  When I think of modernism I think of clean and simple lines, something very streamlined and without heavy ornamentation or too much color.  Anything basically that would date the object or space.  One timeless building that comes to mind when I think of a terrific example of modernism in architecture would be Villa Savoye in Poissy, a suburb of Paris, France. Built in 1929 by  Le Corbusier, an architect who got his start at an exhibition. Le Corbusier created a building with such timelessness and classic elegance that it holds as a staple to most if not all architecture lectures for future generations of designers.  Modernism helped get its start at these exhibitions another ingredient that helped push the envelope for the strive to find Modernism.  These exhibitions would let people see the newest and latest in everything from art, to new foods, and different cultures.  These exhibitions would draw people in from all over, and each time architecture changed its look and rules of what was most modern and new with the competition of countries to be the newest .  When looking at Villa Savoye it demonstrates the Five Points that Corbusier  stated as a means to new modernism.  The first is the use of pilotis, (elevating the mass from the ground).  The second is a free plan  When viewing the building it is hard to tell the date when it was built, because it looks as though it could have been constructed today in modern design. With the Art Deco movement following behind the Art Nouveau and Secession movements we see how designs have evolved.  Art Nouveau which can still be seen much throughout Europe was all about entertwining nature with design.  After the Art Nouveau movement we saw the emergence of the Secession Movement, which was very similar to the Art Nouveau style with its whiplash curvature detailings of objects found in nature.  Which at the time seemed like something new, but it harkened back to the rules and was similar to the building styles of the ancient Greeks.  Secession also incorporated streamlining and was all about materiality.  Some examples of the Secession movement and the buildings that were constructed during this time would e the Secession building designed by joseph maria olbricht.  and the Palace Stoclet, designed by Joseph Hoffman in Vienna Austria.  The arrival of the Art Deco movement came from l'exhibition de arts d`ecoratifs in Paris France around 1928.  With this exhibition performers and artists dressed in costumes and did very intricate dancing.  Their costumes were made of  geometrical patterns, circles being the main shape that took front stage center during the Art Deco movement.  All of these happening factor into and influence what we call modernism.  Designers today work hard to be modern to create the latest newest things, while also maintaining a timeless elegance in their work, so it can be viewed at anytime or date and still look amazing.  For example the Chrysler building in New York will always remain timeless and catch the eye.