In the beginning of modern architecture, there were two key people that stood out at this time: Le Corbusier and Frank Lloyd Wright were two people with remarkable consistency and morality that gave a deep expression to an ideal world view. Wright was one of the first architects to break away from the contemporary style, he then created a modern type of architecture. Although Wright has looked into the idea of machine produced architecture he still liked the idea of incorporating his own roots of America into his architecture. Frank Lloyd Wright was born in 1867, one of his early developing influence was during the time he spent at his farm in Wisconsin, where Wright states that he would fix his attention on a tree, hill or flower and "wonder off into reveries of abstract forms and shapes." Wright's belief in the totality of fundamental geometrical forms can be linked to when his mother brought him Froebel blocks from the Philadelphia exhibition of 1879. Wright had many happy moments when forming simple geometrical patterns. According to the Froebel method, a configuration should be linked to the cosmic theme. Wright studied engineering at the University of Wisconsin in 1885 but did not finish the course. This was because he started to work for a suburban designer Joseph Lyman Silsbee in Chicago. Wright did not have a traditional architectural training but instead learned the basic business of domestic design and took much interest in suburban architecture. Shortly after Wright was employed to work for Louis Sullivan who was interested in organic architecture and skyscrapers. Wright learned much from Sullivan having worked with him for five years before finally setting up his own practice in his studio from his home. His home was designed by himself from when he was 22 and has a lot of influences from Silsbee. A business man Mr Winslow had wanted a simple yet elegant house and this become one of Wrights significant building in 1893, called the Winslow House. After building the house Wright and Mr. Winslow published a limited edition of the William Channing Gannett's House Beautiful, which contained Wrights own opinions on the house that he regarded as sacred institution. After the Winslow House Wright was commissioned in over a hundred buildings for the next 15 years. Chicago was currently developing and the middle class communities with their new money they were wanting value for money therefore Wrights style of architecture suited them individually. These commissions were built on small rectangular plots and the design of hot and cold water system was given priority. These prairie houses become a traditional image of the American home. At this stage Wright became more interested with machinery, and knew the importance of industrialisation which provided the environment for new patterns of life. Wright admired Japanese architecture and its relationship with nature. Well before visiting the country he had studied oriental Japanese prints. As Wrights popularity grew he was being commissioned by the very wealthy people and his buildings were bigger, spacious, luxury dwelling as opposed to his early houses which were smaller. References
Curtis, W. J. R. (1996) Modern Architecture Since 1900 London: Phaidon Modernism in Scandinavia 1910-1965, has a connection with the lanscape (pine, farm, coastline and the early architecuture in Scandinavia etc.) which gave of a strong sense of its nation. Scandinavias change from classicism to modernism has been easily shown through Erik Gunnar Asplund's Woodland Chapel. He has used classical knowledge but with a Swedish influence to build the Chapel. The Chapel was a very significant building in the modern movement. Asplund work was an introduction to the real modernism in Scandinavia know as the new objectivity. New Objectivity was a reaction to the expressionism. Scandinavia were very stong on urban planning and Peter Celsing's Culture House is a good example of Scandinavia's overall plan. The idea was to design the building so that it could be used for a whole different purpose after its use. The building had a modern glazed facade with also a classical language to it. Earl Moursund, (2013), Woodland Chapel. Stockholm, Sweden [ONLINE]. Available at: http://www.greatbuildings.com/cgi-bin/gbi.cgi/Woodland_Chapel.html/cid_3159335.html [Accessed 12 November 15].
The Avant Gardes movement was influenced by the fine arts and also the architecture. The Avant Gardes was also an umberella for Cubism, Surrealism, Expressionism, De Stijl, Futurism, Dada and Constructivism. The movements came from the First World War, 1914 to the 1918. They were just starting to figure out how technology and mechanism could be incorporated into sociaty. The Futurist Manifesto was a newspaper created by Filippo Tammaso Marinetti. Marinetti had published articles that had rejected everything from the past. The De Stijl movement was part of the Neo Plasticism. The Neo-plasticism movment was baced on philosophical and spiritual ideas. The movement mainly reduced the matter to geometric abstractions and mostly used primary colours. Hay Kranen, (2010), Rietveld Schröder House [ONLINE]. Available at: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a7/Rietveld_Schröderhuis_HayKranen-20.JPG/1920px-Rietveld_Schröderhuis_HayKranen-20.JPG [Accessed 05 November 15].
Charles Edouard Jeanneret, an architect that was originally trained as an engraver. Within his work he had used nature through decorative forms and used it to find some sort of order. He had always thought about how symbolism could be interpreted though his art. When visiting Paris he got to work with Auguste Perret learning more about domestic architecture. Furthering his knowledge he later went to Germany he them learned about the connections between art and machine. Le Corbusier's 5 points to a New Architecture 1927
intiyana, (2015), Villa Savoye [ONLINE]. Available at: http://www.intiyana.com/w/3189/a-masterpiece-of/3184/ [Accessed 01 November 15]. Two moments that are important [Pre] Modernity; are the age of enlightenment and the industrial revolution.
The age of enlightenment lasted from 1600 to 1800 and the Industrial Revolution that had overall created a new urban landscape. Modernity was a big cultural movement which was very influenced by the World Wars. Modernism was a new way of living and a break from the past. Both Antonio Sant'Elia and Ernst Ludwig Kirchner works below showes their representations for the city in modernity. Where Sant'Elia is like a manifesto of the future city and focusing more on the tchnology, Kirchner's is a more critical and subjective verson of modernity. English Arts & Crafts William Morris had established the arts and crafts movement, which was the first movement associated with modernism. Morris was also a part of an influential circle of people. William Holman Hunt, John Everett Millais, Dante Gabriel Rossetti and John Ruskin were the founding members of this religious circle of people. References http://www.queensofvintage.com/twentieth-century-architectural-styles-a-short-introduction/ Art Nouveau task |
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